Future of the athletic department.

[nelsonmuntz]

I think college athletics is about to go through a major upheaval, and I do not follow it closely enough anymore to have a really strong opinion on what happens next. Basketball coaches are getting arrested by the FBI, and football is turning its athletes into sociopaths. The economic model is under a ton of pressure, and the potential elimination of the SALT deduction on personal taxes will devastate the funding for public education.

Who wants to invest millions of dollars in losses into that situation?

 

[RSTuthill]

Well, the simple fact of the matter is that RE2.0 will get three or four more years to turn it around and then a decision will be made. If the program stays at 3-4 wins per year, it is hard to see how UConn can tolerate the financial drain given state finances. What are they gonna do, eliminate the School of Engineering in an aerospace state to save football? I doubt it.

But we are still in the early days of the RE2.0 era. Gotta think that despite whatever the Vegas line is we will beat Cincinnati. When that happens the mood here will lighten and we will be talking about building on a four win season to become bowl eligible next year despite the strength of schedule.

 

[whaler11]

I think college athletics is about to go through a major upheaval, and I do not follow it closely enough anymore to have a really strong opinion on what happens next. Basketball coaches are getting arrested by the FBI, and football is turning its athletes into sociopaths. The economic model is under a ton of pressure, and the potential elimination of the SALT deduction on personal taxes will devastate the funding for public education.

Who wants to invest millions of dollars in losses into that situation?

Also donations to athletic departments potentially won’t be tax deductible anymore. That has the schools in a panic.

 

[UConnDan97]

Are you really comparing any game we play the "The Game", basically one of the oldest, strongest rivalry games in football? Of course they get 50k for that, the series is something like 150 years old. Our oldest rivalry is 5 years or something.

Butch, is that you??

What I'm saying is that the Yale team has been crap for quite some time, and all of the sudden, a good year has them doubling their home attendance. It will be interesting to see what happens from there if they continue to win.

What we ABSOLUTELY know about UConn is that the fans will be there if we win. Hell, we had 25k show up this year for friggin' Tulsa while we were 2-4 and have suffered 6 years of crap football. Tulsa, with whom we have a rivalry spanning....ONE YEAR! Folks care about UConn. It's why we dominate the Sports Section of every newspaper in the state. And if we have one winning season, the stadium will be back to 35k and the interest and excitement will be there....

 

[RSTuthill]

And if we have one winning season, the stadium will be back to 35k and the interest and excitement will be there....

I have said many times that winning solves everything. Full stop. The debate about attendance is how much winning will be necessary. If they squeak to 6-6 at the very end of the year next year, I doubt that will do a whole lot. If they start a season 5-0, that will go a long long way to solving the problem.

 

[uconntailgater]

Having our football team achieve 8-9 wins a season and the Men's basketball team return to the top 25 will help our athletic department's profile when the next conference realignment happens. If we get left out of the next realignment, then we would have to decide what to do with the football program.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I think Ollie has at least got his hands back on the steering wheel and is going to avoid the iceberg.

OT vs. 1-4 Columbia. The iceberg has been struck.

 

[mikedog10]

I've said it before and I'll say it again; we are one successful football season away from changing the entire perspective. And by successful, I'm talking 8-4 or 9-3.

8-4 or 9-3? I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore.

Can't wait to see your pre-season prediction for next year...

 

[UConnDan97]

8-4 or 9-3? I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore.

Can't wait to see your pre-season prediction for next year...

Oh, I'm not saying that record is my prediction. No way. I have standards to uphold!

But in the event that something as catastrophic as 8-4 were to happen to this team, I would still say that the fans would return...

 

[uconntailgater]

I think this year is going to be a make or break year for Kevin Ollie. If the Men don't qualify for the NCAA tournament then AD David Benedict has a big decision to make.

 

[noeynox]

The conference situation has not affected our performance or at least been the cause of it. Our performance in the 2 major sports when combined with our conference situation has absolutely tanked attendance.

 

[kemba]

How does anything actually change if we have a winning season? What are we one good season away from? What did Temple get when they had their good season?

We have shown that if you put an above average product out here people will support it. Temple has not shown that kind of support.

 

[HawkHusky]

Shut down all the Men's Athletic Programs.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Better option:

Drop Football, Men's and Women's Basketball, hell any sport that involves scoring or timing.

Immediately file lawsuits against Misters Edsall, Auriemma, Ollie, and Calhoun. Have so-called President Herbst arrested and tried for war crimes. Sell the campus in Storrs on e-bay, of course we keep the Dairy Bar and Gampel. Turn each extension campus into sites for BC, Rutgers, and Syracuse......no scratch that. Not Syracuse beccause F Syracuse. Give one to PC because they are so scrappy. They can have Avery Point.

We keep Gampel and turn it into the Center for the Advancement of Sexual Harassment Techniques and Theories. Chancellor Dr. Cosby will have his pick of the creme de la creme of recently unemployed, but highly experienced, instructors.

Can this be added as a 5th option on the poll.

Option 6 could be dropping sports and turning the University into a ranch specializing in animal husbandry for wayward unicorns and pixie fairies.....not with each other....that would be weird.

 

[Exit 4]

Staying in the AAC through at least 2025 when the B12's fate will be decided.