Well winning & academic perception help a lot, I think the latter is severely overlooked by the average BIG fans, but thank God they don't make the decisions. UConn is on par with many BIG schools, academically speaking, maybe not so much on the graduate-research side, but your upside is clearly there. I wouldn't be too obsessed with AAU status since this is an organization at risk of contraction. On the bright side, your state continues to invest in UConn and if the endowment climbs - I think good enough.
I also think it helps that your new football coach and AD are BIG alum (Iowa and Michigan respectively).
Some of us were posting a couple years ago that Md was likely BIG bound due to its ties to the BIG, not just academics, potential media market. Md's current Chancellor, President and even Gary Williams' brief tenure at OSU and time as analyst on the BTN - all = previous BIG "ties". This are smaller things, but not to be overlooked.
Why wouldn't your AD help push for a BIG invite? Especially if he can twist Michigan's arm of influence? That's a huge start. I can't see why PSU-Rutgers-Md administrators and coaches would oppose a UConn addition: another cultural fit in the East, excellent competition in certain sports, and another shorter road trip for all sports. UConn-PSU-Rutgers-MD = a greater, more influential collection of flagships from the Mid-Atlantic-Northeast than the ACC - comparisons aren't even necessary.
