Euclid, Ptolemy, and the Future of UConn Football

[RegisteredUconn]

The King of Egypt grew increasingly frustrated as he struggled to master mathematics. Vexed, he demanded his tutor provide a less arduous path. "There is no royal road to geometry," Euclid told Ptolemy.

The reason UConn is in the AAC and not the ACC or B1G is football. It's not academics. It's not geography. It's certainly not basketball.

When further conference expansion seemed likely, we offered an "I hope" and an "Aren't I cute?" case based on geography and potential. We could look at Rutgers' serendipitous spot next to New York, view their "royal road" to the B1G, and pretend Euclid was for suckers. We could delude ourselves all we wanted about how we'd only been in business a decade and already won two conference champoinships, been to a big time bowl, emerged victorious from South Bend but the cold hard fact is, in football, we're nothing special.

What's worse, since Edsall, our "nothing special" has been stuck in reverse. I'm not here to lionize Randy. He's gone and I couldn't care less except for the fact that any potential-based case we might have advanced is being frittered away. Consecutive giant steps backward on the field contributed to one humongous step backward in who we now associate with.

In reality, a re-alignment hiatus with us on the outside looking in is probably for the best. Getting chauffered to cushy new digs in a better neighborhood would send a message that we are somehow entitled to something. We aren't; and an attitude that we are won't encourage us to expend the level of energy and resources over time that will position us to succeed in another (better) conference not just exist there. In all honesty, I'm not convinced we are going to "dominate" the AAC in football. Upper half, sure, but top dog? That I question. Cincy...USF...UCF... Where's the evidence they'll be our bitches?

Toward the end of the movie Rudy, Dan Devine inspires the troops with a stern "No excuses, do the work!" Susan? Warde? Paul? Which is it going to be? Excuses or the work?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I stopped reading at the second paragraph when you said it wasn't geography.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I stopped reading at the second paragraph when you said it wasn't geography.

Good for you.

 

[pj]

In reality, a re-alignment hiatus with us on the outside looking in is probably for the best. Getting chauffered to cushy new digs in a better neighborhood would send a message that we are somehow entitled to something. We aren't ...

Couldn't disagree more. Life is challenging enough to go through without any luck. Getting chauffeured to cushy digs in a high-class neighborhood would be for the best.

I'm not convinced we are going to "dominate" the AAC in football. Upper half, sure, but top dog? That I question. Cincy...USF...UCF... Where's the evidence they'll be our bitches?

I agree. Cincy, USF, UCF, Houston all will be our football equals to start, and Tulsa and SMU have potential to join that group. Nevertheless if we could find a top coach, we would have the potential to shine in that league.

 

[ZooCougar]

It's better to be lucky than good.

Sincerely,

Rutgers University

 

[formerlurker]

It's better to be lucky than good.

Sincerely,

Rutgers University

I hate Rutgirls more than anyone but it wasn't all luck. I drive through NJ regularly and I see 100+ R decals for every UConn sticker I see bacxk home. New Jersey bought in, Connecticut hasn't. Blame who you will.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Couldn't disagree more. Life is challenging enough to go through without any luck. Getting chauffeured to cushy digs in a high-class neighborhood would be for the best.

I didn't mean to imply that we should have no luck at all, just the average amount. Here's a couple of conversations I'd like to see happen.

Susan: Warde, we need to own this new conference in football. Put together a two-year plan for how we do that. We'll meet next week.

Warde: Paul, just heard from Susan. We need to win ten games this year. Put together a plan for how we get those wins. We'll meet on Tuesday to go over the plan. I'll be working on your severence package in just case.

 

[weyuo]

I didn't mean to imply that we should have no luck at all, just the average amount. Here's a couple of conversations I'd like to see happen.

Susan: Warde, we need to own this new conference in football. Put together a two-year plan for how we do that. We'll meet next week.

Warde: Paul, just heard from Susan. We need to win ten games this year. Put together a plan for how we get those wins. We'll meet on Tuesday to go over the plan. I'll be working on your severence package in just case.

I'm sure that has already been explained. Win or get the boot. Everyone, especially Coach P realizes that football is the biggest reason UConn did not make the ACC or B1G cut. This year we'll see what happens. If P succeeds then great, if not then time to make a change. Simple as that and he knows that better than anyone.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I'm sure that has already been explained. Win or get the boot. Everyone, especially Coach P realizes that football is the biggest reason UConn did not make the ACC or B1G cut. This year we'll see what happens. If P succeeds then great, if not then time to make a change. Simple as that and he knows that better than anyone.

If P succeeds, great. If I were Warde, though, the search committee would already be having regular meetings.

 

[SubbaBub]

If P succeeds, great. If I were Warde, though, the search committee would already be having regular meetings.

If Warde doesn't already have a wish list then he isn't doing his job. The coaching market is the one thing he should be "monitoring."

 

[miko33]

The future will be fine. Even if FB is mediocre from here on out, it's the fun in supporting the school that matters.

 

[John Greene]

I didn't mean to imply that we should have no luck at all, just the average amount. Here's a couple of conversations I'd like to see happen.

Susan: Warde, we need to own this new conference in football. Put together a two-year plan for how we do that. We'll meet next week.

Warde: Paul, just heard from Susan. We need to win ten games this year. Put together a plan for how we get those wins. We'll meet on Tuesday to go over the plan. I'll be working on your severence package in just case.

The only possible responses given your stated two year time frame:

P to Warde: DUH?

Warde to Susan: Give me $15 million a year so that I can hire Saban and the rest of the Bama staff.

 

[Afroabe224]

The future will be fine. Even if FB is mediocre from here on out, it's the fun in supporting the school that matters.

I could be ok with being mediocre if we were in a power conference. But, until we're making the same amount of $$$ as an Indiana, Iowa State or Wake I'd say our FB production/perception is pretty damn important.

 

[ZooCougar]

I hate Rutgirls more than anyone but it wasn't all luck. I drive through NJ regularly and I see 100+ R decals for every UConn sticker I see bacxk home. New Jersey bought in, Connecticut hasn't. Blame who you will.

Well, I don't live in CT, but every time I come home, I am struck by how much I see different UConn stuff popping up all over the place.

 

[Chin Diesel]

It's better to be lucky than good.

Sincerely,

My sexual history

Fixed it.

 

[ZooCougar]

Fixed it.

Full of win this one.

 

[zls44]

I hate Rutgirls more than anyone but it wasn't all luck. I drive through NJ regularly and I see 100+ R decals for every UConn sticker I see bacxk home. New Jersey bought in, Connecticut hasn't. Blame who you will.

Its funny because the RU fans always complain about the lack of state support they get and explicitly point to UConn as a counter example.

BUT TEH RU STICKERZ

 

[HuskyHawk]

The OP misses the point about what exactly UConn lacks with regard to football. It isn't a lack of winning records, conference championships, signature victories or bowl games in the last decade. It sure as hell isn't a lack of drafted players, as we've over-achieved on that count. It's a lack of history. Funny thing about history, it takes time to make it.

Frank the Tank explained the B1G mindset perfectly, when he described the BTN showing old classic games from the 60's and 70's featuring Nebraska and Penn State, who weren't even in the league then. The league glories in the histories of its programs. The mistake, if UConn made one, was not jumping to D1 25 or 30 years ago. Edsall vs PP is a pointless smokescreen. Neither of them could do anything that would have changed the result.

So yes, we need to keep building history, building a football identity. The very first thing I'd do with that task is make sure that when UConn is on the field, everybody knows it is UConn and not some other school. Hence the unique and unprecedented helments. Brilliant and exactly what is needed. OOC scheduling is critical, so that fans in the big conferences get that exposure to UConn as a football team. Memories are history, and we need to make memories. That means playing memorable games in an exciting and memorable way. I hope Weist is here to help with that.

Do you know what my oldest UConn football memory is? Brent Musberger cutting away from a game I was watching, to go to Memorial Stadium in Storrs, where the opposing coach tripped one of our players (I think on a long return down the sideline). We need to come up with some magic. SportsCenter moments are as valuable as anything else at this point.

 

[UConn07]

The King of Egypt grew increasingly frustrated as he struggled to master mathematics. Vexed, he demanded his tutor provide a less arduous path. "There is no royal road to geometry," Euclid told Ptolemy.

The reason UConn is in the AAC and not the ACC or B1G is football. It's not academics. It's not geography. It's certainly not basketball.

When further conference expansion seemed likely, we offered an "I hope" and an "Aren't I cute?" case based on geography and potential. We could look at Rutgers' serendipitous spot next to New York, view their "royal road" to the B1G, and pretend Euclid was for suckers. We could delude ourselves all we wanted about how we'd only been in business a decade and already won two conference champoinships, been to a big time bowl, emerged victorious from South Bend but the cold hard fact is, in football, we're nothing special.

What's worse, since Edsall, our "nothing special" has been stuck in reverse. I'm not here to lionize Randy. He's gone and I couldn't care less except for the fact that any potential-based case we might have advanced is being frittered away. Consecutive giant steps backward on the field contributed to one humongous step backward in who we now associate with.

In reality, a re-alignment hiatus with us on the outside looking in is probably for the best. Getting chauffered to cushy new digs in a better neighborhood would send a message that we are somehow entitled to something. We aren't; and an attitude that we are won't encourage us to expend the level of energy and resources over time that will position us to succeed in another (better) conference not just exist there. In all honesty, I'm not convinced we are going to "dominate" the AAC in football. Upper half, sure, but top dog? That I question. Cincy...USF...UCF... Where's the evidence they'll be our bitches?

Toward the end of the movie Rudy, Dan Devine inspires the troops with a stern "No excuses, do the work!" Susan? Warde? Paul? Which is it going to be? Excuses or the work?

Another 5 NFL draft picks, but yea our football program sucks. We keep pushing talent to the league unlike any other big east school, yet UConn is terrible at football. You're an idiot. People in the state don't realize how good this past years team was, they just lost some tough games and got killed by the injury bug. But yes, CUT THE PROGRAM!

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Another 5 NFL draft picks, but yea our football program sucks. We keep pushing talent to the league unlike any other big east school, yet UConn is terrible at football. You're an idiot. People in the state don't realize how good this past years team was, they just lost some tough games and got killed by the injury bug. But yes, CUT THE PROGRAM!

Can you tell me how your response relates to my original post? Perhaps you're understandably just letting off steam. But of you have a gripe with what I wrote you'll need to be a little clearer.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think we should just cut the Gordian knot. Fire Pasqualoni and spend on a first rate head coach and staff. It's more attainable than expansion and it will actually translate into on field success.

 

[CL82]

I hate Rutgirls more than anyone but it wasn't all luck. I drive through NJ regularly and I see 100+ R decals for every UConn sticker I see bacxk home. New Jersey bought in, Connecticut hasn't. Blame who you will.

You must be driving through New Brunswick, and even then I would be surprised. I drive through NJ pretty regularly myself, since I live there. That level of support just isn't the case. I am in Connecticut a lot. The UConn gear is everywhere. For what it's worth, pretty much anywhere I travel, I've seen UConn gear. 11 basketball NCs will do that.

 

[CL82]

I think we should just cut the Gordian knot. Fire Pasqualoni and spend on a first rate head coach and staff. It's more attainable than expansion and it will actually translate into on field success.

No point in doing it now. After the season is soon enough. My secret fear is we will have just enough success to extend his contract and then we don't see another bowl game and spent 5 or 6 years in the wilderness.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I think we should just cut the Gordian knot. Fire Pasqualoni and spend on a first rate head coach and staff. It's more attainable than expansion and it will actually translate into on field success.

That's what I'd call doing the work...doing the job...however you want to couch it. Spending money, for whatever purpose, may not seem like work but that's not what's required. Someone, somewhere must articulate a desirable vision. A clear, convincing, compelling case for that vision must be made. A workable plan must be created to execute the goals of the case. Only then will money be available. If there are insufficient funds to execute the plan and acieve the goals, the vision must be modified or abandoned.

What are the university's goals for the football program? Anybody know? Seriously. Are they written down somewhere? Is it simply to field a team? Are there performance expectations beyond showing up on game day? Are we content to compete at an Indiana level? If so, I'd like to know so I can modify my own expectations.

 

[GopherHawk]

Ask the B1G for $2 million per year to have two games per year with the conference. Go for the Indiana's, Minnesota's, Purdue's, Iowa's, Maryland's of the world in home and home series. The reason you want to schedule those teams is the games most likely will be on BTN. Two UCONN games per year will help interest in the DMA. UCONN gets more $$$$'s. Plays schools you should be able to compete with. Helps your OOC schedule. There are 5 or 6 teams you could put on the schedule so there is no "burn out" on a specific team.

Bottom line you get more money, more exposure and some decent teams play at UCONN.