Reality vs fear

[superjohn]

How many championships would you be willing to give up to be in the Big 10 as full member?

This might be controversial to some, but the only ones I wouldn't give up would be 99 and this years.

What's wrong with you?

Maybe the dumbest thing I've ever read on this board. Go and be a Rutgers fan.

 

[superjohn]

This. The NCAA no longer is in control. They’re already only a proxy for P2/3/4 and they’ll do whatever they’re instructed to do. Rules will come down that’ll clear the playing field leaving only the P2/3/4 schools to participate in NCAA Div 1.

Sure.

Yep, if that's the case they'll banish the P3/4 and then Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia will banish everyone else.

 

[uconnfan68]

More than double the undergrad population.

Sure thing.

It’s called setting goals.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Sure.

Yep, if that's the case they'll banish the P3/4 and then Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia will banish everyone else.

Absolutely. The big fish will devour their own until only the biggest of them are left.

 

[superjohn]

It’s called setting goals.

And what would be the price tag for creating dorms for an additional 15,000 students, changing the entire infrastructure of the campus and creating new roads and lanes in and out of campus, hiring another 800+ professors and additional faculty, building a new on campus arena, expanding and building more classroom space, dining space, exercise facilities, student centers etc.?

 

[ec33]

They were one of the original powers of women's basketball. Along with Delta State.

And then came Old Dominion and La Tech, if my memory is correct (I think it is, but it is absurd to think they were "sporting powers").

 

[How Sway?!]

What's wrong with you?

Maybe the dumbest thing I've ever read on this board. Go and be a Rutgers fan.

Lmaoo that's rich coming from you.

 

[How Sway?!]

And what would be the price tag for creating dorms for an additional 15,000 students, changing the entire infrastructure of the campus and creating new roads and lanes in and out of campus, hiring another 800+ professors and additional faculty, building a new on campus arena, expanding and building more classroom space, dining space, exercise facilities, student centers etc.?

School is already expanding in Hartford and Stamford and building new dorms in Storrs. By size, it is small compared to what it considers as peers schools.

 

[nomar]

Let’s revisit when we need to build a new practice facility. NIL doesn’t cover everything.

We’ve managed so far, to say the least, but I’m certainly concerned about the future.

 

[Waquoit]

And then came Old Dominion and La Tech, if my memory is correct (I think it is, but it is absurd to think they were "sporting powers").

We're woofing about two in row, Delta State and immaculata both won three in a row.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The mismanagement of our football program has deep roots.

It goes all the way back to the 70's.

 

[dennismenace]

I agree that we've defied the odds.

But it's fair to wonder if there will come a point after which we'll say we should have seen the writing on the wall and that the next set of changes will be too much to overcome.

This program has not been led by lost sheep for the last few decades. Jim Calhoun came here with a vision and a will to win by competing. He learned from the best. Red Auerbach won 9 NBA titles and his disciples (Heinsohn 2, Russell 2 and KC Jones 2). Consider JC as a disciple of Aurebach. Heinsohn, Russell and Calhoun are in the Hall of Fame as coaches.

I don't see it as a case of defying the odds. I see it as brilliant leadership and vision.

The writing is not so much on the wall except perhaps the word relentless. The writing is hanging from the rafters as a reminder.

We've got the coaches (DH & Co) and they are taking this program to another level and people are starting to wake up to this. It is not us but the rest who have been in denial.

 

[August_West]

Absolutely. The big fish will devour their own until only the biggest of them are left.

Then what’s the point of this discussion? That ain’t college athletics any longer so who gives a flying eph

 

[John]

This program has not been led by lost sheep for the last few decades. Jim Calhoun came here with a vision and a will to win by competing. He learned from the best. Red Auerbach won 9 NBA titles and his disciples (Heinsohn 2, Russell 2 and KC Jones 2). Consider JC as a disciple of Aurebach. Heinsohn, Russell and Calhoun are in the Hall of Fame as coaches.

I don't see it as a case of defying the odds. I see it as brilliant leadership and vision.

The writing is not so much on the wall except perhaps the word relentless. The writing is hanging from the rafters as a reminder.

We've got the coaches (DH & Co) and they are taking this program to another level and people are starting to wake up to this. It is not us but the rest who have been in denial.

you're talking about a program, we're talking about the athletic department as a whole.

 

[B1GEast]

We have a fantastic athletic department, world class facilities and the institution of the academics at UConn are equally impressive.

We all entrenched as a premier university in New England and the Mid Atlantic.

Our football team ain't that good, but when you look at the aggregate of UConn compared to other New England or Mid Atlantic universities, adding the UConn brand to an established conference makes a lot of sense.

Will it happen? Who really knows?

Should it happen? Absolutely.

Should you as a fan care? Yes.

The university has invested too much and has achieved A LOT with that investment.

How would I feel if it happens? Very melancholy. The Big East was where it all began, but the world has changed. We don't live in a vacuum and we can't pretend that we're isolated from the monumental shift in the college sports landscape just because we've managed to win several basketball titles.

 

[Jaydumo20]

We have a fantastic athletic department, world class facilities and the institution of the academics at UConn are equally impressive.

We all entrenched as a premier university in New England and the Mid Atlantic.

Our football team ain't that good, but when you look at the aggregate of UConn compared to other New England or Mid Atlantic universities, adding the UConn brand to an established conference makes a lot of sense.

Will it happen? Who really knows?

Should it happen? Absolutely.

Should you as a fan care? Yes.

The university has invested too much and has achieved A LOT with that investment.

How would I feel if it happens? Very melancholy. The Big East was where it all began, but the world has changed. We don't live in a vacuum and we can't pretend that we're isolated from the monumental shift in the college sports landscape just because we've managed to win several basketball titles.

Everything you say is Valid.
this isn't directed at you, but the predictions are so all over the place that there may as well not be any predictions at all. I read an SI article published last week that predicts that Duke, UNC, Cuse, BC, Purdue or any other non-powerhouse football program would be left behind. In that case, we'd probably start complaining about that if we made the p4. Who knows?

Here's a prediction- college basketball starts to climb closer to college football in popularity. I mean Caitlin Clark was more popular and recognizable than any college football player this past year. By a long shot.
Or the NFL with the Taylor swift non-football stories taking center stage points to saturation point for the nfl and it's only a matter of time. If you think there's no way, compare baseball popularity to football popularity in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Nobody knew. Just ask myspace

 

[FearThePups]

Please, as a UConn Alum it's still not hard to admit that UConn has been dreadful in football for a long time. Just plain horrible, for many years. There hasn't been a single season with a winning record since 2010, and only 6 winning seasons out of the last 25. That's objectively awful.

Correct. Our lifetime record is sub .500. If any of you have a plan to get UConn into a better conference which would include our DePaulesque football program, I’m all ears.

 

[FearThePups]

Hot take: I think Big 12 comes back for UConn and adds them this upcoming summer.

How so? They didn’t want our football program and would only pay us a crumb of a full share.

 

[B1GEast]

Here's a prediction- college basketball starts to climb closer to college football in popularity.

I think I could make a case that college basketball is more popular than college football. There's a big difference between popularity and profitability.

Everyone knows the CBS contract with the NCAA is way undervalued.

There are many more non football conferences involved in the tournament.

I think the reason that college football is more profitable is because of the transition to the NFL, and right now the NFL is top dog.

What's unfortunate is that a lot power that influencing the future roadmap in college sports is very few hands. The SEC, B1G commissioners and ESPN/Fox Sports and some broadcast consultants are carving up the pie for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

If I were the Big 12, I'd talk to the remaining ACC teams and all the other division one football schools and pledge allegiance to each other to screw the SEC and the B1G and to not schedule any conference games against them.

Let the B1G have to only play the SEC after 2026. See how far they get.

 

[dennismenace]

Of course its dreadful you replace a geriatric dud, with a dud with pretty blue eyes, you then bring back a guy who had no interest in doing the job. The investment hasn't been there in football so you get the results we got. But i get. Money doesn't grown on trees and we have 2 high profile BB programs at the top of the heap that require maximum resources. Football has been largely treated like an afterthought.

Men's basketball is a very good net generator of funds so it doesn't require maximum resources; just the opposite unlike most of the other sports both men and women. So football has been treated like it is: a large drain on resources. How and where do you get a plan that turns that around into a net generator of funds (or at least close to break even)? That's the $64000 question. I think the path chosen (independent) for now is responsible. Not sure its feasible for football with the conference alignment we are in. Football is becoming more and more of an outlier in this region compared to lacrosse, soccer and hockey.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I think I could make a case that college basketball is more popular than college football. There's a big difference between popularity and profitability.

Everyone knows the CBS contract with the NCAA is way undervalued.

There are many more non football conferences involved in the tournament.

I think the reason that college football is more profitable is because of the transition to the NFL, and right now the NFL is top dog.

What's unfortunate is that a lot power that influencing the future roadmap in college sports is very few hands. The SEC, B1G commissioners and ESPN/Fox Sports and some broadcast consultants are carving up the pie for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

If I were the Big 12, I'd talk to the remaining ACC teams and all the other division one football schools and pledge allegiance to each other to screw the SEC and the B1G and to not schedule any conference games against them.

Let the B1G have to only play the SEC after 2026. See how far they get.

Well said. I agree with you that even some of the schools that assume because they are in the acc or the big 12 that they would be safe. Not necessarily true.

In other related news: my friend is a huge Ohio State football fan and he sent me a text outlining all the $$$ Ohio State and Ryan day spent to try to guarantee a title: including hiring chip Kelly as OC and paying players millions to forgo this years nfl draft. He said to me "that he's disgusted and doesn't even want to watch" he still will, but said his interest level is cut in half.

As for me, I think college football sucks. I've tried and tried. I just can't

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If you are not worried about the future for schools that have been left out of the power structure running the game, I do not know what to tell you.

The first time posts like this showed up on what was the Boneyard at the time was in April 2003. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese had given an interview blasting Miami and Boston College for, I believe the term he used was, "acting in the shadows". The Big East had just won the NCAA Basketball Championships with Syracuse men and UConn women, and Miami had won the football championship for the 2001 season, but BCU and Miami hatched a plan to destroy the Big East and do as much damage as possible to the Big East athletic programs, hoping to put them out of business for good. That spring, as Miami, BCU and ultimately VTech headed for the exit, 90% of the posters on this board assured us, with absolute certainty, that UConn was finished as an athletic program.

Since then, UConn has won 5 national championships in men's basketball and 7 in women's basketball, and even made a BCS bowl game in football. Outside of maybe 10 or 12 schools, every college fanbase would happily trade their last 21 years for ours.

The sky is always falling in Storrs, and UConn just keeps winning championships. If you really want to wallow in misery, you should become a BCU or Rutgers fan, although you will be lonely since neither of those programs have many fans. If you want to follow dominant programs that wins a lot, then you should like UConn. But you will have to squeeze in because this bandwagon is crowded.

 

[B1GEast]

The first time posts like this showed up on what was the Boneyard at the time was in April 2003. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese had given an interview blasting Miami and Boston College for, I believe the term he used was, "acting in the shadows". The Big East had just won the NCAA Basketball Championships with Syracuse men and UConn women, and Miami had won the football championship for the 2001 season, but BCU and Miami hatched a plan to destroy the Big East and do as much damage as possible to the Big East athletic programs, hoping to put them out of business for good. That spring, as Miami, BCU and ultimately VTech headed for the exit, 90% of the posters on this board assured us, with absolute certainty, that UConn was finished as an athletic program.

Since then, UConn has won 5 national championships in men's basketball and 7 in women's basketball, and even made a BCS bowl game in football. Outside of maybe 10 or 12 schools, every college fanbase would happily trade their last 21 years for ours.

The sky is always falling in Storrs, and UConn just keeps winning championships. If you really want to wallow in misery, you should become a BCU or Rutgers fan, although you will be lonely since neither of those programs have many fans. If you want to follow dominant programs that wins a lot, then you should like UConn. But you will have to squeeze in because this bandwagon is crowded.

Unfortunately the affects of realignment are not always immediately felt.

The B1G and SEC want to change college basketball payouts by expanding the number of teams in the tournament. They'll probably get their way.

When that happens you'll probably start to a lot more play in games that act as byes for all the other teams.

Then you'll probably see quotas for the number of teams conference will get it in the tournament further squeezing the smaller conferences, and the payout will greatly benefit conferences with multiple teams in the tournament, not to mention how they will tier units to make even more money.

In this type of scenario, Big East units might be worth much less than SEC or B1G units, very hypothetical, but not unrealistic to consider.

I hate all of what the B1G and SEC have done and are trying to do.

But as a fan, I would much rather be a part of the influence than part of the rest of the group that is forced to grin and bear it.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Unfortunately the affects of realignment are not always immediately felt.

The B1G and SEC want to change college basketball payouts by expanding the number of teams in the tournament. They'll probably get their way.

When that happens you'll probably start to a lot more play in games that act as byes for all the other teams.

Then you'll probably see quotas for the number of teams conference will get it in the tournament further squeezing the smaller conferences, and the payout will greatly benefit conferences with multiple teams in the tournament, not to mention how they will tier units to make even more money. In this type of scenario, Big East units might be worth much less than SEC or B1G units, very hypothetical, but not unrealistic to consider.

I hate all of what the B1G and SEC have done and are trying to do.

But as a fan, I would much rather be a part of the influence than part of the rest of the group that is forced to grin and bear it.

I know all the "but this time it is really different" arguments. It may be different, but it is not necessarily worse. I believe you were on the Boneyard in 2003. The ACC raid of 2003 was not just a body blow, it was a punch right in our freaking face by Mike Tyson in his prime. The 5 remaining Big East football schools had not really accomplished anything, had modest fan interest compared to Miami, and the Catholic schools, which had a lot of the basketball prestige at the time, were planning to strike out on their own. There was a good chance that we were going to end up in some modified CUSA, which would have been the end of UConn athletics at that point. To go from where the Big East was in the Spring of 2003, to what would happen for UConn over the next 21 years, was nothing short of a miracle.

The entire nationwide university system is about to enter the most chaotic period in its existence, and I believe that several of the universities whose teams we watch in the fall and winter may not even exist in 20 years. Even if they survive, universities will look dramatically different 20 years from now compared to how they look today. What happens to their sports team is far down the list of concerns to university administrators. It will be chaos, but chaos should not be feared, and in our case, it is actually kind of necessary.

 

[Waquoit]

I know all the "but this time it is really different" arguments.

Have you already forgotten how it all turned to merde when we in the AAC? We were down and way out. It even gave us our worst WBB team in 30 years. It wasn't just "a matter of time before UConn came back", it was a freaking miracle! We've already had two miracles in MBB, I'm not counting on a third.