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  1. 646. Nvh. Kj(;n( mm /m

businesslawyer said:
When we were recruiting at our best, kids knew that if they came here “all” they had to do was win the Big East and they went to a major New Year’s bowl. We are now recruiting kids without even having ties to minor bowls. Even “fake” arrangements like UMass that don’t give you a guaranty you’ll get an invite if you qualify but at least let you mislead recruits in good faith.
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Pretty sure most kids these days want the following :

  • Want to know if a program and the staff can help them get to the NFL if that's their dream
  • Be on TV so their friends and family can watch them play
  • Get a good degree at a great academic school that's safe. Yes there are parents still care about college education.
  • Ability to play for Champion and bowl game although I believe top 3 above are more important

Uconn can provide top 3 above easily, and we got a coach who has a great track record of doing all that. The bowl game part will need to be fixed. The championship part won't be fixed until we join a conference.
 
businesslawyer said:
P and Edsall were both NFL coaches as well. NFL coaches don’t have to recruit. And you don’t know that it wasn’t Mora’s background that helped these people to NFL jobs.

Again, I’m not knocking Mora and I understand that in many ways related to how the hiring was perceived this was a great hire. But telling me he sends his assistant coaches to the NFL doesn’t help me conclude that he’s going to be able to turn things around here. I wish it did.
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How's it going BL? I hope you are doing well.

Please don't take this the wrong way but did someone urinate in your cheerios this morning?

One of the better things about RE 1.0 (which never materialized during RE 2.0) was his eye for assistant coaching talent. Granted, we weren't (and aren't) UCLA and yes, I imagine even then Mora's background as an NFL head coach provided far more gravitas than anything Edsall had when looking to add assistants to his staff. That said, Klemm was a kid (early 30's) with only a couple years coaching (SMU) when Mora hired him. Ulbrich was younger and had less coaching experience when Mora brought him on.

I submit that there is valid evidence to believe Mora can bring in some quality assistant coaches and there is reason to believe that this would greatly assist in the ability to turn things around here. Does this mean we should conclude that he will? No, I've seen far too many cases in my lifetime where alleged absolute sure things failed miserably. I do believe however that as a fan base we have every right to be encouraged.
 
businesslawyer said:
When we were recruiting at our best, kids knew that if they came here “all” they had to do was win the Big East and they went to a major New Year’s bowl. We are now recruiting kids without even having ties to minor bowls. Even “fake” arrangements like UMass that don’t give you a guaranty you’ll get an invite if you qualify but at least let you mislead recruits in good faith.
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BL, instead of urinating in your cheerios this morning, I'm beginning to suspect someone did something far worse in them.

Prior to ~2008 going on the recruiting trail, telling kids that "all we have to do is win the Big East" was similar to one of the better AAC schools over the past couple of years telling kids "all we have to do is finish in the CFP top four". While technically correct, it was very far from being realistic.

This will be a multi-step process and will require a different sales pitch than the opportunity to play bowl games. We will (in I believe every case in the reasonable future) play higher profile and more high profile schools than we did in the old Big East. If we can start winning, I imagine our overall profile will put us in a slightly better position to secure bowl invitations than many of our current peers. Until then, we will need to sell something different but I don't see why we can't.
 
WestCoastHusky said:
  1. 646. Nvh. Kj(;n( mm /m


Pretty sure most kids these days want the following :

  • Want to know if a program and the staff can help them get to the NFL if that's their dream
  • Be on TV so their friends and family can watch them play
  • Get a good degree at a great academic school that's safe. Yes there are parents still care about college education.
  • Ability to play for Champion and bowl game although I believe top 3 above are more important

Uconn can provide top 3 above easily, and we got a coach who has a great track record of doing all that. The bowl game part will need to be fixed. The championship part won't be fixed until we join a conference.
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Honest question, do you really think we need a conference to have a championship run? If BYU went undefeated this year, do you think they wouldn’t be top 5?

I think our schedule gets better as an independent and if we played like Cincinnati the last two, three years I don’t see why we can’t make a run.
 
FfldCntyFan said:
I imagine our overall profile will put us in a slightly better position to secure bowl invitations than many of our current peers.
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I agree. If we recruit a few exciting players and have a winning record there will be Bowls eager for us to be there. They see a fan base hungry to travel for a program redeemed by a name brand coach.
 
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Yup! said:
Honest question, do you really think we need a conference to have a championship run? If BYU went undefeated this year, do you think they wouldn’t be top 5?

I think our schedule gets better as an independent and if we played like Cincinnati the last two, three years I don’t see why we can’t make a run.
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We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
 
metsfan2323 said:
We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
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I'm not sure I agree (although I believe it would be a very tall order to reach the level necessary). We are in a situation where if we could hypothetically put together a squad equal to where Cincinnati is today (after what they've accomplished they will still need at least two, possibly three upsets of top teams to land in the playoffs), we could out ourselves in a better position. We could theoretically (if we anticipate the rise correctly) craft a schedule with seven road games against good P-5 schools that a legitimate top five team could handle and play enough quality with the five home games, where the strength of schedule excuse (which will always be held against G-5 conference members) won't be applicable.

So I think this will happen? No. I've known for more than 5 1/2 decades that there is no Santa Claus. Do I believe we are at a disadvantage for the (potential) expanded playoff by not being in the MAC, AAC, CUSA or Sun Belt? No. Not at all.
 
metsfan2323 said:
We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
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I disagree. The difference between the schedule UConn will play and a MAC schedule is big, although this year the 2 FCS games plus UMass hurt the schedule strength. This year, UConn played 3 P5 teams (Clemson, Purdue and Vanderbilt) plus 2 schools going to the Big 12 (UCF and Houston) as well as Fresno St. and Army. If UConn was undefeated against that schedule, it holds up well vs Cincinnati's schedule this year.
 
metsfan2323 said:
We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
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Playoffs? They’re just trying to win some games.
 
businesslawyer said:
P and Edsall were both NFL coaches as well. NFL coaches don’t have to recruit. And you don’t know that it wasn’t Mora’s background that helped these people to NFL jobs.

Again, I’m not knocking Mora and I understand that in many ways related to how the hiring was perceived this was a great hire. But telling me he sends his assistant coaches to the NFL doesn’t help me conclude that he’s going to be able to turn things around here. I wish it did.
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The difference between Mora and Edsall/P is Mora was an NFL head coach that had to evaluate players coming out of college that will help build his teams. Edsall was a position coach and P was a DC for 1 season for Dallas before coming to UConn. Neither of those positions really had to evaluate players in the draft. Just had to coach them up. Mora has that experience at both pro and college level.
 
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metsfan2323 said:
We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
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Yeah…. No.

After a 1 loss season, UCF went undefeated in a better conference and didn’t get an invite. Cincy, now with a P5 invite in hand, might still miss out on the CFP because of politics.

The American is clearly better than the MAC and C-USA but has done no better with the committee.
 
metsfan2323 said:
We will never have a shot at the expanded playoff as an independent, however a MAC or CUSA team could potentially go undefeated or have one loss and make it. (see Western Michigan 5 years ago)
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Also… in a world where there is (at least) one P5 champion left out of the playoff every year, you think a 1 loss MAC or C-USA team would make it?

Yikes.
 
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WestCoastHusky said:
  1. 646. Nvh. Kj(;n( mm /m


Pretty sure most kids these days want the following :

  • Want to know if a program and the staff can help them get to the NFL if that's their dream
  • Be on TV so their friends and family can watch them play
  • Get a good degree at a great academic school that's safe. Yes there are parents still care about college education.
  • Ability to play for Champion and bowl game although I believe top 3 above are more important

Uconn can provide top 3 above easily, and we got a coach who has a great track record of doing all that. The bowl game part will need to be fixed. The championship part won't be fixed until we join a conference.
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90% of teams provide the first three bullets. But it’s the last bullet that UCONN cannot provide and are valued more than the first three.

We have to hope Coach Mora can overcome the horrendous situation UCONN is in right now. I am sure we all agree on that.

But I fault not one fan for being skeptical right now. I know I am in the “show me” group of fans.
 
You can play for bowl games as an independent. Hell.. Liberty, New Mexico State and UMass have had bowl back-up deals...

There's no conference title.. but I don't think anyone is making a decision on a school based on whether or not they could be playing in the MAC championship on a Wednesday Night
 
Doesn’t Fenway have a bowl tie in between the ACC and the AAC? I wonder if Fenway did that deal when we were still in the American thinking it may be us taking that slot.
I assume with the AAC being ripped apart soon that will be an open bowl. I know some people don’t want to see football at Fenway but it’s close for traveling.
At any rate carry on.
 
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Hskies4Ever said:
Also… in a world where there is (at least) one P5 champion left out of the playoff every year, you think a 1 loss MAC or C-USA team would make it?

Yikes.
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Supposedly in the 12 team playoff proposal the top ranked G5 team would receive an auto-bid. So yes a one loss G5 team could get that bid.

It will be an easier path than being independent and receiving an at large bid.
 
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They are still looking at and trying to adjust that playoff proposal. Apparently the AAC's commissioner is now anti 5+1 autobid model... when arguably they (and the MWC) would still be the biggest beneficiary
 
Why don’t they just call it the 5 P5 league champions + ND because that’s what the 5+1 will end up being
 
HobokenHusky said:
Names of interest (previous ties to Mora and followed on Twitter by newest recruit offer immediately after Mora)

Jerry Neuheisel
Demetrius Martin
Angus McClure
Taylor Mazzone
David Marsh
John Marinelli
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Im hearing John Marinelli’s name.. he might end up here at UConn. Not guaranteed, but fingers crossed guys, he would be a nice get. QB coach maybe?? We’ll have to wait and see ;)
 
HobokenHusky said:
That is Demetrice Martin ("Coach Meat")

Also, John Wholley looks to be getting in on some following action
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Wholley, 3rd time? Seemed like he and Captain Lou did not mesh. Always liked his enthusiasm for recruiting and UConn.
 
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