Abandoning Big East has become a disaster for one-time powerhouses

[freescooter]

Oddly, the loud voice didn't reply to this. Are we allowed to re-ask the question?

Sorry. I missed the original post. FYI I am a UConn Alumnus. I competed for UConn for 3 years before a knee injury ended my athletic career. I have followed multiple UConn teams over the years, not just basketball. Over the last 25 or so years I typically attend at least one soccer game, one baseball game, a few hockey games, more hockey when they started playing indoors, lol, a few women’s games and while not exactly a UConn event I’ve gotten to a number of cross country and track & field events and rooted for any Huskies who are competing in those. Oh and my first UConn game was an NCAA game against BC at Keney Gym at URI. BC had a better team but Balisuknia kept us in it. If there had been a 3 point line...but there wasn’t.

I find the myopic views of UConn basketball fans to be troubling for those of us who follow other sports. This faux Big East was a move which only benefitted basketball and maybe soccer and yet in my humble opinion it was taken to more to cover up the epic failure of the Athletic Department in hiring coaches than for any other purpose. I know it is going to be an absolute disaster for UConn baseball. It has already shown itself to be a negative for football. Big East baseball is a joke. And here’s the thing, it isn’t going to be that big a deal for basketball once the dust settles. The Faux Big East is a 1 team League. I keep calling it a legacy league because the media pretends it is the old Big East. As a result it’s teams get over rated which leads this circular ranking system. Since you play mostly conference games your rating gets bumped up win or lose. It is a bunch of pretty good teams plus Villanova and DePaul who are far above and far below the rest. Bottom line is this move was the sports equivalent of GEs move to Boston or Aetnas move to NY. Both were designed to take investors minds off failing leadership. Aetna ended up with no Manhattan hq and owned by a drug store chain. GE got kicked out of the Fortune 500 and sold off all its grand plans for Boston and is in rented space trying to plot a future. I’m very concerned that by throwing its lot in with a band of mid tier commuter colleges with few athletic resources UConn is heading down a similar road.

 

[phillionaire]

I’m very concerned that by throwing its lot in with a band of mid tier commuter colleges with few athletic resources UConn is heading down a similar road.

Not that there's anything wrong with commuter colleges, but you just described like 80% of the AAC

 

[Hoophound]

The Big East is a great conference and it makes sense for us right now. If there is anything that can dramatically change the face of UConn athletics without a P5 bid, it is to win football games and fill the stadium. Winning football games will change everything. The school and state need to figure it out. They need to find a coach that can win and pay him. Connecticut cannot handle much more losing. It is time to bring some pride back to the state and invest in success. There is a huge economic and emotional upside to UConn winning games and making memories for state residents. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I see a very successful UConn being a huge part of Connecticut’s identity and its future. I left the state 22 years ago and UConn is what brings me back. We’ve gotta figure it out. It is far more important than people realize. There isn’t much left.

 

[Get a Job]

The Big East is a great conference and it makes sense for us right now. If there is anything that can dramatically change the face of UConn athletics without a P5 bid, it is to win football games and fill the stadium. Winning football games will change everything. The school and state need to figure it out. They need to find a coach that can win and pay him. Connecticut cannot handle much more losing. It is time to bring some pride back to the state and invest in success. There is a huge economic and emotional upside to UConn winning games and making memories for state residents. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I see a very successful UConn being a huge part of Connecticut’s identity and its future. I left the state 22 years ago and UConn is what brings me back. We’ve gotta figure it out. It is far more important than people realize. There isn’t much left.

You're not the only one!

 

[buddy]

The Big East is a great conference and it makes sense for us right now. If there is anything that can dramatically change the face of UConn athletics without a P5 bid, it is to win football games and fill the stadium. Winning football games will change everything. The school and state need to figure it out. They need to find a coach that can win and pay him. Connecticut cannot handle much more losing. It is time to bring some pride back to the state and invest in success. There is a huge economic and emotional upside to UConn winning games and making memories for state residents. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I see a very successful UConn being a huge part of Connecticut’s identity and its future. I left the state 22 years ago and UConn is what brings me back. We’ve gotta figure it out. It is far more important than people realize. There isn’t much left.

I agree with everything you state here. However, the taxpayers of Ct will be howling if they have to pay a great football coach what a great football coach can be paid. Without a big time conference affiliation, money will now be a constant problem for UConn athletics and that is where the problem lies.

 

[Vuce]

, money will now be a constant problem for UConn athletics and that is where the problem lies.

Money was just as constant a problem in the AAC. Only now we will play football and basketball teams we actually care to watch. Not having to play Tulane, East Carolina, Tulsa, UCF, et al is good enough for me

 

[Bobol]

.

..... I’m very concerned that by throwing its lot in with a band of mid tier commuter colleges with few athletic resources UConn is heading down a similar road.

1. Please identify the "mid tier commuter colleges" (plural) you are referring to ?

2. If not the Big East then what conference is an alternative for UConn to compete in ?

 

[Zissou]

I agree with everything you state here. However, the taxpayers of Ct will be howling if they have to pay a great football coach what a great football coach can be paid. Without a big time conference affiliation, money will now be a constant problem for UConn athletics and that is where the problem lies.

So what’s your solution for higher revenue?

It’s not like UConn chose the Big East over the Big Ten or the ACC. If those opportunities were available UConn would have jumped at them.

The only choice was the Big East or the AAC, and the Big East had the best bottom line financial package and the better performing conference.

UConn is better positioned in the Big East should that Big Ten opportunity come around. Until then, UConn has chosen the best position available to them.

 

[freescooter]

The Big East is a great conference and it makes sense for us right now. If there is anything that can dramatically change the face of UConn athletics without a P5 bid, it is to win football games and fill the stadium. Winning football games will change everything. The school and state need to figure it out. They need to find a coach that can win and pay him. Connecticut cannot handle much more losing. It is time to bring some pride back to the state and invest in success. There is a huge economic and emotional upside to UConn winning games and making memories for state residents. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I see a very successful UConn being a huge part of Connecticut’s identity and its future. I left the state 22 years ago and UConn is what brings me back. We’ve gotta figure it out. It is far more important than people realize. There isn’t much left.

I agree with all of this except the Big East is a great conference part. It is a one team league with little by way of competitive teams in other sports, save soccer.

 

[buddy]

So what’s your solution for higher revenue?

It’s not like UConn chose the Big East over the Big Ten or the ACC. If those opportunities were available UConn would have jumped at them.

The only choice was the Big East or the AAC, and the Big East had the best bottom line financial package and the better performing conference.

UConn is better positioned in the Big East should that Big Ten opportunity come around. Until then, UConn has chosen the best position available to them.

I am not disputing the choice for UConn. It is my opinion that UConn is setting the stage for return to FCS level football. The AAC was strangling the school and it couldn't compete and the Big East is an acceptable spot for the men's basketball program. But...financing football and other olympic sports will be difficult without more aid from the State or increases in tuition, which may have been prevented had UConn not flubbed its opportunity to get to the ACC. UConn may have to pare the department of athletics in a short while.

 

[Waquoit]

I agree with all of this except the Big East is a great conference part. It is a one team league with little by way of competitive teams in other sports, save soccer.

Baseball?

 

[Zissou]

I am not disputing the choice for UConn. It is my opinion that UConn is setting the stage for return to FCS level football. The AAC was strangling the school and it couldn't compete and the Big East is an acceptable spot for the men's basketball program. But...financing football and other olympic sports will be difficult without more aid from the State or increases in tuition, which may have been prevented had UConn not flubbed its opportunity to get to the ACC. UConn may have to pare the department of athletics in a short while.

I think UConn is in the right track as FBS Indy. There is absolutely no benefit in dropping to FCS.

 

[Kolumbo]

Field Hockey, and I guess the NCAA Championship is this spring.

UConn
ODU
Liberty
PC
Temple
Quinnipiac
Villanova
Georgetown

https://www.bigeast.com/standings.aspx?path=fhockey

 

[Hoophound]

I agree with everything you state here. However, the taxpayers of Ct will be howling if they have to pay a great football coach what a great football coach can be paid. Without a big time conference affiliation, money will now be a constant problem for UConn athletics and that is where the problem lies.

Money was just as constant a problem in the AAC. Only now we will play football and basketball teams we actually care to watch. Not having to play Tulane, East Carolina, Tulsa, UCF, et al is good enough for me

If we could get a good coach in here for 3-4 years, he’d win games and the seats would fill. The media would latch on and we’d be back off to the races with the naysayers quietly back in their basements. That’s the benefit of paying for a coach that is a proven winner. It is an institutional decision and it will have huge positive or negative repercussions on the future of UConn. If we decide to leave big time football, we decide to be a a second or third class flagship university. UConn excelled academically and institutionally as an FBS school. Look at the other New England flagships. If you aren’t growing, you are dying.

 

[Bubba1957]

Just checked,UConn is on fox (not fs1 fox fox), the next 4 Saturdays. UConn brand plus BE conference equals something that people will watch, nation wide. No way it happens in the AAC (or Acc for that matter).

5th week on CBS. Not bad