Expansion Rumors site profiles UConn

[upstater]

FSU and Clemson do play Louisville in the division.

They lose the Terps and replace them with Louisville...a big gain.

What do you mean by "big gain?"

Terps have a much better history, have had practically the same record since 2000, finishes in the AP, plus bowl victories, while Maryland sends more players to the NFL.

These two schools are about even--though Maryland has a better history and arguably a better recruiting home region.

 

[upstater]

Giving up Maryland doesn't bother a soul. In fact there is tremendous buzz about playing Louisville instead. It's an upgrade in every sport except for Lacrosse. After Louisville wins a lot of games in basketball and football, I don't know how much that will last, but it's a buzz today. There is a lot of excitement about playing Notre Dame. Pitt and Syracuse are viewed as additive rather than instead of anyone. The schedule with 14 teams and 8 games will get old, but not an issue at the moment.

You ACC folk continue to wildly overrate Louisville.

Compare Maryland and Louisville over the years. Even recent years.

 

[Fishy]

As an FSU guy, how can I be excited by a team like Syracuse that is a one wood from the Canadian border?

If you like concrete and green carpeting, Syracuse is just a beautiful place to see a football game.

And after the game, you can shoot a bear or buy a 13-room mansion for $48,000.

 

[btstimpy]

You ACC folk continue to wildly overrate Louisville.

Compare Maryland and Louisville over the years. Even recent years.

You'll just have to take my word for it that no one in the league will miss Maryland, not even us who have played Maryland in 75 football games and 175 basketball games. Since 1992, we are 15-6 against Maryland in football. Most of the losses are during the rebuilding from Al Groh. A lot of UVA fans don't like going to games in College Park because it's a lot like Morgantown, Jr for fan behavior. Edsall isn't so bad, but they have gone through some obnoxious football and basketball coaches in recent years.

Louisville is new, and we don't have much history with them. But there is buzz at the moment given their recent success.

 

[upstater]

You'll just have to take my word for it that no one in the league will miss Maryland, not even us who have played Maryland in 75 football games and 175 basketball games. Since 1992, we are 15-6 against Maryland in football. Most of the losses are during the rebuilding from Al Groh. A lot of UVA fans don't like going to games in College Park because it's a lot like Morgantown, Jr for fan behavior. Edsall isn't so bad, but they have gone through some obnoxious football and basketball coaches in recent years.

Louisville is new, and we don't have much history with them. But there is buzz at the moment given their recent success.

That's the thing though. They don't have more recent success than Maryland. I mean, Friedgen's 10 win year was 3 seasons ago. Do you mean Ville's record last year changed everyone's opinion about this overnight? Because before that Ville was going through the same tribulations that Maryland currently is going through.

 

[billybud]

You ACC folk continue to wildly overrate Louisville.

Compare Maryland and Louisville over the years. Even recent years.

Let's see...looking at the here and now...because that is more important than Yale once being King of the east in ancient football history.


Maryland athletics is currently destitute while Louisville has the ACC's largest athletic budget.

Maryland has been really awful at football. Six of their last nine seasons have below .500.

Louisville is currently ranked Top 10 in football and is coming off of a Sugar Bowl win over Florida.

People have a buzz about Louisville...We could see the buzzards circling over Maryland.

Us ACC folk are indeed ecstatic about losing Maryland....Playing Maryland was blah. they didn't bring fans to football and have brought zero excitement since Fridges early days, and they have been circling the drain for a while.

They do have some history, but then so does SMU.

 

[btstimpy]

That's the thing though. They don't have more recent success than Maryland. I mean, Friedgen's 10 win year was 3 seasons ago. Do you mean Ville's record last year changed everyone's opinion about this overnight? Because before that Ville was going through the same tribulations that Maryland currently is going through.

I don't remember Friedgen having a 10 win season 3 years ago. He had a winning record his last year and played in the bowl in DC that is at the lower end of the ACC bowl selection. I don't remember his record, but he had several losing seasons before that one. He's definitely in the obnoxious Maryland coach club I was referring to. He and Gary Williams are the co-chairs.

We're happy with Louisville as a replacement.

 

[billybud]

That's the thing though. They don't have more recent success than Maryland. I mean, Friedgen's 10 win year was 3 seasons ago. Do you mean Ville's record last year changed everyone's opinion about this overnight? Because before that Ville was going through the same tribulations that Maryland currently is going through.

Marylands last 10 win season was 10 seasons ago....The Terps hit 9 wins three seasons ago by beating a below .500 (6-7) ECU in the bowl. And they had one quality win ( they only beat two BCS conference teams that had 7 wins or better and only one of those BCS teams was better than 7-6).

 

[itgoeslike]

If you like concrete and green carpeting, Syracuse is just a beautiful place to see a football game.

And after the game, you can shoot a bear or buy a 13-room mansion for $48,000.

You can't do both?

 

[upstater]

Marylands last 10 win season was 10 seasons ago....The Terps hit 9 wins three seasons ago by beating a below .500 (6-7) ECU in the bowl. And they had one quality win ( they only beat two BCS conference teams that had 7 wins or better and only one of those BCS teams was better than 7-6).

Ah, gotcha. Thought they got to 10 wins. Louisville last year got by teams with a very thin margin, were blown out by Syracuse, and took a very bad loss to Paul Pasqualoni. They beat Florida in a bowl game, but bowl season is funny season. Look at WV and Oklahoma now. A few years ago, WV was whipping them in a bowl game.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

We in Connecticut should make a concerted effort to attract qualified academically NYC underprivelged but talented as live-in guests in W.Conn and maybe Boston area same to E.Conn as sort of "exchange student/goodwill" gesture?Is it ethical/legal?I know the public schools in NJ frown on that "recruiting" in HS and puts privates/parochials at a distinct advantage. @Mr.Conehead,I see most of my answer was already in your last line?I should have read it closer!

Why? I believe High School should be for Academics, not for Athletics!! The high schools in FL are mini cities and the football stadiums better than the GD library!!

 

[upstater]

Let's see...looking at the here and now...because that is more important than Yale once being King of the east in ancient football history.


Maryland athletics is currently destitute while Louisville has the ACC's largest athletic budget.

Maryland has been really awful at football. Six of their last nine seasons have below .500.

Louisville is currently ranked Top 10 in football and is coming off of a Sugar Bowl win over Florida.

People have a buzz about Louisville...We could see the buzzards circling over Maryland.

Us ACC folk are indeed ecstatic about losing Maryland....Playing Maryland was blah. they didn't bring fans to football and have brought zero excitement since Fridges early days, and they have been circling the drain for a while.

They do have some history, but then so does SMU.

You are going off one year. That's it. before that Ville was in the Kragthorpe years, which were as bad as the Friedgen's--worse since Friedgen actually threw them a bone.

Really, I take this as ACC fans are acting like a guy who was dumped by his wife--because Maryland left for the B1G, and you guys fear that she left because of the relative size of your endowment.

 

[upstater]

I don't remember Friedgen having a 10 win season 3 years ago. He had a winning record his last year and played in the bowl in DC that is at the lower end of the ACC bowl selection. I don't remember his record, but he had several losing seasons before that one. He's definitely in the obnoxious Maryland coach club I was referring to. He and Gary Williams are the co-chairs.

We're happy with Louisville as a replacement.

What I wrote was that Louisville was going through the same tribulations until last year. They were losing a lot of games. UConn beat them a few times. And, I hate Gary Williams. You will not find many UConn fans that liked the guy.

 

[billybud]

You are going off one year. That's it. before that Ville was in the Kragthorpe years, which were as bad as the Friedgen's--worse since Friedgen actually threw them a bone.

Really, I take this as ACC fans are acting like a guy who was dumped by his wife--because Maryland left for the B1G, and you guys fear that she left because of the relative size of your endowment.

Going on trajectories....Louisville's is going up....Maryland's has been going down, down, down.

Why can't you accept it that ACC fans are ecstatic about switching Maryland for Louisville?

 

[billybud]

Maryland fans care zippo about football. I am glad that they now water down the Big Ten brand.

 

[Fishy]

The problem with losing Maryland is that when it comes time to try to start an ACC network, you've replaced a relatively large, affluent market with one that is effectively the size of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Long-term, on the field, Louisville and Maryland are probably a wash - they'll be as good as whoever's coaching 'em.

 

[upstater]

Going on trajectories....Louisville's is going up....Maryland's has been going down, down, down.

Why can't you accept it that ACC fans are ecstatic about switching Maryland for Louisville?

Because 3 years ago it was the reverse. It was Louisville dying under Kragthorpe, and Maryland was 8 years (not 3 decades) off their basketball championship, with the football team ranked in the top 20 and winning 9 games. That's why.

 

[Gfunk]

Because 3 years ago it was the reverse. It was Louisville dying under Kragthorpe, and Maryland was 8 years (not 3 decades) off their basketball championship, with the football team ranked in the top 20 and winning 9 games. That's why.

I'm with Upstater. I get the Md disses only because we live in an ephemeral, instant gratification world.

Maryland has better hs football and basketball than Lville, and it will never have a school down the road in Lexington getting most of the glory.

Md simply needs the right organizational culture, which isn't easy to find. But they seem on the right track for basketball with Turgeon.

Friedgen got screwed, but then again I don't know everything. Regardless, he had a nice run and brought credibility to the ACC as well. His run wasn't the only time Md sustained a period of success that's not only similar to what Lville is doing right now, but perhaps longer, thus more proven.

Md also has lots of rich alum and that state can quickly turn for the better and back a winning coach, with passion mind you.

Md vs Lville, academics wise, don't even go there.

The upside at Maryland remains & that's what trajectories and history should demonstrate at this point.

 

[Gfunk]

The problem with losing Maryland is that when it comes time to try to start an ACC network, you've replaced a relatively large, affluent market with one that is effectively the size of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Long-term, on the field, Louisville and Maryland are probably a wash - they'll be as good as whoever's coaching 'em.

St. Paul, MN is never factored without Minneapolis, thus your analogy, though I get it, is way off. St. Paul has a twin named Minneapolis, hence the Minnesota Twins. They are bordering cities that combine for nearly 700,000 people, urban core, burbs not considered.

Minneapolis-St.Paul Metro = 3.5 million and growing (which is a shock considering the winters here).

Louisville = 1.5 million.

UMd is situated in a huge CSA, 3 states (Md, Va and WVa) and DC. It wouldn't be accurate to claim NoVa and DC as strongholds of Terp diehards. But yes, UMd seals a state with more people than Ky and nothing like UK getting in the way.

 

[Fishy]

St. Paul, MN is never factored without Minneapolis, thus your analogy, though I get it, is way off. St. Paul has a twin named Minneapolis, hence the Minnesota Twins. They are bordering cities that combine for nearly 700,000 people, urban core, burbs not considered.

Oh, Christ, you are a pedant.

Minnesota is completely irrelevant here. Louisville draws about half the interest in the city of Louisville - being charitable and considering the entire Louisville-Jefferson County area, that's about 250,000 people...roughly the size of St. Paul, Minnesota. You can insert the name of any city of that size if it makes it easier for you to swallow.

Their actually pull is probably somewhat less than that - perhaps I should have used Shreveport instead.

 

[billybud]

And Maryland draws....who?

Like Rutgers is supposedly the New York draw, Maryland is the ephemeral draw for DC.

People watch programs nationally....Sure, Tuscaloosa and Tallahassee are very small SMSA's.....both isolated from an urban population center...But folks will tune in to their games.

Folks tune in to see matches of interest...and marquis match ups trump all.

LOL...Who will be tuned in this Saturday to watch FSU-Nevada when Johnny Football vs Bama is playing at the same time?

 

[upstater]

And Maryland draws....who?

Like Rutgers is supposedly the New York draw, Maryland is the ephemeral draw for DC.

People watch programs nationally....Sure, Tuscaloosa and Tallahassee are very small SMSA's.....both isolated from an urban population center...But folks will tune in to their games.

Folks tune in to see matches of interest...and marquis match ups trump all.

LOL...Who will be tuned in this Saturday to watch FSU-Nevada when Johnny Football vs Bama is playing at the same time?

This is why people are talking about the ACC network. On a national basis you're right. But if the ACC wants a network (and clearly your school does) then local subscriptions are very important. In that sense, Louisville will be a financial drag. Also, I don't think anyone is tuned into Ville football nationally. Although I don't think Strong is that great a coach, I'm pretty certain that an SEC school will jump on him in the next few years.

 

[billybud]

Strong already turned down the SEC....I think that Louisville has the bucks to hold him...and he is a pretty good coach. I thought, at Florida, he was a good recruiter and DC.

 

[NickyNewark]

FSU and Clemson do play Louisville in the division.

They lose the Terps and replace them with Louisville...a big gain.

Maybe for the moment while Strong is at "L'ville" but Locksleys getting some serious talent now that Edsall can't for MD and might/probably saved RE's job and improved RE's perception but will certainly translate into great improvement for the Terps on the field!Since when is L'ville seen as some major CFB power?Remember Kragthorpe?Teddy B was all that seperated L'ville FB from mediocrity! It just shows how little seperation their is in D1 CFB that they were able to thump SEC power UF.

 

[NickyNewark]

Strong already turned down the SEC....I think that Louisville has the bucks to hold him...and he is a pretty good coach. I thought, at Florida, he was a good recruiter and DC.

How long can a private or public Metro/BE conference type U sell there soul for a CFB coach?Where is all this money coming from?Where can the dollars in this economy justify it?I guess if UConn was going ACC instead of them they'd have lost him?