Do this and get into a power 4!

[HuskyHawk]

True.

We also aren't homeless because Randy Edsall decided to cancel football during Covid, but neither decision makes us look particularly serious or committed about playing football.

If we go back to the early ACC invite, when Pitt was chosen over UConn, most of us blame BC. But I think the truth is that Pitt had a football culture that appealed to FSU, Miami, Clemson, GT etc. and UConn didn't. Not that we couldn't build one, but we didn't already have one. Pitt had Marino, Dorsett, and enough history. So did BC, however UConn fans view it now.

I think it still haunts us when either the ACC or Big XII considers UConn. Not enough people in Storrs wake up Saturday morning and go "yeah, it's game day!" There aren't many home football games, it's supposed to be a big deal. Even in Lawrence it was.

 

[billybud]

UConn needs current football success to wipe out the perception created by past seasons...the last ten seasons, UConn went 1-13 against the ACC...in last season's 9 win season there was a glimmer of rebound, although there were still the losses to Duke, Wake, and Syracuse.

Once good seasons come regularly, a team can quickly rebound, in perception, from a bad season. Become a desired TV match...Wins are not discounted. The ACC football schools may begin to see UConn as more than a great basketball power.

 

[CTBballfan243]

If we go back to the early ACC invite, when Pitt was chosen over UConn, most of us blame BC. But I think the truth is that Pitt had a football culture that appealed to FSU, Miami, Clemson, GT etc. and UConn didn't. Not that we couldn't build one, but we didn't already have one. Pitt had Marino, Dorsett, and enough history. So did BC, however UConn fans view it now.

I think it still haunts us when either the ACC or Big XII considers UConn. Not enough people in Storrs wake up Saturday morning and go "yeah, it's game day!" There aren't many home football games, it's supposed to be a big deal. Even in Lawrence it was.

No one is waking up in the fall on a Saturday morning up in Chestnut Hill saying, “Yeah, it’s game day!” They’re saying “Yeah, big hockey game tonight!”

 

[CL82]

If we go back to the early ACC invite, when Pitt was chosen over UConn, most of us blame BC. But I think the truth is that Pitt had a football culture that appealed to FSU, Miami, Clemson, GT etc. and UConn didn't. Not that we couldn't build one, but we didn't already have one. Pitt had Marino, Dorsett, and enough history. So did BC, however UConn fans view it now.

I think it still haunts us when either the ACC or Big XII considers UConn. Not enough people in Storrs wake up Saturday morning and go "yeah, it's game day!" There aren't many home football games, it's supposed to be a big deal. Even in Lawrence it was.

The Boston College athletic Director said that Connecticut was acceptable, but that BC "wanted to be the New England school". That's not revisionism that's a contemporaneous statement by a person in a position to know. That would seem reasonably credible. Arguably, attempts to change that narrative now, would be revisionism.

Could not agree with you more that we need a passionate fan base in Storrs, but it it is harder to be passionate on game day when all the festivities are a half hours bus ride away. Every year that continues, is another graduating class that we lose as potential fans. . I'm not saying we should bulldoze the rent today, but, those things are fairly indisputably, true, and the sooner we fix them the better.

 

[HuskyHawk]

No one is waking up in the fall on a Saturday morning up in Chestnut Hill saying, “Yeah, it’s game day!” They’re saying “Yeah, big hockey game tonight!”

BC isn't FSU or Oklahoma or Michigan, I'll grant you that. But they averaged 40k at home last year. There are more football than hockey fans, you just don't need many hockey fans. I know a lot of BC alumni.

 

[KryHavok]

UConn needs current football success to wipe out the perception created by past seasons...the last ten seasons, UConn went 1-13 against the ACC...in last season's 9 win season there was a glimmer of rebound, although there were still the losses to Duke, Wake, and Syracuse.

Once good seasons come regularly, a team can quickly rebound, in perception, from a bad season. Become a desired TV match...Wins are not discounted. The ACC football schools may begin to see UConn as more than a great basketball power.

Your conference will never, NEVER, see or value UConn beyond being a school that once shared ties with several of your current conference members. Cal, Stanford, and SMU are not football powers (or basketball powers since the topic came up), and they were snatched up by your conference right quick without so much as UConn being an afterthought.

I agree with your statement that UConn needs football success, which we had during REv1, but it will be hard to get that against your conference mates now that Patterson's quitting has confirmed how utterly biased your conference's officiating has been (especially against UConn, and I go back to stupid calls against UConn during the NC State game a few years back). I've got nothing against you billybud, but your conference is a garbage hotbed that is treading water and spiting UConn because it can't admit it made mistakes by overlooking UConn in the past (taking Loserville) and it believes it can stay together despite FSU's and Clemson's little tantrums.

I've been adamant in saying your conference is not and never will be in our future...it would have helped us immensely had we been taken instead of Loserville, and we would've been a solid addition considering our overall athletic performances and academics, but we stand at a situation where if the Big12 doesn't invite UConn in the next several years, our football program is cooked. I hate your conference with such disdain that it makes my hatred of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and Notre Dame football seem like mild annoyance. I think your conference sees UConn with the same contempt I see your conference...UConn having winning seasons will absolutely not change that mindset.

 

[cellocgg]

I find it so funny how outsiders love to throw the "win football games" argument as a prerequisite for UConn/P4 discussion

During the last CR wave we were coming off two March Madness titles as well as a BCS NY6 appearance. How much did Football success help back then?

We got screwed over then as we are now. It was never about Football success

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

BC isn't FSU or Oklahoma or Michigan, I'll grant you that. But they averaged 40k at home last year. There are more football than hockey fans, you just don't need many hockey fans. I know a lot of BC alumni.

My sympathy to you.

 

[Skiblets]

My sympathy to you.

I’m married to one whose father also went there. They don’t like it when i refer to them as the Angry Chickens!

 

[billybud]

One might also ask why the Big 12 didn't come calling when they added UCF, Colorado, Utah, and Houston..geography ?

While fairly western, the Big 12 does stretch to Orlando, West Virginia, and Cincinnati.

At one time there was talk of adding Gonzaga and UConn. Would make the Big 12 THE basketball conference...the only thing I ever read is that it died on the vine due to inability to wrangle enough conference votes.

 

[HuskyHawk]

One might also ask why the Big 12 didn't come calling when they added UCF, Colorado, Utah, and Houston..geography ?

While fairly western, the Big 12 does stretch to Orlando, West Virginia, and Cincinnati.

At one time there was talk of adding Gonzaga and UConn. Would make the Big 12 THE basketball conference...the only thing I ever read is that it died on the vine due to inability to wrangle enough conference votes.

It died because the Pac dissolved. The Big XI always wanted the Arizona schools. Going way back. It clearly also wanted Colorado back in the fold. It is/was the old SWC + Big 8, "south west" is core to the identity. Once the Utah schools were coming too there was no room.

UCF and Houston were added earlier. Had the Big XII known the Pac would dissolve, do they add the schools the did two years before? Not sure. But that got them the contract.

The only thing that really makes sense now are the ACC and Big XII exchanging some members. WVU and Cinci to ACC with UCF. SMU, Cal, Stanford to Big XII.

 

[Windham4th]

The Boston College athletic Director said that Connecticut was acceptable, but that BC "wanted to be the New England school". That's not revisionism that's a contemporaneous statement by a person in a position to know. That would seem reasonably credible. Arguably, attempts to change that narrative now, would be revisionism.

Could not agree with you more that we need a passionate fan base in Storrs, but it it is harder to be passionate on game day when all the festivities are a half hours bus ride away. Every year that continues, is another graduating class that we lose as potential fans. . I'm not saying we should bulldoze the rent today, but, those things are fairly indisputably, true, and the sooner we fix them the better.

I am a die hard now. But when I was a student in the 90s I went once. The Hut One Hut Two Let Their Be Lights game for the free t-shirt. Rentschler was the reason I invested in the team even buying season tickets the year prior at Memorial Stadium to get better tickets for the 1st year at Rentschler

 

[superjohn]

I think it still haunts us when either the ACC or Big XII considers UConn. Not enough people in Storrs wake up Saturday morning and go "yeah, it's game day!" There aren't many home football games, it's supposed to be a big deal. Even in Lawrence it was.

This is pure nonsense, nobody went to Kansas games back in the day and nowadays the fans come out if they think they're going to be good and the attendance stinks when they're terrible.

 

[billybud]

Kansas' 2023 average attendance was 45,888....their 2022 average was 43,076...there was a small bump between their losing 2022 season (6-7) and their 9-4 2023 season...

In 2024, their record fell to 5-7 and attendance dropped to 39,408...

 

[superjohn]

Kansas' 2023 average attendance was 45,888....their 2022 average was 43,076...there was a small bump between their losing 2022 season (6-7) and their 9-4 2023 season...

In 2024, their record fell to 5-7 and attendance dropped to 39,408...

And in 2012 it was 22,000. Nobody went to games in the 80's and early 90's. They have had some good attendance years in recent years and some bad attendance years in recent years. The fans come out when expectations are high and they stay home when they stink.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is pure nonsense, nobody went to Kansas games back in the day and nowadays the fans come out if they think they're going to be good and the attendance stinks when they're terrible.

They had good attendance when I was there in the early 90s. Finish ranked #22 in 1992. Game day was big every home football game, but the we also had Nebraska, Oklahoma, Mizzou and Colorado in the conference. Certainly has been bad at times.

 

[billybud]

well....I don't go back a decade...in the last three years...even in their two below .500 years...they are doing 39,000 or so..

They are comparable to USF, Oregon State, Cuse, Cincinnati, in attendance...and, last year in their 5-7 year.. higher attended than Duke, Wake, Houston, Maryland, Virginia, USF, SMU, Memphis, Georgia Tech, Boise State..among others

 

[HuskyHawk]

well....I don't go back a decade...in the last three years...even in their two below .500 years...they are doing 39,000 or so..

They are comparable to USF, Oregon State, Cuse, Cincinnati, in attendance...and, last year in their 5-7 year.. higher attended than Duke, Wake, Houston, Maryland, Virginia, USF, SMU, Memphis, Georgia Tech, Boise State..among others

Yes and my point wasn't even about attendance. Every bar in town has the game on, everyone knows there's a game, even if you don't go, you're watching it somewhere. There's tailgating, parties, smokers in the neighborhood near the stadium, there's visitors in RVs showing up the night before or that morning. There's a vibe that UConn can't capture. Even the 22k in 2012, which is rock bottom, is more than any basketball game gets, and those certainly feel like an event.

 

[Fishy]

I'm not saying all the parks around it need to be built (the ice rink would be nice, lol) but this could be done at the location of at the Sherman Sports field. Move the track over next to Edward Ice Forum, plenty of room in the field to the right (on Google Maps). You could cut costs by 250 million from the cost of Ryan Field several ways. As far as traffic goes, 6-7 days a year? Really? That's your big deal? Also notice in the video the things the town (Mansfield) would get to use the stadium for. Movie night on the field? Imagine the family atmosphere that would create!

This would be the dream.

Unfortunately, there’s no political will to spend money to do anything other than slap bandaids on our currently crumbing facilities.

The odds on us building a stadium to aid the P4 pursuit - zero. The odds on us building a stadium because we somehow got into a P4 - zero.

 

[John]

And in 2012 it was 22,000. Nobody went to games in the 80's and early 90's. They have had some good attendance years in recent years and some bad attendance years in recent years. The fans come out when expectations are high and they stay home when they stink.

how does this differ from any other program, UConn basketball included?