I can see the future

[formerlurker]

I'm in the school of thought that winning will save our souls. But I'm also savy enough to know that there are many factors involved that don't bode well for us accomplishing that.

These conference realignment decisions are being made by one thing and one thing only. Cash money.

I personally care about academics as much as athletics but the cash cow driving the bus is BCS Football. I wouldn't trade a single player on our roster but it's not about them.

We need to become "Big Time" to become attractive. In my opinion it breaks down like this:

Modern coaching philosophy = exciting football = recruit interest = high level signed LOI's = winning/fan interest= bowl game wins = built tradition = full stadium before kickoff and final whistle= bigger stadium + revenue = "Big Time".

This isn't a PP bashing post, just telling it like it is. Gotta evolve to keep up and our current staff/administration hasn't done that.

PP's last great season was 2001 and he hasn't changed his methods. Any BY'er still using dial up? Because that's a pretty good comparison.

I'll never lose faith because I know what UConn offers. But, I've become resolved to the fact that it's gonna be a while before we sniff the promised land. Huge fish, small pond is our extended future my friends.

Buy in and hunker down or get out of my foxhole.

 

[outsidethebox]

We have already proven we belong. Until the Maryland situation is resolved we have to stop playing the blame game or the why us game. 70 seems to be the magical number and I find it hard to see us left out!

 

[formerlurker]

I like where your head's at but if we'd "already proven we belong" we'd currently be belonging.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I like where your head's at but if we'd "already proven we belong" we'd currently be belonging.

Proving you belong and anyone caring are two differs things

 

[Fishy]

Oh, please.

Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Rutgers...someone point out their big-timeyness for me because I'm having trouble seeing it.

Gosh, I hope someday we can get to the point where we can beat programs like that and take a place next to the Wake Forests, Dukes and North Carolinas of the world. If only we had a road map to that kind of dominance.

Blech.

 

[formerlurker]

Oh, please.

Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Rutgers...someone point out their big-timeyness for me because I'm having trouble seeing it.

Gosh, I hope someday we can get to the point where we can beat programs like that and take a place next to the Wake Forests, Dukes and North Carolinas of the world. If only we had a road map to that kind of dominance.

Blech.

You believe the you post, huh?

You may have lots of "likes" but if we're allowed to speak openly here without being banned, you really don't have a clue.

If you can't see what makes SU, Pitt, Maryland and Rutgirls "big time", I'll direct you to their deposit slips and affiliations. Add the fact that they are already 5 steps ahead of us in history, infrastructure and image and it appears you're more blind than most of your posts led me to believe.

"Gosh, I hope someday we can get to the point where we can beat programs like that and take a place next to the Wake Forests, Dukes and North Carolinas of the world."

We haven't even found a way to "take a place" along side the bottom feeders of the Big 4 so far. You can hope and preach all you want but everyone here would jump at the chance to sit at the kid's table with WF, Dook and NC as we plot our course to the adult table.

I don't doubt you're a football fan but something tells me the only helmet you've worn is via doctor's orders.

 

[CAHUSKY]

You believe the you post, huh?

You may have lots of "likes" but if we're allowed to speak openly here without being banned, you really don't have a clue.

If you can't see what makes SU, Pitt, Maryland and Rutgirls "big time", I'll direct you to their deposit slips and affiliations. Add the fact that they are already 5 steps ahead of us in history, infrastructure and image and it appears you're more blind than most of your posts led me to believe.

"Gosh, I hope someday we can get to the point where we can beat programs like that and take a place next to the Wake Forests, Dukes and North Carolinas of the world."

We haven't even found a way to "take a place" along side the bottom feeders of the Big 4 so far. You can hope and preach all you want but everyone here would jump at the chance to sit at the kid's table with WF, Dook and NC as we plot our course to the adult table.

I don't doubt you're a football fan but something tells me the only helmet you've worn is via doctor's orders.

Are you suggesting we haven't absolutely dominated the majority of the aforementioned schools in basketball and been equal to them in football? Clearly we have. What criteria are you using for "big boy"? If being selected by the ACC or big10 is it I guess you're right but if proving we belong by whipsawing that competitive set on the field of play is our measure then clearly we are

 

[formerlurker]

Are you suggesting we haven't absolutely dominated the majority of the aforementioned schools in basketball and been equal to them in football? Clearly we have. What criteria are you using for "big boy"? If being selected by the ACC or big10 is it I guess you're right but if proving we belong by whipsawing that competitive set on the field of play is our measure then clearly we are

CA, my criteria for "Big Time" is 100% based on conference affiliation and payout.

The fact that UConn is an elite academic and athletic institution makes all of this even harder to understand. It's obvious FB is the lead dog in this day and age. Our football program isn't "sexy" enough right now. AAU's a factor but a boring football team and small yet loyal fanbase are what's holding us back.

I think that what muddies the water on The Boneyard is that we all bleed Blue and that makes it hard for some of us to admit that we're simply a very good, mid-major football program right now.

 

[CAHUSKY]

CA, my criteria for "Big Time" is 100% based on conference affiliation and payout.

The fact that UConn is an elite academic and athletic institution makes all of this even harder to understand. It's obvious FB is the lead dog in this day and age. Our football program isn't "sexy" enough right now. AAU's a factor but a boring football team and small yet loyal fanbase are what's holding us back.

I think that what muddies the water on The Boneyard is that we all bleed Blue and that makes it hard for some of us to admit that we're simply a very good, mid-major football program right now.

Ok. We're having two conversations then. One is, do we belong? To which the answer is clearly yes. The second is, we don't belong until we get an invite. Ok, I guess that's true.

 

[formerlurker]

Ok. We're having two conversations then. One is, do we belong? To which the answer is clearly yes. The second is, we don't belong until we get an invite. Ok, I guess that's true.

We most certainly belong because of performance. And we belong at the top.

But as far as perception and revenue generation are concerned we're where we are.

 

[mattp]

Obviously we'd all rather be in a better conference, but conference affiliation isn't the be-all end-all like some of you are making it. Maryland and Rutgers are in the B1G, and they have a great home schedule coming up, but they'll still suck like they always did. How many 4 and 5 win seasons do you think it'll take for the new found Rutgers faithful to lose interest? Look at a team like West Virginia, last year they'd have been the best team in the BE and likely playing in a BCS Bowl, instead they lose a game nobody gives a crap about to the #3-4 Big East team.

A weak BE greatly benefit WVU, Rutgers, and UConn over the last decade. We got to be a .500 BCS team and play in the Fiesta Bowl and Rutgers got to improve from a 1-2 win team to a consistent bowl team. WVU went from a good program to a perennial BCS Bowl powerhouse. Some times its good to be a big fish in a little pond. Like I said we'd all rather be in the B1G, but this isn't permanent and we might as well make the best of it.

 

[Dooley]

Needless to say, anything short of a big bowl appearance in 2013 will be devastating for our CR chances. I'd say the only way of bailing out the flood waters sinking the USS Connecticut after a third consecutive season sans bowl would be to open up the wallets and buy our way out (i.e. - hire a big name coach and pay that man his money).

 

[Husky1964]

Just win baby and the rest will take care of itself!!!!

 

[Carl Spackler]

Somewhere, a while back, somebody wrote a pretty good 12 step cycle or something as to the stages of recovery in conference alignment, or stages of grief, or something. Entertaining. This conversation certainly fits the step by step program.

THe most important thing to being able to compete at any level of competition you want to be at, is recruiting. THe second most important thing is being able to schedule the level of competition you want on the playing surface. Our current conference situation makes both harder than they would be, as compared to being in a different conference structure. Our path to success is simply harder than others, and I'm not going to complain about it. Just get it done.

 

[Doggie Style]

Are you suggesting we haven't absolutely dominated the majority of the aforementioned schools in basketball and been equal to them in football? Clearly we have. What criteria are you using for "big boy"? If being selected by the ACC or big10 is it I guess you're right but if proving we belong by whipsawing that competitive set on the field of play is our measure then clearly we are

Except, UNC has pretty much made us their B*tch on all levels, to include a beat down they threw on us in our NC year of '04 at the Hartford Civic Center. Overall record is 1-5 against the Tar Heels in hoops. We all know what our football record is.....

 

[CAHUSKY]

Except, UNC has pretty much made us their B*tch on all levels, to include a beat down they threw on us in our NC year of '04 at the Hartford Civic Center. Overall record is 1-5 against the Tar Heels in hoops. We all know what our football record is.....

which is why i said "the majority of the aforementioned schools"

 

[Carl Spackler]

Except, UNC has pretty much made us their B*tch on all levels, to include a beat down they threw on us in our NC year of '04 at the Hartford Civic Center. Overall record is 1-5 against the Tar Heels in hoops. We all know what our football record is.....

I remember Natrone Means was a pretty big load to bring down. Carolina is one of those University athletic departments that we just haven't had enough opportunity, and they know they got lucky to win both ends of the home and home recently, and they aren't rushing to schedule us in teh future for those easy, bend over bitch, wins. So I don't agree. Basketball? I don't know.

 

[nimzovich]

Except, UNC has pretty much made us their B*tch on all levels, to include a beat down they threw on us in our NC year of '04 at the Hartford Civic Center. Overall record is 1-5 against the Tar Heels in hoops. We all know what our football record is.....

funny how i have no recollection of that beatdown. maybe cause it never happened? all i can find in the recordbook is is UNC 86 UConn 83 on 1/17/04, AT Chapel Hill when UNC won at home with 6 seconds to go
http://articles.courant.com/2004-01..._taliek-brown-huskies-uconn-coach-jim-calhoun

as a matter of fact, while it is true that UNC leads 5-1 alltime, and has edged UConn in close games played in North Carolina 3 times in the 21st century (68-65, 86-83, 77-70), the only time UConn hosted Carolina, it was UConn 86-54 in Gampel in 2002.......now that was a beatdown

 

[Carl Spackler]

We're 0-3 against UNC on this message board.

UNC 48 UCONN 21 9/15/1990 @ Chapel Hill (i'm getting old)

UNC 38 UCONN 12 10/4/2008 @ Chapel Hill (they shut the lights out, and we couldn't block for punts)

UNC 12 UCONN 10 9/12/2009 Rentschler Field (alarmingly hosed by the ACC officials that day)


I'd love to get UNC on the schedule again, I'm not sure if they're willing to play us.

 

[huskymedic]

We're 0-3 against UNC on this message board.

UNC 48 UCONN 21 9/15/1990 @ Chapel Hill (i'm getting old)

UNC 38 UCONN 12 10/4/2008 @ Chapel Hill (they shut the lights out, and we couldn't block for punts) Win vacated by NCAA

UNC 12 UCONN 10 9/12/2009 Rentschler Field (alarmingly hosed by the ACC officials that day) Win vacated by NCAA

I'd love to get UNC on the schedule again, I'm not sure if they're willing to play us.

 

[Doggie Style]

I remember Natrone Means was a pretty big load to bring down. Carolina is one of those University athletic departments that we just haven't had enough opportunity, and they know they got lucky to win both ends of the home and home recently, and they aren't rushing to schedule us in teh future for those easy, bend over bitch, wins. So I don't agree. Basketball? I don't know.

They got lucky @ The Rent, there's no doubt about that. We were absolutely manhandled @ Chapel Hill.

 

[Doggie Style]

funny how i have no recollection of that beatdown. maybe cause it never happened? all i can find in the recordbook is is UNC 86 UConn 83 on 1/17/04, AT Chapel Hill when UNC won at home with 6 seconds to go
http://articles.courant.com/2004-01..._taliek-brown-huskies-uconn-coach-jim-calhoun

as a matter of fact, while it is true that UNC leads 5-1 alltime, and has edged UConn in close games played in North Carolina 3 times in the 21st century (68-65, 86-83, 77-70), the only time UConn hosted Carolina, it was UConn 86-54 in Gampel in 2002.......now that was a beatdown

I'm not going by the score in 2004, it was not as close as the score would dictate. More importantly, that UNC team was arguably the weakest team in a 10 year period, which makes the loss even worse IMO. We should of run them off the court with that '04 team especially at home, and we didn't even come close! We were lucky the score made it seem that way!