UConn to Big East 2020

Get ready for some MACtion
minutefanjsf
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by minutefanjsf » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:19 pm

minutefanjsf wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:18 pm
ZooMass84 wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:34 am
ZooMass84 wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:31 am
UConn will never be better off than us. Our endowment is actually larger (Wikipedia lists UConn includes all their campuses, UMass is just the Amherst campus). We have twice the population of CT and our economy is booming. UMass is the largest state university in New England. People are leaving CT, not moving there. Big businesses are leaving CT, not moving there. The $100 million CT spent to build the Rent is a sunk cost. A lot of people are pissed and that has no bearing on throwing good money after bad.

Now that Encore is open, that is the death knell for Foxwoods. Hence, it really hurts CT, too. The Big East TV contract revenue is actually less than the AAC's. Being a football independent is a lot of work and costs a ton in travel $$$$. It's not easy by design (the powers that be want everybody in a conference, unless your name is Notre Dame or USMA West Point).

And the biggest reason UConn will eventually drop football is constant, grinding money losses, year after year. I cannot see fans flocking to East Hartford to see 1AA teams and FBS #120-#130 teams. The Rent holds 40,000 and now a days gets no more than a few thousand fans, tops. Idaho dropped football and plenty of FBS schools back in the day also dropped football.
The only way they are better off is that they can trade Big East basketball games with G5 football schools. That is what I meant by ostensibly better. It is a tough slog and yes schools have dropped football. But, Idaho is not Connecticut. I’m not saying they will be successful, it. Ring unsuccessful is not the same as cutting the sport. I also agree that we should be in a better place moving forward, but still hold that trading big east hoops games is a better sell than trading a10 games.
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by 69MG » Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:18 am

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Mike Aresco told reporters at American Conference Media Day in Newport that the league has no plans to expand following UConn's departure. Will stay at 11.

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InnervisionsUMASS
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:35 am

69MG wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2019 9:18 am
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Mike Aresco told reporters at American Conference Media Day in Newport that the league has no plans to expand following UConn's departure. Will stay at 11.

A public statement that is not unexpected. I'm sure the internal and private discussions are much different.
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by KahunaK » Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:01 pm


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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by Sheck » Wed Jul 17, 2019 12:46 am

^
Hopefully there's at least a pitch by Bamford/Subbaswamy, even if it is a longshot. Zoomass brought up some good points about the overall profile of the university and the economy in MA being far better than CT and looking like things are going to keep trending upward there. The on field product isn't where it needs to be right now but there's at least a commitment to the football program with the upgrades at McGuirk.
#maction 🚩#flagship

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by KahunaK » Thu Jul 18, 2019 9:03 am

Can you imagine what the Boston media would have done to UMASS if it was UMASS was going through what UCONN is with downgrading the football program?

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by m626t » Thu Jul 25, 2019 5:25 pm

This from the Hartford Courant as posted in the UMass Football blog- nothing new but rather interesting

https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-fo ... story.html
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by Steve81 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:02 pm

Thought the travel part was interesting and seeing the buy game stuff in print. Pretty much a push on travel expenses between Indy us and UConn in AAC and us in MAC.
UMass (playing a schedule similar to what the Huskies might build) spent $1,193,649 on football travel, according to the school’s NCAA financial statement, almost identical to the $1,151,379 that UConn spent as a member of the AAC.
In fact, Bamford said travel costs increased by about $100,00 per year when UMass left the MAC.
In 2019, UMass will profit $2.475 million from its schedule, thanks mostly to guarantee games at Rutgers ($1.3 million) and Northwestern ($1.2 million). In 2020, it will benefit from a $1.9 million date with Auburn.
Go UMass!!

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by dennisdent » Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:24 am

And I was jealous of the Cons years ago: https://outline.com/bqUpRU

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by Jack » Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:41 am

UConn has a lot of problems. Rentschler is just one of them.

In contrast UMASS was far smarter in developing an on campus venue. Yes it is taking time to get McGuirk renovated and in shape - but we have seen incremental improvements annually which is a far smarter long term strategy than the path UConn chose to go down with sinking 92M into an off campus stadium in God awful East Hartford.

Don't be jealous - Be Very Thankful that UMASS chose to develop its on campus Stadium. :D :D :D

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by McKinney » Sun Aug 18, 2019 12:27 pm

Jack wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:41 am UConn has a lot of problems. Rentschler is just one of them.

In contrast UMASS was far smarter in developing an on campus venue. Yes it is taking time to get McGuirk renovated and in shape - but we have seen incremental improvements annually which is a far smarter long term strategy than the path UConn chose to go down with sinking 92M into an off campus stadium in God awful East Hartford.

Don't be jealous - Be Very Thankful that UMASS chose to develop its on campus Stadium. :D :D :D
I don't think UConn wanted their stadium to be in East Hartford. I believe the deal was the state didn't want to pay for a stadium unless it was in or just outside of Hartford (originally to entice the Patriots). So UConn could either build on campus and pay out of pocket, or build off campus essentially risk free.

UConn also did not have the option to renovate on-demand like UMass. They needed 30k+ seats (or a waiver) just to be in I-A.
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Jack
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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by Jack » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:44 pm

McKinney wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 12:27 pm I don't think UConn wanted their stadium to be in East Hartford. I believe the deal was the state didn't want to pay for a stadium unless it was in or just outside of Hartford (originally to entice the Patriots). So UConn could either build on campus and pay out of pocket, or build off campus essentially risk free.

UConn also did not have the option to renovate on-demand like UMass. They needed 30k+ seats (or a waiver) just to be in I-A.

please stop fabricating excuses for the sled dogs....who cares what you think they wanted? lol. That's irrelevant, what matters is what actually occurred. But I'll be nice and help you out.

In '97 Ucon opted to accept the BE invite to upgrade from A10 (FCS) to the BE (FBS). The plan was for a 35K stadium on campus in Snores but the price was over $100M and there was opposition from the Mansfield locals to the proposed roadwork and traffic so it didn't happen b/c there was insufficient support and no funding.

In '98 Bob Kraft used Hartford as leverage to scam a new stadium out of Foxboro - CT bit hard and was going to build a $375M+ Taj Mahal for the Pats in Hartford - which UCon would get to use - that was a complete sham by Kraft. In mid April '99 the NCAA granted Ucon's application for a stadium waiver so they could begin playing as a 1A Indy in 2000 and then move into the Pats Hartford stadium when it was ready....then in late April '99 Kraft predictably notified CT that Kraft was backing out of the Htfd stadium deal.

Nov. '99 CT announced Ucon would move to Rentschler - UConn was all for it - UCon AD Lew Perkins was full of praise for the plan to play homes games at the Rent - don't kid yourself, they were all in for the Rent plan. 1 week later November 1999, UMASS whipped Ucon 62-20 at McGuirk much to the delight of us UMASS fans and the utter humiliation of the sled dogs faithful (as Ucon went down we chanted "D1A !!! " lol they responded by telling us that they were going to build a great new stadium... )

May 2000 CT opted for a $91M 40K Stadium in bucolic East Htfd as part of the $750M Adriaen's Landing / Rentschler project.

It was never about either building on campus and paying "out of pocket" - or building in East Htfd. The only viable plan that was approved was the Rent. That is what UCon chose to do. BTW Ucon played about 3 years at Memorial on a NCAA Waiver. Memorial was not as nice as McGuirk... but it had its charm b/c it was at least on campus in Snores. The Rent is okay and UCon will make the best of it - but UMASS seems to be in a better position long term by owning an On Campus stadium that we can renovate and its nice to see those renovations occurring. They need to keep on coming... 8)

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by minutefanjsf » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:13 pm

Jacks take is pretty much what I remember as well. They thought they’d be able to use UConn to develop east Hartford and Adriens landing once the Pats withdrew.

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by Quann » Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:56 am

Jack, I’ll admit you annoyed me with your insufferable support of Whipple when he was circling down the crapper last season. Having said that, your assessment of UConn’s football history is spot on. We are in a much better position long term with our facilities compared to the Cons. That makes me very happy :D

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Re: UConn to Big East 2020

Post by eldonabe » Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:26 am

Quann wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:56 am Jack, I’ll admit you annoyed me with your insufferable support of Whipple when he was circling down the crapper last season. Having said that, your assessment of UConn’s football history is spot on. We are in a much better position long term with our facilities compared to the Cons. That makes me very happy :D
I share your take on Jack....

I now believe Jack was supporting "The Program" moreso than Whip. Whip was there at the time and you back your guy... So be it.

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