ACC

[junglehusky]

Scheduling 1 crossover game a year in football is completely different from scheduling a nationwide basetball league. Most football games are saturdays or fridays, bball can be any day of the week. There's a reason Boise and SDSU aren't asking the BE for an all sports membership, they're asking for the BE's help to get the BW for their olympic sports. The costs alone are prohibitive. And it'll hurt the BE's only bargaining chip when negotiating with TV broadcasters, the quality of the bball product. I would bet a case of beer no TV network is salivating over having UCF and SMU, let alone Nevada-Reno and San Diego state basketball as part of their inventory. It's bad enough UConn is not going to play Syracuse and Pitt. Now you want to relegate Nova and GTown to nonconference (i.e. meaningless) games (and their contributions to SOS, etc would be taken away)

If you are looking for a way to convince UConn fans that #BegHarder is the right decision, forcing UConn bball to play in a watered down, national conference that nobody wants to watch, that would be the way to do it.

As always I admire your passion Dan. And I will allow some slack on the potential for UH, UCF, maybe SMU to improve their bball programs. But a) that's going to take a few years b) those bball programs are way down the pecking order in their markets c) UConn is going to be going through a transition period when Calhoun retires, the worst possible time to be in a league that, even if all the improvements you cite hold up, would be light years behind what the BE was the past 3-4 years.

 

[whaler11]

Why do Boise and SDSU want the Big West instead of the WCC? Does the WCC have no interest?

You can't compete in a national conference in sports like basketball. Who in their right mind is going to sign up for that much travel in the winter. Just look at the NFL and how the west coast teams play at 1pm Eastern on the road - it's a bloodbath. Going across the country that often is foolish, expensive, kills your recruiting and makes it harder to win. Sounds like a great formula.

 

[WordUpBU]

Why do Boise and SDSU want the Big West instead of the WCC? Does the WCC have no interest?

You can't compete in a national conference in sports like basketball. Who in their right mind is going to sign up for that much travel in the winter. Just look at the NFL and how the west coast teams play at 1pm Eastern on the road - it's a bloodbath. Going across the country that often is foolish, expensive, kills your recruiting and makes it harder to win. Sounds like a great formula.

WCC only want faith based private schools. Two big state universities won't be invited.

 

[UConnDan97]

WCC only want faith based private schools. Two big state universities won't be invited.

Isn't SDSU already in the Big West?? I think that is why they are trying to pull Boise in. They are trying to use their existing leverage, since the Big West knows that SDSU is by far their best basketball team (and maybe a couple of other sports). They would love to figure out a way to keep them; otherwise, SDSU goes back to the MW.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...-state-aztecs-move-14-sports-big-west-2013-14

 

[whaler11]

Isn't SDSU already in the Big West?? I think that is why they are trying to pull Boise in. They are trying to use their existing leverage, since the Big West knows that SDSU is by far their best basketball team (and maybe a couple of other sports). They would love to figure out a way to keep them; otherwise, SDSU goes back to the MW.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...-state-aztecs-move-14-sports-big-west-2013-14

Boise makes a lot more sense in the Big Sky. The Big West costs California schools that are so poor they aren't admitting students travel dollars.

I figured if the WCC will allow pretty much all faiths they could survive a couple of secular schools.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If their SOS is important and you can do well in the computers, isn't that better than now where the SEC and Big 10 just bury the SB and MAC all September? I don't really see how its going to be worse.

When Whaler won't join in the Big East bashing, you know ZLS has gone too far.

If college football goes to an RPI and gets rid of these stupid computer services with their inherent biases and low or no incorporation of home field advantage, you will see VERY different outcomes.

 

[Waquoit]

But schedule who? What power conference team is going to schedule a deal with a C-USA-level program? Either you agree to take 3-for-1s or one-off games, get paychecks and get a tough schedule...or you play nobody and never get in a position to ever be in the playoff.

I get it. And I agree, we're screwed and he NBE will probably always suck. But Dan like has asked you, what's the alternative? You don't seem to have one. You just double down on your criticism of those trying to make the best of the cards we've been dealt. Do you really think those of us that are going to continue to go to the games, have fun and root for the team are ignorant?

 

[uconnfan68]

I get it. And I agree, we're screwed and he NBE will probably always suck. But Dan like has asked you, what's the alternative? You don't seem to have one. You just double down on your criticism of those trying to make the best of the cards we've been dealt. Do you really think those of us that are going to continue to go to the games, have fun and root for the team are ignorant?

I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to be part of this never-ending thread.

 

[UConnDan97]

I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to be part of this never-ending thread.

Welcome. I didn't have anything to add to your comment about not adding anything, so I just wanted to say welcome.

 

[UConnDan97]

I get it. And I agree, we're screwed and he NBE will probably always suck. But Dan like has asked you, what's the alternative? You don't seem to have one. You just double down on your criticism of those trying to make the best of the cards we've been dealt. Do you really think those of us that are going to continue to go to the games, have fun and root for the team are ignorant?

Thanks for the reference (much appreciated). I will say this; I don't think that the NBE will suck. I don't think that anyone thinks the NBE will suck. Unfortunately, nobody thinks that the NBE is going to be the Big10 or the SEC. They're right. It won't be.

Now that we have that statement out of the way, the question that ZLS44 and others have to ask themselves is what we as fans and UConn as an institution can do about it. To me, the first thing that we can do is improve the image of the league that we are in. That includes talking about what is right with our league more than talking about what is wrong with it (I know, I know....we are from CT....bitching is our motto). The other thing we can do is talk about how the current league can improve its product and membership. I get much more out of those discussions than the "woe is me" chatter that I normally get out of some in the Boneyard. So what else could we do to improve our situation? (can't wait to see what the responses look like)

 

[whaler11]

If UConn fans want to improve UConn's position they aren't going to do it on message boards. They are going to do it by selling out the stadium, being passionate during the games, watching college football on television to drive the ratings to where they are attractive to other leagues and cable operators, traveling to road games and making it a more attractive school for recruits to attend.

Gee maybe playing a neutral site game nearby would give UConn fans a chance to show how much they care by bringing tens of thousands to a game. That might be more productive than pretending we are too good to play a home game against a more traditional opponent anywhere but East Hartford.

So really the 15-20k passionate UConn football fans need to grow into a much larger number. Ignoring the issues in the Big East don't make them go away.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Actually, message boards drive a lot of the news cycle in sports.

 

[UConnDan97]

If UConn fans want to improve UConn's position they aren't going to do it on message boards. They are going to do it by selling out the stadium, being passionate during the games, watching college football on television to drive the ratings to where they are attractive to other leagues and cable operators, traveling to road games and making it a more attractive school for recruits to attend.

The answer to how UConn fans can improve UConn's position is actually "all of the above." I agree with all the points that you've made, with the exception of the fact that message boards don't improve UConn's position. Of course they can improve UConn's position! First, the fact that we have an active board bodes well from the standpoint of continuing the buzz about UConn football. Second, we can mobilize the fanbase and administration around ideas (i.e., trying to schedule a game against Penn State). The administration knows about the Boneyard and the press knows about the Boneyard (I found out about the Boneyard from Dez, who often references it!), so a ground-swell around an idea can actually happen right here!

Finally, in Hollywood, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Unfortunately, that statement does not hold true in college football; a world where ONLY good publicity matters (as we've witnessed over the past 12 months). The good publicity can start right here.

 

[The Funster]

Actually, message boards drive a lot of the news cycle in sports.

Actually message boards create a lot of false news cycles in sports.

 

[whaler11]

The answer to how UConn fans can improve UConn's position is actually "all of the above." I agree with all the points that you've made, with the exception of the fact that message boards don't improve UConn's position. Of course they can improve UConn's position! First, the fact that we have an active board bodes well from the standpoint of continuing the buzz about UConn football. Second, we can mobilize the fanbase and administration around ideas (i.e., trying to schedule a game against Penn State). The administration knows about the Boneyard and the press knows about the Boneyard (I found out about the Boneyard from Dez, who often references it!), so a ground-swell around an idea can actually happen right here!

Finally, in Hollywood, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Unfortunately, that statement does not hold true in college football; a world where ONLY good publicity matters (as we've witnessed over the past 12 months). The good publicity can start right here.

I think you guys are delusional on the impact of message boards, and ignore how small of a percentage of a fanbase they represent.

Of course the media know about message boards - it's the people who read their stuff commenting on it. And of course the admin knows about it - once they get done laughing at 99% of the nonsense that is posted they take note of a few things I'm sure.

To improve UConn's station in athletics it's OTHER SCHOOLS and media companies that need to be convinced. So unless you are using the message board to create more diehard fans none of it matters in the end - because at the end of the day that is what the school lacks. Thousands and thousands of people who live and die with the football team. The rest is just pointless blabbering.

 

[CL82]

Actually message boards create a lot of false news cycles in sports.

Jeff Jacobs output would drop by 70% if you took away his ability to read the Boneyard. Does anyone have the Jeff Jacob's Boneyard Certified _____ graphic? That was pretty funny.

 

[UConnDan97]

I think you guys are delusional on the impact of message boards, and ignore how small of a percentage of a fanbase they represent.

Of course the media know about message boards - it's the people who read their stuff commenting on it. And of course the admin knows about it - once they get done laughing at 99% of the nonsense that is posted they take note of a few things I'm sure.

To improve UConn's station in athletics it's OTHER SCHOOLS and media companies that need to be convinced. So unless you are using the message board to create more diehard fans none of it matters in the end - because at the end of the day that is what the school lacks. Thousands and thousands of people who live and die with the football team. The rest is just pointless blabbering.

Without belaboring the point, Dez comments on Boneyard material many times. Andrea Adelson of ESPN (as worthless as she is) links Dez's articles almost daily in her "Lunchtime Links". That connection alone should be enough for you to realize that this message board at least means something! I'm not saying it is the be all / end all of our image. I'm saying that to some small degree, it matters.

 

[whaler11]

Without belaboring the point, Dez comments on Boneyard material many times. Andrea Adelson of ESPN (as worthless as she is) links Dez's articles almost daily in her "Lunchtime Links". That connection alone should be enough for you to realize that this message board at least means something! I'm not saying it is the be all / end all of our image. I'm saying that to some small degree, it matters.

Well then we just need a slide show on Bleacher Report and all our problems should be solved. I get that some people read the posts - I guess I'm missing who is actually influenced by them.

 

[UConnDan97]

I guess I'm missing who is actually influenced by them.

Simply put, it is the journalists that are influenced by them (hence the Adelson reference). Do I have to actually explain how journalists at arguably the most popular sports site influence the perception of a university or a team?

 

[Dann]

Well then we just need a slide show on Bleacher Report and all our problems should be solved. I get that some people read the posts - I guess I'm missing who is actually influenced by them.

lol at bleacher report. to funny. i actually was reading a post on another board about a fantasy draft they had recently. uconn was selected in like the 14th round of it. but the reason it caught my eye was that teams like sdsu, uh and usf were picked and guess who wasn't? yup bcu. haha

 

[metsfan2323]

but the reason it caught my eye was that teams like sdsu, uh and usf were picked and guess who wasn't? yup bcu. haha

That really shouldn't surprise anybody. SDSU and Houston have a ton of potential as does USF. In a very short period of time BCU may be looking up at UMASS's athletic program.

Check out the final score of the 2012 Cotton Bowl: Houston 30 Penn State 14.

 

[whaler11]

Simply put, it is the journalists that are influenced by them (hence the Adelson reference). Do I have to actually explain how journalists at arguably the most popular sports site influence the perception of a university or a team?

ESPN isn't the most popular site. They are third. Yahoo is first.

I don't need a lesson on how ESPN influences people's opinions. Their opinion on the Big Easy is pretty clear - I don't see any evidence that message boards have influenced them, it's 'journalism' that is driven by business - they don't ignore the NHL for no reason. They operate from the top down, not from the bottom up.

UConn's issue remains that not enough people truly care about the football team locally and nationally. Unless a message board can contribute to solving that issue it's not going to have a real impact.

I get that it's a chicken and egg problem. You need to play well for a long time to get national respect, but having national respect makes it easier to hire the coaches and recruit the players needed to play well.

Really it comes down to the alumni and people of Connecticut wanting to be part of the club badly enough that they buy into the program and support it in such a way that it can't be ignored by television and the bigger leagues. I don't have much faith in the 'casual' portion of our fanbase making the emotional and financial investment that takes. It's just not how people here operate. To have Rentschler sold out for the season would take 30,000 non-student season ticket holders, but we seem to be moving backwards on that front.

On the brightside, I did get a call from the athletic dept the other day because I haven't renewed my tickets yet (out of laziness) - it's the first time I remember them ever calling me about it.

 

[pj]

That really shouldn't surprise anybody. SDSU and Houston have a ton of potential as does USF. In a very short period of time BCU may be looking up at UMASS's athletic program.

BC aspires to be Wake Forest. They're proud they're not a football power.

 

[specialisthusky]

In regards to what it will take for us to help UConn football i think it's all about support right now and every thing will fall in line after that down the road a bit.

I was at a dinner party last night with a group of young alums. 3/4 other guys there had already purchased season tix and we convinced the 4th one to cave in and grab a set as well. As we continue to play decent-quality football all these students who get to watch the games for $5 a ticket enter the workforce (hopefully) and continue to support the team. We are all in our mid-20s and starting to purchase season tickets now.

If we continue to not #suckharder, the student level interst will continue because frankly the tailgaiting is really fun and the games are getting better. As the years continue the students, like myself and the group of guys i was with last night are going to continue to attend games...attendence is going to increase. Demand will increase...stadium will have to increase. And we put ourselves in a position to be a quality addition to a stronger conference. The key is just continue to win and gain the support of the state and students.

 

[mikejays]

Guess who was conspicuous by his absence at today's UConn Hockey East public event at the XL Center? The ADs from PC, BU, UMass and UMass-Lowell were present. BCU? Nada.

 

[whaler11]

Guess who was conspicuous by his absence at today's UConn Hockey East public event at the XL Center? The ADs from PC, BU, UMass and UMass-Lowell were present. BCU? Nada.

Would we want him there any more than he'd like to be there?

 

[jrazz12]

In the interest of moving this debate along.... 999

 

[SubbaBub]

I'd like to use the 1000th reply to this thread to say that BC sucks.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[UConnDan97]

In the interest of moving this debate along.... 999

Wow! To nail the 1,000th post in this God-forsaken thread, you chose to do the Herman Cain! Very gutsy play. Very gutsy indeed...

(wait, is my counter off?)

 

[jrazz12]

Wow! To nail the 1,000th post in this God-forsaken thread, you chose to do the Herman Cain! Very gutsy play. Very gutsy indeed...

(wait, is my counter off?)

Ha it was all an assist to SubbaBub on that one