Dear AD Benedict/UConn BOT: Spend Some Goddam Money On Football

[ConnHuskBask]

If we win 8 games a year, I will guarantee that we will average more than 25k people in the stands.

The problem is apparently the "8 wins" part of the equation...

I'd like to believe that, but if we're 6-4 and playing SMU in late Novemeber there is no way I'm taking the over on that number.

I went from 12+ season tickets and now people don't even watch the games on TV besides me and my Dad in NJ.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'd like to believe that, but if we're 6-4 and playing SMU in late Novemeber there is no way I'm taking the over on that number.

I went from 12+ season tickets and now people don't even watch the games on TV besides me and my Dad in NJ.

8 wins per year used to be our benchmark for a really good season, and we had more season ticket holders than 25k, never mind overall attendance. If we were getting those types of numbers, fans would come back.

The northeast loves a winner, and hates a loser. It's been true for decades and decades...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

8 wins per year used to be our benchmark for a really good season, and we had more season ticket holders than 25k, never mind overall attendance. If we were getting those types of numbers, fans would come back.

The northeast loves a winner, and hates a loser. It's been true for decades and decades...

Right, but against Rutgers, Pitt, West Virginia, and company in a BCS league.

Maybe for me and you it still matters, but for a lot of people it just doesn't register anymore.

 

[UConnDan97]

Right, but against Rutgers, Pitt, West Virginia, and company in a BCS league.

Maybe for me and you it still matters, but for a lot of people it just doesn't register anymore.

Rutgers used to be a laughing stock, and we played a bunch of unattractive games every year as well.

This year, we played a top 25 ranked UCF, ranked USF, and ranked Cincy. Plus, our OOC has featured teams like Boise, BYU, and Michigan during our AAC years. I'm confident the people will come back, but we need to start friggin winning...

 

[champs99and04]

How have we gone cheap on football? If that were the case, we wouldn't have paid Diaco's buyout in attempt to stabilize the program.

Honestly, I don't get the reaction to today's loss. They were a 5 point underdog or so and they lost by 5. Everyone knew this was going to be a titanic of a rebuild. That's one of the reasons we can afford to go cheap right now. We have nothing if not patience, and investing more in a low ceiling sport when we have no money is the opposite of that.

 

[Adios]

The Patriots were not drawing huge crowds in their worst season ever in 1990. Place felt like a huge homeless shelter. It was awesome.

 

[Stinger92860]

Did Randy ever sign his contract?

 

[Stinger92860]

The Patriots were not drawing huge crowds in their worst season ever in 1990. Place felt like a huge homeless shelter. It was awesome.

If it was a homeless shelter it would have been packed with people.

 

[huskymedic]

Did Randy ever sign his contract?

No, but he is working and getting paid under a binding MOU/ executed upon hire. There is a link in the Long Term HC thread.

 

[CTFIRERETIRED]

There are three options, continue to be terrible, have boosters foot the bill to be mediocre or drop football. The AD isn’t going to spend more money on football... where is that money going to come from?

where is that money going to come from?

Probably from the same place that Hartford got the 50 million dollar bailout. The Taxpayers of Connecticut.
How long before those same taxpayers stand up and say................ENOUGH!
Probably won't happen as long as there is spend happy members of the Legislature, still around.
When are the most optimistic fans going to come to the realization that Uconn was not, is not and NEVER WILL BE A FOOTBALL POWER.
Enough! DAMMIT. Stop throwing good money after bad.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

Offering free tickets to the students, who currently finance just under 40% of our athletic budget, is definitely this missing piece. The last published numbers for revenue and expenses pertaining to the football program showed that for every dollar in revenue the program generated, the university spent two.

UConn has tried everything. The experienced, respected coach with Pasqualoni. The hot, fast-rising assistant at a major program with Diaco. Hiring back the one man who was able to get UConn to perform at a medicore level in Edsall.

The high-point of the program is being the worst BCS representative of all time. Since joining the AAC we are 13-51 against FBS opponents. We are Kansas with 1/10 of the television revenue. Unfortunately, women's basketball and field hockey don't move the needle when it comes to conference realignment (both of which are more of a net positive for CR hopes than the football team). Cut the program. Join the Big East. Let's at least enjoy watching basketball again.

They already give free tickets to freshman. The students are not coming except for the party. The cost of a ticket is not the impediment to getting students to the game. They do not care. At all.

 

[Dooley]

Throw more money at the problem? The damage is damn near irrevocable.

And even if its not. What's the end game? Winning 8 games a year in a mid major league in front of 25,000?

Even if a P5 league expands we're behind Houston, Cincinnati, BYU, UCF, USF, and Memphis in any pecking order.

Give this experiment a few more years until the P5 dream is officially dead after the next round of TV deals and if we're still on the outside looking in, see if we can just get into the Big East or be the ACC's 16th hoop team.

If we win 8 games a year, we're back in the P5 discussion. No question. We sport P5 data at every level except for the most important one: a dumpster fire of a football program. Spend money, elevate football, get ready for the next and final wave of CR. If it doesn't work out, do what you gotta do. But at least try.

 

[Dooley]

How have we gone cheap on football? If that were the case, we wouldn't have paid Diaco's buyout in attempt to stabilize the program.

Honestly, I don't get the reaction to today's loss. They were a 5 point underdog or so and they lost by 5. Everyone knew this was going to be a titanic of a rebuild. That's one of the reasons we can afford to go cheap right now. We have nothing if not patience, and investing more in a low ceiling sport when we have no money is the opposite of that.

Good point about the buyout. They're going cheap in football by having a $70M athletic department budget, but a bottom half AAC football budget. If we're going to sport the highest AD budget, let's make sure that we have the highest football budget in our conference.

 

[Dooley]

where is that money going to come from?

Probably from the same place that Hartford got the 50 million dollar bailout. The Taxpayers of Connecticut.
How long before those same taxpayers stand up and say......ENOUGH!
Probably won't happen as long as there is spend happy members of the Legislature, still around.
When are the most optimistic fans going to come to the realization that Uconn was not, is not and NEVER WILL BE A FOOTBALL POWER.
Enough! DAMMIT. Stop throwing good money after bad.

Not calling for more taxpayer money here so you can delete your political post. All I want is for UConn to figure out how to put more of its already committed $70M AD budget to the one and only sport that could be a financial swoon for our state and bring in self-sustaining AD money. You know, so taxpayers don't have to continue fronting the bills.

 

[uconnell]

When Edsall2 was rehired we thought (hoped?) that the years away from football had changed his approach to college football. Is he still the control freak with his coordinators that he was as Edsall1? Did he hire the wrong ones or just won’t hand over the keys? You get what you pay for!

Football does not or should not take away your enjoyment of basketball. Now that the football season is almost over I look forward to basketball as I do every year. One sport does not hinder my enjoyment of another .

 

[Dooley]

When Edsall2 was rehired we thought (hoped?) that the years away from football had changed his approach to college football. Is he still the control freak with his coordinators that he was as Edsall1? Did he hire the wrong ones or just won’t hand over the keys? You get what you pay for!

Football does not or should not take away your enjoyment of basketball. Now that the football season is almost over I look forward to basketball as I do every year. One sport does not hinder my enjoyment of another .

Agree completely. Lashlee hire was a positive move - a creative uptempo OC who isn't afraid to take chances. But I think his leaving is a combo of UConn being cheap and Edsall not giving him full autonomy over play-calling. That's got to change; both things. It's frustrating that our last few ADs have been better at hiring offensive coordinators (in spite of their head coaches) and not as good at hiring head coaches.

 

[Dooley]

There are three options, continue to be terrible, have boosters foot the bill to be mediocre or drop football. The AD isn’t going to spend more money on football... where is that money going to come from?

I'm not an Accountant but if anyone wants to go line by line to evaluate our G5 leading $70M athletic department spending budget, I'm sure we can find a few dollars from what we're already spending on sports.

 

[Dooley]

You get what you pay for...

48. Memphis, Mike Norvell $2,600,000
58. Navy, Ken Niumatalolo $2,163,000
60. Cincinnati, Luke Fickell, $2,000,000
67. Houston, Major Applewhite $1,750,000
69. UCF, Josh Heupel $1,700,000
71. Tulane, Willie Fritz $1,629,000
73. Tulsa, Phillip Montgomery $1,518,177
78. ECU, Scottie Montgomery $1,102,500
80. UConn, Randy Edsall, $1,100,000
82. South Florida, Charlie Strong, $1,000,000 (Note: Strong due to make $2.5M in 2019)

 

[Sea Goat]

Our BOT has generally been feckless for years. It is populated by politicall hacks of both parties. Don't expect bold leadership from them on a football rebuild. Another major issue is UConn funding. There is not a lot of extra dough hanging around. It's right to bring up the BOT though. They have generally disappeared on this critical issue.

 

[Dooley]

Our BOT has generally been feckless for years. It is populated by politicall hacks of both parties. Don't expect bold leadership from them on a football rebuild. Another major issue is UConn funding. There is not a lot of extra dough hanging around. It's right to bring up the BOT though. They have generally disappeared on this critical issue.

Yup. It's so frustrating to have come so close to a self-sustaining P5 AD/school and fumble on the goal line because our leadership couldn't/wouldn't commit to pushing this thing over the top.

 

[Block C]

Yup. It's so frustrating to have come so close to a self-sustaining P5 AD/school and fumble on the goal line because our leadership couldn't/wouldn't commit to pushing this thing over the top.

It’s called lack of leadership and a bunch of pansys

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Big Y has an impressive benefits package. Ha!

And smaller hands make bagging quicker.

 

[Block C]

And smaller hands make bagging quicker.

I honestly think Edsall is on some sort of hot seat. Just because we think he will be here long doesn’t necessarily make him untouchable.

 

[uconnell]

Why can we cut non revenue. sports until we get football back on track? I hate to do it but football is more important right now.

 

[Block C]

Why can we not cut non revenue. sports until we get football back on track? I hate to do it but football is more important right now.

They could but they won’t