Reputable Boneyard Posters: UConn To Big East For 2021...

[GumbyDamnit!]

Last 50 years of National Championships by current Conference affiliation:
ACC - 16
BE - 9
PAC 12 - 7
Big Ten - 7
SEC - 7
Big 12 - 2

No other conference has multiple winners.

From a historical perspective there is no question what UConn brings (back) to the conference. Also ends all debate as to whether the BE is one of the top 3-4 BB conferences.

[NJRedman]

20 conference games is going to be rough on the guys, especially with our Big 5 games.

I think it's safe to assume that the Big 5 as we know it is over.

20 conference games
4 Exempt Tournament
4 Big 5
Gavitt (assuming)
Big12
1 buy game

That'd be 31 out of 31 games, with only 5 ooc home games if we're to assume 50:50 home/away ratio for the 2 conference challenge games. Jay can love the Big 5, but that's unworkable.

I think you'll keep Temple on as an annual game and rotate the other 3 but more likely keep playing St. Joe's more often than the other 2 just for the catholic connection. In fact I see the order of which of the other 4 you'll play the most moving forward as Temple, SJU, Penn, La Salle.

[billyjack]

The NCAA rule of max 29 games or 30 games, or 27 plus an exempt tourney, or season can't start til 2nd Friday in November... all of those are arbitrary numbers that nobody can remember exactly cuz they're pulled out their ass, will probably change at some point anyway.

It used to be that Thansgiving was the first weekend of hoops. Someday in the near future, Midnight Madness could move to October 1st, the season may start the 3rd Friday of October, and the number of games could uptick to 36. Then the Big Five would not be a schedule burden, and the Big East could have 12 teams and 22 games.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

This deserves its own thread:

Scosox mentioned this in the UConn Smoke thread (page 28)... the Boneyard site has a thread that began at 11pm tonight, claiming UConn will join the Big East for the 2021 season. Where UConn football will go hasn't been answered on that thread yet. A poster there named Chief is pretty reputable.

If UConn goes indy in football i think that would be great for them. In my opinion, they should definitely be pro-active instead of sitting and waiting like they've been doing.

Fantastic news for the Big East if this is true.

https://the-boneyard.com/threads/report ... on.144653/

billyjack – your original post raised more questions than it answered.

For starters, who first leaked the news to Boston-based website Digital Sports Desk, and why?

There are at least seven possible sources for the leak:

(1) a University of Connecticut official
(2) a consultant or other entity hired by University of Connecticut officials
(3) a Big East official
(4) a consultant or other entity hired by Big East officials
(5) an intermediary through which negotiations between UConn and Big East officials are being conducted
(6) a consultant or other entity hired by the intermediary
(7) a ‘trusted’ friend or associate of (1) to (6) above who was not supposed to have the information, or to disclose the information to anyone else

It can reasonably be assumed that the leak did not come from the Big East side, as the Big East has absolutely nothing to gain from the information being made public before the relevant contracts are signed, so (3) and (4) are very unlikely sources of the leak.

It can also reasonably be assumed that the leak did not come from the intermediary or hired consultants, as there are certainly non-disclosure clauses in their contracts/agreements, so possibilities (2), (5), and (6) are very unlikely.

That leaves possibilities (1) and (7) as the most likely suspects. In particular, the most likely suspect for the leak is a University of Connecticut official or one of their ‘trusted’ friends or associates who does not want UConn to downgrade their football program.

Leaking this news before the deal is finalized is the best way to scupper the deal as it provides a window of opportunity for the many wealthy supporters of UConn football to exert pressure on politicians and UConn officials to remain in the AAC and not downgrade UConn football.

The next logical question is: How far along are the negotiations? Yesterday’s New York papers had the answer:

UConn May Return to the Big East and Some Familiar Rivals - Billy Witz, The New York Times - June 22, 2019

While many details, including exit fees and what conference the football team would play in, are still being worked out, the move for the 2020-21 academic year could be agreed upon as soon as the coming week, according to a conference official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the move, which was first reported Saturday by the website Digital Sports Desk.

The Big East university presidents are expected to convene on a conference call in the next few days to vote on inviting UConn to rejoin the conference. UConn has a board of trustees meeting on Wednesday, when it could vote on accepting an invitation.

UConn Returning to Big East Comes with Major Question - Zach Braziller, The New York Post - June 22, 2019

The deal is close to done between the two sides, according to multiple sources. The belief is Connecticut will be part of the league for the 2020-21 season, though it remains uncertain what will happen to the Huskies’ football program. The Big East would move to 20 league games for men’s basketball to continue its home-and-home regular season.

The Big East declined to comment, and sources said the conference has yet to hold an official vote of whether to extend an invitation to UConn. If that invite is given, Connecticut’s Board of Trustees would then have to vote to approve the move. But neither is expected to be a problem.

The AAC exit fee is $10 million, and schools are required to give 27 months notice before departing the league, a source said. Clearly, there will be negotiations ahead about the price tag.

If UConn has already signed a contract committing the university to the $10 million exit fee and 27 months notice, the AAC has no incentive whatsoever to waive these contractual obligations to assist UConn.

Then, there is the future negotiation of UConn’s exit fee from the Big East Conference, should that ever occur. While Big East fans rightfully see the Big East as the best fit for UConn basketball, many UConn fans would see the Atlantic Coast Conference as the best fit for UConn basketball in the long-term.

It is unlikely that UConn’s scholarshipped football program will be sustainably in the long-term, and UConn has far more in common with the ACC schools than the Big East schools. When UConn drops scholarshipped football, they will start making noises about wanting to rejoin the former Old Big East basketball rivals in the ACC. Both sides in the negotiations are aware of this. The Big East will want a $50,000,000 exit fee if UConn leaves the Big East, but UConn will want their exit fee to be closer to $100 to keep that option open in the future. It may be difficult to find a mutually-agreeable exit fee.
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Without a doubt, I think this hits st john's and providence the hardest as far as northeast recruiting and overall momentum.

The fat lady hasn’t sung yet. Unless Big East Bylaw 4.02 - New Members has been changed, it only takes three current Big East members to block a new school. A coalition of St. John's, Providence, and Creighton could veto an invitation to UConn if they chose to do so, but so far, there is no indication that that might happen. And finally, the New York Post doesn’t always get it right:

Butler, Dayton, Xavier to Join Big East Next Season - Lenn Robbins, New York Post – March 13, 2013

Dayton will join Butler and Xavier next season in the new Big East, which is said to be looking at corporate offices in the metropolitan area.

Creighton and St. Louis come on board for 2014-15.

While the most likely scenario appears to be UConn joining the Big East in the near future, it is not yet a done-deal.

[kayako]

I think you'll keep Temple on as an annual game and rotate the other 3 but more likely keep playing St. Joe's more often than the other 2 just for the catholic connection. In fact I see the order of which of the other 4 you'll play the most moving forward as Temple, SJU, Penn, La Salle.

I'd say offer 2 for 1 to Temple and Saint Joe's, take it or leave it. Offer Penn and LaSalle money to become buy games in alternating years. Right, Jay would never do that but it'd be funny as hell.

[scoscox]

Fieldhouse,

the guy who runs Digital Sports Desk is a St. John's alum and most of the buzz we heard about this came from info from big east boosters. i'm not sure either side really wanted it leaked

[gtmoBlue]

Nice post Fieldhouse... Despite all the Big East EC fandoms (Kayako, Gumby, Adoraz, Billyjack, etc.) creaming their jeans irt the "return of beloved UConn", It isn't yet a done deal.

Your points regarding the early exit from AAC requirements and the money, also the remote possibility of the entry being blocked are appropo.
Surely, the BE isn't absorbing the exit costs of UConn? Why 12 months vs the "normal" 27 months notice/$10 Mill exit fee?
Give me the Zags and SLU.

[gtmoBlue]

The NCAA rule of max 29 games or 30 games, or 27 plus an exempt tourney, or season can't start til 2nd Friday in November... all of those are arbitrary numbers that nobody can remember exactly cuz they're pulled out their ass, will probably change at some point anyway.

It used to be that Thansgiving was the first weekend of hoops. Someday in the near future, Midnight Madness could move to October 1st, the season may start the 3rd Friday of October, and the number of games could uptick to 36. Then the Big Five would not be a schedule burden, and the Big East could have 12 teams and 22 games.

Well, well...Now you want to extend season creep to a month, start the season the 3rd week of October. I surely hope not. Season creep expansion has already extended the season from early November to the middle of April - so much for "March Madness"! The NCAA has acquiesced to the demands of the P5 conferences and the television and cable networks, early start - exempt tourneys - longer 31 game regular season - staggered 2 weeks of post season conference tourneys - pushed back start of the NCAA/NIT post season. What more do you need? Formerly the season ran from Thankgiving Weekend to the middle of March. Now from 11 November to 15-16 April. Thats a 6 week expansion right there, and now you project another 3 week expansion. When is enough enough?

What is really needed is a reduction of the season back to a more manageable level. A decision needs to be made to cut either the early season non conference tourneys or the postseason conference tourneys. The season should return to its' traditional Thanksgiving Weekend start and a 27 game regular season. Given that conferences won't give up postseason tourneys, all conference tourneys should run the week after the end of the RS, no staggering weeks. The NCAA/NIT should begin no later than the 2nd week in March, restoring March Madness to its' rightful time slot. There, I FIFY.


Thankgiving start - 27 game RS - Post season Conf Tourneys - March Madness (in March) No need for thanks, you're welcome.

[scoscox]

I'm just glad that we could add a program that will help us maintain our big east identity, schools with blue as their primary color. a great add to The Blue East

[NJRedman]

I'm just glad that we could add a program that will help us maintain our big east identity, schools with blue as their primary color. a great add to The Blue East

And the funniest thing is that the school where the founder of the league came from is the only non-blue team. I think Gavitt is their "No-Blue" pass. Without him their either out of the league or they change their colors to black and blue.