Whereas, the ACC and Big XII would be a step up. The fact that the reporter is suggesting that UConn would be willing to take a step back in football just so its other programs can join the Big East suggests at a minimum the reporter didn't do any homework which is sad given the close proximity UConn is from UMass. Also, it could suggest that the reporter may have some bias against college football and the financial value it brings to the table. Another possibility is the reporter has a bias towards college basketball and/or believes it is the most valuable collegiate sport right now. Even though UConn basketball may be more valuable than UConn football, most would say that UConn football has the higher ceiling given the sport's opportunity to play in larger venues. Overall I got the impression that the reporter is clueless about the current landscape of college athletics or at the very least the reporter's primary beat may be pro sports.

If Bitter or Teel were going to write an article on UConn's conference options, then I would expect both of them to do a more thorough job. At the very least if either was going to talk about the MAC as an option, then I would expect them at least talk about the MAC's situation with UMass and how that could impact UConn's chances of joining the conference as a football-only member.