Pulling weight I think references football only.
I whole heartedly agree UConn has had success in many of its non revenue sports, thanks to the undivided commitment of its athletes. Unfortunately, many of these do not draw large viewing audiances outside of friends and family...and that's a shame.
And it won't mean much in any conference realignment talk.
A few years ago an antagonistic AD from the northeast institution stated football brings in 85% of the sports revenue.....the advertising dollars flock to most of America's #1 sport at the pro and college level. An the NC in FB will accelerate that income.
UConn definitely does not pull its weight in football. We can toot our horn, deservedly so, at the men's BB success. And despite WBB's successes, there are not many institutions with a large WBB fan base or interest.
We have to be careful who we criticize as "bottom feeders" of P-5 conferences....and who pulls their weight.
I didn't know much about Vanderbilt until my niece (UConn '12) received an academic scholarship to their medical school. Despite their SEC recruiting disadvantages in the "major sports" because of academic requirements, their baseball team has sent many players to the majors, and won the NCAA World Series this year. Franklin turned their football program into being a legitimate competitor in the SEC, and this year their recruited class is "the best ever".
Fans of P-5 programs may read this board, and I wouldn't want our fans "sometimes un-informed" opinions of certain schools in P-5 conferences turn a possible "yes" vote to a "no" vote in a realignment scenario. To some, what may be perceived as an "arrogant attitude" may do as much damage "in the background" as the success or lack of success on a field or court.
I agree to some extent, but there are 15 to 20 non-P5 universities that can make a claim that they are as good, or better than mid-level and low-level P5 schools in football. Your Huskies have been to a BCS bowl and won the Big East several times in your relatively short FBS level football status. With the exception of last year, UConn typically has better football than Wake, UVa, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Kansas, ISU, Kentucky, California and Colorado recently. It's not so much arrogance that I see as it is pure frustration on the Husky fans (and Bearcat, BYU Cougar, BSU Bronco fans...) part being left out of the party. I think many have the right to complain, but I do get your point.
I have some good experience knowing what it is like having your school being passed over for others time after time. You get frustrated and start hating particular conferences because of the exclusion. Like Husky fans, I used to loathe the ACC, but they eventually came around after 50+ years and 6 or more rejections and allowed my school in (note my school forced it's way in and it wasn't pretty).
And as for message board talk, I would hope things said on here wouldn't reflect badly on UConn to the B1G or ACC. University Presidents and their BOT make the big decisions with some added input from influential ADs and high-level coaches. This board is mostly civil with a few belligerent ones... but that's every message board.