Any chance Navy leaves too?

[kibblesnbits]

Navy used to be able to pick and choose its schedule to have a few big-time opponents and a bunch of directional teams to guarantee a winning record. Then they’d demolish an already beaten Army team coming off a losing conference record before playing in a bowl. Well, now the situation is basically reversed. Navy started off well in the AAC with arguably their best QB since Staubach, but the last few years have shown them the future. It’s independent Army that is picking and choosing its schedule and has a 3 game winning streak in the big game. Navy is in decline.

If Navy were to join us in going independent so our schedule could have Army, Navy, UMass, a regional FCS, 3-4 P5 (1 at home, overwhelming majority on road) and 4-5 directionals to get to 6-9 wins per year would that be the best possible outcome? If we get 8 wins would we at least get to one of ESPN’s own bowls designed to fill the December exam break?

 

[Ldandy]

I don't see this happening. Navy joined The AAC for two reasons. Scheduling and bowl access. Its a giant pain in the ass to solve either of these issues as an independent. Keep in mind that even ND capitulated to a 5 game ACC Schedule just to secure both. I'm concerned for Uconn as the school seems to want to have its cake and eat it too. I really hope that some sort of scheduling arrangement was hashed out with Fox, or I don't see how this is not all win on their side. Uconn helps prop up The Big East while the football program is scattered to the four winds.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Navy went to bowl games in 11 of 12 seasons prior to joining the AAC. Army has been in bowl games the last 3 years. As long as there are major military bases near cities with bowl games, not to mention large pools of military retirees, there will always be bowls for service academies with qualifying records. For the same reasons they will always be able to put together a schedule, although it was getting harder to schedule P5 class schools that didn't already have a history with the Midshipmen, so it scheduled a fair number of directionals in addition to ND and 1-2 other big boys every year. The problem is that Navy got cocky and misjudged its place in the football hierarchy. It needed those games against Texas State, VMI, San Jose State, Georgia Southern , South Alabama and Western Kentucky (all on its last pre-AAC schedule) to get to a winning record.

UConn's problem is that it isn't a service academy with a sizable pool of fans that will go to home and bowl games regardless of who they are playing. Would UConn fans go to a home schedule featuring the teams above and then go to a third tier bowl game if they can even get one?

 

[StunningSteve]

Navy is probably one of the most ardent AAC teams. Gladchuk is one of the most visible voices for the league.
UConn's departure probably opened room for them to get one of their buddies in.

 

[kibblesnbits]

He probably should since the league allowed Navy to keep its TV contract while making UConn drop its shorts and give up all tiers. Nonetheless, Navy made big cutbacks in its athletic budget last year and football is in the worst shape in 2 decades. He’s under pressure so he’s hardly going to declare the decision to join a conference after 100+ years of independence a failure. If things don’t turn around soon, however, others will do it for him.

 

[BlueDogs]

This is intentionally set up for hospice. Don’t kid yourself. You have dishonorable, low character folks dictating outcomes they want while trying to sidestep blow back.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Navy is probably one of the most ardent AAC teams. Gladchuk is one of the most visible voices for the league.
UConn's departure probably opened room for them to get one of their buddies in.

If, by its buddies you mean Army, there’s no chance. They didn’t like their last conference experience and they are enjoying being able to put together a winning schedule while playing an occasional superpower (e.g. Ohio State or Oklahoma in the last two years) and beating Navy. They studied Navy’s success and have done a better job of sticking to the playbook.

 

[huskymedic]

To the question... this leads me to think no @ this time

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Pudge]

Gladchuk - check his history - is no friend of the University of Connecticut


What this also points out .... OUR WBB is clearly a separate multi-million Asset. This guy is saying it is worth zip. ZILCH. And I am certain that is the attitude we got.

 

[Pudge]

That is a STUPID article by the The Athletic. Clearly UCONN Huskies football had a great rise through a 4-7 year period. We can spin this on SMU or Tulane or Temple or Memphis in the last 20 years. Selective

 

[huskymedic]

 

[VAHuskyFan]

If, by its buddies you mean Army, there’s no chance. They didn’t like their last conference experience and they are enjoying being able to put together a winning schedule while playing an occasional superpower (e.g. Ohio State or Oklahoma in the last two years) and beating Navy. They studied Navy’s success and have done a better job of sticking to the playbook.

This is the playbook UConn needs to follow to resurrect the football team. It was going to be too difficult/expensive to break out of the downward spiral within the AAC. Independence gives UConn a lot of flexibility to design a schedule to rehabilitate the program.

Sure, we may need worry about bowl game tie-ins down the road, but that problem is infinitely preferable to the problems we would have trying to dig out from the cellar of the AAC.

 

[Waquoit]

Navy is probably one of the most ardent AAC teams. Gladchuk is one of the most visible voices for the league.
UConn's departure probably opened room for them to get one of their buddies in.

They beat Army 14 years in a row. Now that they're in the AAC they've lost 3 straight. Of course, correlation isn't causation.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I don't expect Gladchuk to do anything for UConn. He should do it for himself. Three straight losses to Army in a game Navy vets had begun to think of as their birthright has a lot of people upset. The Midshipmen graduated a lot from last season and are expected to be, at best, a mid-tier AAC team this season. Over the next few years more losses to Army or missed bowl berths will leave him on the street. November first at the Rent nothing would make me happier than to see an improving UConn team put another nail in his career coffin.