STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The discussion over where Connecticut might fit in a revised college conference landscape has centered around the school’s football and basketball programs, but University President Susan Herbst says there are other key considerations.
Herbst tells The Associated Press she is concerned with how any change might impact all 24 athletic programs and the 700 athletes involved. She says travel time, missed classes and the level of athletic competition those athletes might face are all big parts of the equation.
Paul Haagen, the co-director of the Center for Sports Law and Policy at Duke University, said it makes sense that UConn might be more interested in following Syracuse and Pittsburgh into the Atlantic Coast Conference, where travel time isn’t as great.
He says the ACC might also be more interested in UConn because of those regional considerations, as well as the school’s reputation as a leader in women’s sports, particularly basketball. But Haagen says ultimately, football will drive the decision about whether UConn ends up in the ACC or another conference.
