It’s not over until the fat lady sings

[Yup!]

I agree and have been saying this about UConn Alum is that they are bandwagon alum. I won't call them fans because fans cheer on their school through good and bad. We have a frontrunner fanbase. Only care if our teams are good.

Can you blame alums and fans though? UConn has been historically bad. Not bad, but bad bad for some time now. It’s not like we’re losing games competitively and winning games we should convincingly. People are going to spend money in hopes of getting their money’s worth and given how bad we’ve been it’s basically throwing your hard earned money in the trash. I’d rather watch the games on TV for free.
Once the team starts to give us some excitement I’ll start to spend some money. Win or lose. We didn’t win much games with Don Brown as DC but man that defense was fun to watch, that’s a defense I would pay to watch. Lashlees offense was also fun to watch, that’s an offense I would also pay to watch. If the product is good the consumers will pay.

 

[McLovin]

Yes I remember the ACC/ESPiN raid on the Big East very well.

BCU plotted with Miami to get into the ACC behind the Big East's back. ACC referred to BC as BCU when they introduced BC. They could not even get the school's name right.

It was very shortsighted of BCU not to invite Uconn at that time since both could increase interest in college football in New England together much more vs just BCU on its own. To this date, no one cares about BCU in New England.

Second time around, the Carolina schools and Virginia wanted Uconn. Eventually, the football schools (Clemson and FSU) won out and ACC took UL. Again, it was another bad decision since UConn fits the ACC profile much more than UL. UL hasn't done squat since joined the ACC. UL should be in the B12 while Uconn should be in the ACC vs the crappy set up we all are in now.

Agree with everything except the shortsightedness of BC. This was intentional so they could (paraphrasing) "remain the face of college athletics in New England". In some fantasy world they thought, in 2011, they were the face of New England college sports. We shall see as the dominos fall over the next decade where BC ends up if the ACC falls apart. They bring absolutely no value to that conference now. They are equivalent to Wake Forrest (or Vandy in the SEC).

Not saying this will happen, but if the ACC gets poached by a SEC / Big10 mega conference and the leftover northeast schools (Cuse, Pitt, BC, Rutgers, Maryland, etc.) need a new home in the NEW New Big East, I hope UConn gets the last laugh and boxes out BC. F them.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Can you blame alums and fans though? UConn has been historically bad. Not bad, but bad bad for some time now. It’s not like we’re losing games competitively and winning games we should convincingly. People are going to spend money in hopes of getting their money’s worth and given how bad we’ve been it’s basically throwing your hard earned money in the trash. I’d rather watch the games on TV for free.
Once the team starts to give us some excitement I’ll start to spend some money. Win or lose. We didn’t win much games with Don Brown as DC but man that defense was fun to watch, that’s a defense I would pay to watch. Lashlees offense was also fun to watch, that’s an offense I would also pay to watch. If the product is good the consumers will pay.

Oh come on, cut the team some slack. UConn football went from a lowly FCS but rising school in the late 1990’s to an FBS bowl contender virtually overnight, they beat Notre Dame in Notre Dames house, had several Big East Championships, sent many players on to the NFL, and they stayed that way until around 2011. The program Edsall created he destroyed when he flew straight to Maryland (didn’t come back with the team) after losing to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The school is at fault for horrendous coaching hires after he left. They correct all that now with one good hire, and a couple years of a new staff that knows how to recruit.

 

[Yup!]

Oh come on, cut the team some slack. UConn football went from a lowly FCS but rising school in the late 1990’s to an FBS bowl contender virtually overnight, they beat Notre Dame in Notre Dames house, had several Big East Championships, sent many players on to the NFL, and they stayed that way until around 2011. The program Edsall created he destroyed when he flew straight to Maryland (didn’t come back with the team) after losing to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The school is at fault for horrendous coaching hires after he left. They correct all that now with one good hire, and a couple years of a new staff that knows how to recruit.

I think we are all aware of UConn’s history. Not sure what your argument is. My reply was towards the alum bandwagon comment. Had nothing to do with what happened prior to 2011.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I think we are all aware of UConn’s history. Not sure what your argument is. My reply was towards the alum bandwagon comment. Had nothing to do with what happened prior to 2011.

My argument is they were not historically bad for ELEVEN years. They were the fastest rising FBS football program in many many years. Troll

 

[Yup!]

My argument is they were not historically bad for ELEVEN years. They were the fastest rising FBS football program in many many years. Troll

Dude go take your meds, you have no clue what you’re talking about. We have been historically bad since 2011, consistently in the bottom of every statistic. I’ve been a die hard UConn football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball fan since I was a kid. Sorry the facts hurts your soul. Go pick an argument with someone else

 

[UConnJim]

To all of the football naysayers, here are the average football attendance numbers for the 10 years from 2004 to 2013 of UConn, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. Can you pick which school matches which number?

23,982
28,849
34,894
37,452

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Dude go take your meds, you have no clue what you’re talking about. We have been historically bad since 2011, consistently in the bottom of every statistic. I’ve been a die hard UConn football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball fan since I was a kid. Sorry the facts hurts your soul. Go pick an argument with someone else

I know what I’m talking about, and it sounds to me like you want UConn to be called HISTORICALLY BAD for having a bad team for only 8 or 9 years. If you want “historically bad” football teams over 20 or 30 years look at Kansas, Wake Forest, Indiana, Louisiana, UTEP, Kent State, Rice, New Mexico State. Leave UConn out of this. Yes, UConn has been bad for 8 or 9 years. I don’t see that as being historic. Now with Edsall gone I think things will start looking up and the players actually liking the coach they’re playing for so maybe we will see a difference soon. Stop trying to manufacture “facts” as you call them.

 

[UConnJim]

To all of the football naysayers, here are the average football attendance numbers for the 10 years from 2004 to 2013 of UConn, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. Can you pick which school matches which number?

23,982
28,849
34,894
37,452

Here is the answer:

37,452: UConn
34,894: UCF
28,849: Cincinnati
23,982: Houston

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Here is the answer:

37,452: UConn
34,894: UCF
28,849: Cincinnati
23,982: Houston

Not trying to be a tool....but how are Big East era attendance numbers relevant today?

 

[Hoophound]

Not trying to be a tool....but how are Big East era attendance numbers relevant today?

Those teams were competitive. What did we have since, one .500 season?

 

[UConnJim]

Not trying to be a tool....but how are Big East era attendance numbers relevant today?

The time period corresponds to when UConn had a good football team. PP came in 2011 and attendance hung in there until the program tanked which also tanked attendance. People will come to the Rent if UConn is winning and competitive. This true for almost all college football programs.

And, people seem to think that Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston have fanbases better than UConn. They don’t. Put any of those schools through the UConn football slump and they wouldn’t average 20k.

 

[RSTuthill]

If and when the Big Ten expands, they are not taking the next one or two schools based on just football, if that were the case then why did they invite Rutgers? They’re taking the next two teams that can ADD to the Big Tens footprint and can ADD the most crazy fans with TV sets. Minor reasons will be how well the schools Athletic Dept is run in general, the academic standing of the schools, and can grab the most viewers in the Northeast, particularly the New York metro area, including Fairfield County in Connecticut. That being said, with Edsall gone, I take that as a huge positive for UConn going forward and a gigantic positive if UConn hires a decent football coach. Both UConn’s basketball programs might be an enticement as well.

Uh, UConn is not getting into the AAU with the overhead structure they have to apply to research proposals. They just cannot win enough contracts to qualify. That means no B1G membership.

 

[Yup!]

I know what I’m talking about, and it sounds to me like you want UConn to be called HISTORICALLY BAD for having a bad team for only 8 or 9 years. If you want “historically bad” football teams over 20 or 30 years look at Kansas, Wake Forest, Indiana, Louisiana, UTEP, Kent State, Rice, New Mexico State. Leave UConn out of this. Yes, UConn has been bad for 8 or 9 years. I don’t see that as being historic. Now with Edsall gone I think things will start looking up and the players actually liking the coach they’re playing for so maybe we will see a difference soon. Stop trying to manufacture “facts” as you call them.

HISTORICALLY BAD STATISTICALLY! For the past 11yrs we’ve been CONSISTENTLY in the bottom of the NCAA STATISTICALLY and that’s not manufactured that’s a fact

 

[CONN78SEJ]

HISTORICALLY BAD STATISTICALLY! For the past 11yrs we’ve been CONSISTENTLY in the bottom of the NCAA STATISTICALLY and that’s not manufactured that’s a fact

Eleven years you say??? You’re saying in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, UConn was consistently at the bottom of the NCAA statistically??? That’s amazing considering in 2010 UConn was 8-5, and 5-2 in the Big East Conference. In 2011 UConn beat Rutgers 40-22 and Syracuse 17-3, hardly a team at the bottom of the NCAA statistically speaking, wouldn’t you say? In 2012 they beat UMass 37-0, beat Maryland 24-21, beat Pittsburgh 24-17, and beat #18 Louisville 23-20 in 3 OT’s IIRC. My god, how could they beat these teams with such terrible NCAA statistics???? Ok, in 2013 they lost one to, #15 Michigan 23-21, but beat Rutgers again, and beat Memphis 45-10. I think you owe real UConn fans and those UConn teams an apology. If you’re a UConn football fan then I’m Tom Brady.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Uh, UConn is not getting into the AAU with the overhead structure they have to apply to research proposals. They just cannot win enough contracts to qualify. That means no B1G membership.

Could you explain that? I mean what do research proposals have to do with the amateur athletic union? Also, what overhead structure were you referring to? How does Nebraska get away with it?

 

[BigTenFan]

www.aau.edu. The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900,

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

The time period corresponds to when UConn had a good football team. PP came in 2011 and attendance hung in there until the program tanked which also tanked attendance. People will come to the Rent if UConn is winning and competitive. This true for almost all college football programs.

And, people seem to think that Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston have fanbases better than UConn. They don’t. Put any of those schools through the UConn football slump and they wouldn’t average 20k.

I think a couple things contributed to that...newness of program and local rivals. It will be hard to get that back. Winning games would be a good start.

 

[RSTuthill]

www.aau.edu. The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900,

And UConn does not come close to the required research dollars per year required for consideration in the AAU.

I do not know the particulars of the UConn overhead structure, only that it is considered excessive by funding agencies and is a major impediment to winning research contracts.

 

[Yup!]

Eleven years you say??? You’re saying in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, UConn was consistently at the bottom of the NCAA statistically??? That’s amazing considering in 2010 UConn was 8-5, and 5-2 in the Big East Conference. In 2011 UConn beat Rutgers 40-22 and Syracuse 17-3, hardly a team at the bottom of the NCAA statistically speaking, wouldn’t you say? In 2012 they beat UMass 37-0, beat Maryland 24-21, beat Pittsburgh 24-17, and beat #18 Louisville 23-20 in 3 OT’s IIRC. My god, how could they beat these teams with such terrible NCAA statistics???? Ok, in 2013 they lost one to, #15 Michigan 23-21, but beat Rutgers again, and beat Memphis 45-10. I think you owe real UConn fans and those UConn teams an apology. If you’re a UConn football fan then I’m Tom Brady.

Again, I said statistically

NCAAF total offense ranking out of 128 schools:

(2011) 116th
(2012) 118th
(2013) 117th
(2014) 126th
(2015) 124th
(2016) 122th
(2017) 50th - Rhett Lashlee OC ( impressive )
(2018) 89th
(2019) 106th

Defensively no one will argue that was are strength for a long time, but in (2017) we were at the bottom statistically at (125th) total defense (2018 - 128th)

STATISTICALLY WE’VE been historically bad which doesn’t translate to wins. I’m done entertaining you.

 

[Yup!]

And UConn does not come close to the required research dollars per year required for consideration in the AAU.

I do not know the particulars of the UConn overhead structure, only that it is considered excessive by funding agencies and is a major impediment to winning research contracts.

We’re better suited for the ACC anyway, I hope they expand and we’re considered.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Again, I said statistically

NCAAF total offense ranking out of 128 schools:

(2011) 116th
(2012) 118th
(2013) 117th
(2014) 126th
(2015) 124th
(2016) 122th
(2017) 50th - Rhett Lashlee OC ( impressive )
(2018) 89th
(2019) 106th

Defensively no one will argue that was are strength for a long time, but in (2017) we were at the bottom statistically at (125th) total defense (2018 - 128th)

STATISTICALLY WE’VE been historically bad which doesn’t translate to wins. I’m done entertaining you.

From 2014 on I agree with you, thanks to Diaco’s expert coaching, and Edsall’s big coaching mistakes. Before 2014 however you are WAY off base and what’s sad is you know it. Keep up the entertaining, I love it.

 

[billybud]

It is a football world and UConn was seen as a basketball school in that football world.

Swofford has said that in the 80's-early 90's that the ACC media money was split 50-50 basketball and football. He stated that they were caught flat footed when they were told that the ACC contract would value football as much as 80%. He was criticisized for building a basketball league in a world turning to football.

“The world is a much different place now in that regard,” Swofford said. “For decades, as a conference, we made more headlines in basketball and more money in basketball, and there was nothing inherently wrong with that. Obviously, basketball remains a huge part of our success and identity today.

“As athletic directors and commissioners, you focus on things within your control, and you try not to worry too much about things beyond your control,” Corrigan said. “What happened with football, back in the 1980s, is a great example of how our jobs in college sports were changing, without us totally seeing or comprehending it at the time".

Re 2011 ACC expansion thoughts...

At the time, then-Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo caught a lot of flak, and later apologized, for stating publicly that long-time ACC partner ESPN had played a major role in the league’s expansion decisions.

“You don’t get extra money for basketball. It’s 85 percent football money,” DeFilippo said. “TV — ESPN — is the one who told us what to do. This was football. It had nothing to do with basketball.”

A poor choice of wording...but he was correct...

 

[billybud]

Why is football valued by the media ? Viewership

During the 2019-20 season, not one regular season basketball game topped 3 million viewers (UNC-Duke rated highest at 2.67 mill)....in the 2019 football regular season, over 300 games topped 3 million viewers

 

[billybud]

edit above...over 30 (not 300) games topped 3 million...33 games topped 5 million in regular season.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Again, I said statistically

NCAAF total offense ranking out of 128 schools:

(2011) 116th
(2012) 118th
(2013) 117th
(2014) 126th
(2015) 124th
(2016) 122th
(2017) 50th - Rhett Lashlee OC ( impressive )
(2018) 89th
(2019) 106th

Defensively no one will argue that was are strength for a long time, but in (2017) we were at the bottom statistically at (125th) total defense (2018 - 128th)

STATISTICALLY WE’VE been historically bad which doesn’t translate to wins. I’m done entertaining you.

Also you left out 2010 for some reason (Lol), gee I wonder why? You did say 11 seasons didn’t you?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Cincy is a scary program moving forward. When they were in the BE with us they had some tremendous years and I believe were ranked #2 for a while in 2009. Back in a power conference they can easily continue to ride the momentum they’ve built under Fickle.

 

[UConnJim]

Why is football valued by the media ? Viewership

During the 2019-20 season, not one regular season basketball game topped 3 million viewers (UNC-Duke rated highest at 2.67 mill)....in the 2019 football regular season, over 300 games topped 3 million viewers

Let's look at it in a simple way.

In 2015, NCAA football games average 1.9 million viewers across the networks while college basketball games average 440k viewers. Lets say football schedules are 12 games and basketball schedules are 35 games, lets calculate viewer-hours for an average P5 school:

College football: 1.9 million viewers x 12 games = 22.8 million viewers x 3 hours = 68.4 million viewer-hours

College basketball: 440k viewers x 35 games = 15.4 million viewers x 2 hours = 30.8 million viewer-hours

So, based on viewership, college football should be 70% of revenues and college basketball 30% for an average P5 school. Conferences skew to the two different sports in material ways. For example, I would assume the SEC numbers probably work out to 85% football and 15% basketball and the ACC numbers work out to 60% football and 40% basketball. Maybe the addition of the Notre Dame games increase the football % higher in the ACC.

Remember, the above number are based on one team in a P5 conference. There are many more college basketball games aired from non-P5/G5 conferences, so overall college basketball viewership is higher % than in the above example.

But, there is another factor that skews the perception that football is more lucrative than college basketball and that is the conferences control the revenues of bowl and CFP revenues vs the NCAA's control of revenues from the NCAA basketball tournament. The major bowls plus the CFP media revenues are ~$600 million and the NCAA tournament TV revenues are ~$900 million. Most of the money from the bowls and CFP go to the conferences while the NCAA uses the revenues to fund their expenses for administration and other sports and they provide payouts to all conferences and divisions (D2 and D3).

I think the NCAA tournament media contract is undervalued. The first 4 days of the NCAA tournament averaged 8.5 million TV viewers and that doesn't include streamers. How many people are streaming in offices across the country? Unfortunately, the NCAA locked in the contract until 2032, I think.

 

[Yup!]

Also you left out 2010 for some reason (Lol), gee I wonder why? You did say 11 seasons didn’t you?

I’m off a year or two, I said 10-11yrs I’m off by one or two, you must be a lonely man/woman, and if you’re married I feel bad for your wife or husband, point is we’ve been bad bad for a LONG time now and it hasn’t translated into wins.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I’m off a year or two, I said 10-11yrs I’m off by one or two, you must be a lonely man/woman, and if you’re married I feel bad for your wife or husband, point is we’ve been bad bad for a LONG time now and it hasn’t translated into wins.

Ok, let the insults fly while you’re backtracking, that’s all you have. Troll