"Ultimately, UConn was not invited to join the Big 12, despite commissioner
Brett Yormark’s enthusiastic endorsement. While some jostling and repositioning continues within the Power Five world, maybe with the next upheaval already gaining momentum through disgruntled institutions of the Atlantic Coast Conference...."
“There’s probably different perceptions, based on who you are,” Benedict said. “When you’re talking about what’s gone on recently, a lot of the moves are national now. They’re not as regional as they’ve been. So the perception of UConn on the West Coast is going to be different than it is in the Northeast. When you think about how everything played out, there’s a reason why the commissioner of the Big 12 was interested in UConn and it’s because he’s from the Northeast and he had a different level of appreciation for us institutionally, as an academic enterprise, what we’ve done athletically."
“You see that in New York, you feel it, because we’re [a presence] in New York. So it’s understandable why commissioner Yormark would have the perception that he did of UConn. He’s seen it firsthand. But the further away you get, the easier it is to not base your evaluation of UConn on facts. I do think being in New England, being so far away from a lot of the conferences, it’s easy for people to get the wrong perception and reality about us. I think there are a lot of people who have never been on our campus. So we need to do a better job of telling our story.”
"Conference realignment will continue to shape — plague, some would argue — the college sports world well into the future. Big 12 membership would have meant considerably more revenue for UConn, which takes in about $4 million a year from the Big East. UConn will not be perilously adrift in its existence as it awaits another opportunity at a financial windfall. " Jim Mora has seemingly turned
football back in the right direction.
"And some financial realities, often viewed with the clarity of carnival mirrors, are improving. The projected university subsidy has been reduced by about $20 million from last year, when it ballooned to $55 million due to a one-time payment of $13 million to former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie. Another approximately $6 million has been trimmed due to the elimination of legacy costs associated with the state’s under-funded pension system, an annual on-paper expense that had nothing to do with operations of the athletic department."
) after I get to the top later ! ...but me too on your last comment and maybe the board in general, if this is where it's headed.
theathletic.com
