UConn to the Big 12?

[MUPanther]

https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/ ... 8381168928

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has renewed his pursuit of expansion target UConn, with league officials set for a meeting next week where the issue will be reintroduced for in-depth discussion, multiple Big 12 administrators and broadcasting sources told The Athletic.

Yormark, a Northeast native and former Brooklyn Nets executive, has been talking with the school since at least last summer before the Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to expand to 16 schools. In August 2023, he said those talks were “no longer.” According to multiple Big 12 administrators, discussions resumed earlier this year, but Yormark did not yet have a consensus internally to extend an invite.

It’s unclear whether support among Big 12 presidents has increased in light of this latest round of discussions, according to league sources briefed on the process. Any further expansion would require support from a supermajority of 12 of 16 members in a president-level vote.

UConn declined to comment, while the Big 12 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Yormark has repeatedly expressed his desire to position the Big 12 as the nation’s premier basketball conference, suggesting college hoops is “undervalued” by TV partners. UConn, the reigning back-to-back national champion in men’s basketball and a perennial power in women’s hoops — located in a coveted Northeast television market the conference does not currently have a member in — would help achieve that goal.


GO DEEPER

Brett Yormark and the Big 12 have only gotten bolder after year full of big moves

But for UConn, which rejoined the Big East in 2020, the main desire for joining the Big 12 would be to boost its struggling football program, which has been an independent since leaving the AAC. The Huskies have won no more than three games in seven of their past eight football seasons, reaching a bowl game in 2022 before slipping back to 3-9.

According to the sources, if the Big 12 did accept UConn, its football program would not join the league until the next television rights contract, or at the very least for several years. When UMass joins the MAC next year, UConn will be one of two remaining FBS independents, along with Notre Dame.

In order to feel comfortable adding another school, the current members will want assurance that UConn’s addition would not dilute their shares of league revenue.

The Big 12 is a year away from beginning a new six-year deal with ESPN and Fox that will pay its members an average of $31.7 million per school. The deal was agreed to before the former Pac-12 schools’ additions, but ESPN was required to pay a pro-rata share to the four Power 5 members. UConn, however, would not be guaranteed the same deal.

ESPN has previously considered adding more money to the Big 12’s television deal, according to broadcasting sources briefed on the talks. ESPN is located in Bristol, Conn., just 40 miles from Storrs.

Current members have been told UConn’s addition would be “budget-neutral” and would not reduce conference revenue payouts to existing members, according to multiple Big 12 administrators.

— The Athletic’s Chris Vannini contributed

[MUPanther]

Basketball by 2026. Football to join by 2031

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-uconn- ... ccounter=1

[Xudash]

Sounds imminent.

What's the current value of their BE exit fee? I imagine it can be paid in installments per their agreement with the conference. If not, it should be made due and payable upfront.

Also, at least IMHO, that would be it for UCONN - they should never have a chance of rejoining the Big East again. Football will kill them after all, albeit more slowly with this arrangement.

The Big East will take a haircut on its new media deal, but we settle back to 10 members and move forward from there. There just isn't another program out there that would be accretive to our deal, save possibly for Gonzaga, and we all know where that stands logistically.

[Omaha1]

We always knew that UConn would whore themselves out the next time a league looked their direction. Unfortunate, but shouldn’t surprise anyone.

[GreatDaneAttorney]

It does *sound* imminent based on the reporting, but I'd still be a bit surprised by this. UConn is giving up a lot here just to get their football team into the M2 in 7 years.

[Xudash]

It does *sound* imminent based on the reporting, but I'd still be a bit surprised by this. UConn is giving up a lot here just to get their football team into the M2 in 7 years.

I might be a little ahead of myself on this - the ESPN article says talks are going on, nothing firm yet, and that Yormark wants it and that UCONN is groveling for it. There is still some number of conference schools that are against it.

[GreatDaneAttorney]

Just seems a bit weird to leave the AAC to…. Basically join the AAC. It’s the conference of UCF, Cinci, Houston, AAC-reject BYU.This isn’t a ticket to the P2, that’s for sure.

[basketballdestiny343]

Just seems a bit weird to leave the AAC to…. Basically join the AAC. It’s the conference of UCF, Cinci, Houston, AAC-reject BYU.This isn’t a ticket to the P2, that’s for sure.

I'm not sure if you are serious.
Houston is a Top 5 team.
BYU is a Top 5 recruiting team.
Have you looked at the rosters at Cincinnati and UCF? Stacked.
The Big 12 is stacked from top to bottom, with bluebloods like Kansas, Arizona, etc.
It's a promotion and a P4 Country Club. With UConn it will be the best hoops conference ever assembled.

[DeltaV]

Article makes it sound like a done deal... However I'm guessing that getting 12 of 16 teams to go along with this plan might be harder than it seems.

[gosports1]

I think they would HAVE to accept if offered, but i still think they would be better served holding out for the ACC and whatever that may look like once the dust settles with FSU and Clemson