Is UConn the new Houston?

[Vowelguy]

One could argue that Houston was the school most screwed by the last round of alignment, when the SWC folded. (Rice is a small private school that couldn't compete, and SMU was obsolete after the death penalty. TCU was mediocre.)

But Houston had been fairly successful in basketball, with Elvin Hayes and two trips to the NC in the early 80s. They had some tradition, and were located in a large market. Then they got kicked to the curb, and there was at best a collective sigh from everyone else.

Hopefully UConn won't be in the same position.
Or that it can follow the model of TCU and climb its way back in time.

 

[upstater]

A better question: Is Houston the new UConn? Moves up in conference, takes on the college basketball world with a slew of top recruits.

 

[noeynox]

Houston also had a great run under Jack Pardee in football. They had Andre Ware and Klinger brothers absolutely lighting up score boards with the run and shoot. Its a shame what happened to them with realignment when the SWC broke up.

 

[ctchamps]

One could argue that Houston was the school most screwed by the last round of alignment, when the SWC folded. (Rice is a small private school that couldn't compete, and SMU was obsolete after the death penalty. TCU was mediocre.)

But Houston had been fairly successful in basketball, with Elvin Hayes and two trips to the NC in the early 80s. They had some tradition, and were located in a large market. Then they got kicked to the curb, and there was at best a collective sigh from everyone else.

Hopefully UConn won't be in the same position.
Or that it can follow the model of TCU and climb its way back in time.

Hope not. Worse I hope we don't become the new BCU!

 

[specialisthusky]

Hope not. Worse I hope we don't become the new BCU!

oh God. that would be pathetic.

 

[ctchamps]

oh God. that would be pathetic.

I think pathetic is an understatement.

 

[tzznandrew]

Some differences--Houston had a narrow window of success, and, despite two title appearances, never won a title.

They achieved a lot within two relatively narrow windows. They went to 3 straight Final Fours in the early 80s, and back to back in the late 1960s. Their history was neither as long nor as deep as UConn's.

Also, Houston hadn't been to a Sweet 16 from 1984 until the SWC broke up. That's far different than UConn winning a title 2 years before it has become clear the BE is done.

I'm optimistic our fate will not be theirs.

 

[mavblues]

Hope not. Worse I hope we don't become the new BCU!

That would mean we'd all have to go Claver™ and troll the discussion boards of more successful programs.

Ugh.

 

[Rumrunner]

Has UConn relocated to a state with three dominant football programs to compete with (Texas, Texas A&M, LSU) commanding the media's and fan's attention?

Has UConn become an urban commuter school in which its students don't root, root for the home team?

Have UConn fans forgotten that we aren't nearly at the end game in all of this, not by a mile?

Have some UConn fans lost their realignment minds?

 

[jrazz12]

#threadfail

 

[TuxedoYoda]

#1 Even when the football team has done well, no one in Houston cares about UofH football.

#2 Playing games off-campus never worked out that well for UofH but the university is located in a terrifying neighborhood that makes the Sunni Triangle look like Disneyland. No one wants to go to Cougar games.

 

[Danzz]

Has UConn relocated to a state with three dominant football programs to compete with (Texas, Texas A&M, LSU) commanding the media's and fan's attention?

Has UConn become an urban commuter school in which its students don't root, root for the home team?

Have UConn fans forgotten that we aren't nearly at the end game in all of this, not by a mile?

Have some UConn fans lost their realignment minds?

This isn't over but the question is can Uconn slip into a slot in the ACC or BIG if it does become available. My guess is that the Big 12 will have an opening before the other 2 conferences and we wouldn't be a candidate. Of course SDSU will be playing in the BE or whatever we will be called so who knows.
My feeling right now is unless it is the BIG that invites us (and that isn't likely) we should commit to the new conference for at least two years. I mean really commit and end all the phone calls to other conferences. Maybe if we actually stop begging and try to build something we would become more attractive.You can't have a successful conference if members are checking their mailbox everyday for an invitation. The new conference has never been tried so some of the negativity may be misplaced. It may work, we just don't know. It will be hard for a conference like the ACC to throw stones at us when they have a team in Tallahassee and another one in 1200 miles away in Syracuse.

 

[zls44]

#2 Playing games off-campus never worked out that well for UofH but the university is located in a terrifying neighborhood that makes the Sunni Triangle look like Disneyland. No one wants to go to Cougar games.

This might be my favorite post all year.

 

[TuxedoYoda]

This might be my favorite post all year.

One of my best friends graduated from U of H. One time, when driving to school, he took the exit off the freeway and got caught at a light. He saw one guy shoot another guy under a freeway overpass. Years after graduating, he met and married a girl who also went to U of H (they never met in college). The first time he told this story in front of her, she said must have been right next to him because she too, while in her car, witnessed a shooting at the exact same spot under the same overpass. They talked a little more and found out that he had seen his shooting in the fall but hers had happened during summer school - they had seen 2 different shootings right on the edge of the U of H campus.

 

[Jericho]

Some differences--Houston had a narrow window of success, and, despite two title appearances, never won a title.

They achieved a lot within two relatively narrow windows. They went to 3 straight Final Fours in the early 80s, and back to back in the late 1960s. Their history was neither as long nor as deep as UConn's.

Also, Houston hadn't been to a Sweet 16 from 1984 until the SWC broke up. That's far different than UConn winning a title 2 years before it has become clear the BE is done.

I'm optimistic our fate will not be theirs.

This is a very good point. The SWC did not end until 1996. Houston did not make the Sweet Sixteen in over a decade before the demise. That's not the hallmark of a top program. It's of one that when on a fluke run, in this case fueled by a few elite players. I don't think Houston's fate tells much about UConn.

 

[hexlub]

They are opening a new 40K seat stadium on campus in 2014. Woohoo!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Houston_Cougars_Stadium

 

[Vowelguy]

Have some UConn fans lost their realignment minds?

For 2 years I've heard how UConn is this crown jewel that any conference would die to have.

Then six schools not named UConn were offered and moved to new conferences.

I suppose the new theory is that UConn is Angelina Jolie and the conferences are just too awestruck by its beauty to ask it out?


I really hope that things work out, and I know it's not over. But the probability of things not ending well has certainly risen significantly.

 

[riskylogic]

Maybe the football conference that Aresco has put together will be viable, but the UConn, Temple, Cincy, and Memphis basketball should run from the Gulf5 just as fast as they can. In fact, if they can run faster than the CYO7, they end up in the better league. Like the A10.

 

[upstater]

For 2 years I've heard how UConn is this crown jewel that any conference would die to have.

Then six schools not named UConn were offered and moved to new conferences.

I suppose the new theory is that UConn is Angelina Jolie and the conferences are just too awestruck by its beauty to ask it out?

I really hope that things work out, and I know it's not over. But the probability of things not ending well has certainly risen significantly.

Everything is playing out like many expected. I laugh at people who say the B1G adds were unexpected. It's not true. The expectations of the ACC coming apart are high, and for good reason. But if you play it out, you realize that when it happens, there will be very little of the ACC left. Just like schools such as Syracuse were integral to forming the BE and then left, you'll see schools like UNC departing. In the end, most of the ex-BE schools will be left without a boat. Of all those schools, VT, Miami and maybe Pitt stand a decent chance of getting picked up. The others, such as Syracuse and BC, will be left on the outside once again. There may be one or two ACC stragglers as well, such as Wake Forest or--hard to believe--Duke.

In some ways, the inclusion of BC into that conference was a poison that infected the entire body.

 

[hexlub]

'Original' FBS Big East teams form their own conference again?

Cuse, BC, UConn, Temple, VT, Miami, Pitt

Oh. To Dream.