The University of Connecticut Huskies could be the next domino to fall in the never-ending saga of college sports realignment.
Over the weekend, reports from ESPN and The Athletic revealed that UConn is exploring a move to the Big 12 Conference. Those investigations went so far that UConn made a presentation to Big 12 administrators.
But does it make sense for the Huskies to abandon the sinking ship?
UConn famously made a significant mistake when it initially left the Big East Conference for the American Athletic Conference. The hope that a football-focused conference would provide a boost never materialized, and so the Huskies returned to the Big East. Their basketball program has flourished since then, winning two consecutive national championships.
So why move to the Big 12 now?
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies speaks to the media following the National College Basketball Championship game against the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
UConn would have to change its football program for the Big 12 competition
UConn would likely have to pay a multimillion-dollar exit fee. Front Office Sports reports the fee would be $15 million. There is also a 27-month notice period for early departures from the conference, although UConn hopes to leave with significantly less notice.
How does this make sense for a program that has already struggled with budget deficits in recent years?
As always, those talks revolve around media rights payouts and future positioning. The Big East’s media contract pays member schools less than $10 million per year. The Big 12 pays more than $30 million, according to Front Office Sports. That gap represents a significant increase in the athletic department’s profits in year one, not to mention years five or 10. The Huskies may also see the writing on the wall that consolidation and realignment will destroy small and midsize conferences sooner rather than later.
The last thing schools want is to be left with the costs – essentially the situation at Oregon State and Washington State.
UConn’s football program has long been a sideshow, and the school would need to make significant investments to bring it up to the level of a Big 12 school. That won’t happen overnight, but it’s almost certain that part of the pitch was that the increased revenue would be used to improve the football team and facilities.
And then there’s geography: UConn would be in the same conference as Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, TCU and Baylor. But as the ACC and Big Ten have shown, geography no longer matters in the modern age. Aside from universities’ virtue-mongering on climate change.
So what’s the answer: Does it make sense to put UConn in the Big 12? Yes and no. Yes, it future-proofs the Huskies’ conference situation and provides more revenue. No, it doesn’t, because it’s absurd that UConn is in the same conference as the Arizona schools.
The benefits for UConn, however, likely outweigh the drawbacks. No pun intended. It would create a new basketball rivalry with powerhouse Arizona. More money, more ratings, more investment. As with most realignments, it seems to be a matter of when, not if.
