To me, evidence invite to the Big 10 not likely ...

THIS. THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS.

Please everyone, take a good look at this statement and let it sink into your brains. This is where we're at. Short of a written agreement between Jim Delany and Herbst that if we expand to 55K+, we'll be immediately invited to the B1G, there is no reason to expand. And that agreement ain't happening.

What would be a good idea to do now is to possibly at least draw up some plans on how an expansion would look down the road, a ballpark of what it would cost - adjusted for inflation 5, 10, 15 years out, and evaluate whether it's financially feasible. I don't know if plans are in place right now, I know they built it originally so that it could be expanded, but maybe pay someone to draw up some blueprints of what it might look like. While it's unnecessary right now, at least this would make it appear to potential expansion candidates that we would be willing and ready to do it, were we to upgrade to a new and better conference.

If you are going to continue to bring reason and rational thought to this board, you are not going to be able to blend in very well...

Someone is probably getting invited. I for one would like to make a push for it. If it doesn't happen, we have a better chance of an invite elsewhere.

Thinking small is what is killing the north and growing the south. Conservative Yankee thinking is strangling growth.

Build the seats, market the program and try hard as hell to win games. Otherwise, drop football.

Also, a Big 10 schedule would sell more seats. 40k is the right size for Temple and USF games, not Michigan and Wisconsin games.

I'm quite sure that Herbst and Manuel are having those conversations. But - today - with Temple and USF on our schedule, why not just wait till we have even a hint that Michigan and Wisconsin will be making regular trips here? Stadium size, while a consideration, is far from the primary driver of this conference madness.

Market more, win games - absolutely. No need to wait on those.

Well, Michigan doesn't even want to play at the Rent because it is small. Wouldn't it be logical that growing the program in every possible way would improve the chances of moving up? I want other conferences to look at UConn and find no negatives. That is my goal. Its unachievable but it should be the goal.

That big expansion sure has quality opponents flocking to play at Rutgers.

The fallacy of many on the Boneyard is that if you ask hard enough, you get to go into a new conference. That is not the case. (ask ECU, and they'll tell you that). You have to be invited. I understand the sentiment that people have here about wanting to create a stadium that looks like a Big10 stadium, in order to get that invitation. But just because you create a 60k or 70k stadium does not mean that you have the fanbase to support that. Let me put it in perspective; do you think that when Michigan only won 3 games recently (or whatever that low number was under RichRod) that their stadium would have dropped to 30k attendance like ours almost certainly would have? The answer is no. The first year that we went 3-9, we might still have a lot of butts in the seats due to the novelty of playing an OSU or a Michigan. But how about the following year?

And your comment about "try hard as hell to win games" makes it sound as if the University of Connecticut is NOT trying hard to win games. Again, wishing really hard for something to happen (like the Big10 invite) doesn't make it happen.

Ok, I will spell it out for you. You try to win games by paying coaches and spending on recruiting. You also upgrade and update all facilities when you can. Right now, Interest rates are very low. It is a very inexpensive time to expand the stadium. It makes sense financially and because it will need to happen if we are to be in a big 4 conference.

It shows commitment and passion for football to expand during a recession.
I didn't say anywhere in my post to ask or beg. I said make a push for it, which means put your best foot forward. Show the nation you are going to succeed no matter what, so get on board or get run over. That attitude took our basketball programs a long way. Our basketball coaches personify that attitude. Build it and they will come isn't necessarily flawed thinking in this situation. It doesn't guarantee a thing but it may help and it certainly doesn't hurt.

If the Big10 had any consideration about inviting UConn - absolutely any - stadium size would be the last thing on their list.

If the Big10 approached UConn and said you're in - just expand the stadium, the stadium expansion would happen tomorrow.

The Big10 pulls in around $20M a year. Compared to what we're getting now, $6M a year? Can you even imagine what UConn could do with the extra revenue?

This is really it. Schools like Michigan want to play 8 home games and 4 conference road games. The stadium is a somewhat handy excuse, but Michigan is no different than the SEC powers - they have no interest in playing road games. They are interested in consolidating their power in as few programs as possible - they won't even play road games against each other. Look at week 1 of the regular season - Clemson and Auburn in Atlanta, Michigan and Alabama in Dallas, Notre Dame will leave South Bend... to play in Dublin.

Thanks for spelling it out for me, my friend. Now, I'll read it for you.

You mention paying coaches and spending on recruiting....as if we don't already do this!! We do.
Then, you follow it up by saying that interest rates are low (which has nothing to do with "trying hard as hell to win games"). Most people of sound mind borrow money when they have a realistic plan to pay it back! As I've already mentioned, if you have a packed 40k stadium, it reflects better on your program to others than it does if you have a 60k stadium with only 40k people in it! We know this, because we have heard the knocks on other teams that have similar situations (teams that play in NFL stadiums, like Pitt and Temple). We need a stadium consistent with the size of our fanbase, and as many have already pointed out, 90% capacity will not lead the administration to try to upgrade at this point.

Not that any of this matters to a Big10 invite, because it doesn't. The Big10 is perhaps the most picky conference in terms of expansion out there. They will only expand when they see a team of extremely high value on the national stage that can help push their network and product into higher revenue gains. Unfortunately, we are not one of those teams (I really really wish we were). If we continue on our path of growth, in time, I think we can be. But realistically, we aren't there yet. Simple as that.

Michigan AD said that there is a move to 16 team conferences (about 8 tweets down).

https://twitter.com/#!/chengelis

If the Big 10 goes to 16, does UConn make the cut? I think 1 of 2 things would have to happen for UConn to make the cut at 16:

1) UNC would have to join the SEC, or
2) Northwestern would have to leave the Big 10.

If neither happens, there are 5 schools: UNC, UVa, Rutgers, Maryland and UConn, fighting for 4 spots. I think it comes down to UMD and UConn for the final spot, and UConn would probably lose that contest.

If it looks like the Big 4 conferences will split off from the rest of the NCAA, I think Northwestern will leave the Big 10. I don't think Northwestern wants anything to do with being affiliated with semi-pro football and basketball, which is the direction the Big 4 are heading.

All that said, I don't think the Big 10 ever goes to 16.

I do. I think it is possible the power conferences can go to 18. 8 games within each division and 4 OOC (or OOD) games. Division champions play for the conference championship. That may be the day when conference champions can go to national semifinals.

18 x 4 = 72. That is a very good percentage of the FBS programs around.

I don't have a passionate opinion about expanding the stadium, I really don't care. However, I think it requires heavy consideration when nobody who would help us draw 60k to our stadium is even willing to play in our 40k stadium.

We don't pay football coaches like the big 4 conferences do, especially assistants. We need to pay more to keep the best coaches and to hire program changing coaches. I hope Coach P makes it happen here, but if he doesn't we will have to pay more to get an immediate impact coach. Otherwise, we will be a stepping stone program like most Big East schools bringing in up and comers and then watching them try to move on the first time they win 8-9 games. Louisville made a bold statement going and getting Charlie Strong. They pay him about 800k more that we pay Coach P., we pay the Big East average.

More money could be spent on other things that would help the program, such as a national advertising campaign touting UConn's academic ratings, facilities and athletic program during non-UConn sports broadcasts. The average guy out there in America needs to know more about how great UConn is. Living in anonymity beyond our basketball teams isn't productive in our pursuit of a great conference home. I want people to know UConn is ranked higher academically than Rutgers. I routinely see people say that UConn sucks academically on the internet, that means we need to do better getting our message out. You never hear anyone say BC or Maryland suck academically. I want people to know that UConn makes money on its sports and wins titles in almost all of them and I want people to know that we are very seriously trying to move up in the world. Despite the economy and competition, we are going places, we are not just some small time basketball school. If stadium expansion has to wait, fine. My point is, what things can we do to stay in the public eye? We can win and we can spend to improve, nothing else will get any attention. Without that attention you will continue to hear the media be dismissive of UConn as a big time option and they are the ones that form public perception.

I share your desire to want to increase the UConn brand, but it's not like PP is getting chump-change for being here. I tried to keep in the spirit of your comment and I compared his pay to the Big12 (rather than ACC coaches):

Brown (Tex.): 5.1M
Stoops (OU): 4.3M
Gundy (OSU): 3.75M
Patterson (TCU): 2.5M
Weis (KU): 2.5M
Tuberville (TT): 2M
Snyder (KSU): 1.925M
Briles (Baylor): 1.8M
Pasqualoni (UConn): 1.5M
Holgorsen (WVU): 1.4M
Rhoads (ISU): 1.15M

He is certainly on the lower end of the Big12 coaching pay, but some of those characters (yes, that means you, Charlie Weis!) are grossly overpaid. And he is not nearly the lowest on the list.

I guess my overall point is that UConn is indeed investing in its future, and I guess that the devil is in the details, in terms of whether we all agree if it is the appropriate level of investment to advance.

You suck at playing "IF". IF a Big 10 invite came with a stadium expansion requirement, it would be approved in a heartbeat.

why stop at 55K... anything under 80K is considered small for Big10.

We have 15 titles in four sports: men's and women's basketball (accounting for 10 championships), men's soccer (3) and field hockey (2). We have a men's soccer championship in 1948. The rest of our championships came after 1981. Definitely have been moving up.

Phase III