Let me clarify since Rutgers fan wants to play semantics. CT absolutely has a solid NY draw, as SNY ratings show. In basketball- it's unquestionable. In football - at worst UConn is on par with Rutgers. BC is outright laughable and Syracuse is still good for a chuckle.
Now in NJ- yes, obviously Rutgers will draw more. Happy? I mean, that should be obvious. But lots of kids from NJ go to UConn. It's a fact. Again, not as many as go to Rutgers, for obvious reasons, but it's a fact. SNY airs UConn games in NJ. There's a reason. Anecdotally, my whole family is in Northern Jersey and there is ZERO interest in Rutgers. Straight up apathy.
You say at worst, UCONN is as popular in NY as Rutgers. Yet you have nothing to back that up. Have you been asked by the Yankees to play a regular season game at Yankee Stadium? Has the Empire State Building been lit up for you after a big win?
If you have family in North Jersey, then you know your football gets NO local news coverage...unless it happens to be in a week they are playing Rutgers.
And lots of kids DON't go to UCONN. a few do each year...but that's it. Just a handful each year. That is not LOTS. NJ probably sends 20 times more kids to Pennsylvania, which is the number one destination ste for outgoing NJ students(Penn State, Pitt, Villanova, Lehigh, Lafayette, West Chester, etc all have significant NJ alumni bases) then it does to Connecticut. Maybe even more than 20 times.
Rutgers ALWAYS leads college football coverage on the local NYC channels. ALWAYS. If Syracuse plays in a big game, they're usually next...followed by the local teams like Army and Columbia. UCONN football is simply not covered.
If you had fans in NY than you would be able to move the meter when UCONN plays in ESPN, yet you don't. Not even one bit. RU not only has great ratings when it plays on SNY...and has tons of programming, like pre-game and post game shows...etc....but we have also played in 9 out of the 10 top rated football games on ESPN and ESPN 2 in the NYC DMA.
UCONN has appeared in ZERO of the top 10 games in the NYC DMA.
In NJ, you have a few kids go to UCONN. SO what? The state of Connecticut is like the number 3 feeder state to Rutgers (after NY and PA) for students....but that doesn't mean that the state of Connecticut cares a lick about Rutgers, despite being home to a Rutgers alumni base. It doesn't. Likewise, the State of NJ doesn't care a lick about UCONN either, despite there being a tiny UCONN alumni base in the state.
To say NJ cares about Connecticut because UCONN appears on SNY which airs in NJ is laughably weak.
I guess the state of Connectict cares about Rutgers than...since you're also watching Rutgers on SNY.
Just flawed logic.