Around the Big East

[Section3]

Mods, if this is not in the correct forum, please move it. But I couldn't see where else it should go. Thanks.

So I see where UCONN has just hired former NFL coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks as well as UCLA, Jim Mora. According to the CT Post, Mora has agreed to a 5 year contract through the 2026 season that begins with a salary of $1.5 million in 2022, increases by $100,000 annually and includes performance incentives of up to $200,000 per year.

IMHO, this shows that UCONN is determined to get their football program into the elite status that their basketball program is. And we all know that ain't gonna happen while they're in the Big East. This makes me think that they will look to bolt as soon as they can to a Power 5 football conference or to at least another conference where football is king.  In full transparency, I never supported them being invited back into the BE. 

What do you guys think about this? 

Sounds more like Mora is desperate. That doesn’t seem like a huge salary in this day and age.

 

[L J S A]

UConn leaving this time around doesn't have quite the impact: We have 10 solid teams not going anywhere. Unless of course Fox paid us way more after UConn arrived.

 

[Section3]

Depaul looks beyond awful.  Struggling w/ Coppin St.


 

Watched The Hall last night.  Was not impressed with them offensively, but you can see that they are going to wind up being a typical tough-minded, hang around, figure out a way to make clutch baskets and get clutch stops Willard team. 

From our standpoint the question is whether we can get our tempo when we play them.  If we do then we can presumably run Obiagu out of the game and he's a huge difference maker for them on the defensive end.  If we can't get our tempo then it's going to be a question of how Soirano does against him. If Soriano can occupy him or set some low post screens then we will have a better shot of getting to the rim.  Otherwise we will have to make shots and that will be a challenge - they will be a good perimeter defensive team.  I don't want to see another double-digit block game out of Obiagu against us, that's for sure.

Agree. They are big and will be tough.

Providence, on the other hand, will have a tougher time A regurgitation of a team that was just OK last year

 

[BrooklynRed]

UConn leaving this time around doesn't have quite the impact: We have 10 solid teams not going anywhere. Unless of course Fox paid us way more after UConn arrived.

Maybe their buyout will pay for the CA renovation and we can call it CCTA--Carnesecca Connecticut Taxpayers Arena. /media/kunena/emoticons/wink.png

 

[Mullins Revenge]

Creighton looks awful.  Losing to Kennesaw St at the half.

 

[mjmaherjr]

If UConn bolted and we got our portion of the exit fee and we used it in air conditioning in Carnesseca letting UConn back in would have been the best investment in history

 

[redken]

UConn leaving this time around doesn't have quite the impact: We have 10 solid teams not going anywhere. Unless of course Fox paid us way more after UConn arrived.

Not 100% sure, but I'm assuming Fox paid more for BE women's games with UConn than they would have paid for BE women's games without them.

 

[Mullins Revenge]

Nova is at UCLA tomorrow night.  Should be a great game.

 

[SJUFAN2]

RedmanMike post=442009Room 112 - A lot of what you say makes sense.  I agree with you that the Big East will be fine without U Conn - it was fine before we let them back in two years ago.  The reason I say UConn will have played us for suckers is that we completely abandoned the very premise of the new Big East - private, basketball-first schools (almost all Catholic) - and allowed a huge state school with limitless taxpayer resources to rejoin the conference and immediately put every other school at a resource disadvantage.  It was dumb. 

I do not think we will reap a windfall from Fox or anyone else simply because UConn is in the league.  If that had been the case, if the power of the UConn brand was so strong and commanded so many eyeballs, a Power Five league would have snapped them for the past five years when they were begging anyone who would listen. It is a myth.

The Big 10 chose Rutgers over UConn, for crying out loud - so can we please stop with the power of UConn from a TV perspective.  (I say that not to you specifcally Room 112, but simply because that reasoning has been used ad nauseum on this board to justfy allowing UConn back in.)

So we change our standards, allow every other school to be at an immediate disadvantage - and UConn will leave the first time any Power 5 league comes calling.  But hey, they'll leave $20M on the bedside table before they leave in the morning.

Thanks for allowing me to vent, and to get my bile up about a truly loathsome opponent.  Amazingly, I now dislike UConn much more than I dislike Georgetown (and have for may years) - and I NEVER thought that would be the case.

Good point on the economic disadvantage of adding a state school, but outside of Villanova, Uconn has the biggest national profile of any program in the BE from a hoops perspective and its not even really close.  Regionally, they are even more popular.  

The Big 10 chose Rutgers over Uconn because of the football program.  Hoops had nothing to do with it.   

 

[nycfan]

RedmanMike post=442009Room 112 - A lot of what you say makes sense.  I agree with you that the Big East will be fine without U Conn - it was fine before we let them back in two years ago.  The reason I say UConn will have played us for suckers is that we completely abandoned the very premise of the new Big East - private, basketball-first schools (almost all Catholic) - and allowed a huge state school with limitless taxpayer resources to rejoin the conference and immediately put every other school at a resource disadvantage.  It was dumb. 

I do not think we will reap a windfall from Fox or anyone else simply because UConn is in the league.  If that had been the case, if the power of the UConn brand was so strong and commanded so many eyeballs, a Power Five league would have snapped them for the past five years when they were begging anyone who would listen. It is a myth.

The Big 10 chose Rutgers over UConn, for crying out loud - so can we please stop with the power of UConn from a TV perspective.  (I say that not to you specifcally Room 112, but simply because that reasoning has been used ad nauseum on this board to justfy allowing UConn back in.)

So we change our standards, allow every other school to be at an immediate disadvantage - and UConn will leave the first time any Power 5 league comes calling.  But hey, they'll leave $20M on the bedside table before they leave in the morning.

Thanks for allowing me to vent, and to get my bile up about a truly loathsome opponent.  Amazingly, I now dislike UConn much more than I dislike Georgetown (and have for may years) - and I NEVER thought that would be the case.

Good point on the economic disadvantage of adding a state school, but outside of Villanova, Uconn has the biggest national profile of any program in the BE from a hoops perspective and its not even really close.  Regionally, they are even more popular.  

The Big 10 chose Rutgers over Uconn because of the football program.  Hoops had nothing to do with it.   

Yes, completely correct.  Its also the same reason ACC took Louisville instead of UConn.  Its all about football.  Highly doubt UConn football will ever be significant.  Syracuse and BC would surely oppose UConn moving into the ACC, also have significant recruiting disadvantages (going up against far more established programs and very few high level recruits in their territory.  Not only that UConn football would need to develop a massive following so they could move the needle from a TV perspective.  I don't see that happening.

With regards to UConn and competing against state schools.  Should we cancel our game vs Indiana?  How about Kansas?  Both are state schools and have the added benefit of massive TV payouts as they are in P5 conferences.  Should we bypass the NCAA tournament - what if we meet a state school there?   We can hate UConn all we want, I get that.  Ultimately, however, having a strong Big East is critical.  Villanova has done great of course, but beyond that I do not recall any BE team making noise in the tournament.
 

 

[QueensBall]

Nova is at UCLA tomorrow night.  Should be a great game.
 

Huge game for the conference. I’m setting an alarm to watch. I have more of a grudging respect for Nova in contrast to my deep dislike of UConn so I can root for them here. Gotta fatten them up with good wins like a Thanksgiving Turkey so our victories (yep multiple) against them later look good. 

 

[SJU85]

Mods, if this is not in the correct forum, please move it. But I couldn't see where else it should go. Thanks.

So I see where UCONN has just hired former NFL coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks as well as UCLA, Jim Mora. According to the CT Post, Mora has agreed to a 5 year contract through the 2026 season that begins with a salary of $1.5 million in 2022, increases by $100,000 annually and includes performance incentives of up to $200,000 per year.

IMHO, this shows that UCONN is determined to get their football program into the elite status that their basketball program is. And we all know that ain't gonna happen while they're in the Big East. This makes me think that they will look to bolt as soon as they can to a Power 5 football conference or to at least another conference where football is king.  In full transparency, I never supported them being invited back into the BE. 

What do you guys think about this? 

Sounds more like Mora is desperate. That doesn’t seem like a huge salary in this day and age.

The salary they are paying is not paying for an elite coach nor is it an indication you are trying to reach elite status.   Its does not even get you to Boston College status (using a typical bottom feeder of the ACC in football as an example).

 

[room112]

I really don't follow UConn football very closely at all, or college football for that matter, but I'm really curious what their lack of success over the past couple of decades boils down to. On the surface, they seem to have the ingredients to be a competitive program, investment into facilities, their stadium, student support, etc. Does it all come down to lack of recruiting? Wonder why they can't attract talent if so. 

 

[paultzman]

Familiar name, hopefully his dad is patient if article on point, but not betting on it.

Jordan Riley, Fr., Guard6’4”, 195 lbs.Riley has already established himself as the best athlete on the team, according to reports coming out of preseason practices and workouts. But he is still learning the finer details of the game and is still a raw prospect. Would be surprised to see him counted on for major minutes off the bench right away.

https://hilltophoops.substack.com/p/2021-22-georgetown-season-preview

 

[otis]

I really don't follow UConn football very closely at all, or college football for that matter, but I'm really curious what their lack of success over the past couple of decades boils down to. 

----
UConn football was much more competitive in the former Big East Football Conference.  The program has spiraled down in the AAC and now as an Independent.  

Many Conn fans blame poor  coaching hires for the programs's downturn in fortunes, however it is like the chicken and the egg quandary; did the separation from the Big East football conference cause the decline, or poor coaching hires.  Reasonable people can differ.  

Today UConn football is a orphaned Independent D1 program at a basketball school.  I believe long term, if this coach who was fired from his last three(3) jobs, does not turn things around then UConn football in 5 to 10 years will be a FCS (a/k/a/ D1-AA) program competing against Georgetown, Villanova, and others.

 

[SJU85]

"With regards to UConn and competing against state schools.  Should we cancel our game vs Indiana?  How about Kansas?  Both are state schools and have the added benefit of massive TV payouts as they are in P5 conferences.  Should we bypass the NCAA tournament - what if we meet a state school there?   We can hate UConn all we want, I get that.  Ultimately, however, having a strong Big East is critical.  Villanova has done great of course, but beyond that I do not recall any BE team making noise in the tournament."

The reference is regarding the State school in the conference which is different from playing out of conference games with State schools.  

I was against bringing them back in when it was first mentioned and was against it when the BE took them back.  I (and others) stated they would leave at the first chance they got if a Big Five invitation came their way and the BE had better protect themselves by including a hefty exit fee.  Well, to their credit they did just that.

UCONN Big East Return

$3.5M Entrance Fee
$30M Withdrawal Fee years one through six
$15M Withdrawal Fee years seven through 10
$10M after year 10

Definitely higher than the other members of the conference due to their FBS football program.

 

[paultzman]

Corey Floyd Jr will be Redshirting his freshmen year at UConn.

 

[MarkRedman]

I really don't follow UConn football very closely at all, or college football for that matter, but I'm really curious what their lack of success over the past couple of decades boils down to. 

----
UConn football was much more competitive in the former Big East Football Conference.  The program has spiraled down in the AAC and now as an Independent.  

Many Conn fans blame poor  coaching hires for the programs's downturn in fortunes, however it is like the chicken and the egg quandary; did the separation from the Big East football conference cause the decline, or poor coaching hires.  Reasonable people can differ.  

Today UConn football is a orphaned Independent D1 program at a basketball school.  I believe long term, if this coach who was fired from his last three(3) jobs, does not turn things around then UConn football in 5 to 10 years will be a FCS (a/k/a/ D1-AA) program competing against Georgetown, Villanova, and others.



I went to the UConn-Army football game this fall at West Point, a beautiful venue to see a game. Army led at the half 42-0. UConn was downright pathetic. They would definitely have a great deal of difficulty beating a decent I-AA team right now. They should downsize the program and become an FCS school but, with the hiring of Mora, it looks like that will not be the case.

I wish him a lot of luck. He'll need it!!
 

 

[SJUFAN2]

I really don't follow UConn football very closely at all, or college football for that matter, but I'm really curious what their lack of success over the past couple of decades boils down to. On the surface, they seem to have the ingredients to be a competitive program, investment into facilities, their stadium, student support, etc. Does it all come down to lack of recruiting? Wonder why they can't attract talent if so. 

I'll just say this about the state of Uconn football:
I have a friend who played football there and when they left the BE he was all for it and didn't give a crap about the Men's or Women's hoops future in the AAC.  
He texted me when they rejoined the BE:  "Thank God we are back in the BE.  At least the hoops program will be relevant again!" 
 

 

[IDRAFT]

I hope UCONN football becomes a superpower as I could care less about college football. Because then they will leave the Big East.