12 Reasons Why UConn Will Regret the New Big East

[billybud]

If your sport is basketball the Big East is a good place for a northeastern basketball school to be.

Football, baseball, not so much.

 

[husky8273]

I was there during the same period and never saw that, but I believe you @dbmill, if you did.

I saw it back then.

 

[gampelcrazies]

If your sport is basketball the Big East is a good place for a northeastern basketball school to be.

Football, baseball, not so much.

Baseball will have no negative impact going to the Big East.

UConn baseball is only good because of Jim Penders.

 

[billybud]

The baseball leagues are the SEC, ACC, and Big 12....19 0f the preseason Top 25 teams are in those conferences...

SEC....8
ACC....7
B12.....4

Creighton reps the Big East at #22 and ECU is the lone AAC rep.

While the Big East won't hurt UConn vs the AAC, it also will not help.

 

[Waquoit]

but you don't like him because, uh, because the athletic department was in the black and because soccer had 5,000 people showing up the games... I guess. That's a weird take that's worth correcting.

Again it's the willful ignorance and bad faith coming from you that rankles. He said yes to the big-time Big East without doing what was necessary to build a modern athletic department. Stuff like tutors for the players and decent accommodations for starters. Instead of lobbying for his department he spent most of his time 1,000 miles away while the program declined into a laughing stock. Only after he left did things change for the better. It's important to me because I'm amazed how people forget what really happened. It wasn't that long ago.

 

[CL82]

Again it's the willful ignorance and bad faith coming from you that rankles. He said yes to the big-time Big East without doing what was necessary to build a modern athletic department. Stuff like tutors for the players and decent accommodations for starters. Instead of lobbying for his department he spent most of his time 1,000 miles away while the program declined into a laughing stock. Only after he left did things change for the better. It's important to me because I'm amazed how people forget what really happened. It wasn't that long ago.

Lol, declined into a laughing stock? Hardly. During his tenure it won it's first two NCAA championships and thereafter went to win 20 more and every one of those championships can be traced back to John Toner. It became a nation recognized brand. At the end of his tenure, there was a clash between those who felt that he'd been too strict with the academics of athletes and those who felt that he did too little but that hardly outweighs the fact that during his tenure as UConn's athletic director Toner:

1. Joined the Big East
2. Hired Geno Auriemma
3. Hired Jim Calhoun
4. Oversaw the funding and construction of Gampel
5. Had two teams become national champions during his tenure
6. Served as president of the NCAA
7. He is on the wall as a Husky of Honor
8. The National Football Foundation's award for excellence as an athletic director and "outstanding dedication to college athletics is called the John Toner Award. He was it first recipient.

Why is that so hard for you grasp? Why does it bother you so much that he was NCAA president? Why are you so obsessed with this when you are so obviously and completely wrong? It is just is so weird.

 

[Adios]

Other AAC schools seem to have more or richer billionaire boosters than UConn. That would have a lot to do with the powerful private schoos here. But we'd rather play Catholic schools, ignoring the ambitiousness of AAC schools. The owner of the XFL is an ECU alum. And lives in CT. Waltons are also behind Memphis. Owner of the Tampa Bay Bucs and Man U is behind Tulane. Etc, etc.

 

[don356]

Other AAC schools seem to have more or richer billionaire boosters than UConn. That would have a lot to do with the powerful private schoos here. But we'd rather play Catholic schools, ignoring the ambitiousness of AAC schools. The owner of the XFL is an ECU alum. And lives in CT. Waltons are also behind Memphis. Owner of the Tampa Bay Bucs and Man U is behind Tulane. Etc, etc.

Also, other AAC schools have been much more adept at HIRING football coaches.

 

[Fishy]

Some valid points.

Are you kidding?

 

[uconnfan68]

Are you kidding?

Did you read it? Where do you think FB ends up? Think we’ll be more attractive to P5 leagues with fcs/no fb?

 

[ScottVib]

Did you read it? Where do you think FB ends up? Think we’ll be more attractive to P5 leagues with fcs/no fb?

I think the argument there is the ship has sailed for any P5 consideration.. or that the continued effort in the AAC isn't worth the >10% shot at a P5 pay-off. I don't think anyone harbors the delusion that this move provides any real hope for the football program to come out of the wilderness or any move for the school to any conference with significant revenues... so it's a play to try to maximize revenue with what they can control. The basketball fan-base is thrilled. The football fan-base feels betrayed. Nonsense ensues.. --UConn 2019

 

[Waquoit]

Why is that so hard for you grasp? Why does it bother you so much that he was NCAA president? Why are you so obsessed with this when you are so obviously and completely wrong? It is just is so weird.

When they get to UConn part of the Jim Calhoun story it always starts the same way. Jim comes to UConn to resurrect a BB program that had hit rock bottom. Good AD's don't let the crown jewel of the athletic department hit rock bottom. They especially don't take a 2nd job and stop showing up to the office while the program is in free fall.

 

[CL82]

When they get to UConn part of the Jim Calhoun story it always starts the same way. Jim comes to UConn to resurrect a BB program that had hit rock bottom. Good AD's don't let the crown jewel of the athletic department hit rock bottom. They especially don't take a 2nd job and stop showing up to the office while the program is in free fall.

Great point! Of course, on the other hand, during his tenure as UConn's athletic director Toner:

1. Joined the Big East
2. Hired Geno Auriemma
3. Hired Jim Calhoun
4. Oversaw the funding and construction of Gampel
5. Had two teams become national champions during his tenure
6. Served as president of the NCAA
7. He is on the wall as a Husky of Honor
8. The National Football Foundation's award for excellence as an athletic director and "outstanding dedication to college athletics is called the John Toner Award. He was it first recipient.

He's the best AD UConn has ever had. Your obsession about him is just odd.

 

[uconnfan68]

I think the argument there is the ship has sailed for any P5 consideration.. or that the continued effort in the AAC isn't worth the >10% shot at a P5 pay-off. I don't think anyone harbors the delusion that this move provides any real hope for the football program to come out of the wilderness or any move for the school to any conference with significant revenues... so it's a play to try to maximize revenue with what they can control. The basketball fan-base is thrilled. The football fan-base feels betrayed. Nonsense ensues.. --UConn 2019

Those were some of the points being made. Just say it out loud... we're dropping football, or going back to the Yankee Conference. Too bad they destroyed Memorial Stadium.

 

[Steelerone]

Yale through the start of WWII would respectfully disagree with that statement with their mutiple national championships and +60,000 crowds at the Yale Bowl. I'm way too young to remember such times directly; but, my grandfather who grew-up in the Valley shared is stories with me.

And at that time the South was completely segregated and college football was at a much lower level.

 

[billybud]

And Sewanee beat LSU, Texas A&M, Texas....different world.

 

[buddy]

Yale through the start of WWII would respectfully disagree with that statement with their mutiple national championships and +60,000 crowds at the Yale Bowl. I'm way too young to remember such times directly; but, my grandfather who grew-up in the Valley shared is stories with me.

You cannot compare Yale football in the 1940's with anything today. There was nowhere near the media presence that there is today. In addition, they were the only game in town. What is the attendance at Yale football games today? UConn has made tremendous strides, and it is only through its athletic success of the late 1990's through early 2000's that UConn was on the national scene. Cannot compare the two schools now or then.

 

[billybud]

You have the wrong period for Yale...

in 1940...they went 1-7

1941....1-7
1939....3-4-1
1938....2-6

Their best year in the 40's was 1944...7-0-1...

The final AP Poll of 1944 had Army #1, Ohio State #2, Randolph Field #3, Navy #4, Bainbridge Naval Training #5, Iowa Preflight #6...(you can see that the military had the men)...half the final Top 20 were military teams.

Yale claims 26 National Championships between 1872 and 1906...this is really before modern football.

 

[Ldandy]

I think the argument there is the ship has sailed for any P5 consideration.. or that the continued effort in the AAC isn't worth the >10% shot at a P5 pay-off. I don't think anyone harbors the delusion that this move provides any real hope for the football program to come out of the wilderness or any move for the school to any conference with significant revenues... so it's a play to try to maximize revenue with what they can control. The basketball fan-base is thrilled. The football fan-base feels betrayed. Nonsense ensues.. --UConn 2019

Here's the problem in a nutshell. Why was this ever a thing? Root for all the teams. Why is that so difficult?

 

[Ldandy]

You have the wrong period for Yale...

in 1940...they went 1-7

1941....1-7
1939....3-4-1
1938....2-6

Their best year in the 40's was 1944...7-0-1...

The final AP Poll of 1944 had Army #1, Ohio State #2, Randolph Field #3, Navy #4, Bainbridge Naval Training #5, Iowa Preflight #6...(you can see that the military had the men)...half the final Top 20 were military teams.

Yale claims 26 National Championships between 1872 and 1906...this is really before modern football.

Big deal. Pitt claims like 756 National Titles in the last century.

 

[billybud]

Yep...anybody can do a "UCF" and claim a title.

 

[uconnfan68]

I think the argument there is the ship has sailed for any P5 consideration.. or that the continued effort in the AAC isn't worth the >10% shot at a P5 pay-off. I don't think anyone harbors the delusion that this move provides any real hope for the football program to come out of the wilderness or any move for the school to any conference with significant revenues... so it's a play to try to maximize revenue with what they can control. The basketball fan-base is thrilled. The football fan-base feels betrayed. Nonsense ensues.. --UConn 2019

He made 12 points, and I said I thought some were valid. I fully understand the P5 ship has sailed. I expect us to drop football in a few years. I also expect all college sports to be dropped to a lower level at some point. But that’s just my opinion. I think the gravy train is over. Glad I saw our finest years.

 

[Zissou]

BREAKING NEWS. Wake Forest has just nominated FSU to fill the open position in the AAC. "Them boys from FSU should join USF and UCF in the AAC. If they want to challenge a Carolina team, ECU is more their speed".

 

[metsfan2323]

Baseball will have no negative impact going to the Big East.

UConn baseball is only good because of Jim Penders.

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but Benedict pointed out today on the radio that the BE rotates it's end of year baseball tournament so expect a tournament in Hartford soon which would be fantastic plus the tournament will now be within driving distance often.

I agree the move to the BE is not a negative for baseball at all, i'm surprised so many people think that it is. The smaller league will actually create scheduling flexibility and travel savings will be huge over time.