UConn, FCS again?

[Schism55]

https://www.si.com/college/2020/05/26/uconn-football-sports-cuts

Scathing article on their awful decade of decision making. Combined with announcement today that they are cutting 4 sports, might we see ye olde Huskies back at the FCS table?

[aceinthehole]

UConn is NEVER dropping to FCS.

They simply couldn’t afford to carry that manny non-revenue Olympic sports. Many school are/will be in the same situation.

Most D-I schools - including P5 programs - are sponsoring between 16 (minimum) and 20 teams.

[TheKingpin28]

https://www.si.com/college/2020/05/26/uconn-football-sports-cuts

Scathing article on their awful decade of decision making. Combined with announcement today that they are cutting 4 sports, might we see ye olde Huskies back at the FCS table?

They would rather fail miserably at football then drop back to "D2". That would make too much sense and when you deal with schools that have P5/Alabama mentality, you have a better chance at winning an argument with a brick wall the getting through their thick skull.

[Anthony215]

They would rather fail miserably at football then drop back to "D2". That would make too much sense and when you deal with schools that have P5/Alabama mentality, you have a better chance at winning an argument with a brick wall the getting through their thick skull.

They're banking on their MBB returning to the glory days with the one-done kids either going to the G-League or Overseas weakening Duke, UNC, Kentucky & Kansas strong hold on the top recruits. They could care less about football, if they dropped down to FCS they could probably figure out how to renovate one of the on campus fields to accommodate their football fans and maybe just maybe the CAA would invite them as a football only member. Similar to what they've done for Nova and Stony Brook

[Sitting Bull]

As I recall, their glory days in basketball came while they were playing FCS football.

[Laker]

As I recall, their glory days in basketball came while they were playing FCS football.

Same thing for UMass. Both of them should go FCS- go back to playing their Yankee Conference rivals and get rid of their incompetent administrators.

But that makes too much sense so it won't happen.

[ccd494]

They will drop football before being FCS again.

I think the deal with the State for the stadium has them pretty stuck.

[UAalum72]

and maybe just maybe the CAA would invite them as a football only member. Similar to what they've done for Nova and Stony BrookStony Brook is an all-sport member. Nova, Rhody, Richmond and W&M are the CAA FB affiliates

[Anthony215]

They will drop football before being FCS again.

I think the deal with the State for the stadium has them pretty stuck.

That sucks they'll be bleeding the duration of that stadium deal as I don't see any top 25 team doing a home/home with them. If a team wanted to play in the NE for recruiting purposes they're going to schedule Rutgers, Boston College, hell even Temple draws better than UConn.

[Go Green]

as I don't see any top 25 team doing a home/home with them. .

They have a couple of home-and-homes with some mid-level ACC and Big 10 teams on the schedule. If things break right, those guys could potentially be top-25 in a given year.

But yeah- UConn's future games against Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee, and Michigan are all on the road.

[DFW HOYA]

Not happening. As excerpted from its announcement:

Q: Why wasn't football cut or moved to FCS level?
A: The savings from such a move would be outweighed by a significant decline in revenue opportunities. The newly-signed agreement with CBS Sports Network, would be nullified by a reclassification to FCS. Similarly, our multi-media marketing rights deal with Learfield/IMG College and our all-sport equipment deal with Nike would suffer greatly or not exist if we dropped to the FCS level. Currently, revenue from these two agreements is nearly $3.7 million annually.

Additionally, UConn would forfeit the ability to maximize revenue generation by securing premium guarantee games and would no longer have the ability to secure quality opponents such as Purdue, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College in home-and-home series."

Two key points: the CBS agreement is contingent on I-A/FBS--they aren't paying for games with UConn and URI. Next, the Nike deal is based on major college football. Nike doesn't sign big deals with schools that do not play big time football.

[Anthony215]

North Carolina isn't bringing 20k fans to Connecticut to fill their 35k seat stadium, neither is Purdue, BC or Maryland. I understand losing marketing money from Nike and the effects of the athletic budget dropping down and losing that money would have on the sports programs. I just don't see this being a sustainable situation over the course of time. Outside of the service academies & Notre Dame what program has been able to stay afloat at the D1 level being completely independent? BYU has a historical following and is a religious based university like ND so they're not in the same category as a state university.

[DFW HOYA]

UConn caught a break with the TV deal but they've invested too much in the program than to drop down. They're hoping that they catch a second wind like Temple did. In the darkest days of Temple football, it reported a per game average of just 4,900 a game at the Vet but didn't drop down.

[Derby City Duke]

Stony Brook is an all-sport member. Nova, Rhody, Richmond and W&M are the CAA FB affiliates

Stony Brook is not an all-sport member. The CAA has 10 members: JMU, W&M, College of Charleston, Elon, UNCW, Towson, Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, and Northeastern.

There are 12 football members: Villanova, Richmond, UNH, Stony Brook, Maine, Rhody, and Albany replace Charleston, UNCW, Hofstra, Drexel, and Northeastern.

[Sitting Bull]

Not happening. As excerpted from its announcement:

Q: Why wasn't football cut or moved to FCS level?
A: The savings from such a move would be outweighed by a significant decline in revenue opportunities. The newly-signed agreement with CBS Sports Network, would be nullified by a reclassification to FCS. Similarly, our multi-media marketing rights deal with Learfield/IMG College and our all-sport equipment deal with Nike would suffer greatly or not exist if we dropped to the FCS level. Currently, revenue from these two agreements is nearly $3.7 million annually.

Additionally, UConn would forfeit the ability to maximize revenue generation by securing premium guarantee games and would no longer have the ability to secure quality opponents such as Purdue, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland and Boston College in home-and-home series."

Two key points: the CBS agreement is contingent on I-A/FBS--they aren't paying for games with UConn and URI. Next, the Nike deal is based on major college football. Nike doesn't sign big deals with schools that do not play big time football.

Revenue is mentioned numerous times.

Not mentioned: students, rivalries, fans, campus

Mentioned more than above: CBS, Nike, Marketing rights

[MR. CHICKEN]

Revenue is mentioned numerous times.

Not mentioned: students, rivalries, fans, campus

Mentioned more than above: CBS, Nike, Marketing rights

.........DESE ARE DUH REASONS......COLLEGE PIGGY EXISTS..............................DUH!.......... ........AWK!

[MR. CHICKEN]

UConn caught a break with the TV deal but they've invested too much in the program than to drop down. They're hoping that they catch a second wind like Temple did. In the darkest days of Temple football, it reported a per game average of just 4,900 a game at the Vet but didn't drop down.


.....HUSKIES WERE GOOD FO' UH WHILE.......LIKE.......TCU/WAKE/NORFFWESTERN....OR.....ANY NUMBERAH....UH PAST DOORMATS........RIGHT COACH......RISE FROM ASHES......LIKE OWLS.......BRAWK!

[Anthony215]

.....HUSKIES WERE GOOD FO' UH WHILE.......LIKE.......TCU/WAKE/NORFFWESTERN....OR.....ANY NUMBERAH....UH PAST DOORMATS........RIGHT COACH......RISE FROM ASHES......LIKE OWLS.......BRAWK!

One thing Temple had going for them was they could lure kids to the big City, ain't a darn thing in Storrs for kids to say hmmmmm I want to go there for 4 years if the program is garbage. Temple got Florida kids to come to experience the city life and then recruited heavily in the area tough nosed guys who were underdogs and rebuilt the program. UConn would have to find something to attract recruits attention, Temple got the Linc as the deal sealer for many kids, hey we play in a first class facility, can't say the same for UConn right now.

[Sitting Bull]

.........DESE ARE DUH REASONS......COLLEGE PIGGY EXISTS..............................DUH!.......... ........AWK!

NS Sherlock. That was the point.

Sarcasm is lost on this chicken....

[MR. CHICKEN]

.....YEAH.....IT'S ALWAYS....SARCASM........WHEN CALLED OUT........ON UH.....SILLY POST........xrolleyesx..........AWK!

[WestCoastAggie]

UConn gets 7 figures for their FBS money games. We don’t get those figures on the FCS level. Most I can remember any of getting is $800K and that was FAMU’s check from Ohio State. It was $600 for the game and $200K for the band if I recall correctly,

[taper]

The TV networks massively overpaid for the previous contracts. They get renegotiated in the mid 2020's, expect the P5 to get a lot less money, and the G5 to catastrophically get less money. There has to be a realignment after that, though many will be kicking and screaming the whole way.

[Wildcats]

The TV networks massively overpaid for the previous contracts. They get renegotiated in the mid 2020's, expect the P5 to get a lot less money, and the G5 to catastrophically get less money. There has to be a realignment after that, though many will be kicking and screaming the whole way.

The only G5s who make enough from TV that losing it would be catastrophic would be the AAC and higher tier MTW schools. Heck the MAC might see a big attendance jump and slight revenue gain if all of their games were on Saturdays. If the damage from years of weeknight games can be undone.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

The TV networks massively overpaid for the previous contracts. They get renegotiated in the mid 2020's, expect the P5 to get a lot less money, and the G5 to catastrophically get less money. There has to be a realignment after that, though many will be kicking and screaming the whole way.

I wouldn't count on that. All 5 of the G5 leagues have had their TV contracts renewed just in the last 4-5 years and they've all gone up in value. It's not like they're coasting off of deals put in place many years ago.

[Anthony215]

UConn gets 7 figures for their FBS money games. We don’t get those figures on the FCS level. Most I can remember any of getting is $800K and that was FAMU’s check from Ohio State. It was $600 for the game and $200K for the band if I recall correctly,

That's insane figures and I'm sure they'll gladly cash those checks at the expense of having a laughing stock program until the well runs dry. Most of their big games will be on the road at P5 opponents so those paydays should be 1.5 to 2 million dollars starting in 2021 with their trip to Death Valley against Clemson

[WestCoastAggie]

That's insane figures and I'm sure they'll gladly cash those checks at the expense of having a laughing stock program until the well runs dry. Most of their big games will be on the road at P5 opponents so those paydays should be 1.5 to 2 million dollars starting in 2021 with their trip to Death Valley against Clemson

On a comparison, A&T will be paid $325K for a game against Wake Forest in 2024. The most we can get for a game right now is between $375K and $400. UConn isn't going to give those paydays up.

[TheKingpin28]

On a comparison, A&T will be paid $325K for a game against Wake Forest in 2024. The most we can get for a game right now is between $375K and $400. UConn isn't going to give those paydays up.Crazy thing about that. NDSU is paying you almost a quarter million to play another FCS school. Wake Forest is getting a good deal on their end.

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[FCS_pwns_FBS]

I would argue it's probably easier than it ever has been before to survive as an Independent in FBS. Consider:

1. There's now so many bowl games you don't need a conference tie-in to get bids anymore.
2. Payouts of P5 teams to non-P5 FBS teams are only going up. UConn can play more guarantee games a year as an independent.
3. TV payouts to non-P5 FBS teams have gone up.
4. UConn can renew their football series with UMass (also an independent).
5. UConn has more room in the schedule for 2-for-1s with P5 to get major conference teams to their stadium.

And really, we're talking about an athletics department that has a $40 million budget. They can cut a significant chunk off of that and cut sports and still have a strong budget by non-P5 standards.

[100%GRIZ]

That sucks they'll be bleeding the duration of that stadium deal as I don't see any top 25 team doing a home/home with them. If a team wanted to play in the NE for recruiting purposes they're going to schedule Rutgers, Boston College, hell even Temple draws better than UConn.
Thus not always a good idea to move up - Thank God we never made the move!

[NY Crusader 2010]

This topic seems to come up a lot. Zero chance UCONN drops down to FCS anytime soon. Not with a taxpayer-funded 40K-seat stadium. They can survive as an independent, even if scheduling New Mexico State or Liberty home-and-home becomes necessary to fill 12 games. IMO, they should consider joining the MAC in football -- they could probably work out a deal where they have to play a couple MAC teams every year in M/W basketball. UConn still holding out hope that the ACC expands to 16 one day.

UMASS should drop back down to FCS yesterday.