"Connecticut Brings NOTHING To The Table In Football"

[Jimdish255]

Bill King came to my attention after following Rivals recruiting and checking their link to RivalsRadio where he did a call in livestream broadcast. I believe Chris Childers started there also. He also had a hand in founding 24/7 Sports and the current radio show is on Sirius/XM and stream linked to BillisKing.com live mornings and with archives. It's a good show in terms of content and guests imo but opinions are typical conventional wisdom. That's why I prefer Childers who was always more independent and more of a fans broadcaster. Childers is only available through Sirius/XM late in the afternoon.

They were originally talking basketball and FinalFour. Of course no one picked UConn. I believe a UConn fan called and started to talk CR. Bill made some points on basketballs irrelevance to CR then went into a totally negative rant that exposed his naturally strong bias against UConn and the NE in football. Ironically he was the lead cheerleader and may have had a small influence in suggesting for weeks ahead of time that ND hire Kelly away from Cincy. Because the BE was so bad.

 

[gioff23]

I enjoy BK's show, but it is what it is - a tribute to SEC football. In his mind, all the wrongs that emanated from the civil war can be cured by watching the SEC dominate college football. He cares little about what happens outside of the "deep" south, and likely could tell you virtually nothing about UConn.

Having said that, his argument is tough to overcome at the moment - our FB program held/is holding us back. We need to win on the field, develop NFL talent, go to bowls, or, effectively, restart the program build, and garner positive attention back on the 1 sport that truly matters today. All the what does X bring to the table is important and should be noted, but it does come w/1 big counterpunch .... whoever you put in that category ALREADY has a seat at the table.

There are many that want UConn to go away; it is up to us to overcome that challenge and persevere. I believe we have all the right pieces in place - from SH, thru WM, thru our coaches and with our overall commitment to top tier college athletics. We simply have to adopt the KO mantra, and take the steps - there is no escalator waiting to take UConn up.

 

[bc puckett]

20 is being kind, it's at least 30. Find me a team on this list that has had significantly more success in the last ten years. (6 bowl games, 2 conf titles, 1 BCS) game)

BC
Cuse
Pitt
UVA
NCSt
WF

Ill
Purdue
NW
Minn
Indiana
RU
MD

ISU
KSt
TT
TCU
Baylor

OSU
UW
Wazzou
Colorado
Utah
Zona
ASU

Miss
MSSt
GaTech
scar
vandy

TCU has gone 92-32 the last 10 seasons going to 8 bowls (6-2) with two of those being BCS games losing the 09 (Jan10) Fiesta Bowl to Boise State and winning the 10 Rose Bowl Jan 11) over Wisconsin.

Think they can be scratched from your list

 

[tduconn]

Houston, UCF, and Baylor, just a few off the top of my head, have also recently completed and or are close to completing new stadiums.

Cincinnatti is "upgrading" their stadium. I believe South Florida is building an on campus stadium and leaving the Buccaneers NFL stadium.

We can't rely on our "new facilities" to nab higher quality athletes as it hasn't yet. And looking at the few teams that have built new and/or upgraded stadiums, that I can recollect, they trump UConn with "winning traditions".

I don't believe being the 30th largest SMSA really works unless those sets are tuned to UConn FB, which helps sell advertising space. If you can't get 40,000 in seats, how many of the 3.0+ million do you actually think watch games on TV.......that's some of what captivates vendors to pony up the money to put games on TV, ........ The number of eyeballs that will view their products during timeouts.

Right now I have a feeling that as hard as it is to put fanny's in seats, its even harder to get the homebound to tune in the game. And even harder to entice sponsors to spend money to put the games on TV.

 

[Confident Carl]

We're three years and a 13-23 W/L record with no bowl games...removed from the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma on Jan. 1, 2011.

Although the publicity around the Fiesta Bowl managed by UCONN was a disaster - the reality is that we represented very well that day. While we know that, the public does not - thus the word.....'publicity'. I'm quite sure that kind of ticketing/marketing/publicity disaster won't happen again.

With the right kind of publicity, the public now knows for sure about UCONN in NYC. With the right kind of publicity around a bowl game, the public will also put to the rest that concept that UCONN doesn't travel and get up for big games and events and stages.

So while we suffered through three craptastic seasons under a head coach that once really did respect (no longer), it's a soft spot for sure right now, and I hope that the current regime of coaches and returning and new players - embrace the task full force and get us back to kicking ass.

As for bringing nothing - it's horse manure.

Game time against BYU in 150 days.

UCONN FOOTBALL IS IN TURNAROUND MODE. THE CEO'S NAME IS BOB DIACO!

"UConn has the potential to be really good," said Tom Lemming, a national college football recruiting expert for CBSSports Network. "The facilities, the school's [academic] reputation, everything is there." Lemming and other recruiting analysts point to UConn's selling points. The program's on-campus football facility is considered first-rate and 10-year-old Rentschler Field, despite being slightly undersized and off campus, is viewed as a recruiting asset.

"We're going to be on a mission," Diaco said. "We're going to understand things we treasure. We're going to consistently apply the appropriate pressure every single day. And that's how we're going to become a champion, again." Sure enough, Diaco left the most revered program in the country for an office in Storrs. "I'm just glad for me and my family because we are where we want to be," Diaco said. "We're at UConn. That's exactly the right fit for us. I'm exactly the right fit for this team and they're exactly the right fit for me. We're going to grow together and create championships here."

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Houston, UCF, and Baylor, just a few off the top of my head, have also recently completed and or are close to completing new stadiums.

Cincinnatti is "upgrading" their stadium. I believe South Florida is building an on campus stadium and leaving the Buccaneers NFL stadium.

We can't rely on our "new facilities" to nab higher quality athletes as it hasn't yet. And looking at the few teams that have built new and/or upgraded stadiums, that I can recollect, they trump UConn with "winning traditions".

I don't believe being the 30th largest SMSA really works unless those sets are tuned to UConn FB, which helps sell advertising space. If you can't get 40,000 in seats, how many of the 3.0+ million do you actually think watch games on TV..that's some of what captivates vendors to pony up the money to put games on TV, ... The number of eyeballs that will view their products during timeouts.

Right now I have a feeling that as hard as it is to put fanny's in seats, its even harder to get the homebound to tune in the game. And even harder to entice sponsors to spend money to put the games on TV.

Don't forget Tulane.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...op=image&fr=mcafee&va=Tulane+Football+Stadium

 

[bc puckett]

You can also scratch Utah off your "list" 87-39 over the last 10 seasons 8 bowl games 7-1 including 2 BCS wins

 

[Confident Carl]

Houston, UCF, and Baylor, just a few off the top of my head, have also recently completed and or are close to completing new stadiums.

Cincinnatti is "upgrading" their stadium. I believe South Florida is building an on campus stadium and leaving the Buccaneers NFL stadium.

We can't rely on our "new facilities" to nab higher quality athletes as it hasn't yet. And looking at the few teams that have built new and/or upgraded stadiums, that I can recollect, they trump UConn with "winning traditions".

I don't believe being the 30th largest SMSA really works unless those sets are tuned to UConn FB, which helps sell advertising space. If you can't get 40,000 in seats, how many of the 3.0+ million do you actually think watch games on TV..that's some of what captivates vendors to pony up the money to put games on TV, ... The number of eyeballs that will view their products during timeouts.

Right now I have a feeling that as hard as it is to put fanny's in seats, its even harder to get the homebound to tune in the game. And even harder to entice sponsors to spend money to put the games on TV.

TD:
Nobody is solely relying on facilities to nab higher quality athletes. However not having state of the art facilities will guarantee that UCONN won't attract quality athletes! When a school is courting 4&5 star prospects you can be assured that among other things they are checking out the facilities. Also the quality facilities are critical for UCONN to move to a P5 conference. Remember field of dreams, "If you build it they will come" Well if you don't build it, they won't come! UCONN's only negative is they don't have an on campus stadium. Considering where Storrs is in relation to the rest of CT, that's not a negative. The Rent's central location will draw more fannies! Here is a write up by ESPN from 2012 and how UCONN ranked among Big East programs (2nd to Ville and you know where they are going). http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/62051/ranking-big-east-football-facilities

With regard to TV Market, size matters. In addition to being head coach, Bob Diaco is chief Marketing officer of UCONN football. You are correct, if nobody cares and nobody is watching then it matters little how big the market is. No question that UCONN must do a better job promoting it's football product. Winning, which they have not done much of in the past 3 seasons has everything to do with it. The margin between success and failure is very slim. Rest assured, Bob Diaco, IMG and others will build the brand and CT will come to understand and appreciate the entertainment value of a UCONN football ticket. Where was UCONN basketball, Men's and Women's 20 years ago in comparison to today?

Today not many people in CT think UCONN is anything to write home about in football. A large percentage don't believe the program has much potential. Having said that, did you notice that the ticket prices at the Garden for UCONN's Elite 8 games were higher than the Final 4? I realize that it was about basketball but more importantly, UCONN's success in basketball only creates more passion for the UCONN franchise. Having Great facilities for both football and basketball matters! Having a large TV market matters!

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/facilities/

http://www.uconnbasketballcenter.com/

 

[Adios]

Today not many people in CT think UCONN is anything to write home about in football. A large percentage don't believe the program has much potential.

It took a while to fence in our own state and get good QBs consistently. Orlovsky's years are forgotten already?

 

[Confident Carl]

It took a while to fence in our own state and get good QBs consistently. Orlovsky's years are forgotten already?

Not by me and many of my loyal tail gater friends. There are simply not enough of us! Most people think highly about UCONN basketball (More so in the last month I might add) Attendance is down and yes many people have forgotten or just don't care. The challenge is to increase the passionate fan base and that takes time. East Carolina who will be new to the AAC has IT! Louisville does too! UCONN can get there. We just need to give the new guys a little time to prove themselves.

The productivity and growth of UCONN football since 2002 has been impressive. Some say almost bigger that what UCONN has done in basketball when you consider how much was accomplished in such a short period of time. However, the program was in serious jeopardy of going down a black hole. Ward Manuel has done a fantastic job stopping the bleeding.

 

[BugsyCT]

I'd like to hear what the annual bottom feeders in the P5 conferences bring to the table exactly, other than the fact that they've been playing at the FBS level for a longer period of time.

 

[Confident Carl]

Bugsy:

We have to get into the Big Boys Club. It's not fair but it's a reality!
In truth, this is all that matters. College football is BIG business:
Projected 2012-13 revenue by conference. AAC could up the TV contract
and most likely will in the future but there is a group out there that wants to
limit who gets in. See Saban below.



ConferenceBig TenPac-12ACCSECBig 12
Total$310 million$303 million$293 million$270 million$262 million
Bowl games$40 million$39 million$35 million$50 million$42 million
NCAA tournaments$20 million$14 million$17 million$15 million$20 million
TV revenue$250 million$250 million$240 million$205 million$200 million
Per school$25.8 million$25.3 million$24.4 million$19.3 million$26.2 million


Source: Forbes

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...is-in-favor-of-five-conferences-breaking-away

Tommy Tubberville is making 3.2 Million per year. No wonder their AD wants to move up.

 

[Srqhusky]

Our objectives need to be
#1 Destroy this image by dominating this conference over the next three years.
#2 Keep Bob Diaco from leaving. If He wins ten games in season two Ward needs to drop his pants and give him a big at least 5 year deal.

 

[Confident Carl]

Contracts have buyouts. If Diaco does well then our best hope for keeping him at Storrs is either an invite to a P5 or a dramatic increase in the AAC TV contract. Otherwise he will likely go the way of Randy Edsall, Greg Schiano, Butch Jones, Brian Kelly or Charlie Strong. Let's keep it real. Remember this is a business. Enjoy Bob Diaco while we have him. Lets get through season one first. Worrying about losing him at this point is a total waste of time.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Contracts have buyouts. If Diaco does well then our best hope for keeping him at Storrs is either an invite to a P5 or a dramatic increase in the AAC TV contract. Otherwise he will likely go the way of Randy Edsall, Greg Schiano, Butch Jones, Brian Kelly or Charlie Strong. Let's keep it real. Remember this is a business. Enjoy Bob Diaco while we have him. Lets get through season one first. Worrying about losing him at this point is a total waste of time.

I would love to see Diaco stay after gaining success, but you're right in the idea that if he has success from day one, every bottom feeder P5 school will be trying to pay him bigger bucks than he's getting now to get him. So WM will have to drop serious cash, like Jurich did with Strong ,to hold him as long as possible or get out of the AAC. Honestly though, if UConn starts to win games and Diaco leaves, there's no reason why UConn can't follow the Cincinatti model. Cincy has a track record of great coachs (Dantonio, Kelly, Jones and now Tuberville) and UConn can do the same. As long as continued success happens, I see no reason to hate being a stepping stone job for coaches until we're in a P5 conference.

 

[Srqhusky]

I would love to see Diaco stay after gaining success, but you're right in the idea that if he has success from day one, every bottom feeder P5 school will be trying to pay him bigger bucks than he's getting now to get him. So WM will have to drop serious cash, like Jurich did with Strong ,to hold him as long as possible or get out of the AAC. Honestly though, if UConn starts to win games and Diaco leaves, there's no reason why UConn can't follow the Cincinatti model. Cincy has a track record of great coachs (Dantonio, Kelly, Jones and now Tuberville) and UConn can do the same. As long as continued success happens, I see no reason to hate being a stepping stone job for coaches until we're in a P5 conference.

The only two landing spots I see are ND and Iowa. ND I think will hold on to Kelly and personally I see him growing old there.

Iowa scares the crap out of me. ferentz contract expired right about the time Diaco should be peeking and Iowa wants to drop him like eighth period French. Not saying I'm worried but I would have a plan

 

[CL82]

Once HCBD starts us winning again, the narrative will change from UConn sucks to UConn is on the rise and the PP years will be viewed as the consequence of a singularly bad head coaching choice. It is doable and we seem to be on the right path.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The only two landing spots I see are ND and Iowa. ND I think will hold on to Kelly and personally I see him growing old there.

Iowa scares the crap out of me. ferentz contract expired right about the time Diaco should be peeking and Iowa wants to drop him like eighth period French. Not saying I'm worried but I would have a plan

Holy mackerel UConn fans are special (I'm including myself). Diaco has never coached a football game as a head coach yet. He's a hot shot young guy with lots of potential, who landed a high paying gig at UCONN, but lets see what he actually does with a football program on the field before we start worrying about who's replacing Ferentz at Iowa whenever it eventually happens.

 

[Confident Carl]

I would love to see Diaco stay after gaining success, but you're right in the idea that if he has success from day one, every bottom feeder P5 school will be trying to pay him bigger bucks than he's getting now to get him. So WM will have to drop serious cash, like Jurich did with Strong ,to hold him as long as possible or get out of the AAC. Honestly though, if UConn starts to win games and Diaco leaves, there's no reason why UConn can't follow the Cincinatti model. Cincy has a track record of great coachs (Dantonio, Kelly, Jones and now Tuberville) and UConn can do the same. As long as continued success happens, I see no reason to hate being a stepping stone job for coaches until we're in a P5 conference.

I agree, here are the facts. AAC must either get a huge TV contract or UCONN gets into a P5 Conference.

Below is the list. Where do you think Diaco will end up one day? Right now he is 71st.

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/SalariesContracts.htm

Here are the current Salaries of some coaches that left the Big East:

Charlie Strong, TX, $5,000,000
Brian Kelly, ND, $4,000,000
Mark Dantonio, MSU, $3,700,000
Bobby Petrino, Ville, $3,500,000
Butch Jones, TN, $3,200,000 (As a side Tommy Tuberville makes $3,200,000 at Cincy)
Al Golden Miami -(was at Temple pre AAC) $2,300,000
Randy Edsall, MD, $2,2500,000
Rich Rodrigues, AZ, $2,000,000

Bob Diaco is currently making $1,500,000 and if things go right, I could see UCONN giving him a raise to keep him.
If he wins at UCONN, like any great coach, there will be alot of Carrots dangling! I see him going to a Top ten school like Bama or LSU. If he wins at UCONN, he will be making Butch Jones or better money, either at UCONN or somewhere else.

Nick Saban, AL is making $7,300,000 and is age 63
Les Miles, LSU is making $4,500,000 and is age 61
Steve Spurrier, SC is making $ 4,000,000 and is age 69
Bill Snyder, KA State is making $3,000,000 and is age 75
Frank Beamer, VA Tech is making $2,600,000 and is age 68

My point is there will be some openings coming down the Pike!

This is reality and this is life in the Big Boys Club. Hopefully UCONN will become a member.
Right now, they are on the waiting list!

 

[Confident Carl]

Holy mackerel UConn fans are special (I'm including myself). Diaco has never coached a football game as a head coach yet. He's a hot shot young guy with lots of potential, who landed a high paying gig at UCONN, but lets see what he actually does with a football program on the field before we start worrying about who's replacing Ferentz at Iowa whenever it eventually happens.

I agree. Lot of pressure to win NOW! Maybe a little slack in 2014 but after that gonna have to win!

 

[UConn07]

Except you know, the whole NFL thing...

Pulled from ESPN.com, they list 19 current former UCONN players currently in the league. Only 32 schools in the nation have more players in the NFL. UCONN ranks 33rd for a football program that is holding the school back. Guess you should ask the players if the UCONN football program is doing the same for them...........

Here is the list of schools with more:

Alabama (35)
Arkansas (22)
Cal (28)
Clemson (26)
Florida (33)
Florida State (36)
Georgia (39)
Illinois (24)
Iowa (23)
LSU (40)
Miami (38)
Michigan (23)
Missouri (22)
Nebraska (24)
North Carolina (20)
NC State (23)
Notre Dame (26)
Ohio State (22)
Oklahoma (26)
Oregon (31)
Penn State (30)
Rutgers (25)
South Carolina (30)
Stanford (25)
Tennessee (26)
Texas (30)
Texas A&M (24)
UCLA (23)
USC (42)
Utah (22)
Virginia (22)
Virginia Tech (20)

Connecticut
PLAYERTEAMPOSITION
Will BeattyNew York GiantsOffensive Tackle
Tyvon BranchOakland RaidersSafety
Donald BrownSan Diego ChargersRunning Back
Darius ButlerIndianapolis ColtsCornerback
Marcus EasleyBuffalo BillsWide Receiver
Dwayne GratzJacksonville JaguarsCornerback
Ryan GriffinHouston TexansTight End
Danny LansanahTampa Bay BuccaneersLinebacker
Scott LutrusIndianapolis ColtsLinebacker
Robert McClainAtlanta FalconsCornerback
Kashif MoorePittsburgh SteelersWide Receiver
Sio MooreOakland RaidersLinebacker
Kendall ReyesSan Diego ChargersDefensive End
Anthony ShermanKansas City ChiefsRunning Back
Donald ThomasIndianapolis ColtsGuard
Trevardo WilliamsHouston TexansLinebacker
Nick WilliamsWashington RedskinsWide Receiver
Lawrence WilsonChicago BearsLinebacker
Blidi Wreh-WilsonTennessee TitansCornerback

 

[Confident Carl]

Diaco's organization will recruit better, coach better and many will play in the NFL. They will win more. We are all hoping to surpass relevance and attain long term top 25 status.

 

[whaler11]

2007 - wins over Duke (ACC), Pittsburgh (ACC), Louisville, (ACC), Rutgers (Big Ten) and Syracuse (ACC)
2008 - wins over Virginia (ACC), Baylor (Big XII), Lousiville (ACC) and Syracuse (ACC)
2009 - wins over Baylor (Big XII), Louisville (ACC), Notre Dame, Syracuse (ACC) and South Carolina (SEC)
2010 - wins over Vanderbilt (SEC), West Virginia (Big XII), Syracuse (ACC) and Pittsburgh (ACC)
2011 - wins over Syracuse (ACC) and Rutgers (Big Ten)
2012 - wins over Maryland (Big Ten), Pittsburgh (ACC) and Louisville (ACC)
2013 - win over Rutgers (Big Ten)

That's 24 wins over teams from the P5 conferences since 2007. I don't know what else a program can do over that time frame, cause I guarantee you that half of the so-called P5 teams do not have that many wins.

You don't think the average P5 team wins 3.5 games against other P5 teams a year?

Guarantee eh?

 

[Confident Carl]

Enjoy the present. The past is gone, we learn from it and the future is just that. I haven't been able to control it my whole life. UCONN is headed in the right direction. Full speed ahead!!

 

[UConn07]

You don't think the average P5 team wins 3.5 games against other P5 teams a year?

Guarantee eh?

Not counting bowl games, only 29 P5 schools last season had more than 4 wins against P5 competition. 31 did not. This is only a 1 year assessment so teams with 4 wins counted in the 3.5 range. Therefore, yes, the numbers prove I am right.

ACC:
Florida State (10)
Clemson (8)
Duke (6)
Miami (6)
Georgia Tech (5)
Virginia Tech (5)
Syracuse (4)
Boston College (4)
Maryland (4)
North Carolina (4)
Pitt (4 - ND included)
Wake Forest (2)
NC St (0)
Virginia (0)

Big Ten:
Michigan St (9)
Ohio St (9)
Iowa (6)
Wisconsin (6)
Nebraska (5)
Penn St (5)
Michigan (4 - ND included)
Minnesota (4)
Northwestern (3)
Illinois (1)
Indiana (3)
Purdue (0)

Big XII:
Baylor (8)
Oklahoma (8 - ND included)
Oklahoma St (8)
Texas (7)
Kansas St (4)
Texas Tech (4)
TCU (2)
West Virginia (2)
Iowa St (2)
Kansas (1)

PAC-10:
Oregon (9)
Stanford (9 - ND included)
Arizona St (9)
UCLA (7)
USC (6)
Washington (6)
Arizona (4)
Washington St (4)
Oregon St (4)
Utah (2)
Cal (0)
Colorado (1)

SEC:
Auburn (9)
Alabama (8)
Missouri (8)
South Carolina (7)
Georgia (6)
LSU (6)
Vanderbilt (5)
Ole Miss (4)
Texas A&M (4)
Mississippi St (3)
Florida (3)
Tennessee (2)
Kentucky (0)