Irish fan on why UConn belongs in the ACC

[SAMCRO]

Don't make the assumption that that ACC's old guard reluctantly invited Louisville or was deperate. Louisville sold themselves very well during that week after Maryland left, and the ACC expansion committee had already vetted many schools. I don't expect Louisville's athletic department to come into the ACC and bomb. I think they will do much better in the ACC than Rutgers and Maryland will do where they're going. That's just my personal opinion.

I would very much like to see UConn invited, and I do think the vision is to go past 15 to 16 members and perhaps beyond. I don't think that the Big Ten cut anything off either. The ACC has had Boston College in the Northeast all alone for a decade. Now they have some friends.

Wow, you make it up as you go.

 

[NotreDameJoe]

-We're not getting that much $ out of the 'sweetheart' deal with the ACC although they will get increased attendance that comes with an Irish visit. We are supposedly getting more 'exposure' in the news, the kind that doesn't make you cringe.

-They told us Syracuse is NYC's team damn it.

-No one has hinted Navy, annual opponent since WW2, will be a Shamwow game. You may have misheard that sometimes the game is played at FedEx Field.

 

[Seaa Blue]

Shamwow?

Navy probably is always a "home" game for ND (wherever the game is played), so yeah, I'm going to shut up for a while.

 

[geordi]

I guess UConn really can't play football with the big boys like Notre Dame. It's a good thing we don't play them or we'd really be embarrassed. Probably lose to ND by 50 points or more. Oh, wait! We did play them. Good thing we had home field advantage or the drubbing would have been worse. Oh, yeah! We played them in South Bend...under Touchdown Jesus. What was the score again???

 

[upstater]

I know you're talking academics. Dr. James Ramsey made the pitch. He made sure that all of the ACC Presidents could recite what's on this link:

https://louisville.edu/president/biography

And they overlooked the academic shortcomings of Louisville impressed with the trends Dr. Ramsey explained.

OK, you've convinced me that you're convinced that they were convinced. But I'm also convinced that they don't believe Ramsey at all. Why? Because the one thing these people are relatively expert in is knowing exactly what their peers have to offer, which in this case is not much.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

There is a single point that you miss in all of your dislike of the ACC.

Swofford WAS ready to invite UConn, and, you had ample support, particularly from Tobacco Road, UVA, and, UMD. FSU and Clemson got a case of cold feet about their being left out of any future football playoff. Thats been a fallacy from the get-go, but, just enough folks bought into it to ruin Swofford's plan.

Swofford had the vision, but, he was undermined. That is not his fault.

What was/is Swofford's vision? Seriously. Can you articulate it? Cause I sure can't. His mishmash of moves doesn't appear to have emanated from a common source. He appears little more than a fireman scurrying thither and yon in a vain attempt to stamp out the blazes he himself started. Not intentionally started, mind you, just created the conditions in which they resulted BECAUSE HE HAS NO VISION. And if, as you say, he does have a vision, he's no leader. Either way, IT IS HIS FAULT!

It might surprise you to know that I respect and admire the institutions of the ACC because I was one of you. I know which ACC school had Bear Bryant as its head coach because I went there. I would have been thrilled to be part of a true, Florida to New England, Atlantic Coast Conference. That would have been a vision! Unfortunately, just like we got stuck with Jeff Hathaway, you guys are stuck with John Swofford.

 

[MSNDfan]

OK, you've convinced me that you're convinced that they were convinced. But I'm also convinced that they don't believe Ramsey at all. Why? Because the one thing these people are relatively expert in is knowing exactly what their peers have to offer, which in this case is not much.

That link says that now Louisville's freshmen have an average ACT score of 25.2. That is not the highest in the land, but it is well beyond the community college that a number of people here have called Louisville.

What is the UConn average score?

 

[NotreDameJoe]

What was/is Swofford's vision? Seriously. Can you articulate it? Cause I sure can't. His mishmash of moves doesn't appear to have emanated from a common source.

There's this black orb in his chamber that he talks to for hours. . .

 

[Yawkey Way]

What was/is Swofford's vision? Seriously. .

Whatever Swofford's vision was/ is, I think we should all be able to come together here in agreement that his vision was WAY better than Michael Tranghese's vision ever was in the BE. Tranghese , as a guy marinated in the basketball world, was positively blind in his "vision "as to the changing football landscape in full force all around him in the country. Swofford saw it, and acted upon it. Tranghese, by contrast, had no vision at all beyond his nose.

 

[UConn990411]

What was/is Swofford's vision? Seriously. Can you articulate it? Cause I sure can't.

Swofford's vision is as follows:

"Hmm, I think we need to add another team or two. Hey, [assistant], who in the Big East has the best football ranking right now? How about the second best? Let's send out an invite to both of 'em."

 

[btstimpy]

Swofford's vision is as follows:

"Hmm, I think we need to add another team or two. Hey, [assistant], who in the Big East has the best football ranking right now? How about the second best? Let's send out an invite to both of 'em."

I think it was more organized than this. But you have perfectly sized the Rugers invite. Please look up the ranking.

 

[btstimpy]

Whatever Swofford's vision was/ is, I think we should all be able to come together here in agreement that his vision was WAY better than Michael Tranghese's vision ever was in the BE. Tranghese , as a guy marinated in the basketball world, was positively blind in his "vision "as to the changing football landscape in full force all around him in the country. Swofford saw it, and acted upon it. Tranghese, by contrast, had no vision at all beyond his nose.

I agree. I'm not critical of Swofford for anything. I'd like to invite UConn. Who invites Rutgers to their confernce and expects someone to care? I want the ACC to invite UConn. If UConn accepts, then game on.

 

[Fishy]

Swofford's vision is as follows:

"Hmm, I think we need to add another team or two. Hey, [assistant], who in the Big East has the best football ranking right now? How about the second best? Let's send out an invite to both of 'em."

September, 2011...

ACC receptionist: "Mr. Swofford, Coach K is one line one..."

JS: "Oh, god, Marge. Tell him I'm not in."

ACC receptionist: "I did. Yesterday. He's been on hold for 27 hours. He said he's left 1,243 messages for you and he's not hanging up."

JS: "Ah, screw it...what's Darryl Gross's number?"

November, 2012

JS: "Marge, sorry to call you at home..."

ACC receptionist: "...."

JS: "This will sound awkward, but I can change over at your place before heading to the office?"

ACC receptionist: "Ah, I guess, but why would..."

JS: "Tom Jurich has chained himself to my bathtub."

ACC receptionist: "..."

JS: "Schedule everyone for a conference call...I can't live like this."

 

[NotreDameJoe]

Awesome Fishy.

I can't really formulate a coherent answer to Registered's question. The best I can do is that the ACC is a basketball conference with a football wing. The wing grabs schools that are currently hot commodities. Ga Tech back then and FSU in 1991 were considered very powerful brands at the time. UL was at a high point with Strong.

Of course that still doesn't explain Boston College. No one can.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I think it was more organized than this. But you have perfectly sized the Rugers invite. Please look up the ranking.

Stimpy, come on. You're better than this. Your arguments, in general, are too cogent to be those of a troll. How can you miss this point so widely? Delany's Rutgers move is so strategic it literally makes 90% of the fans on this board wretch. State flagship, check. Strong commitment to academics (as measured by AAU membership), check. Adjacent, eastward footprint, check. Expanding population, check and, sweet Jesus, double check.

Many here seems willing to give the ACC an understandable pass on Louisville. After all, they, arguably, showed up at the "must replace Maryland ... must replace Maryland ..." confab with the best stated set of credentials. The Louisville acquisition can only be understood in the context of the ACC as a conference without a purpose. Louisville to the ACC was as well conceived as West Virginia to the Big12 was (and I'm not here to pick on either L'ville or WVU). Seriously, the chickens should have at least tried to re-attach their heads before pulling those levers.

Louisville's addition despite violating of two of the ACCs most understandable and defensible tenets, the Atlantic coast and strong academics (I, for one, didn't fault you guys for picking up Boston College which fit both), was simply a foreseeable consequence of the ACC having no governing principles. They are impetuous, favor expediency over thoughtfulness. Delany can articulate a vision, why can't Swofford?

 

[upstater]

That link says that now Louisville's freshmen have an average ACT score of 25.2. That is not the highest in the land, but it is well beyond the community college that a number of people here have called Louisville.

What is the UConn average score?

Oh my, you guys can't be serious.

 

[TerryD]

Warde Manuel has gone back and created an artificial football history for UConn in the 50s, 60s and 70s? I'll bet we have a few fake Heisman winners mixed in their too. The old timers remember when they built the first ever dome over Memorial Stadium and expanded capacity to 60,000. Those were the days.

You keep saying that UConn's lack of history is the problem that UConn must address (How precisely does one address a lack of history short of waiting another 30 years?) but that is apparently no longer the case because we are now apparently perfect for the ACC. Was it the history making wins in the last three games of the 2013 season that changed things?

Lastly, I loved learning about the wrongs Michigan did to ND in the early to mid 20th century.....and I thought BC really knew how to hold a grudge for a long time. They are amateurs compared to ND.

Indeed.......

 

[Yawkey Way]

I

I agree. I'm not critical of Swofford for anything. I'd like to invite UConn. Who invites Rutgers to their confernce and expects someone to care? I want the ACC to invite UConn. If UConn accepts, then game on.

This thread is about a ND fan wanting Uconn in the ACC. I'd love to see both ND and Uconn as full members of the ACC. Why not ? Although, I'm sure Cincy fans believe that they should come in before Uconn. But this will probably be decided over the next 2 years on the football field. As for the BIG, I don't believe they substantially helped themselves that much with adding Maryland and Rutgers.. not when by contrast, the ACC secured Louisville, and ND as a full member in all sports, and a 5 game guaranteed partial football qualifyer in the ACC. I'm not so convinced, as apparently some are, that Delaney came out better in this than did Swofford.

 

[upstater]

UConn and ND will join a conference together after the new P5 monopoly document is approved and digested. And Syracuse and BC won't have a damn thing to say about it.

 

[buddy]

You might want to think about the bitter thing and try to avoid becoming the next worst, illogical, vicious fan base after WVU. Bitter fans don't think very clearly. They react with anger and spite.

BC does not have enough power in the ACC to keep anybody out. BC clearly voted against UConn, but circumstances made that possible, and those circumstances are gone.

Think of it this way: if BC is anti-UConn and ND is pro-UConn, which way do you think the ACC 'football schools' like Florida St, Clemson, Miami and Georgia Tech will vote? Do you really believe such schools would side with BC against ND and also against Tobacco Road and Virginia? I don't. I think that behind the scenes they all would agree to back UConn, and your most recent BE rivals would agree. Syracuse fans might find it funny you are in the AAC now, but the Syracuse athletics department would love to play UConn as a conference foe again.

I suggest you turn your bitterness on your own school and its athletics department. They stayed in 1AA/FCS football far too long. If they had possessed any vision, they would have moved up as soon as BE football was created, taking the spot Temple got. Their lack of understanding cost UConn football a decade of growth, and that lost decade is the reason UConn has not yet been added to the ACC.

When ND joined the ACC partially, the AD of ND was asked if he supported continuing a relationship with UConn. He reply was tepid at best. I don't believe ND would support UConn's admission to the ACC.

 

[Yawkey Way]

UConn and ND will join a conference together after the new P5 monopoly document is approved and digested. And Syracuse and BC won't have a damn thing to say about it.

Well they will have a say and a vote on any matter that pertains to their wishes, but they won't have any enormous power and influence themselves to either bring both in, nor keep one or both out. I don't think even Michigan or Ohio State could block ND to the Big, if all the other schools in the BIG, wanted ND ( or Uconn ) in the BIG. It takes a collection of more than 2 schools to keep a school out, or for that matter to get a school invited. As an example, if both BC and Syracuse wanted and pleaded for Uconn to get an invite to the ACC, the southern schools will look at this from their perspective of the worth of Uconn football, and whether or not adding another northeast and N.E. football program to their league seems valuable to them. I don't think that the ACC is going to listen with great interest to BC to either " block Uconn to the ACC", nor if BC " pleaded to include Uconn to the ACC". FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, UNC, Duke, etc don't give upstart BC and Syracuse any significant sway as new members in the ACC with the Old Guard of the ACC. At least I don't THINK they give BC ( and now Syracuse ) this kind of enormous political clout in their league. But.. who knows.

 

[Seaa Blue]

When ND joined the ACC partially, the AD of ND was asked if he supported continuing a relationship with UConn. He reply was tepid at best. I don't believe ND would support UConn's admission to the ACC.

Swarbrick's "no comment" there is in keeping his reluctance to express a preference on conference matters over the years. I don't think he meant much by it.

http://articles.courant.com/2013-03...0130312_1_acc-plans-jack-swarbrick-notre-dame

 

[upstater]

Well they will have a say and a vote on any matter that pertains to their wishes, but they won't have any enormous power and influence themselves to either bring both in, nor keep one or both out. I don't think even Michigan or Ohio State could block ND to the Big, if all the other schools in the BIG, wanted ND ( or Uconn ) in the BIG. It takes a collection of more than 2 schools to keep a school out, or for that matter to get a school invited. As an example, if both BC and Syracuse wanted and pleaded for Uconn to get an invite to the ACC, the southern schools will look at this from their perspective of the worth of Uconn football, and whether or not adding another northeast and N.E. football program to their league seems valuable to them. I don't think that the ACC is going to listen with great interest to BC to either " block Uconn to the ACC", nor if BC " pleaded to include Uconn to the ACC". FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, UNC, Duke, etc don't give upstart BC and Syracuse any significant sway as new members in the ACC with the Old Guard of the ACC. At least I don't THINK they give BC ( and now Syracuse ) this kind of clout in their league. But.. who knows.

I'm not talking about the ACC. ND will never join the ACC. When the time comes and the P5 rig things against the notion of independence, ND isn't going to join the ACC.

 

[Yawkey Way]

When ND joined the ACC partially, the AD of ND was asked if he supported continuing a relationship with UConn. He reply was tepid at best. I don't believe ND would support UConn's admission to the ACC.

ND does not support Uconn's quest to be considered as a potential member for the ACC. Not at present, anyway. Now.. when we talk about power and influence with these leagues,.... ND, good, bad or different does have considerable clout on these decisions these leagues make. BC ( and now Syracuse ) ?... Seriously?.

 

[btstimpy]

Stimpy, come on. You're better than this. Your arguments, in general, are too cogent to be those of a troll. How can you miss this point so widely? Delany's Rutgers move is so strategic it literally makes 90% of the fans on this board wretch. State flagship, check. Strong commitment to academics (as measured by AAU membership), check. Adjacent, eastward footprint, check. Expanding population, check and, sweet Jesus, double check.

Many here seems willing to give the ACC an understandable pass on Louisville. After all, they, arguably, showed up at the "must replace Maryland ... must replace Maryland ..." confab with the best stated set of credentials. The Louisville acquisition can only be understood in the context of the ACC as a conference without a purpose. Louisville to the ACC was as well conceived as West Virginia to the Big12 was (and I'm not here to pick on either L'ville or WVU). Seriously, the chickens should have at least tried to re-attach their heads before pulling those levers.

Louisville's addition despite violating of two of the ACCs most understandable and defensible tenets, the Atlantic coast and strong academics (I, for one, didn't fault you guys for picking up Boston College which fit both), was simply a foreseeable consequence of the ACC having no governing principles. They are impetuous, favor expediency over thoughtfulness. Delany can articulate a vision, why can't Swofford?

I'm surprized you don't see it actually. For all of your checks, you can't check anything that says Delaney can put something on television that anyone who didn't go to Rutgers wants to watch. Anything. You have other UConn posters starting about 3 threads this week citing Big Ten media saying the same thing.

Louisville can. NCAA men's basketball championship. Check. Check. Check. Orange Bowl Champion. Check. Sugar Bowl Champion. Check. Russell Athletic Bowl Champion. Check. State of the Art Athletic Facility. Check. Adding Sports. Check.

Delany can have his Flagship that bombs in athletics every year and will continue to bomb. They can joke about it at AAU meetings. And when Maryland doesn't show up to his swim meets or their tennis matches he can scratch his head. I wish him well.