Stacom: Is Another Big East Upheaval Coming? UConn to the Big 12?

Stacom: Is Another Big East Upheaval Coming? UConn to the Big 12?

As the iconic troubadour of the ’60s and '70s, Bob Dylan once sang, “Money doesn’t talk, it swears.”

           

It’s just a reference that comes to mind as the news of talks between the University of Connecticut and the Big 12 Conference was made public this weekend. 

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Apparently, the athletic director of UConn, David Benedict, and Board Chair, Daniel Toscano, recently traveled to Dallas to discuss with Big 12 Commissioner Bret Yormack their mutual interest in exploring what a possible UConn inclusion in that conference might entail. 

             

On one level, considering the background and personalities of the two main participants, Yormack and Benedict, it might be easy to see how at least these preliminary discussions got their start. Yormack has made no bones about seeking even more expansion partners despite just adding four new members this year to the existing 12 - Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. He’s been on the record as stating that he thinks college basketball is still an undervalued asset in terms of potential future TV rights deals. His resume prior to taking the Big 12 Commissioner job reads like a modern version of the great promoter Jack Kent Cooke. 

           

Yormack was the COO of RocNation before their present gig as Big 12 Commissioner. Obviously, after dealing with an organization founded by JayZ and all the hype of the bigger names in the entertainment industry, he’s not afraid of the spotlight and making attention-getting moves. In addition, for 14 years, he was the head of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment prior to RocNation, an entity that ran the Barclays Center, The Brooklyn Nets, and the Brooklyn G-league team, and brought boxing back to Brooklyn for the 1st time since the 1930s. 

           

On the UConn side of the equation, AD Benedict has a couple of markers in his background where an invitation to the world of Big Time football might be more than intriguing. For starters, he’s originally from Tempe, Arizona, the location of new Big 12 member Arizona State. In addition, Benedict is a 1995 graduate of Southern Utah, where he was a linebacker on the football team. But, the most glaring part of his resume is the job he had just prior to accepting the job at UConn in 2016. Benedict was the Chief Operating Officer for the Athletic Department at Auburn University for two years (2014-2015) 

             

It’s hard to describe to someone from the Northeast who has never experienced an SEC or other big-time college football game what it's really like. When you think of it, New England and the Northeast, in general, have nothing to compare it to - 100,000+ people descending on a relatively small town with a generational fervor that would seem fun but very foreign to us initially. It’s just not part of our culture the way it is in just about every other section of the Country. 

       

Anecdotally, I remember when Rhode Island hosted the National Speakers Convention, and among the participants was the Speaker from Alabama, who asked me if I knew a place where it might be good for him and his bodyguard (an Alabama State Trooper) to watch what to him was the biggest game of the year - Auburn vs. Alabama. I immediately called and reserved three seats at the bar at a restaurant I owned in Newport. Before the game, he attempted to convey to me the intensity and importance of this game as an Auburn alum. He proceeded to tell me in the slow drawl of a southern gentleman, “You know how much I hate Alabama? Let me tell you, If Alabama was playing the Taliban, I believe I would root for the Taliban.” 

               

From the cultural to the financial, this potential pairing would seem to have more than a few challenges in its way. First of all, you have the impending potential legal quagmire emanating from the House vs NCAA lawsuit that the NCAA agreed to terms in May, but it could be months before the final determination is made, and even then, it might be legally objected to by some of the non-power schools that were not party to the negotiations. That agreement included a $2.8 billion payout to former NCAA athletes over a ten-year period, and universities shared up to 22% of athletic revenues with the athletes. Wow, is this getting complicated? 

             

In discussing this topic, a friend of mine referred me to an article that featured Ohio State and comments by its President, Ted Carter, concerning the financial situation pertaining to its athletic teams and how they are going to have to make some tough fiscal decisions in order to comply and compete under this new and ever-changing system He is, by the way, a Burrillville, RI native, Naval Academy graduate and former Commandant whose father was a PC alum.
 

A quick snapshot of Ohio State finances:

$279,549,337 Revenues

$274,948,554 Expenses 

                 

When an apex predator of the collegiate sports world is operating that close to the bone what does that imply for the more modest programs throughout the country? 

               

In addition, since UConn is a State institution, a lot of its financial numbers are public information. Its Athletic department is currently operating at about a $50 million deficit. The XL Center in downtown Hartford is in need of substantial renovation.

 

Way back in 1978, when the roof collapsed after a snowstorm, the roof was raised to increase the seating, but not in a way that included upgrades to the rest of the building. Also, the football stadium, which is in East Hartford, lists its capacity at 38,000, hardly enough to host anything near a Big 12 football game. Where does the money come from to renovate a new stadium? Imagine the increased travel expenses for all of the sports teams involved. 

             

I understand that you can make a case that in this volatile and unpredictable atmosphere in college sports, it would be irresponsible not to explore opportunities to stabilize and expand financial opportunities. It just seems that right now, this deal resembles a Rubik’s Cube with many contingent variables yet to be addressed in a realistic manner. 

             

UConn has obviously achieved a lot in recent years, most notably creatively rescuing itself from the oblivion of the American Athletic Conference in 2020, paying a 17 million penalty for the privilege, hiring Dan Hurley, and in short order winning back-to-back NCAA Championships. 

           

It’s hard to predict anything in these uncertain times but this particular proposition of joining the Big 12 appears to be a tougher fit than Dan Hurley leaving to coach the Lakers. 

 

PS The $15 million penalty to the Big East can’t be that appetizing plus it just came out tonight that Fox Sports that has deals with both conferences is not thrilled with the idea. 

 

To be continued!