Those of you want big time football at UCONN - help me understand why

[Oracle9]

Sure, but that was 40 years ago! And he wasn’t BILL BELICHICK then, but just some obscure linebackers coach on a bad Giants team (under Ray Perkins).

That's conjecture and was never tested, so it's neither here nor there - a program with such a rich history can be righted. There have been top programs with way more than Uconn that have fallen lost a lot of their luster and are still chugging along. UCONN football has what it needs as far as cache - but needs better leadership from top bottom, better marketing, better operational management. Better decision making is missing- no dedication to consistency. If those issues are fixed there's a lot there.

 

[DAC17]

Oracle9: You're asking for a lot of difficult things to go right all at once. Unfortunately and sadly, not likely.

 

[Oracle9]

Oracle9: You're asking for a lot of difficult things to go right all at once. Unfortunately and sadly, not likely.

As the old adage goes "Rome wasn't built in a day"

 

[DAC17]

As the old adage goes "Rome wasn't built in a day"

But it was destroyed overnight in 2011!

 

[Puppy Love]

Randy’s first go round was like catching lightning in a bottle. A lot of things went very right and not much went wrong. RE was close in time to the Coughlin years at Syracuse and BC and all those connections were very fresh. As a coach, he was on an upward trajectory. Rentschler was new and added to the excitement around the program. Orlovsky decided to stay home and play at UConn when he could have gone a lot of other places. Winning leads to more winning and helps with recruiting. I point this out to say that it will be a lot harder to rebuild than it was to do it the first time. I think the right head coach would help, but it wouldn’t be a quick turnaround. As to whether it would be worth the effort, maybe. I was lucky enough to have a friend back in the day that had some fabulous seats on the 50 yard line. Went to some games. It was a crazy lot of fun. I just wouldn’t want to stay FBS to be permanently mired at the bottom. That would be worse than dropping out.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I know what you are saying. We aren’t trying to build a FBS powerhouse. We are trying to make our FBS Independent football team more reliable and better. We won’t ever be a powerhouse but I would like to think we can get back to 6-6 or 8-4 one day. Why can’t the football team do that. With the right hire they will. Look at basketball the right hire was made and it’s back to where it was. Why can’t people let football do the same? I’m sorry but a lot of you saying FBS football should be dropped to FCS. UConn football is getting paid to play from big schools. Let football build because I’m sorry football does bring in some top dollar. I want to see football be great again at UConn.

Agree..I want UConn to be great and if Dave B. brings in a top assistant coach from a P5 school who'll be here for a while, we might be great...and who knows, maybe you'll see UConn ranked in the top 25 someday. It was done before.

I was upset when I saw Holy Cross beat us. We should NEVER be beaten by a FCS team. I was mad when Fresno beat us, but now I saw an article about coaches on the Hot Seat, and they said that we should go to FCS, because no one would want to coach here. I say the writer is an idiot, because at least if they beat lower tier P5 teams (and upset top tier P5 teams (tOSU Buckeyes )) we will be happy.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

In the South, for instance, Friday night is reserved by all to attend the local HS football game. It’s an event, built into the culture of the people. And it produces big time FB players because of that culture.

That will always be a problem for the N.E., because football is not as important in the N.E. States, and fewer D1 players are produced. Say what you will, but regions like the S.W., S, M.W. and even far West all place a much bigger emphasis on high school football. Of the few D1 kids in UCONN’s footprint, after PSU, BC, Rutgers and Syr pick through the meager options, not enough is left to build a truly competitive program.

I’ve lived in the SE now for over 20 years. Friday nights in the fall are all about the HS football games…….it’s a way of life. And it translates to their Universities where they build stadiums that seat 70-100,000 fans and they pack the seats full. They’ve been doing it for close to 100 years and they understand it all starts at the HS level.

And some of the high school stadiums in Florida seats 30k. They would put D2 stadiums in the Northeast to shame. Of course, academics sucks here!!

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Randy’s first go round was like catching lightning in a bottle. A lot of things went very right and not much went wrong. RE was close in time to the Coughlin years at Syracuse and BC and all those connections were very fresh. As a coach, he was on an upward trajectory. Rentschler was new and added to the excitement around the program. Orlovsky decided to stay home and play at UConn when he could have gone a lot of other places. Winning leads to more winning and helps with recruiting. I point this out to say that it will be a lot harder to rebuild than it was to do it the first time. I think the right head coach would help, but it wouldn’t be a quick turnaround. As to whether it would be worth the effort, maybe. I was lucky enough to have a friend back in the day that had some fabulous seats on the 50 yard line. Went to some games. It was a crazy lot of fun. I just wouldn’t want to stay FBS to be permanently mired at the bottom. That would be worse than dropping out.

But, think the players would want to see 200 fans in a 40k stadium playing CCSU? Just like when the Whalers left, the Wolfpack didn't get the fans.
Dropping down to FCS is not an option, we want a top 50 team...(I'm not greedy!)

 

[Doug98]

Hasn't everything been tried over the last decade? Exactly what is the goal now that we appear to have reached the bottom of the barrel.
Why not have a discussion on moving down and joining teams like Holy Cross in the Patriot League. Bring the excitement back to UCONN for the fans. We all know what's going on don't we? The program now is designed to generate big money by being a sacrificial lamb to top national programs. The absolute best season for UCONN is to beat a few teams we can beat and get battered by others we never had a chance to beat going in. It's embarrassing and not in the spirit of college athletics.
This weekend there could be a game that UCONN would play against some of our old New England rivals that we could win and that fans would want to go to. Instead we have a game we were never intended to be competitive in where we are over matched with a interim coach and a new young quarterback hoping no one gets really hurt.
Time to get real UCONN nation and say no to being a perpetual sacrificial lamb in football.

 

[freescooter]

I have been to many DIV III games between top teams in that division. I find them just as exciting as any other game.
Many of the best Div III schools are also ranked among the top academic colleges.
That's just me. Help me understand why you want UCONN to keep pursuing the big time.

Thanks,

Honestly you are right. I live near a NESCAC and I’ve seen a number of great games. But guess what? It applies to all sports. Probably the best basketball game I’ve ever seen in person was a few years ago when an underdog Wesleyan team upset Amherst in 3ots on a shot from half court. Why do we keep pursuing big time basketball? The players might not be quite as good, but they would play as hard, and they’d be around for 4 years so you could watch a kid develop. Or now hockey? I’ve seen some excellent competitive games in all sports really. Baseball, too. And NESCAC teams go south for a week on spring break. They cover the cost with a combination of fund raising donations and an add on to their bill. They don’t fly to Texas and Florida every weekend. The rest of the season are bus trips. Why do we play D1 baseball, especially now that we play in a league that would probably struggle in top d iii ones?

Yeah, we had a great run in basketball, but Jim Calhoun ain’t walking in the door any time soon, and despite its pretensions, the NEWBIE ain’t even close to the original Big East. And if the alliance gets going, our lot will be worse. How many first round losses before the bloom is off the Rose?

 

[Adios]

I am going to agree with freescooter. We need to go D3 so our fans can blissfully stop living with an inferiority complex. And take over other D3 boards and brag.

 

[Oracle9]

I know what you are saying. We aren’t trying to build a FBS powerhouse. We are trying to make our FBS Independent football team more reliable and better. We won’t ever be a powerhouse but I would like to think we can get back to 6-6 or 8-4 one day. Why can’t the football team do that. With the right hire they will. Look at basketball the right hire was made and it’s back to where it was. Why can’t people let football do the same? I’m sorry but a lot of you saying FBS football should be dropped to FCS. UConn football is getting paid to play from big schools. Let football build because I’m sorry football does bring in some top dollar. I want to see football be great again at UConn.

Ditto

 

[CL82]

Hasn't everything been tried over the last decade?

Well everything except hiring decent head coaches and paying the staff a decent salary. Maybe we give that a shot before we throw in the towel?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Bring the excitement back to UConn. Join The Patriot League.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

HC1987 would not be coming over here this often if we were not an FBS program.

 

[ZooCougar]

I have been to many DIV III games between top teams in that division. I find them just as exciting as any other game.
Many of the best Div III schools are also ranked among the top academic colleges.
That's just me. Help me understand why you want UCONN to keep pursuing the big time.

Thanks,

Because I don’t like basketball as much as football.

Because I went to a D3 school and no it’s nowhere near as good.

 

[ZooCougar]

Hasn't everything been tried over the last decade? Exactly what is the goal now that we appear to have reached the bottom of the barrel.
Why not have a discussion on moving down and joining teams like Holy Cross in the Patriot League. Bring the excitement back to UCONN for the fans. We all know what's going on don't we? The program now is designed to generate big money by being a sacrificial lamb to top national programs. The absolute best season for UCONN is to beat a few teams we can beat and get battered by others we never had a chance to beat going in. It's embarrassing and not in the spirit of college athletics.
This weekend there could be a game that UCONN would play against some of our old New England rivals that we could win and that fans would want to go to. Instead we have a game we were never intended to be competitive in where we are over matched with a interim coach and a new young quarterback hoping no one gets really hurt.
Time to get real UCONN nation and say no to being a perpetual sacrificial lamb in football.

A decade isn’t very long.

Nobody is holding you back from being a Western CT fan.

 

[jonsmith]

Bring the excitement back to UConn. Join The Patriot League.

I have been wondering if the AAC falls apart if there could be a movement to 'revive' Big East football. With schools like UConn, UMass, Temple, Buffalo, Army, Navy, maybe Liberty, etc. The southern AAC schools could join with CUSA or Sunbelt.

 

[amishboy]

I just wouldn’t want to stay FBS to be permanently mired at the bottom. That would be worse than dropping out.

Yeah, this is exactly what the pessimist in me sees ahead!

I just don't have the optimism needed to dream of a dynamic coaching hire, who can concoct brilliant offensive schemes and creative defenses, and/or recruit well enough to uncover the necessary number of underrated players to raise UConn significantly above the bottom.

We had a lot of luck when we were BE co-champions and played in the Fiesta Bowl; maybe we reached our peak then, never to be repeated or topped.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I have been wondering if the AAC falls apart if there could be a movement to 'revive' Big East football. With schools like UConn, UMass, Temple, Buffalo, Army, Navy, maybe Liberty, etc. The southern AAC schools could join with CUSA or Sunbelt.

Certainly would like to play some schools that are driveable. Have family in Annapolis.

 

[ZooCougar]

I have been wondering if the AAC falls apart if there could be a movement to 'revive' Big East football. With schools like UConn, UMass, Temple, Buffalo, Army, Navy, maybe Liberty, etc. The southern AAC schools could join with CUSA or Sunbelt.

It you can string a decent tv deal and cut down on travel costs then I think it would be appealing. I don’t know if Navy and Army would be interested.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Hasn't everything been tried over the last decade? Exactly what is the goal now that we appear to have reached the bottom of the barrel.
Why not have a discussion on moving down and joining teams like Holy Cross in the Patriot League. Bring the excitement back to UCONN for the fans. We all know what's going on don't we? The program now is designed to generate big money by being a sacrificial lamb to top national programs. The absolute best season for UCONN is to beat a few teams we can beat and get battered by others we never had a chance to beat going in. It's embarrassing and not in the spirit of college athletics.
This weekend there could be a game that UCONN would play against some of our old New England rivals that we could win and that fans would want to go to. Instead we have a game we were never intended to be competitive in where we are over matched with a interim coach and a new young quarterback hoping no one gets really hurt.
Time to get real UCONN nation and say no to being a perpetual sacrificial lamb in football.

As I said, when the Whale left, I didn't go to Wolfpack games. I had steak, why would I want horsemeat?

Dropping down to FCS is stupid. It should get you banned from the Boneyard. I've been to Memorial watching New Hampshire , Maine and other Yankee League/CAA games and I been to the Rent when we beat Indiana on opening day. I saw some great football there. You think the state will build a 10000 seat stadium for a FCS team? Think alumni want to see Richmond at Rentschler? Sorry, but the thinking of Connecticut's citizens is crazy. We should drop it, it is too hard...

No, if it was easy, every college would be D1. Here, I have a Super Bowl Champions, back to back Stanley Cup champions and a baseball team that might be be the World Series champs. Connecticut doesn't act like they want to be serious in sports. I mean, the Yard Goats and Hartford AC are both the colors of the Whalers? Did Hartford pass a law that pro teams have to use the Whalers colors. (Saw a Tampa Bay Hartford AC game and they are good, not insulting them but why not red white and blue or orange yellow and black?)

Hope someday I hope to see the Whalers back!!

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Randy’s first go round was like catching lightning in a bottle. A lot of things went very right and not much went wrong. RE was close in time to the Coughlin years at Syracuse and BC and all those connections were very fresh. As a coach, he was on an upward trajectory. Rentschler was new and added to the excitement around the program. Orlovsky decided to stay home and play at UConn when he could have gone a lot of other places. Winning leads to more winning and helps with recruiting. I point this out to say that it will be a lot harder to rebuild than it was to do it the first time. I think the right head coach would help, but it wouldn’t be a quick turnaround. As to whether it would be worth the effort, maybe. I was lucky enough to have a friend back in the day that had some fabulous seats on the 50 yard line. Went to some games. It was a crazy lot of fun. I just wouldn’t want to stay FBS to be permanently mired at the bottom. That would be worse than dropping out.

Puppy love, sorry but ever been to a game? Baylor against us at Rentschler RG3 quoting that our fans are great. We still are, but some are bandwagon fans that you hoping the bandwagon when it's great, but get when it gets bad. D3? Why not go to the NAIA? We should do great in it!!

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Hasn't everything been tried over the last decade? Exactly what is the goal now that we appear to have reached the bottom of the barrel.
Why not have a discussion on moving down and joining teams like Holy Cross in the Patriot League. Bring the excitement back to UCONN for the fans. We all know what's going on don't we? The program now is designed to generate big money by being a sacrificial lamb to top national programs. The absolute best season for UCONN is to beat a few teams we can beat and get battered by others we never had a chance to beat going in. It's embarrassing and not in the spirit of college athletics.
This weekend there could be a game that UCONN would play against some of our old New England rivals that we could win and that fans would want to go to. Instead we have a game we were never intended to be competitive in where we are over matched with a interim coach and a new young quarterback hoping no one gets really hurt.
Time to get real UCONN nation and say no to being a perpetual sacrificial lamb in football.

Doug 98, Thank you for your interest, but leave now. A sacrificial lamb? Really? Did you say that when we played Cincinnati, UCF, Temple? I'm hoping UConn will beat Perdue, but I hope Steven Krajewski will play great and I hope Clemson will be good, too. Should we play MAC teams? If you want to play with the big boys, you might get bullied, but with a coach who knows what he's doing and being serious about scheduling (DB is giving us some great schools in FB) we will be back in a bowl game. I guess you'll say, I knew he was a great hire!!

 

[John]

Puppy love, sorry but ever been to a game? Baylor against us at Rentschler RG3 quoting that our fans are great. We still are, but some are bandwagon fans that you hoping the bandwagon when it's great, but get when it gets bad. D3? Why not go to the NAIA? We should do great in it!!

According to @Puppy Love we should be playing town rec basketball because of the fans dressed as an arena full of empty seats in the past decade.