UConn President Says No Plans To Lobby Big 12

[Dizzy21]

If they are a favorite, then of course their president isn't an idiot since whatever he is doing is working.

Now I will say I am an ACC guy. And while all this expansion of the Big East turf wasn't my initial desire, I've come to accept and even appreciate it. But UConn has been my first choice for the last few expansion picks (even if only to say thank you for stopping K when you could). You seem like the ideal ACC choice, the one I would love to have, and I've followed this board here since way back when.

That said, I think the frustration comes from how this looks exactly like how the Louisville-ACC situation played out. UConn stays quiet and calm, Louisville goes berserk. UConn, in a much better spot than now, appeared to get outhustled for the last spot on the lifeboat. Now it's of course questionable if there was anything they could have said to convince FSU/Clemson, but the fact is that the perception was UConn simply sat on its hands. Despite pretty much every major move of the last few years being a proactive move by someone (Mizzou, VPI, Maryland, etc), UConn seems to have mastered the art of Zen Buddhism while the Big East collapsed around them. It's probably not fair to say the public engagement was the sum total of all UConn's actions (Maryland was proactive AND stealthy), but perception is reality. And the reality is UConn is in stealth mode with nothing to show for it. And as a fan, that must be terribly discouraging. So go all out now with a full-court media press. Even if the Big XII doesn't choose you, you make the other conferences notice that UConn is alive and well and ready. Sports isn't so high-brow that a little heat can't go a long way.

My point is I don't know what works, but I suspect BYU's president is smart and I suspect ours is too, so them taking the same route is OK with me. If our President starts acting like Memphis' like everyone one the board wants them to, then I think it's time to worry.

 

[The Viking]

I didn't love some of her quotes but I won't criticize her unless a) we aren't picked by the Big 12 and b) we find out after the fact from Big 12 leaks that we weren't one of those pushing hardest privately to win one of the slots.

I do love the fact that we have a chance (if we haven't already) to state our case to the 10 presidents. That is something that was sorely lacking when the ACC sold its soul down the river to take a whorish university because of their football program.

I still think Herbst dreams of a B1G or ACC invite someday and probably works as hard as she can to put this university into a position to be acceptable to the B1G's lofty demands when the next round of expansion comes once the TV deal is expiring. Who knows how realistic that is but I'm sure we've talked to the B1G in private asking them what we need to do to be a fit down the road.

Lastly, maybe tomorrow we can re-focus our anger on the real potential villain here - ESPN. If they end up playing a role in limiting the number of expansion teams and we missed out because of that, the fury within out state borders has to be massive. Social media, the courant editorial page, members of the CT legislature - many of whom went to UConn, etc. ESPN will need to be called on the carpet for funding the Cuse and BC 25-30 mil a year while they squat on our land throwing us nickels as we potentially wither on the vine. It is well known they flex their muscles from time to time and help make important decisions in these conferences. They are the furthest thing from an innocent bystander.

 

[Chief00]

Susan is well compensated and when that's the case the expectation should be its your responsibility to make a difference and be accountable for results. We have been left at the alter a couple of times both before and during her Presidential tenure. She should be judge by results; nothing is inevitable either way.
One suggestion, these PR talking points are really tiresome - they ring with misplaced arrogance and if you can't make a difference at that pay scale - why pay her all that money? She needs to figure it out and not utter more tone deaf platitudes.

 

[UConnNick]

UConn didn't get out-hustled by Louisville. UConn was too loyal to the Big East when Pittsburgh and Syracuse left. But the ACC chose Louisville. Not a damn thing UConn could have done. A couple more powerpoint presentations and press conferences would not have changed anything.

That may very well be true, and I think it is. The problem is we took the exact same low profile, low key approach that time as we have this time. It didn't work then, and maybe more proactive lobbying wouldn't have made any difference, but indicating that you're passively "monitoring" the situation doesn't inspire confidence. For one thing, it makes it look publicly like you don't really care one way or the other what they decide to do regarding us. Maybe it's just a mechanism to attempt to deflect any blame, sort of anticipatory damage control. The message is sure starting to sound eerily similar. Let's not let anybody think this is all that important to us so when we don't get it we can regroup and maybe make it the next time an opportunity presents itself. The problem is how many next times will there be, if any?

The real question is how many times are you going to employ what appears to outsiders as essentially the same approach, expecting a different result? There has been so much disinformation floating around about UCONN that goes unanswered or unexplained, at least publicly. It shouldn't be up to pundits and folks like Dooley to put our best foot forward on various media platforms. At some point, the administration needs to be heard from. Just about everybody else's has been.

You are either being quietly confident because you know something nobody else does, or you're preparing your entire fanbase for another kick to the groin. I hate to say it, but this statement sounds an awful lot like the latter. Again, I hope I am wrong.

 

[Stinger92860]

"We're here to have fun"

This is the quote which gives me the most pain. This is not what the B12 wants to hear. FSU and Clemson must be laughing. The Rent wasn't built for fun. You think they play high school football in Texas for fun? It's fun when you win on a big stage. Does Disney show live sports for fun? It's about money, prestige and recognition.

 

[Dooley]

Dooley, you are honestly the one poster I go to with this. Did you not find what she said discouraging?

No I honestly am not discouraged. I am in the minority.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

No I honestly am not discouraged. I am in the minority.

I'm in the same camp as you Dooley. Too many here are jumping to conclusions that don't exist and attempting to devine some greater meaning from SH's comments.

Twitterati, second rate internet journalists and message board aficionados will not be the ones deciding our fate. If what she states publicly doesn't appease them it won't make any difference.

 

[JeepCSC]

My point is I don't know what works, but I suspect BYU's president is smart and I suspect ours is too, so them taking the same route is OK with me. If our President starts acting like Memphis' like everyone one the board wants them to, then I think it's time to worry.

I just think you are comparing apples to oranges. BYU is 'reasonably' in the Big XII's geographic neighborhood and is probably the best football program outside the P5 structure (Boise being the other). They don't need to be loud and aggressive since the media is doing their campaigning for them.

Though the lgbt thing has become a distraction, and if they aren't picked, the president failing to address it head-on could be seen as problematic.

 

[JeepCSC]

I'm in the same camp as you Dooley. Too many here are jumping to conclusions that don't exist and attempting to devine some greater meaning from SH's comments.

Twitterati, second rate internet journalists and message board aficionados will not be the ones deciding our fate. If what she states publicly doesn't appease them it won't make any difference.

Again, I think the problem is you could have written that same post circa 2012 and it wouldn't have appeared out-of-place. Burn me once, yada yada yada.

 

[specialisthusky]

I just think you are comparing apples to oranges. BYU is 'reasonably' in the Big XII's geographic neighborhood and is probably the best football program outside the P5 structure (Boise being the other). They don't need to be loud and aggressive since the media is doing their campaigning for them.

Nothing says geographic neighbor like a short 19 hour and 45 minutes to drive to BYU from Austin.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nothing says geographic neighbor like a short 19 hour and 45 minutes to drive to BYU from Austin.

Yes, it's lunacy, they are nearly as far as we are (and further from WVU and Cinci obviously). But perception...ahh, that's different. Not once have I heard any one of these idiot talking heads in the media mention BYU as a geographic outlier. But UConn...we might as well be in the Ukraine.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Jim couldn't have said it better.

 

[JeepCSC]

Well, out west, you can drive 3 hours and not see much of anything, so their concept of distance is skewed from our concept. But it would be better if the Big XII re-entered the Colorado market to serve as a bridge. But in general, I think Kansans would feel closer to Utahans than New Englanders. Though on the flip side, Baptists might feel closer to Presbyterians than Mormons, so the culture gap can cut both ways.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Again, I think the problem is you could have written that same post circa 2012 and it wouldn't have appeared out-of-place. Burn me once, yada yada yada.

What happened in 2012 regardless of what public (boneyard) opinion may be was that FSU & Clemson had the opportunity to jump to the B-12 and used it as leverage to force the tobacco road schools from being in our court to voting for Louisville. Shy of a time machine eliminating the hire of P, there was nothing the administration could have done.

Where the major SNAFU occurred was in the time leading up to the ACC adding Cuse & Pitt.

If we get derailed here it will be due almost entirely to politics local t east Texas and the (somewhat myopic) view that a known football commodity outweighs potential. The former being a priority of the leading member of the B-12, the latter belonging to all lesser members who are attempting to build what they believe would be their best home once the two true assets leave the conference unless than a decade.

 

[ninety-nine]

I'm not discouraged by Herbst's "fun" remark, either. I share some of that sentiment, in fact. Whether or not we get into the Big 12-maybe-14, there is part of me that is aware this whole process is driven by forces completely unrelated to the reasons why people participate in sports, even if their goal is to play them professionally. Maybe she gets frustrated seeing how deeply administrators and other faculty are buying into this dog-eat-dog competition, which is destined to create a lot of losers as well as a few survivors. Even if we are a "winner," I won't feel great about the process that left other schools and their fans behind. Just playing along with a diseased system and adopting its controlling ideology as your own is hardly leadership, in the big picture. (Though, I really do feel that state flagship universities need to have P5 access if they want it, because it does affect the other university programs and educational elements that are available to their state residents for a relatively low cost compared to private colleges.)

Having said that (as someone who has been reading the Boneyard since we were arguing with "Z" about UMass vs UConn, by the way), I also doubt that Herbst can understand on a gut level how unfairly left-behind Connecticut sports fans feel. It seems like we're never good enough to keep what we have, and with UConn, even a ridiculous degree of championship-winning at basketball doesn't seem to be enough to overcome geography or the ingrained mindset of folks not from 'round here that Connecticut is small-time. It's like being told your destiny is to not have one because "just look at you."

Recently, I pointed out how many UConn players were in the NFL to a writer at an NFL team message board who had described UConn as a "small football school," and his response was that he stood by his description because none of our players had made a big enough impact in the NFL to make our program relevant (and we got blown out by Oklahoma at the Fiesta). Maybe you could argue that his conclusion "UConn is small potatoes" came first based on general public perception (he's a Pac-12 guy), and he re-defined the facts to fit the narrative, or maybe you could argue that the fact that we don't have NFL stars shows that we're starting out with middling recruits, which is the mark of a small football school. I don't know. But in this particular contest, perception does bring about reality - if people thought UConn should be in a P-5, they'd snap us up, and we'd become competitive quickly now that we'd be more appealing to recruits. If they think we don't belong in a P-5, it'll be much harder to be competitive, because recruits want to go to P-5 schools and play for (or at least against) high-profile name programs. Sigh.

Maybe Herbst is sick of dealing with a perception of UConn (and other schools, for that matter) that is based on college football reputation. I know I am. When I went to UConn, the games were still on campus, and felt like high-school matchups. I didn't give sports a single thought when I made my college choice - I was grateful to have a path to an affordable education at a good school that provided me with a chance to get a professional degree at its also-affordable grad school. That likely never would have happened for me without UConn. To see its future seriously impacted by whether or not some Texans and Oklahomans and FOX execs and ESPN shills decide to smile or pee in our general direction is mind-bogglingly crappy, and it makes a person question the system that gets you there. For Herbst, who doesn't have any of her emotional core tied up in Connecticut's athletics future, this situation and the battle itself must seem absurd at times. So, I don't think it's a message of defeat so much as a statement she's making to keep her sense of self-respect in this process.

 

[Excalibur]

Again, I think the problem is you could have written that same post circa 2012 and it wouldn't have appeared out-of-place. Burn me once, yada yada yada.

Your position assumes a cause-effect that is not present . . .

 

[MattMang23]

"We're here to have fun"

This is the quote which gives me the most pain. This is not what the B12 wants to hear. FSU and Clemson must be laughing. The Rent wasn't built for fun. You think they play high school football in Texas for fun? It's fun when you win on a big stage. Does Disney show live sports for fun? It's about money, prestige and recognition.

Yeah the fun part of sports ends after high school. Then it becomes business. Time for business.

 

[Excalibur]

Yeah the fun part of sports ends after high school. Then it becomes business. Time for business.

The bigger problem is that, for the people who actually make donations and buy tickets, this is getting less and less "fun" by the year. That comment was just so tone-deaf and insulting . . .

 

[Kolumbo]

This thread took off! I like that she stated UConn will not lobby. Everyone and their grandmother involved knows the score. They know UConn needs an invitation. No amount of lobbying is going to sway the Big 12 and since UConn's chances of getting invited are about as good as BC winning an ACC title, I'd rather show some class than desperately grovel. They are all very familiar with Storrs and they have the phone number.

Besides, lobby seems more a political term. I assume they will put together the requisite presentation materials.

 

[djct1999]

The bigger problem is that, for the people who actually make donations and buy tickets, this is getting less and less "fun" by the year. That comment was just so tone-deaf and insulting . . .

This, 100%. Don't give that answer then beg fans to buy season tickets.

 

[JeepCSC]

What happened in 2012 regardless of what public (boneyard) opinion may be was that FSU & Clemson had the opportunity to jump to the B-12 and used it as leverage to force the tobacco road schools from being in our court to voting for Louisville. Shy of a time machine eliminating the hire of P, there was nothing the administration could have done.

Where the major SNAFU occurred was in the time leading up to the ACC adding Cuse & Pitt.

If we get derailed here it will be due almost entirely to politics local t east Texas and the (somewhat myopic) view that a known football commodity outweighs potential. The former being a priority of the leading member of the B-12, the latter belonging to all lesser members who are attempting to build what they believe would be their best home once the two true assets leave the conference unless than a decade.

The problem with 2011 is it happened in the dark, so it's not quite clear what happened and why. There are hints and rumors of course, but. What we do know is 5/8ths of the 2011 BE have saved themselves (for now) and UConn is still "monitoring the situation". What I don't want is the Big XII to explode and the ACC decide to take WVU with UConn on the table, but as of now I think it's likely. Whatever UConn has been doing hasn't worked. They are good enough that they shouldn't have to do much, yet here we are. If they still decide stealth mode is the way to go, so be it and I hope it works out better this time. But a full-court press to BC or Clemson or Oklahoma or West Virginia or whoever probably wouldn't go amiss. Sports realignment has never really been about subtlety.

 

[Kolumbo]

Apologies if posted already, but UConn is officially part of the ridiculous circus, which to me makes Susan's stance all the more respectable.

All 18 Big 12 expansion candidates seeded in the ultimate realignment bracket

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Out of curiosity, which of the following schools invited to superior conferences got in because their President kept going in the media and saying how great the University is?

Maryland
Rutgers
Utah
Louisville
Pitt
Syracuse
Colorado
Missouri
Texas A&M

Since obviously we're all experts in conference realignment and we know that this "strong, quiet" approach doesn't work, I'm curious how many universities here succeeded using the #BegHarder method?

You could make a case for maybe Louisville, but even I think that's garbage and just came down to having a superior football program when FSU/Clemson refused to have another basketball school and nobody knew if our basketball program was going to come back from the APR mess/Calhoun retirement.

 

[CallMeBruce]

LOL solid name calling.

Sorry we don't all subscribe to the concept that the administration is infallable.

You do realize they might be wrong?

The fact that we are still in this position may show that they aren't experts in appealing to university presidents either?

I actually don't know that a new conference is a priority. What I am told is that we'll just keep on winning and as our AD put it - if it's meant to be it's meant to be.

They can try to set themselves up to deflect blame and criticism, certainly there are plenty here who will defend anything they do or say to the death. If the Big 12 expands and they don't have a dance card they need to be held accountable.

It's too bad that the holier than thou have to deal with unwashed non-believer baffoons - maybe they should prove us wrong this time?

If you don't know that getting into a better conference is a priority, then you need to pay better attention. I know, from my end, we've talked to boosters and people inside the athletic department, and the school has done everything they can to make themselves attractive to the Big 12, and to make sure the Big 12 is aware of all of the schools' strengths. You want to continue to throw a now-weeks-long tantrum, then you do you, bro.

 

[amory]

Out of curiosity, which of the following schools invited to superior conferences got in because their President kept going in the media and saying how great the University is?

Maryland
Rutgers
Utah
Louisville
Pitt
Syracuse
Colorado
Missouri
Texas A&M

Since obviously we're all experts in conference realignment and we know that this "strong, quiet" approach doesn't work, I'm curious how many universities here succeeded using the #BegHarder method?

You could make a case for maybe Louisville, but even I think that's garbage and just came down to having a superior football program when FSU/Clemson refused to have another basketball school and nobody knew if our basketball program was going to come back from the APR mess/Calhoun retirement.

I don't mind the "strong, quiet" approach. But if you're gonna do that, do that.

Resurfacing for the first time in months to tell your fanbase, who's sitting on pins and needles, that this is supposed to be fun....that's not strong and quiet. It's tone deaf and weak.