No Tenn game in 2015 more to come

[tduconn]

Ct fans have to stop thinking small time.

Cincinnatti travels to Washington DC to play a "home game" against VT.

Arizona has a "home game" in Dallas

Syracuse has a "home game" against USC at Met Life.

Oklahoma plays Cincinnatti at the Bengals stadium........not Nippert field.

UCF to play Penn State in London!

Years ago, when my WVU friend, who is a big supported of UCONN, suggested to me that when UConn announced first it was going to build a 33,000 seat domed stadium in hartford, then a 40,000 seat stadium in E.Hartford, .......UConn is going to find it difficult to get a major team outside of the BE to travel to E. Hartford. Why? (1) Stadium/revenue too small (2) playing UConn in FB does not excite fans or alumni.

The problem is, UConnFB does not have much pressence outside of CT. Fans do not travel. How many hotel rooms will UConn fans occupy in Austin, Texas? Knoxville, Tenn? Forget the BIG names not wanting to go to a small stadium. How much revenue is UConn fans going to bring to big name college towns...........not too much. I know for a fact that EC will bring a good following to their P5 games.......same for UCF.

Boise State travels all over the country to play big name schools with little hope of return dates. Sacramento, under Pat Hill did likewise. Both programs established themselves as competitive entities such that fans of BIG name schools wouldn't object to them being on a schedule.

Ward Manual and BD aren't David Copperfield. They aren't illusionists. They are realists. And I hope both recognize that to build this program to the level they want they are going to have to send UConn FB to away sites with little hope of return dates to East Hartford. They are going to have to play BIG name schools at neutral sites....such as Met Life field.

I don't and won't blame BD or WM if they can't attract bigger schools to E. Hartford at this time. But I hope they can crack the shell of small time thinking to play those teams anytime, anywhere....as does Sacramento, Boise, Cinncinnatti, UCF, and others (to which I have no knowledge)......to build up a presence, a cache, name recognition in FB.

Also, stop thinking small time and dump OOC teams (without naming names) that does absolutely nothing to enhance UConns football image.

If we can't get BIG name schools to the Rent at this point in our history, there is plenty good Mountain West and top notch MAC teams I wouldn't mind seeing at the Rent. Heck, even Sacramento went to Rutgers to play a game.

I love UConn FB and want so very much for it to succeed BIG time.......but I've taken off my blue colored glasses to know it is not in the drivers seat of FBS football.......they don't have the cache to demand anything........and has to do what is necessary to build the program.

 

[NutmegState]

Ct fans have to stop thinking small time.

Cincinnatti travels to Washington DC to play a "home game" against VT.

Arizona has a "home game" in Dallas

Syracuse has a "home game" against USC at Met Life.

Oklahoma plays Cincinnatti at the Bengals stadium...not Nippert field.

UCF to play Penn State in London!

Years ago, when my WVU friend, who is a big supported of UCONN, suggested to me that when UConn announced first it was going to build a 33,000 seat domed stadium in hartford, then a 40,000 seat stadium in E.Hartford, ..UConn is going to find it difficult to get a major team outside of the BE to travel to E. Hartford. Why? (1) Stadium/revenue too small (2) playing UConn in FB does not excite fans or alumni.

The problem is, UConnFB does not have much pressence outside of CT. Fans do not travel. How many hotel rooms will UConn fans occupy in Austin, Texas? Knoxville, Tenn? Forget the BIG names not wanting to go to a small stadium. How much revenue is UConn fans going to bring to big name college towns......not too much. I know for a fact that EC will bring a good following to their P5 games..same for UCF.

Boise State travels all over the country to play big name schools with little hope of return dates. Sacramento, under Pat Hill did likewise. Both programs established themselves as competitive entities such that fans of BIG name schools wouldn't object to them being on a schedule.

Ward Manual and BD aren't David Copperfield. They aren't illusionists. They are realists. And I hope both recognize that to build this program to the level they want they are going to have to send UConn FB to away sites with little hope of return dates to East Hartford. They are going to have to play BIG name schools at neutral sites....such as Met Life field.

I don't and won't blame BD or WM if they can't attract bigger schools to E. Hartford at this time. But I hope they can crack the shell of small time thinking to play those teams anytime, anywhere....as does Sacramento, Boise, Cinncinnatti, UCF, and others (to which I have no knowledge).to build up a presence, a cache, name recognition in FB.

Also, stop thinking small time and dump OOC teams (without naming names) that does absolutely nothing to enhance UConns football image.

If we can't get BIG name schools to the Rent at this point in our history, there is plenty good Mountain West and top notch MAC teams I wouldn't mind seeing at the Rent. Heck, even Sacramento went to Rutgers to play a game.

I love UConn FB and want so very much for it to succeed BIG time..but I've taken off my blue colored glasses to know it is not in the drivers seat of FBS football..they don't have the cache to demand anything...and has to do what is necessary to build the program.

Well said. Play anyone, anywhere, any time.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Obviously not good news but I go to watch UCONN win football games. I don't go to watch their opponents. People acting like Tennessee is something special; they haven't done anything of note in years. The Oakland Raiders were good ten years ago also...

I was unhappy after we lost to Michigan and happy when we beat UMASS. We need to be like Boise State, Utah, TCU, Northern Illinois, etc. and just win games against the best possible opponents. Winning will cure all ills and fans will come again.

If you're gonna "be" big time, then you need to play big time programs and win your share against those schools. Otherwise you could have gone to Memorial Stadium to see UConn win against CAA teams.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Like others said, the reason all those AAC schools have the P5 schools is all about recruiting. I don't see RU playing us for the same reasons everyone here is anti-UMass. There's nothing but negatives to playing us. It gives us another i-road to NJ, if we beat them it could win recruits, etc. UConn is not in fertile recruiting grounds. There's no reason for a school to come here. That being said, UConn now needs to accept this reality and go on the road and beat some teams. Follow the Boise philosophy of playing anyone anywhere. That gets respect and maybe a game in NY due to that.

As for the Tenn series. The fact that it's suspended makes me want to believe that once we get our P5 lifeboat, Tennessee will want to rekindle the series. Should we not be P5 by 9/26/15, the date tweeted above, then UConn will get a nice check from Tennessee.

Now by fertile recruiting grounds do you mean the state of Arizona, or Minnesota, or Nebraska, or Iowa, or even West Virginia. These programs go elsewhere for their players. And so do the teams that travel to their stadiums. Certainly its not for a chance at those "fertile recruiting grounds".

 

[EJHarrington]

If you're gonna "be" big time, then you need to play big time programs and win your share against those schools. Otherwise you could have gone to Memorial Stadium to see UConn win against CAA teams.

If teams from the South don't want to come here, schedule the best we can and go on the road and win any games we can against so-called big time programs. I don't think we have much say on the matter at this point anyway. Win our games, against the best competition we can get, get to the Access Bowl, win Access Bowls, then things will start trending in our favor again.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I honestly don't remember the last time we had three consecutive losing seasons before 2011-2013. THe vast majority, I"d say greater than 95% of UCONN football fans, currently, have never experienced three losing football seasons consecutively. There just weren't that many of us that actually followed UCONN football prior to 2003. Randy Edsall's first three seasons at UCONN I think were the last time we lost for 3 seasons in a row. I think you have to go back pretty far after that for three consecutive losing seasons. UCONN, all time, is about 25-30 games below .500 I believe, and we had some pretty middling teams in the 90s and 80s, but since the 1980s, generally has been a winning program - not nationally ranked relevant winning, with only one 10 win season in the late 1990s, but usually around 8-9 wins, but with multiple conference championships from 1-AA Yankee Conference to 1-A Big East conference.

WInning games, will fix a lot of things - that's for sure. Winning big, and getting into the top 25 and winning bowl games will fix things even better.

This scheduling thing with Tennessee is not the end of the world. So far, I have no reason to think it's a negative thing for us yet either. So far, it seems that the we will continue to pursue a scheduling arrangement in the future, and it actually opens up dates for the likes of Syracuse, Boston College University, University of New Jersey, Pittsburgh, etc.......maybe West Virginia ---- it opens up some space for us to pursue some scheduling with programs that people that have followed UCONN in the past decade might be interested to see matched up.

The move is Warde Manuel's to make now. This is really his first big scheduling task. Filling the empty schedules he inherited from Hathaway were no brainers. This is going to take some movement to fill these two dates.

 

[Drew]

Now by fertile recruiting grounds do you mean the state of Arizona, or Minnesota, or Nebraska, or Iowa, or even West Virginia. These programs go elsewhere for their players. And so do the teams that travel to their stadiums. Certainly its not for a chance at those "fertile recruiting grounds".

Arizona has produced some quality players and has some good Jucos. Nebraska has 5 national championships and their fans travel arguably better than anyone ($). WVU has rabid fans. Iowa/Minny haven't had big time home and homes recently as far as I know.

As far as recruiting goes I like what Diaco talks about. It reminds me of what Pelini said they do at Nebraska where they set up a 500 mile radius and consider any kid from within that radius as an in-state kid.

I would also really like to see us ramp up the walkon program. Instead of letting kids go to play at lower levels try to get them here as preferred walk ons. There's plenty of stories of kids who were walk ons who come in and make big time impacts.

 

[MattMang23]

sometimes you have to eat a crap sandwich, this is UCONN's time

Yesterday was our time to eat a crap sandwich? What would the prior three years be referred to as?

 

[Stray_Dog]

Obviously not good news but I go to watch UCONN win football games. I don't go to watch their opponents. People acting like Tennessee is something special; they haven't done anything of note in years. The Oakland Raiders were good ten years ago also...

I was unhappy after we lost to Michigan and happy when we beat UMASS. We need to be like Boise State, Utah, TCU, Northern Illinois, etc. and just win games against the best possible opponents. Winning will cure all ills and fans will come again.

Well, I disagree, and I think most of the UConn players who are playing the game would agree with the following. So, if we could schedule nothing but cupcakes, people would go? Then why did we ever go to the FBS? Why not stay in the FCS? I mean we won games, but people still didn't come. I don't care if we lose to Alabama 120-0, I would go because I would be seeing some of the best football ever PERIOD! I like to watch talented football. Sure its not fun when its lopsided, its not fun if your beating Stony Brook every week. AL wont come here to play a cupcake. We shouldn't go there to be their Scrimmage game that kicks off their regular season. But it is about the opponents? Losing to Towson or losing to TN which would you prefer? So for me it is as much about our opponents as it is about this team? Losing to the champion is still losing but at least you can say you got in the ring with the champ? Playing the best competition only makes you better, playing the sure thing, is boring! I would rather not see it, and the product on the field is the UConn Huskies and our opponent, you can't have one without the other PERIOD! So the best product in some games, in a realistic view, The UConn Huskies playing ND or the Huskies playing Michigan, or fill in the UConn Huskies playing top P5 Program. That is reality that is what get us national coverage/exposure right now the UConn Huskies is an inferior product, why would I want to keep the team I root for down in the doldrums. The fans I talk to and respect, would love to play bif time teams in our own stadium. That should be our goal, not UMass and Buffalo because we "CAN" win these games -give me a break and get a clue! Losing TN is bad, they are an SEC team that travels well and their fans are Awesome! Replacing that with Louisiana Tech or Miami of Ohio is just awful! Sure they may be good teams and they may beat us or pose a challenge, but wouldn't it be better to be challenged by the perennial or the traditional power house schools? Last year if we 3-9 but played ND's schedule we would all have been impressed - but we didn't. And to your point about scheduling inferior teams, so we pad our wins, but what coach or what player would want to come or stay here? Sure we are a spring board now, but with your goals we wouldn't even be that.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Arizona has produced some quality players and has some good Jucos. Nebraska has 5 national championships and their fans travel arguably better than anyone ($). WVU has rabid fans. Iowa/Minny haven't had big time home and homes recently as far as I know.

As far as recruiting goes I like what Diaco talks about. It reminds me of what Pelini said they do at Nebraska where they set up a 500 mile radius and consider any kid from within that radius as an in-state kid.

I would also really like to see us ramp up the walkon program. Instead of letting kids go to play at lower levels try to get them here as preferred walk ons. There's plenty of stories of kids who were walk ons who come in and make big time impacts.

Not talking about the schools (i.e., Nebraska) talking about just "how fertile recruiting grounds" their home states are (hence Pelini's setting up a 500 mile radius).

 

[NickyNewark]

I honestly don't remember the last time we had three consecutive losing seasons before 2011-2013. THe vast majority, I"d say greater than 95% of UCONN football fans, currently, have never experienced three losing football seasons consecutively. There just weren't that many of us that actually followed UCONN football prior to 2003. Randy Edsall's first three seasons at UCONN I think were the last time we lost for 3 seasons in a row. I think you have to go back pretty far after that for three consecutive losing seasons. UCONN, all time, is about 25-30 games below .500 I believe, and we had some pretty middling teams in the 90s and 80s, but since the 1980s, generally has been a winning program - not nationally ranked relevant winning, with only one 10 win season in the late 1990s, but usually around 8-9 wins, but with multiple conference championships from 1-AA Yankee Conference to 1-A Big East conference.

WInning games, will fix a lot of things - that's for sure. Winning big, and getting into the top 25 and winning bowl games will fix things even better.

This scheduling thing with Tennessee is not the end of the world. So far, I have no reason to think it's a negative thing for us yet either. So far, it seems that the we will continue to pursue a scheduling arrangement in the future, and it actually opens up dates for the likes of Syracuse, Boston College University, University of New Jersey, Pittsburgh, etc..maybe West Virginia ---- it opens up some space for us to pursue some scheduling with programs that people that have followed UCONN in the past decade might be interested to see matched up.

The move is Warde Manuel's to make now. This is really his first big scheduling task. Filling the empty schedules he inherited from Hathaway were no brainers. This is going to take some movement to fill these two dates.

I saw about 3 months ago and posted here a thread I came across on RUs r_ als site that said they were in the process of getting UConn on their schedule soon and someone here said they saw it listed on a future schedule somewhere soon(15/16)? I think they unlike Cuse wants to play UConn and maybe Temple going into the future but its not listed on RUs future schedule? Whats with the mystery?

 

[EJHarrington]

Well, I disagree, and I think most of the UConn players who are playing the game would agree with the following. So, if we could schedule nothing but cupcakes, people would go? Then why did we ever go to the FBS? Why not stay in the FCS? I mean we won games, but people still didn't come. I don't care if we lose to Alabama 120-0, I would go because I would be seeing some of the best football ever PERIOD! I like to watch talented football. Sure its not fun when its lopsided, its not fun if your beating Stony Brook every week. AL wont come here to play a cupcake. We shouldn't go there to be their Scrimmage game that kicks off their regular season. But it is about the opponents? Losing to Towson or losing to TN which would you prefer? So for me it is as much about our opponents as it is about this team? Losing to the champion is still losing but at least you can say you got in the ring with the champ? Playing the best competition only makes you better, playing the sure thing, is boring! I would rather not see it, and the product on the field is the UConn Huskies and our opponent, you can't have one without the other PERIOD! So the best product in some games, in a realistic view, The UConn Huskies playing ND or the Huskies playing Michigan, or fill in the UConn Huskies playing top P5 Program. That is reality that is what get us national coverage/exposure right now the UConn Huskies is an inferior product, why would I want to keep the team I root for down in the doldrums. The fans I talk to and respect, would love to play bif time teams in our own stadium. That should be our goal, not UMass and Buffalo because we "CAN" win these games -give me a break and get a clue! Losing TN is bad, they are an SEC team that travels well and their fans are Awesome! Replacing that with Louisiana Tech or Miami of Ohio is just awful! Sure they may be good teams and they may beat us or pose a challenge, but wouldn't it be better to be challenged by the perennial or the traditional power house schools? Last year if we 3-9 but played ND's schedule we would all have been impressed - but we didn't. And to your point about scheduling inferior teams, so we pad our wins, but what coach or what player would want to come or stay here? Sure we are a spring board now, but with your goals we wouldn't even be that.

Did you read my post? When you do, you get a clue. I said get the best possible competion and play them. If the so-called top teams don't want to play us, then what choice do we have anyway. I'm not going to whine and moan because a team that was relevant in the late 90's postponed a game against us. As for Towson, they probably could give Tennessee a run for their money.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Did you read my post? When you do, you get a clue. I said get the best possible competion and play them. If the so-called top teams don't want to play us, then what choice do we have anyway. I'm not going to whine and moan because a team that was relevant in the late 90's postponed a game against us. As for Towson, they probably could give Tennessee a run for their money.

Well you certainly implied that losing this game was no big deal.

Tennessee would pack the place like Michigan did. Would you rather the Rent look like it against Michigan or Memphis? And if you don't think that negatively impacts the program on multiple levels, well, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is a big deal because we need to keep selling tickets. Tennessee would sell tickets.

 

[EJHarrington]

Well you certainly implied that losing this game was no big deal.

Tennessee would pack the place like Michigan did. Would you rather the Rent look like it against Michigan or Memphis? And if you don't think that negatively impacts the program on multiple levels, well, I don't know what to tell you.

My first sentence of the first post is this is bad news. It's not the end of the world. Honestly, how many people on this blog went out of their way to watch a Tennessee game this past year? Or last five-ten years for that matter. The fact is, our situation is what it is because of, in my opinion, highly paid UCONN employees dropping the ball over the years. The milk is spilled; no use crying about it. If the Memphis game was for a BCS birth it would have been sold-out or close to it. I didn't even go to the last game and I had not missed a game in 8 years. Schedule the best teams possible, win the games, generate buzz, and things should work out.

 

[metsfan2323]

Well you certainly implied that losing this game was no big deal.

Tennessee would pack the place like Michigan did. Would you rather the Rent look like it against Michigan or Memphis? And if you don't think that negatively impacts the program on multiple levels, well, I don't know what to tell you.

No matter who Warde finds as a replacement the crowd won't resemble the Memphis crowd. That was the result of December cold weather during our worst season ever.

 

[MattMang23]

There's a difference between the University OF Tennessee and a "University" IN Tennessee.

Tennessee would pack The Rent. Memphis... Yeah. We saw that already.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I am drawn to Carl's notion that these games will be rescheduled, and that Warde is essentially creating a future ally by accomodating UT. Tennessee has fallen dramatically, and has even fallen behind Vandy. That can't be tolerable in Knoxville. So they desperately needed some big games in Nashville to restore some lustre. That's how I read the articles.

So Warde rearanges things and gains an ally in the SEC. Given how many enemies UConn seems to have, this strikes me as a good move. We need allies. Now he needs to replace them with a new P5 opponent. BC or Iowa would be good, but it doesn't matter that much. It can't be Buffalo again.

 

[NickyNewark]

Probably the best for Coach Diaco as it would have been a blowout in Tenn's favor. Hopefully the game can be rescheduled in the near term but if not who knows maybe Diaco can get ND to replace Tenn in the next couple of years.

This isn't the Tenn of even 5 yrs ago...remember they hired Butch Jones for a reason!! Better to play them SOON before BJ's gets that offense up to his "speed". This was a very winnable game IMO.

 

[Jax Husky]

If people really wanted a test of Warde, here it is

What's the test? Seeing what kind of quality replacement we can get? he can't make Tenn come to the Rent.

 

[EJHarrington]

There's a difference between the University OF Tennessee and a "University" IN Tennessee.

Tennessee would pack The Rent. Memphis... Yeah. We saw that already.

If Tennessee came to town that day against a 2-9 boring team in 10 degree weather the crowd would have still sucked.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

No matter who Warde finds as a replacement the crowd won't resemble the Memphis crowd. That was the result of December cold weather during our worst season ever.

OK, how about every crowd other than Michigan? Towson crowd was abysmal in week 1. Last game against Rutgers and the place was empty. Those crowds will be the norm in this conference. Losing a game like this is a big deal.

 

[freescooter]

What's the test? Seeing what kind of quality replacement we can get? he can't make Tenn come to the Rent.

I don't think it needs to be Ohio State or Texas, but a team somebody has heard of would be a reasonable expectation. Big 12 or mid-tier Big 10 would be fine as would an SEC team like Mississippi. Somebody who would generate some interest. Just filling the slot with a home-home with a MAC team would be a huge step backwards. Right now we have Villanova and Army, neither of which is going to generate all that much excitement. Adding Buffalo or Western Michigan doesn't do much. Texas Tech or Illinois would be much better even if those teams aren't that good.

 

[IMind]

OK, how about every crowd other than Michigan? Towson crowd was abysmal in week 1. Last game against Rutgers and the place was empty. Those crowds will be the norm in this conference. Losing a game like this is a big deal.

It'll be the norm in this conference if we continue to win only 4-5 games a year... if we're winning 8,9,10 games a year we will get good crowds. I think you're over estimating the draw of some of our prior conference opponents... For years Rutgers couldn't get people to go to their games... Temple can't even sell 10k seats to a game not including Penn St. We drew good crowds for those games when we were winning.

 

[Husky25]

Well you certainly implied that losing this game was no big deal.

Tennessee would pack the place like Michigan did. Would you rather the Rent look like it against Michigan or Memphis? And if you don't think that negatively impacts the program on multiple levels, well, I don't know what to tell you.

That's an unfair comparison, in my opinion, Jimmy. The Memphis game was played on a cold early December day with nothing on the line. The Michigan game represented a chance to turn around the season, in front of 5,000 additional fans on a beautiful night in late September. Memphis meant nothing except pride and the last opportunity to use the travel grill, while having a few pops before noon with your friends. The only reason I went was the aforementioned tailgating and because my ticket were already paid for.