ESPN - most important game is USF

[ruskin]

Maybe if you're considering conference games, but IMO it's tossup between Md. & Michigan. Those will be tonesetters. Get out of that with a split or better and could be start of something. lose both, on the other hand. . .. .

Odds aren't favorable but sweeping Md. Mich Louisville Rutgers would make quite the CR statement

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/44519/most-important-game-uconn

 

[Chin Diesel]

Don't necessarily agree, but there's merit to her selection.

She's saying that Buffalo, Towson, Turtle, Memphis and Temple should be wins and out of the remaining teams USF is the most winnable.

Basically she's saying that if Uconn loses to USF making a bowl game becomes very difficult.

 

[SubbaBub]

Making a bowl at 6-6 means nothing long term. Beating Michigan would float this iceberg for another 3 years on it's own.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I don't think "MD" is a sure win. That team was decimated by injuries last year and still played decent at the end. Something tells me that RE is going to have that team playing well this year.

I would say that game is 50-50 at best.

 

[Waquoit]

I don't think "MD" is a sure win. That team was decimated by injuries last year and still played decent at the end. Something tells me that RE is going to have that team playing well this year.

I would say that game is 50-50 at best.

That's generous. HCRE gave us that game last year with that unbelieveably stupid playcall late.

 

[upstater]

Beat Michigan.

 

[uconndogs]

I don't think "MD" is a sure win. That team was decimated by injuries last year and still played decent at the end. Something tells me that RE is going to have that team playing well this year.

I would say that game is 50-50 at best.

MD has some terrific athletes and that frosh last year almost beat us by himself. I've been watching different football if MD is a "sure win".

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Yeah, because Michigan comes to The Rent every year.

 

[CTGoonie]

I still don't understand how any "best-case scenario" isn't going undefeated. In her analysis she says best-case is 4-1 after 5 games. Ummm... no it's not. Best case is 5-0.

 

[huskymedic]

... and vice versa:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/44598/most-important-game-usf

These two just mail it in.

 

[EJHarrington]

The biggest game is Louisville. Playing the AAU favorite coming off a BCS Bowl win with a Heisman Trophy candidate in a nationally televised game at home...if we win it could be a tiebreaker for the Conference championship and a BCS Bowl. We better have 40,000 at that game...

 

[formerlurker]

USF, Ville? Really?

duck our 2013 conference and our 2014 conference too.

I don't care if we go 1-11 this year as long as we kick teeth in on 9/21/13.

 

[EJHarrington]

USF, Ville? Really?

duck our 2013 conference and our 2014 conference too.

I don't care if we go 1-11 this year as long as we kick teeth in on 9/21/13.

Yup, really. We played Michigan in 2010 and won the conference. I remember the South Florida game much more than an early season non-conference loss.

 

[whaler11]

Obviously Michigan is the most important game for the program. Maryland is the game that will tell us if this team has anything. But she did put together a coherent argument for USF being an important game in the context of this season.

 

[formerlurker]

Yup, really. We played Michigan in 2010 and won the conference. I remember the South Florida game much more than an early season non-conference loss.

"Yup"!

And I remember when we had a major conference affiliation.

I get it. I've felt the highest of highs in Southbend and the lowest of lows in Ann Arbor.

But if you think winning games against Towson, MARYland, Buffalo, USF, Cincy, UCF, Ville, SMU, Temple, Rutgirls or Memphis will make more of a national statement than a thrashing of Michigan then you have tunnel vision.

I absolutely hate this term in my business life but "perception is reality". Win the diluted Big East this year and we don't make the first 2 segments of SportsCenter.

Beat Michigan and we're on every search engine homepage and newspaper backpage in the country.

 

[EJHarrington]

"Yup"!

And I remember when we had a major conference affiliation.

I get it. I've felt the highest of highs in Southbend and the lowest of lows in Ann Arbor.

But if you think winning games against Towson, MARYland, Buffalo, USF, Cincy, UCF, Ville, SMU, Temple, Rutgirls or Memphis will make more of a national statement than a thrashing of Michigan then you have tunnel vision.

I absolutely hate this term in my business life but "perception is reality". Win the diluted Big East this year and we don't make the first 2 segments of SportsCenter.

Beat Michigan and we're on every search engine homepage and newspaper backpage in the country.

Winning the conference and beating a top ranked team in a BCS Bowl will get us more headlines...

 

[jbdphi]

USF, Ville? Really?

duck our 2013 conference and our 2014 conference too.

I don't care if we go 1-11 this year as long as we kick teeth in on 9/21/13.

You're just looking at it differently. To you, the question is "if you could only win one game this year, which game would it be?" I think it is fairly clear from the ESPN write-up that they do not expect the Michigan game to be winnable for UConn. Therefore, what is the most important game for UConn that they can realistically win.

 

[formerlurker]

You're just looking at it differently. To you, the question is "if you could only win one game this year, which game would it be?" I think it is fairly clear from the ESPN write-up that they do not expect the Michigan game to be winnable for UConn. Therefore, what is the most important game for UConn that they can realistically win.

I think it's you who is looking at it differently, Phi.

I expect us to win.

 

[jbdphi]

I think it's you who is looking at it differently, Phi.

I expect us to win.

I meant you and the ESPN blogger but fair enough. I'd be the first to admit that I set my expectations lower than most people (except for ZooCougar who seems to be expecting a winless season due to the mere presence of GDL on the coaching staff). I'd love for UConn to go 13-0 like UConnDan is always saying but to really expect that and put your whole heart into it? Too much heartache and disappointment. Every season you don't win it all becomes a failure and while I appreciate that this is the attitude of a lot of the premiere team fanbases, I'm just not there with UConn football.

I'd absolutely love it if UConn beat Michigan? Do I expect it? Nope.

 

[mattp]

The USF game is probably the most important in that it's likely pivotal in determining whether or not we go bowling, but the truth is the only people that will know the result of that game the next day will be UConn and USF fans. For me the most important game is the one that could actually be talked about by the rest of the country if we win and that's Michigan, followed by UMD and UofL in no particular order.

Considering our conference predicament I think it's pretty silly to say a mid season game to determine our possible rank in the AAC is more important than a game that could put a spotlight on us and have an impact on where we spend the rest of our days.

 

[EJHarrington]

The USF game is probably the most important in that it's likely pivotal in determining whether or not we go bowling, but the truth is the only people that will know the result of that game the next day will be UConn and USF fans. For me the most important game is the one that could actually be talked about by the rest of the country if we win and that's Michigan, followed by UMD and UofL in no particular order.

Considering our conference predicament I think it's pretty silly to say a mid season game to determine our possible rank in the AAC is more important than a game that could put a spotlight on us and have an impact on where we spend the rest of our days.

Unfortunately, if one win over a big name school was impactful we would be in the Big 10 / ACC right now based on our win over Notre Dame. Heck, Appalachian State beat Michigan at Michigan and I believe they will be in the Sun Belt next year. We need to win our conference year-in, year-out, be in the national conversation every year as to who gets the automatic "access bowl" bid (i.e., one of the six major bowl games) , win those major bowl games, and then we may or may not be invited to a new conference but either way we'll all be happier than we've been watching the limp-less teams of the last two years.

 

[BoatShow]

Most important game is Towson. Because it's the next game.

 

[pj]

I don't think "MD" is a sure win. That team was decimated by injuries last year and still played decent at the end. Something tells me that RE is going to have that team playing well this year.

I would say that game is 50-50 at best.

I would say that game is 30-70 at best. Maryland will be much better than last year and we barely won last year. But, we do have home field. I don't have much hope for beating Michigan but beating Maryland may be our best chance for 7-5: 3-1 out of conference, 4-4 in conference beating USF, SMU, Temple, Memphis, losing to Cincy, UCF, Louisville, Rutgers. I predict we go 6-6 overall. But I hope everyone in the program has a sense of urgency, takes a big step up in execution, and we compete for the conference championship. There's not a huge separation between us and Cincy, UCF, Louisville, Rutgers so anything is possible. We get Louisville and Rutgers at home and that might give us a tiebreaker.

 

[Husky68]

With all the comments about how good Michigan will be thought that were talking about a top 5 or 10 team. Just looked at Phil Steele and he has Michigan as #24. Not chopped liver, but about the same ranking as Northern Ill. and Fresno State. Home against a barely top 25 team doesn't seem soooooooo out of reach. Will be Michgan's 4th game but 1st away game and Uconn's 3rd straight home game.
Like to see Michigan undefeated (play ND) when they visit and Uconn wins 3rd straight and is in top 20.