(06-24-2019 09:15 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 08:20 PM)Tigersmoke4 Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 08:08 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Some good info there.

Apparently, ESPN pays the American the same (or virtually the same) pot of money whether UConn is in the league or not.

I guess ESPN doesn't value schools who go 11-37 over six years of American football league play.

But But But UCONN was our most valuable brand. Is ESPN gone crazy!?!?

I think some on here misunderstand the usage and meaning of the term brand.
The strongest brand is not necessarily the one that goes undefeated and appears in a NY6 bowl, nor is it necessarily the one that recently made a Sweet 16. UConn has had the highest levels of corporate sponsorship, advertising and licensing in the AAC. They clearly were the most valuable brand in that conference.

The question is: most valuable to whom? If they aren't valuable to the AAC or to ESPN, it doesn't matter how much money they get from corporate sponsors, advertising or licensing. If ESPN doesn't care if UConn leaves, then they aren't valuable where it matters.

(06-25-2019 10:15 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:14 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 10:29 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  Dead silence from ESPN, AAC, & FB schools.
I don't think Conn FB going anywhere
Let SNY pay Conn & split the money

There’s no way the AAC will let UConn keep their football team there. They’re not Notre Dame or even BYU. UConn football sucks

Sucks is being kind. More like worst in FBS. And reportedly, CUSA and the MAC are not interested in UConn football, so why should the AAC be, and give that program about a 70% share just for football?

Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it. AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

(06-25-2019 10:36 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:15 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:14 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 10:29 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  Dead silence from ESPN, AAC, & FB schools.
I don't think Conn FB going anywhere
Let SNY pay Conn & split the money

There’s no way the AAC will let UConn keep their football team there. They’re not Notre Dame or even BYU. UConn football sucks

Sucks is being kind. More like worst in FBS. And reportedly, CUSA and the MAC are not interested in UConn football, so why should the AAC be, and give that program about a 70% share just for football?

Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it. AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

I said "more like" not worst, lol.

Bottom 25? They have been more like in the 120s out of 130 for 2 or 3 years now, iirc. But I'm not going to look it up. 1-11 last year is about as bad as it gets, lol.

But as you said, bottom line is the same.

(06-25-2019 10:41 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:36 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:15 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:14 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 10:29 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  Dead silence from ESPN, AAC, & FB schools.
I don't think Conn FB going anywhere
Let SNY pay Conn & split the money

There’s no way the AAC will let UConn keep their football team there. They’re not Notre Dame or even BYU. UConn football sucks

Sucks is being kind. More like worst in FBS. And reportedly, CUSA and the MAC are not interested in UConn football, so why should the AAC be, and give that program about a 70% share just for football?

Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it. AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

I said "more like" not worst, lol.

Bottom 25? They have been more like in the 120s out of 130 for 2 or 3 years now, iirc. But I'm not going to look it up. 1-11 last year is about as bad as it gets, lol.

But as you said, bottom line is the same.

Something your fans (and ours) are familiar with. Just 10 years ago you guys were winning 1-2 games a year. That didn’t stop you from jumping to the American. Was it your basketball prestige then? Brand? I know the Miners are likely never going to be invited anywhere that isn’t MW.

(06-25-2019 10:46 AM)PicksUp Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:41 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:36 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:15 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:14 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  There’s no way the AAC will let UConn keep their football team there. They’re not Notre Dame or even BYU. UConn football sucks

Sucks is being kind. More like worst in FBS. And reportedly, CUSA and the MAC are not interested in UConn football, so why should the AAC be, and give that program about a 70% share just for football?

Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it. AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

I said "more like" not worst, lol.

Bottom 25? They have been more like in the 120s out of 130 for 2 or 3 years now, iirc. But I'm not going to look it up. 1-11 last year is about as bad as it gets, lol.

But as you said, bottom line is the same.

Something your fans (and ours) are familiar with. Just 10 years ago you guys were winning 1-2 games a year. That didn’t stop you from jumping to the American. Was it your basketball prestige then? Brand? I know the Miners are likely never going to be invited anywhere that isn’t MW.

It was basketball, and ESPN suggesting it. Back then the Catholic 7 were still in the AAC and voting.

As for FB, we were down at the bottom for a few years, but had the will and the support to fix it. UConn just doesn't. Not anything wrong with that, just not enough interest in FB in the northeast. We're in the middle of SEC country in the south.

I question the decision UConn made to jump to FBS in the first place, in 2002, and pour supposedly over $100M into it, to now essentially throw football under the bus.

(06-25-2019 06:44 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  There are, at most, only four schools who will be offered UConn's spot:

Army, Air Force, BYU and Boise

Note how the standard conference realignment scenario is that a conference wants a school, or a school wants to get into a conference, but not both.

Army ~ been there, done that, got the bloody t-shirt and the 0-13 record with a previous CUSA version of many of these same schools, except if anything more likely to beat Army to a pulp. Army some time to recover after playing a school with a line the size of, say, UCF, they can't take that beating week after week.

Air Force ~ no reason to leave their Front Range rivals

BYU ~ won't join a conference that is not equal in at least pro-forma status to the conference that Utah plays in, not unless they are desperate, and at present they are doing OK.

Boise State ~ not going to take on the travel for on the order of a $1m raise ... much of which might be eaten up in "travel subsidy" bribes to get a place to put their Olympic Sports.

(06-25-2019 10:41 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:36 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:15 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 10:14 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 10:29 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  Dead silence from ESPN, AAC, & FB schools.
I don't think Conn FB going anywhere
Let SNY pay Conn & split the money

There’s no way the AAC will let UConn keep their football team there. They’re not Notre Dame or even BYU. UConn football sucks

Sucks is being kind. More like worst in FBS. And reportedly, CUSA and the MAC are not interested in UConn football, so why should the AAC be, and give that program about a 70% share just for football?

Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it. AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

I said "more like" not worst, lol.

Bottom 25? They have been more like in the 120s out of 130 for 2 or 3 years now, iirc. But I'm not going to look it up. 1-11 last year is about as bad as it gets, lol.

But as you said, bottom line is the same.

FWIW, their three year average Sagarin rating ranks #123 out of 130. They are ahead of Liberty, Kent, Charlotte, Rice, UTEP, Texas State and UAB during that time.

(06-25-2019 10:08 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 10:29 PM)templefootballfan Wrote:  Dead silence from ESPN, AAC, & FB schools.
I don't think Conn FB going anywhere
Let SNY pay Conn & split the money

UConn FB is NOT staying in the AAC. Navy AD already said that publicly.

Very Telling...the Navy has a submarine base in CT. Of anyone, you would think the USNA would like UConn to stay in FB.

(06-25-2019 06:44 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 06:22 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 12:23 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  ESPN will have a huge hand in selection. They already have the rights to all the MAC/CUSA/SB schools for 500K each. No need to pay any of them 7 million. If ESPN is at the controls—dont be surprised if it’s a MW school—where they are currently in negotiations. That’s a good way to get first tier tights for a team they want while knocking down the value of the entire package. Nobody knows that ESPN trick better than former Big East schools.

Exactly. ESPN does "own" the AAC, but why would they want to take properties they also own for nothing and add them to the AAC and pay them like 10x more? ESPN is going to look at this as a business decision and what makes the most sense for their bottom line. From everything that's come out it doesn't sound like they have a legal leg to stand on to void the AAC deal, or even really to drastically drop it from UCONN leaving. ESPN already owns all of Buffalo's content for pennies, why would they want to move them to another wholly owned entity and pay multiple times more for it? The only additions that make strategic sense from both the AAC and ESPN's perspective are entities that either they don't wholly own (Air Force, Boise, Army) or from an entity they own but could maybe save some money by lumping it into the AAC deal (BYU).

Exactly why I said what I said. Allow me to repeat:

There are, at most, only four schools who will be offered UConn's spot:

Army, Air Force, BYU and Boise

I would add that if certain other MWC schools applied (say Colo St), they would be strongly considered. But I could not predict what the verdict would be because their TV ratings aren't particularly strong.

Exactly. It's also why I actually do think there is a non-zero chance BYU or Air Force will join (I don't have the odds above 25% for either but not zero). The AAC TV deal is signed, and from everything coming out there's no provision in there that would allow ESPN to drastically reduce the value or terminate the deal. So they are probably paying the AAC the amount of the signed deal (or in that ball park) at least until the next seismic shift happens. The MWC deal is expiring though, as well as the BYU deal. ESPN could decide to try facilitate Air Force into the AAC at basically no increased cost to them while greatly devaluing the MWC in their next deal whether with ESPN or not. They could also help facilitate BYU into the AAC for either no increased overall cost or maybe a slight bump and not have to pay BYU their separate deal, which would likely save ESPN money overall while keeping the same amount of content. What makes no sense is pulling a school from leagues they own for nothing (MAC/Sunbelt) up to pay them 8-10x more per year. I also highly doubt ESPN values any C-USA team at a level nearly equal to the entirety of the C-USA TV deal.

That leaves UMass & NMST
Take your pick

(06-25-2019 10:36 AM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  Worst in FBS is a bit much, but definitely bottom 25. Any conference would be insane to take UConn football. Unless UConn is offering big bucks to join and promise some basketball games, nobody should do it.

The BBall games and keeping any modest top-up ESPN might give for the additional conference games as a travel subsidy might swing UConn/UMass FB-only for the MAC, but it would be against headwinds from MAC supporters, who would by and large be against it, after the series of FB-only experiments with less than stellar results.

The MAC is the one where that pair makes the MOST sense, and even for the MAC it would take hard bargaining to pull it off ... adding UMass/UConn to form a SBC Eastern Division is silly, adding two to a 14 team CUSA is if anything even sillier, and splitting CUSA and creating a conference without a Tourney autobid for six or seven years is the silliest of the three.

Quote: AAC is definitely not doing it though. Not sure why anyone believes they would.

I'd guess this is an example of, "whatever nonsense you care to name, you can find someone on the internet who believes it." No way the AAC as a conference says anything but "well, so long now, don't let it hit ya where the good lord split ya."

(06-26-2019 12:08 AM)templefootballfan Wrote:  That leaves UMass & NMST
Take your pick

Which is why the pick is going to be no one. Again this is a really simple question what non-P5 schools do you think ESPN wants to pay on average 7 million a year for the AAC to add?

(06-26-2019 06:18 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 12:08 AM)templefootballfan Wrote:  That leaves UMass & NMST
Take your pick

Which is why the pick is going to be no one. Again this is a really simple question what non-P5 schools do you think ESPN wants to pay on average 7 million a year for the AAC to add?

If there was a school like that, which wanted to be in the AAC, it would already be in the AAC.

(06-26-2019 07:29 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 06:18 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 12:08 AM)templefootballfan Wrote:  That leaves UMass & NMST
Take your pick

Which is why the pick is going to be no one. Again this is a really simple question what non-P5 schools do you think ESPN wants to pay on average 7 million a year for the AAC to add?

If there was a school like that, which wanted to be in the AAC, it would already be in the AAC.

Again proving the point of why unless one of the unlikely to say yes teams say yes the league's gonna stay at 11. The AAC doesn't want to just add a mouth to feed and ESPN doesn't want to just add a mouth to feed either. Has to be someone that's worth that total and we all know the list of who is and the chances they say yes.

(06-24-2019 08:08 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Some good info there.

Apparently, ESPN pays the American the same (or virtually the same) pot of money whether UConn is in the league or not.

I guess ESPN doesn't value schools who go 11-37 over six years of American football league play.

IMO, if by that you meant that ESPN will pay the AAC the same $1B or whatever it was with UConn, so that now that same pot is being divided just 11 ways, meaning more for each AAC team, I think that is a questionable conclusion to draw from a vague response to a vague question.

It also defies logic, as there is no seeming reason why the total amount wouldn't be adjusted downward to keep the per-school payout for the 11 remaining schools at the same level.

(06-25-2019 10:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(06-25-2019 09:54 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 07:23 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Putting independence to bed.

I assume by "putting independence to bed" you mean independence for Navy, not UConn. I must have missed the part where the Navy AD addressed either topic.

Yeah, you missed it.

I am voting for NIU after that response.

(06-25-2019 10:33 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 09:15 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 08:20 PM)Tigersmoke4 Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 08:08 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Some good info there.

Apparently, ESPN pays the American the same (or virtually the same) pot of money whether UConn is in the league or not.

I guess ESPN doesn't value schools who go 11-37 over six years of American football league play.

But But But UCONN was our most valuable brand. Is ESPN gone crazy!?!?

I think some on here misunderstand the usage and meaning of the term brand.
The strongest brand is not necessarily the one that goes undefeated and appears in a NY6 bowl, nor is it necessarily the one that recently made a Sweet 16. UConn has had the highest levels of corporate sponsorship, advertising and licensing in the AAC. They clearly were the most valuable brand in that conference.

The question is: most valuable to whom? If they aren't valuable to the AAC or to ESPN, it doesn't matter how much money they get from corporate sponsors, advertising or licensing. If ESPN doesn't care if UConn leaves, then they aren't valuable where it matters.

100% Nailed it

(06-26-2019 05:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2019 08:08 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Some good info there.

Apparently, ESPN pays the American the same (or virtually the same) pot of money whether UConn is in the league or not.

I guess ESPN doesn't value schools who go 11-37 over six years of American football league play.

IMO, if by that you meant that ESPN will pay the AAC the same $1B or whatever it was with UConn, so that now that same pot is being divided just 11 ways, meaning more for each AAC team, I think that is a questionable conclusion to draw from a vague response to a vague question.

It also defies logic, as there is no seeming reason why the total amount wouldn't be adjusted downward to keep the per-school payout for the 11 remaining schools at the same level.

You were one who repeatedly said the AAC new tv deal was going to be $2 million - $4 million each.

Credibility in your posts are gone out the window. Hehe

(06-26-2019 11:25 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 07:29 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 06:18 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 12:08 AM)templefootballfan Wrote:  That leaves UMass & NMST
Take your pick

Which is why the pick is going to be no one. Again this is a really simple question what non-P5 schools do you think ESPN wants to pay on average 7 million a year for the AAC to add?

If there was a school like that, which wanted to be in the AAC, it would already be in the AAC.

Again proving the point of why unless one of the unlikely to say yes teams say yes the league's gonna stay at 11. The AAC doesn't want to just add a mouth to feed and ESPN doesn't want to just add a mouth to feed either. Has to be someone that's worth that total and we all know the list of who is and the chances they say yes.

Majority matchups BYU has had with AAC programs all have resulted in extremely sexy tv ratings... And with the new tv deal bump now in place and perhaps going up a bit more if they join, I like to believe BYU may show some interest.

Just think of all the possibilities this marriage could bring for all involved. My

Somebody calculate how much it would cost BYU to cancel all their games to play in a league considered weaker than Utah’s.

BYU has a sexy independent schedule with many P5 teams. I say that in full realization there is absolutely nothing sexy about BYU, and doubt that word is in their vocabulary.