Already much on the line with the University of Louisville-UConn football game. Let’s raise the stakes.
UofL badly needs a win to stay in the running for a BCS berth. UConn needs to win if it hopes to become bowl eligible this season. Both teams will already be highly motivated.
Why not let the issue of conference realignment be decided at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium?
This is presuming, of course that the Atlantic Coast Conference has to add another new member after losing Maryland to the Big Ten and Rutgers will decide to leave the Big East this week and that the top two choices are UofL and UConn. Both present impressive credentials.
UConn would bring a larger TV market and higher academic ratings, the home of the ESPN cable network. That would seem to be enough, based on the Big Ten’s selection of Maryland’s largely bankrupt program, which had been forced to drop some sports. However, Boston College, a current ACC member, has had issues with UConn in the past. Fans of schools like Florida State and Clemson decry UConn’s shortcomings in football.
On the other hand, Louisville offers a resurging football program, an improving academic profile and a fan base that travels well. UofL also has one of the most successful athletic departments in the country, nationally competitive in almost every sport, and quality facilities for all sports.
If the conference realignment issue is about football, why not let the issue be decided on the football field. Winner takes all. Gather all the good old boys at ACC headquarters for the ultimate game-watching party, complete with all the trappings and a sumptuous buffet. The ultimate tailgate party, but with all the drama of a high stakes football game.
This, of course, is never going to happen. But it makes as much sense as some of the criteria used to make conference realignment decisions in the past.
Nice idea Charlie. I hate to see the destruction of the Big East, but Louisville seems to have a lot to offer any conference. Most profitable basketball program in the country and a very good football program. Louisville will be left tops in the Big East, but who will care? Will Strong want to stay in a sub-par football questions? Does anyone know the actual money amounts that are driving these decisions?
All kinds of figures being tossed around Bill. The TV markets alone shouldn’t be the deciding factor for such important decisions.
unfortunately they are. the big 10 just added rutgers – and it isn’t because of their stellar on field performance.
If connection to the eastern financial center/media market money was the only issue here wouldn’t the Big East be so rich by now that no school would ever leave?
Listen…. as a Uconn fan I am very nervous about this. I think Fla. State and Clemson ask for Louisville and get them so that ACC stays together. That being said Uconn easily replaces Maryland… Even as bad as we are this year we have beaten Maryland in football, and should have beaten North Carolina State. Our Academics are heads and tails better then Louisville. US News and World Report has us #63 and with the ACC here are the other ones.
#8 Duke
#24 UVA
#27 Wake Forest
#30 UNC
#44 Miami
#58 Pitt (Tied with Maryland and Syracuse)
#63 Uconn tied with Georgia
#68 Clemson and Rutgers
#97 FLa State
#106 NC STate
#160 Louisville tied with UMaryland Baltimore COunty
Louisville is tied with Umaryland Baltimore county?It Umaryland balt county a real school or some type of community college?
There are no ties and no comparisons.
Uconn is better hands down academically. No one can dispute that.
Guess we will have to take your word for it Dan. I always believed excellence was up to the individual, not the institution.
So is censorship up to the individual I guess on this site. You fail to include two attempts at discourse over something you said about academics. You stated “Not sure about those academics, too much gaming the system involved.” Are you accusing the football team, the university of cheating? You can’t just make a statement without explanation, but isn’t that the sad state of our world today. Throw it out there regardless of facts to back it up.
A scholar would realize that Charlie was talking about gaming the statistics which rank academics. That was obvious. As for censorship? Your complaint seems to call for an ombudsman more than a censor. But, feel free to throw out whatever word comes to your mind regardless of meaning or intent, if that is your game.
You come here saying UConn is more superior academically than U of L without any documentation. But you expect me to respond to your boasting? No thanks. All institutions put forward their best documentation for these ratings. Some have been more dedicated to the task in the past than others but that is changing.
Big East Championships through 2011-12.
Louisville 50
UConn 36
Overall bowl appearances.
Louisville – 16 (including BCS victory)
UConn – 5
No offense Philip but UConn’s athletics are not better than Louisville’s.
And our winning Big East record has come without any recruiting violations as well…
Problem is are you talking about Football or Basketball. You all like to point out that we had a recuiting violation. One kid who should never have been recruited. Never played a game. Kicked out before he could start over to many phone calls. If that is violation what do you call Miami, UNC, Duke’s problems. Everyone who is successful has their issues from time to time. John Wooden, one of the most revered coaches, bought all his titles through paying his players to come. We have been around since early 2000’s and yet we made it further and faster then any other team in BCS history. We may have lost but the future is brighter then you think as long as we get off the sinking ship of the BIg East.
UCONN, hands down. Upgrade from Maryland football program, 3 national championships, much better academics than the other suspects and much better media market (ESPN).
Must have missed those three national championships in football. Not sure about those academics, too much gaming the system involved.
Why not take both?????
As a Boise State fan, it looks more and more that the Broncos nor San Diego State will ever join the Big East. The Big East leadership can be the source of all of this by not thinking ahead and stabilizing the conference. The conference was too basketball focused and made several ‘bad’ moves. Now the Big East will be made up of Louisville, Cincinnati, USF, UCF, SMU, Houston and Temple. It may be time for the Big East to merge with Conference USA or pull the likes of East Carolina, Southern Miss, Marshall, UMass, and some MAC or D-1AA schools like Delaware.
I’m a UConn fan, but like the spirit of this blog. Let’s let winning decide who goes to the ACC!
So it, is it a school with 3 national championships in basketball since 1999, or a school with none?
Is it a school that went to a Fiesta Bowl in 2010, recently won a share of 2 Big East football titles, and beat Notre Dame and South Caronlina the past few years, or a school that has just been good for a year or two?
UConn sports have been dominant over Louisville during the past decade. This isn’t just about who is hot at this very moment.
Plus, UConn has millions of fans in the lucrative, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts TV markets. The value of that region blows away the Louisville market by tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars over the long term, and it’s TV dollars that are driving this bus.
Good luck.
Nice to hear from you, Philip. Don’t forget Louisville’s BCS win in the Orange Bowl in 2007. Sooner or later those millions of people begin to overlap in the Northeast one would think.
Monetarily Louisville’s basketball team is the most valuable in the nation. The ACC has plenty of banners hanging in it’s members gym’s. What they’ll want is financial value. I find it hard to believe that UConn is all that important to NYC. They may live in CT, but they weren’t all born, raised, and attended school there.