Man, I really didn't need a new hfd. Apart from the promotion aspect, which I think almost all of us agree has been underwhelming, the rest of this is just the ramblings of another poster disconnected from reality.
First you must acknowledge the OBVIOUS.
1. UConn would like to be in the B1G, ACC or even Big 12.
2. UConn has no control over whether it gets in the B1G, ACC or Big 12.
3. At most UConn can try to make itself attractive to those leagues.
4. UConn is going to be in a league with Tulane, SMU, UCF, Memphis etc. no matter how superior we may think we are to those schools.
5. UConn was lucky as hell to be in a BCS conference for football as a new FBS level program. Never happened before, and won't ever happen again. In the eyes of many others we were unworthy of the honor.
6. UConn cannot play football as an independent. It is not feasible. We are not an attractive enough opponent.
Those are the facts. It's not whining. It's not complaining. If UConn wants to improve it's future reality, it better damned well understand the current reality. That starts with us being a little less arrogant and a little more realistic about our overall appeal. You can bitch about Tulane all you want, but it's a damned fine school, and an AAU member, with an endowment over $1B.