Apologista 2.0

[Chief00]

RE needs to shut his mouth and start doing his job. He preaches about players doing their job... if the shoe fits

Yeah - the time for talking or blaming others is over - RE is responsible now for a upward trajectory - and quite frankly we haven’t seen it.

 

[Chief00]

Randy 2.0 will improve. I see us getting to winning seasons, but winning being 7 games at most.

We will never be as good as we once were because of conference affiliation. Kids are smart enough to now the American does not have the clout.

We use to battle against Cuse, BC, Pitt, Rutgers and Maryland for recruits. Now we have no shot at getting those kids anymore and we will never be able to beat a quality team like South Carolina in pizza bowl for example...

The AAC is better in the top tier than the old Big East. It’s not even close.

 

[whaler11]

The AAC is better in the top tier than the old Big East. It’s not even close.

And way worse at the bottom - and on average worse.

 

[Chief00]

And way worse at the bottom - and all in worse.

I agree about the bottom. Here’s the tiers off the top of my head including both actual and short term potential
Houston
UCF
USF
Cincy (moved up a tier)

Memphis
ECU
Navy (forgot initially)

SMU
Temple
Tulane
UConn
Tulsa

The top 4 teams are good. The next 3 are not that far away. SMU has the money and location to move up.

The rest - it’s a long, long haul.

 

[BlueDogs]

The AAC is better in the top tier than the old Big East. It’s not even close.

Very true. Maybe West Virginia had the same firepower as the top tier, but that’s about it.

 

[huskymedic]

Very true. Maybe West Virginia had the same firepower as the top tier, but that’s about it.

Miami...

 

[whaler11]

I agree about the bottom. Here’s the tiers off the top of my head including both actual and short term potential
Houston
UCF
USF

Memphis
ECU
Cincy

Temple
Tulane
SMU
UConn
Tulsa

The top 3 teams are good. The next 3 are not that far away. SMU has the money and location to move up.

The rest - it’s a long, long haul.

I can improve the league in 15 seconds. When Aresco says lets add Tulsa and Tulane you just hang up.

 

[whaler11]

Miami...

Cincinnati was about one play from a BCS Title game.

 

[Pudge]

This conference cuts both ways.

I do believe that’s it’s tougher week by week than our Big East days (Navy to Memphis to UCF to USF to Houston). There’s more degree of difficulty. And 2 ... kids/parents don’t know the scope of the league as well as Pitt or Cuse or Rutgers. It is a tough construct.

I agree with the sentiment. Randy needs to shut up. The core group of fandom knows this is hard.

 

[Chief00]

Cincinnati was about one play from a BCS Title game.

They probably should be in the top tier. I am more of a casual football fan in knowledge about the other teams.

 

[Chief00]

This conference cuts both ways.

I do believe that’s it’s tougher week by week than our Big East days (Navy to Memphis to UCF to USF to Houston). There’s more degree of difficulty. And 2 ... kids/parents don’t know the scope of the league as well as Pitt or Cuse or Rutgers. It is a tough construct.

I agree with the sentiment. Randy needs to shut up. The core group of fandom knows this is hard.

Agree, RE’s time would be better spent developing a selling narrative about a new league in growing large Sun Belt cities - includimg NFL level cities (Houston, Philly, Dallas, Tampa, Cincy and perhaps even Tennessee (Memphis) and Carolina.
Note the wins over Auburn and other P5 leagues.

 

[Adios]

I can improve the league in 15 seconds. When Aresco says lets add Tulsa and Tulane you just hang up.

Who should they have added? UTEP and Southern Miss? Tulane and Tulsa have some power in the collegiate world, I'd assume, apart from athletics. But it's obvious they also want to join a P5 conference.

Cincinnati top tier? They've just been having their level of success, recently. Had we had the foresight to have been D-1A and played Cincy while they were in their years in C-USA and earlier, our series record might be different.

We must be the only FBS team to have never beaten SMU. They were decent under June Jones.

 

[UConn66]

Imagine this team almost beating a 5 win SEC team on the road?

Diaco almost did it. Randy brings us out to Idaho to get stomped on by a bunch of smurfs.

Case closed.

 

[UConn66]

He did. South Carolina in a bowl. Convenient forgetfulness?

 

[whaler11]

Who should they have added? UTEP and Southern Miss? Tulane and Tulsa have some power in the collegiate world, I'd assume, apart from athletics. But it's obvious they also want to join a P5 conference.

Cincinnati top tier? They've just been having their level of success, recently. Had we had the foresight to have been D-1A and played Cincy while they were in their years in C-USA and earlier, our series record might be different.

We must be the only FBS team to have never beaten SMU. They were decent under June Jones.

NOBODY

 

[Ldandy]

I'm really not sure how to view the strength of The AAC as a football conference. I do believe that on a year to year basis it produces some strong teams, however I'm not sure if there are actually any strong programs. I classify a strong program as one that can sustain success over an extended period of time. When you look at a program like UCF they are capable of going 12-0 and 0-12 within a short window of time. Same thing can be said for programs like USF, UH, Cincy, Memphis etc. They all have mixed seasons of great success with periods of ineptitude. They need to get to a point where they can win 8-9 games every year for several seasons and with different coaching staffs before you can pencil any of them in as a bell cow for the conference. Boise State is the most famous example of being a strong program vs. having some strong teams. They've got it done for a long time with multiple coaching staffs performing at a high level. They get kids to commit to playing in Boise Idaho for 4-5 years. They're legit.

I agree with Whaler that the conference overreached when taking schools like Tulane and Tulsa. A program like Tulsa gives you absolutely nothing in any sport. Tulane at least is in a media market of some value, except that no one cares about the program when you walk 50 feet off the campus. I think short of pulling in some of the quality G5 Names committed elsewhere like BSU and BYU they should have adopted a less is more mantra. The old Big East had 8 schools. Go with 9 and play a round robin schedule. Figure out a championship game if it really matters.

UConn
Temple
Navy
UCF
USF
Cincy
Memphis
UH
SMU

 

[Exit 4]

Army has had a nice rebound, albeit playing a softer schedule. Their attendance has been decent too. I wouldn’t have minded army added for football only.

 

[Excalibur]

The AAC is better in the top tier than the old Big East. It’s not even close.

At the end (2010 onward), yes. But the Big East of 2006-09 would crush this conference from top to bottom.

 

[Excalibur]

What do you want from this guy. He’s from Hebron. Beyond selling roadside eggs and having a rooster for an alarm clock don’t expect much.

Says the guy who lives in East Hampton . . .

 

[Exit 4]

Wasn’t John Dunn at MD with Randy - not exactly a resume enhancer.

It just sounds like Dunn has some qualities that could make him a HC someday. Obviously a lot of miles of road ahead of him to make that happen. I see no one else on this staff that has any HC potential otherwise.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Says the guy who lives in East Hampton . . .

Marlborough > Hebron >East Hampton

 

[Pudge]

I'm really not sure how to view the strength of The AAC as a football conference. I do believe that on a year to year basis it produces some strong teams, however I'm not sure if there are actually any strong programs. I classify a strong program as one that can sustain success over an extended period of time. When you look at a program like UCF they are capable of going 12-0 and 0-12 within a short window of time. Same thing can be said for programs like USF, UH, Cincy, Memphis etc. They all have mixed seasons of great success with periods of ineptitude. They need to get to a point where they can win 8-9 games every year for several seasons and with different coaching staffs before you can pencil any of them in as a bell cow for the conference. Boise State is the most famous example of being a strong program vs. having some strong teams. They've got it done for a long time with multiple coaching staffs performing at a high level. They get kids to commit to playing in Boise Idaho for 4-5 years. They're legit.

I agree with Whaler that the conference overreached when taking schools like Tulane and Tulsa. A program like Tulsa gives you absolutely nothing in any sport. Tulane at least is in a media market of some value, except that no one cares about the program when you walk 50 feet off the campus. I think short of pulling in some of the quality G5 Names committed elsewhere like BSU and BYU they should have adopted a less is more mantra. The old Big East had 8 schools. Go with 9 and play a round robin schedule. Figure out a championship game if it really matters.

UConn
Temple
Navy
UCF
USF
Cincy
Memphis
UH
SMU

I think you are confusing these "rising" schools with P5 when you do this. YES. Boise (excepting one year) has the Program all G6 schools should envy and replicate. However, until Pederson moved to UW they had what many of these others did not ... continuity. UCF had a great roll going ... until Frost left. UH would have ... until Hermann left. Cincinnati - Dantonio, Kelly, etc. See where I am going. You want to jettison schools; but, I think there is every chance that Fritz could build in 4 years what Fuentes built at Memphis - based on great available talent and (Maybe) a school that allows academic "flexibility".

You simply don't know, a priori, what the Program builder will do. They could be a Diaco; they could be Fuentes/Frost.

I guess my prime c0mplaint instead of picking winners and losers (as a UConn fan) is WE should play Navy every year. We don't have proximity with over half the league (but we do feel that Florida is Northeasty), so Temple/Navy/Cincinnati is very important to our sense of form.

 

[Pudge]

Randy is Randy

I don't critique him for being frustrated and butthurt after those whippings. The closest WE probably could have come - all things considered - is scoring high 20s against UCF; and more offense against Boise. Edsall would have been pissed about a 20 point loss as well.

The things we discussed back in 2003-2005 (nice to see Dan Orlovsky's father still around) are the same things. He has a weird way of not accepting "accountability" in his words. The recruiting phrases are unfortunate - but you simply have to work harder and find new ways for talent; we get it that some things are harder. And unlike the first go-round, he has to really really sell the skeptical fans hard. That's a change in attitude that I don't think he is capable of. He does have a good framework for improving and getting the right kids to play for this New England University program; this I believe.

 

[whaler11]

Marlborough > Hebron >East Hampton

For roadside egg stands you nailed it.

 

[whaler11]

I think you are confusing these "rising" schools with P5 when you do this. YES. Boise (excepting one year) has the Program all G6 schools should envy and replicate. However, until Pederson moved to UW they had what many of these others did not ... continuity. UCF had a great roll going ... until Frost left. UH would have ... until Hermann left. Cincinnati - Dantonio, Kelly, etc. See where I am going. You want to jettison schools; but, I think there is every chance that Fritz could build in 4 years what Fuentes built at Memphis - based on great available talent and (Maybe) a school that allows academic "flexibility".

You simply don't know, a priori, what the Program builder will do. They could be a Diaco; they could be Fuentes/Frost.

I guess my prime c0mplaint instead of picking winners and losers (as a UConn fan) is WE should play Navy every year. We don't have proximity with over half the league (but we do feel that Florida is Northeasty), so Temple/Navy/Cincinnati is very important to our sense of form.

By this logic you just invite anyone and everyone because who knows - South Alabama might find the next Urban Meyer.