Independent Scheduling

[Platt81]

Cincinnati, SMU, Memphis, and Navy are not average. Currently 3 top 25 teams, and one in the top 30. The 2020 schedule has 1 top 30 team - #27 UVA, with 5 fringe FBS / FCS schools. The UConn 2020 schedule is not composed of average teams. It is composed of crap teams.

I couldn’t care less about playing ranked teams I barely care about. Playing lesser P5 teams gives more exposure than ranked AAC teams. Not to mention a road game at West Point trumps any road trip we’ve had in years.
On top of that, playing lesser teams gives the program a chance to get some W’s, more wins creates more interest by the common fan, regardless of who those wins come against. It’s ironic that this schedule to you is a negative for the program while not realizing if we had a schedule that passed your “eye” test next year with more attractive names it would be more detrimental to the program when we end up with one win.

 

[FroginCT]

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army. The rest of the schedule is a worse. There's a reasonable chance UConn plays zero ranked teams.

It's not clear to me why folks think ECU and SMU are bad games but Liberty, ODU, MTSU, are "better". They are not.

 

[SubbaBub]

Cincinnati, SMU, Memphis, and Navy are not average. Currently 3 top 25 teams, and one in the top 30. The 2020 schedule has 1 top 30 team - #27 UVA, with 5 fringe FBS / FCS schools. The UConn 2020 schedule is not composed of average teams. It is composed of crap teams.

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army. The rest of the schedule is a worse. There's a reasonable chance UConn plays zero ranked teams.

It's not clear to me why folks think ECU and SMU are bad games but Liberty, ODU, MTSU, are "better". They are not.

You clearly don't have clue. No one cared about SMU, Memphis, or Navy in spite of them having a good year.

We play Army, same a Navy most years. We play 5 P5 opponents for an opportunity to become relevant again. That wasn't happening in the AAC unless you go undefeated for three years. (UCF did it for 2 and got zip).

The other games are the other games, just as they've always been.

Thank you for your interest in UConn Football.

 

[FroginCT]

The answer to winning more games isn't paying a worse schedule. It's paying more for coaches and investing in faciltiies. I'd like to see a list of programs that went down in conference affliation and were better 5 years later.

 

[SubbaBub]

The answer to winning more games isn't paying a worse schedule. It's paying more for coaches and investing in faciltiies. I'd like to see a list of programs that went down in conference affliation and were better 5 years later.

Which wasn't coming from the AAC deal where more than half the games embargoed on ESPN3. Leave this to people who know better than you. UConn is controlling its own destiny to the extent that they can. There was no future in the AAC for either FB or the rest of the AD.

 

[Platt81]

The answer to winning more games isn't paying a worse schedule. It's paying more for coaches and investing in faciltiies. I'd like to see a list of programs that went down in conference affliation and were better 5 years later.

For next year it is the formula. Gives the kids experience and more importantly confidence if they can hang with and beat teams.

No one is saying this will be the template schedule for every season going forward, but for being as last minute as it was the fact they aren’t playing 3 FCS teams is nothing short of a miracle.

 

[AndOne]

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army. The rest of the schedule is a worse. There's a reasonable chance UConn plays zero ranked teams.

It's not clear to me why folks think ECU and SMU are bad games but Liberty, ODU, MTSU, are "better". They are not.

The road schedule looks good with games against competitive P5 teams. The home schedule looks horrible. Probably the worst since 2002. But it'll provide an opportunity to get six wins. If Randy is still around, it would be surprising if season tickets increased next year.

 

[Purple Stein]

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army.

LOL. Walk me through who you think the 3 P5 teams on the schedule are.

 

[ASweet3781]

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army. The rest of the schedule is a worse. There's a reasonable chance UConn plays zero ranked teams.

It's not clear to me why folks think ECU and SMU are bad games but Liberty, ODU, MTSU, are "better". They are not.

You are absolutely clueless.

Oh no!

UConn may play ZERO ranked teams!

Darn it. Instead of losing 56-10 or 48-3 maybe we...gasp...actually win some games?

 

[Dooooooomed]

Hmmmm.... "I am not trolling" sounds like something a troll would say.

 

[Husky25]

How do you dislike on a tablet?

 

[Pudge]

I’m watching USF v UCF. It’s damn good football. They’re gonna get less than $7m for the next 13 years including FB & BB etc. and for UCONN, that meant our WBB.

I don’t care whether you want to dismiss ODU or Middle Tennessee, we needed to reenergize our fan base. That starts with hoop. And $. It’s a GREAT schedule considering the obstacles. The Team will be challenged. And ... you’re wrong on one front: UMass is more important to us building football than playing Tulane or Tulsa or Houston could ever be.

 

[uconnbill]

I am not trolling. IMO it's a big step backwards in quality and name reconition. There's 1 more P5 school (and not a big football name in UVA), and one interesting matchup with Army. The rest of the schedule is a worse. There's a reasonable chance UConn plays zero ranked teams.

It's not clear to me why folks think ECU and SMU are bad games but Liberty, ODU, MTSU, are "better". They are not.

Getting eyes in North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Ole Miss and playing Army. None of the AAC schools have the same amount of viewers as those schools about especially UNC, UV, Ole Miss and Army.
All of those teams have bigger viewing bases and every area but Mississippi is an area UConn recruits in.

 

[weyuo]

I was originally against this move but the schedule isn't as odorous as I thought it would be. Only one FCS school on the schedule was a minor miracle so good job admin Dave. The only reservation I have about independence is the bowl chances. That's the goal of every Div 1 program. Making a bowl game. That's how everyone gauges the success of their season. Did we make it to a bowl game?

I believe the jury will be out on this move till the money gets counted. Will UConn make more combined than they would have by staying in the AAC? What does the future hold for both the AAC and the Big East TV revenue wise? You can't just look a couple years up the road. Will the San Jose St, Middle Tenn St, Liberty, Maine and ODU games eventually fade away being replaced by teams more like BYU, Notre Dame, MAC, MW and AAC?

As much as some could care less about playing AAC teams I could care even less about playing Creighton, De Paul, Marquette, Xavier and Butler. At least in the AAC you had some cool destinations to road trip to. But the money will do the eventual talking as far as whether this was a good move or not. And I'm not talking about the next few years but the next decade or two.

 

[jayfromfla]

who cares about making a bowl game . the big one we'll never be eligible it ie reserved for a choice of 6-8 of the same teams every year. the other 6 again reserved for the same 16-20 teams plus 1 ONE team not in the chosen leagues. the rest 50% of the remaining schools will get o toilet bowl game and lose $$$ going to it. Hardly worth the effort

 

[gampelcrazies]

As much as some could care less about playing AAC teams I could care even less about playing Creighton, De Paul, Marquette, Xavier and Butler. At least in the AAC you had some cool destinations to road trip to.

I don’t understand why people keep saying this. Those schools you listed are good programs that people care about. DePaul is the weakest but they are having a good season so far and can be turning things around.

If you think ECU, Tulane, Tulsa, USF are the same as Creighton, Xavier, DePaul, Butler then you don’t pay attention to college basketball.

 

[ScottVib]

I don’t understand why people keep saying this. Those schools you listed are good programs that people care about. DePaul is the weakest but they are having a good season so far and can be turning things around.

If you think ECU, Tulane, Tulsa, USF are the same as Creighton, Xavier, DePaul, Butler then you don’t pay attention to college basketball.

I mean by the same token, if you think MTSU, San Jose St., Liberty, and ODU are the same as Memphis, Houston, UCF, and Cincy then you don't pay attention to college football.

Basketball fans hated the move to the American and blamed it for the teams downturn (I'd argue it was more an Ollie problem than a conference problem), similarly football fans (how few remain) hate the move to the Big East as it appears to clearly de-emphasize football.

In the end it is what it is.. both conferences are in the second tier revenue-wise to the major players. The American signed a TV deal that was too long. The conference didn't inspire some major donors on the hoops side. Ultimately the proof will be in the pudding, if football can sustain at the FBS-level and basketball thrives, with profit (not necessarily revenue) eclipsing the schools in the American than it's a plus move; and will probably inspire a number of copy-cats, ultimately allowing for a better football scheduling and basketball conferences that make more sense.

 

[weyuo]

who cares about making a bowl game . the big one we'll never be eligible it ie reserved for a choice of 6-8 of the same teams every year. the other 6 again reserved for the same 16-20 teams plus 1 ONE team not in the chosen leagues. the rest 50% of the remaining schools will get o toilet bowl game and lose $$$ going to it. Hardly worth the effort

You may not care about a bowl game but trust me the players and recruits care very much. It's they're season not yours. And if you notice the teams going to bowl games are the ones getting the recruits worth getting, not the leftovers and overlooked.

 

[gampelcrazies]

I mean by the same token, if you think MTSU, San Jose St., Liberty, and ODU are the same as Memphis, Houston, UCF, and Cincy then you don't pay attention to college football.

Basketball fans hated the move to the American and blamed it for the teams downturn (I'd argue it was more an Ollie problem than a conference problem), similarly football fans (how few remain) hate the move to the Big East as it appears to clearly de-emphasize football.

In the end it is what it is.. both conferences are in the second tier revenue-wise to the major players. The American signed a TV deal that was too long. The conference didn't inspire some major donors on the hoops side. Ultimately the proof will be in the pudding, if football can sustain at the FBS-level and basketball thrives, with profit (not necessarily revenue) eclipsing the schools in the American than it's a plus move; and will probably inspire a number of copy-cats, ultimately allowing for a better football scheduling and basketball conferences that make more sense.

Fair about the football schedule. I would never say it's equal or better than what they have but I've seen people have here.

However, I would blame the AAC for the down fall of this program. Bad hires have set us back in both sports but it's very clear people don't care about the competition in the AAC. Sure the die hards will show up and watch UConn play anyone but the casual/non-diehard fan didn't care. And the TV deal/coverage is garbage.

Whats going to be interesting going forward is how many season tickets they sell for football. Basketball will thrive with the new move but how will they market football? IMO they are going to have to make major changes in prices and give people incentives to buy in.

 

[weyuo]

I don’t understand why people keep saying this. Those schools you listed are good programs that people care about. DePaul is the weakest but they are having a good season so far and can be turning things around.

If you think ECU, Tulane, Tulsa, USF are the same as Creighton, Xavier, DePaul, Butler then you don’t pay attention to college basketball.

Are you going to travel to Nebraska, Wisconsin or Indiana during the winter? I wanted to check out a Houston/UConn game and at the same time visit NASA HQ(in Houston). And thought it would be fun to catch a Dallas Cowboys game and a SMU/UConn contest in the same weekend. Or visit New Orleans and catch a UConn game in the same trip. Or one of the two Florida destinations. Not now. Now we can anticipate visiting such vacation hotbeds as Providence, South Orange, Omaha, Lincoln Park, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

 

[zls44]

Are you going to travel to Nebraska, Wisconsin or Indiana during the winter? I wanted to check out a Houston/UConn game and at the same time visit NASA HQ(in Houston). And thought it would be fun to catch a Dallas Cowboys game and a SMU/UConn contest in the same weekend. Or visit New Orleans and catch a UConn game in the same trip. Or one of the two Florida destinations. Not now. Now we can anticipate visiting such vacation hotbeds as Providence, South Orange, Omaha, Lincoln Park, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

Do you realize 99% of people think this is nuts? Noooooobooodddyyyy caaaaaares about Houston or SMU or Tulsa or Tulane. They don’t matter. They’re decent at football! And nobody, anywhere, cares.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Are you going to travel to Nebraska, Wisconsin or Indiana during the winter? I wanted to check out a Houston/UConn game and at the same time visit NASA HQ(in Houston). And thought it would be fun to catch a Dallas Cowboys game and a SMU/UConn contest in the same weekend. Or visit New Orleans and catch a UConn game in the same trip. Or one of the two Florida destinations. Not now. Now we can anticipate visiting such vacation hotbeds as Providence, South Orange, Omaha, Lincoln Park, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

How come you haven't done it yet then? If they are such great trips why aren't UConn fans making those trips? I've made some of those trips since we've joined the AAC. They aren't as great as they sound.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Fair about the football schedule. I would never say it's equal or better than what they have but I've seen people have here.

However, I would blame the AAC for the down fall of this program. Bad hires have set us back in both sports but it's very clear people don't care about the competition in the AAC. Sure the die hards will show up and watch UConn play anyone but the casual/non-diehard fan didn't care. And the TV deal/coverage is garbage.

Whats going to be interesting going forward is how many season tickets they sell for football. Basketball will thrive with the new move but how will they market football? IMO they are going to have to make major changes in prices and give people incentives to buy in.

The AAC vs. Independent scheduling breaks down to UConn fans not caring about Houston, UCF or most other schools regardless of how good those teams were as compared to regional schools that interest fans.

On basketball side it was apparent coaches and recruits did not find the AAC viable. Same for donors.

 

[kemba]

Ollie was a bigger problem for the basketball program than the conference was. Its not even close.

Still the right move though.

And the road trip point being made, it may be relevant for you personally, but big pictures doesn't matter at all.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Ollie was a bigger problem for the basketball program than the conference was. Its not even close.

Still the right move though.

And the road trip point being made, it may be relevant for you personally, but big pictures doesn't matter at all.

There are only about 20 coaches currently living that have won a men's national championship in basketball, and Ollie is one of them. But he sucks according to you. Got it.

Calhoun would not have been able to keep us nationally competitive in the AAC. Ollie made a lot of mistakes, but the conference was killing our athletic program.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

There are only about 20 coaches currently living that have won a men's national championship in basketball, and Ollie is one of them. But he sucks according to you. Got it.

Calhoun would not have been able to keep us nationally competitive in the AAC. Ollie made a lot of mistakes, but the conference was killing our athletic program.

Ollie was good. The he sucked and torpedoed the program.

 

[Pudge]

FACT IS ....

We were losing our Fanbase in both sports in the AAC; and then not energizing the new stakeholder students, alumns, state residents. The true way to gain some traction back is Hoop. We can win big National games; Play MSG ... feel good about the Huskies.

The AAC is in a rising quality arc while flatlining on the economics until 2032. Do you want to bet what Econ 101 says about this Cartel. The P5 - particularly the SEC &B1G - are gonna be hugely different in 14 years from the AAC.

 

[UConnJim]

When the AAC was formed, I thought it was the best path for UConn to potentially get a P5 bid down the road. Well, it doesn't look like the P5 is expanding anytime soon. And, the fanbase was not energized playing AAC schools. The athletics are pretty good in the AAC, but the fan base does not care. When the AAC signed a low budget media contract, UConn had no choice, they had to leave. I believe UConn will make more money in the Big East and as a football independent and I don't think UConn will be the last school to explore football independence.

 

[weyuo]

Do you realize 99% of people think this is nuts? Noooooobooodddyyyy caaaaaares about Houston or SMU or Tulsa or Tulane. They don’t matter. They’re decent at football! And nobody, anywhere, cares.

Says who? You? You don't speak for anyone but yourself so pipe down about the 99% nonsense. Plenty are upset about UConn football being sold down the river so that the basketball team can play a few more local games.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Says who? You? You don't speak for anyone but yourself so pipe down about the 99% nonsense. Plenty are upset about UConn football being sold down the river so that the basketball team can play a few more local games.

I would say 90% are ok with what’s happening. 10% like yourself don’t have a grip of what’s going on with this program.