AAC is even worse than I thought it would be.

[upstater]

Time to start thinking of a union of independents.
BYU, Boise St., UNLV, San Diego St., UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple, UCF, USF, Navy.
BBall contract with ESPN, a few football games, everyone keeps their own revenue.
Maybe Uconn does something like this after the exit fees run out.

 

[Fishy]

What --- is Nelson doing with Upstater's computer?

 

[noeynox]

Time to start thinking of a union of independents.
BYU, Boise St., UNLV, San Diego St., UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple, UCF, USF, Navy.
BBall contract with ESPN, a few football games, everyone keeps their own revenue.
Maybe Uconn does something like this after the exit fees run out.

Okay, how so? We knew it was a step down from the Big East. How is it worst, than what we thought.

 

[upstater]

What --- is Nelson doing with Upstater's computer?

I agree with Nelson.

Holy cow this is bad.

Maybe I was hopelessly optimistic.

I can't believe how bad this is. I thought it was going to be BE quality on the football side, at least, and a huge step down on the basketball side, but not a Patriot League step.

They need $$.

UConn deserves more cash.

There are other schools out there that have a similar mindset. BYU and Boise. I bet UCF and Cincy probably have similar ideas.

 

[upstater]

Okay, how so? We knew it was a step down from the Big East. How is it worst, than what we thought.

Houston was supposed to be one of the top teams this year. Blown out by UTSA at home. Ugh. SMU? A disaster, and yeah I know UConn isn't holding up its end, but I have every confidence it soon will.

The picture is simply worse than I thought. It should be evident by now that the Sun Belt is the stronger football league. CUSA is MAC level, and MWC is moving toward CUSA. AAC is devolving too. This gap is going to grow.

 

[noeynox]

Of course its going to grow. Most recruits are going to choose to play for a "Power 5" school, over a "Gang of 5" school simply because of those names. I keep saying our situation is no more dire today than it was the day it was announced Louisville got picked for the ACC over us. The only reason our situation in BBall isn't as bad, is because of Ollie, our most recent national title, and the "blue blood" status. Sheet is bad outside the P5. It sucks to be us, nothing new there.

 

[UConnJim]

End of the day, UConn needs to win AAC football championships, or at least be in the top 4. It's easier to build a football program and a fan base when you are winning no matter what conference you are in.

The AAC has decent football and each year teams will have ups and down. Unfortunately, Houston played a UTSA team with 21 returning starters and 37 seniors (not a misprint) that is actually pretty good. They play Arizona tonight at home and Arizona is only a 7 point favorite.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

End of the day, UConn needs to win AAC football championships, or at least be in the top 4. It's easier to build a football program and a fan base when you are winning no matter what conference you are in.

As Smokey says, "I second that emotion".

 

[Point6]

We should break away from everybody and call ourselves the "Superpower 1." Then, change the rules immediately so that Geno can call whoever he wants.

 

[Point6]

We should break away from everybody and call ourselves the "Superpower 1." Then, change the rules immediately so that Geno can call whoever he wants.

I mean assuming we beat Stony Brook.

 

[Milo65]

We have absolutely NO right creating fictitious conferences and stating our right to even be near a P5 conference until we turn our football program around. At this point we are no better than SMU, Houston, Navy or any other team in the AAC. NOBODY GIVES A RATS @$$ ABOUT HOOPS, MENS OR WOMENS, OR FACILITIES OR ACADEMICS, OR STATE LAND GRANT SCHOOLS! We need to win, fill the Rent, schedule strong OC opponents and beat them. BUILD IT BACK UP AGAIN.

 

[Point6]

We have absolutely NO right creating fictitious conferences and stating our right to even be near a P5 conference until we turn our football program around. At this point we are no better than SMU, Houston, Navy or any other team in the AAC. NOBODY GIVES A RATS @ ABOUT HOOPS, MENS OR WOMENS, OR FACILITIES OR ACADEMICS, OR STATE LAND GRANT SCHOOLS! We need to win, fill the Rent, schedule strong OC opponents and beat them. BUILD IT BACK UP AGAIN.

Dude, I was thinking about calling it the Wonder Twin Power Conference but now you're not invited.

 

[WestHartHusk]

We have absolutely NO right creating fictitious conferences and stating our right to even be near a P5 conference until we turn our football program around. At this point we are no better than SMU, Houston, Navy or any other team in the AAC. NOBODY GIVES A RATS @ ABOUT HOOPS, MENS OR WOMENS, OR FACILITIES OR ACADEMICS, OR STATE LAND GRANT SCHOOLS! We need to win, fill the Rent, schedule strong OC opponents and beat them. BUILD IT BACK UP AGAIN.

ironically, you capitalized some of your worst arguments.

 

[The Funster]

I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

 

[Pudge]

I am remembering ... a scene from .... ANIMAL HOUSE. (cue John Belushi)

Look:

I think my surprise is the TRUE separation that is happening. But, it's NOT the Power 5. It is the B1G and the SEC (and then the Pac 12 (but they are going to be always less as the later time zone and less population of eyeballs). When you see the map of B12, you just cannot be impressed by the fanbase market combination. Then TRUE separation between the Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State SPENDING that then equates to recruiting far beyond the next 50 and the coaches salaries/benefits. The BIG first week sign of the Apocalypse: that Baylor stadium. OMG. You just saw the real fruit of being in the bigger league & its not even the $45m per University one.

You simply cannot diss Houston and SMU this early. And this year. Programs (look at our recent history) are going to have this happen. Both were good invites for what happened. Gets us Texas eyeballs and recruits (and maybe big city UTSA is a future Conference foe).

We do need to get beyond where we are today in Football. Diaco has to steam past Edsall's high water mark of 8/9 wins and regular bowls and I think he can do that. The Bigger concern is keeping Ollie and the Basketball (and Auriemma) Branding going. As long as we are a national player there, we have a chance to continue to broaden our base and become what the B1G needs. We do need the Tulane, Tulsa, East Carolina, Temple, SMU, Houston, UCF, USF to get a whole lot better in both football & basketball. Some are going to really step up (I believe) ... but not enough.

Honestly, I think it is what we thought it was going to be.

 

[Milo65]

ironically, you capitalized some of your worst arguments.

Sorry, I was hungry and I didn't have a Snickers.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The AAC has 1 win vs. FBS opponents through 2 weeks. UCF, ECU, Temple, and surprisingly, Memphis look like quality midmajors capable of beating other midmajors, but there is not a single team in the league this year that could finish above .500 in a P5 league. The AAC is terrible this year.

 

[djct1999]

Time to start thinking of a union of independents.
BYU, Boise St., UNLV, San Diego St., UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple, UCF, USF, Navy.
BBall contract with ESPN, a few football games, everyone keeps their own revenue.
Maybe Uconn does something like this after the exit fees run out.

Maybe Nelson is a visionary. In this scenario, UConn would be better off folding the football program and focusing just on hoops. If the current landscape remains static, it is far more likely that there will be a P4 than a P6. It is already beginning to happen. In terms of football, roughly a third of the P5 programs are just as bad as any AAC school. Have you seen the bottom half of the ACC? Have you seen 2/3 of the Big 10? Its just as bad as the AAC. I can't wait for Florida State to lose and the final four consists of two Pac12 schools and two SEC schools. So much for parity. The P5 consists of 10 insanely good programs, 15 decent ones, and the rest is junk. So what happens? My guess is schools in the upper echelon of the Big12, Big10, and ACC(should I just say, FSU?) cause a riot and the final four becomes the final eight far sooner than people expected. For the current system to have national appeal all conferences need to be represented. Somehow, even after yesterday's horrendous display of football in East Hartford, this may actually help UConn.

 

[upstater]

Maybe Nelson is a visionary. In this scenario, UConn would be better off folding the football program and focusing just on hoops.

Why do you say this?

 

[Sky ball]

If it is a Football centric conference what makes you think they would want UConn involved?

 

[upstater]

If it is a Football centric conference what makes you think they would want UConn involved?

If you're going to kick out UConn because of bad football, kick out Temple and Memphis and USF and UNLV too, and replace them with who? You're back to the same problems. The teams I chose have a shot at TV contracts that are better than the current $1.7m. This is probably not true of Temple or USF (or maybe it is) but you could replace them with San Diego St. The key is having members who are self-supporting. Which gives you more money.

 

[ASweet3781]

Quite frankly, UConn football belongs in the AAC right now until they can turn their act around. The fact we may not even match our 3 wins from last year in such a pathetic year for the league shows you where we are right now. We deserve to be in the AAC for now until we can build the program up to respectability.

 

[pj]

Quite frankly, UConn football belongs in the AAC right now until they can turn their act around. The fact we may not even match our 3 wins from last year in such a pathetic year for the league shows you where we are right now. We deserve to be in the AAC for now until we can build the program up to respectability.

Quite frankly, UConn belongs in the AAC right now until the fans can turn their act around and support the university's entry into a better conference regardless of how the football team performed last weekend.

 

[ASweet3781]

Quite frankly, UConn belongs in the AAC right now until the fans can turn their act around and support the university's entry into a better conference regardless of how the football team performed last weekend.

Completely unrealistic. No fan base is going to come out in droves and sell out for a team as bad as ours.

Product improves, the fan comes. Don't worry about the fans. If the AAC is worse than you thought we may be the worse team in it. Worry about that. Not the fans.

 

[billybud]

The AAC is really the old CUSA...in the same way that the ACC is half former BE.

Nine of eleven members of the AAC were once in CUSA...UConn is one of the two that were not.