Jeff Jacobs: As the season dies, it’s worth asking if UConn football is worth keeping alive?

[Adios]

Those of you who think there's a possibility the football program will be dropped, go follow the women's basketball team. Better for your psyche. Too bad parity has crept up. Going to be tough getting championship #12.

 

[SirHypeAlot]

Jacobs has a job to do. Part of that job is to say controversial things sometimes to encourage readership and discussion.

I cannot think of any appealing scenario that involves dropping football. You can’t do it.

1. It will jeopardize the basketball programs long term.

2. We have great facilities and they are already built.

3. Every week or two some FCS school anoounces that they are upgrading.

4. If UMass is in FBS for the long haul, which they are, we sure as heck are as well.

In most parts of the country, this discussion would NEVER happen. It is amazing to me that some of you even consider it. We are more likely to go along being terrible in FBS than we are to drop to FCS. As far as dropping football altogether, highly unlikely. Syracuse and BC are in the Top 25 and UMass just beat us. All that proves is there is no reason we can’t be average in the AAC.

1) I don't see how you come to this conclusion.

2) BFFC and STC are nice today but facilities in this sport are ever evolving and constantly being updated. The success of the program hasn't followed the construction of these facilities. Can school afford to keep-up with the jones' of positive revenue programs? probably not. Rent was undersized from the get go and location is horrendous. doomed from the start.

3. We are essentially a FCS program with FBS bills. Every year we continue in FBS the athletic department is committing to another enormous deficit that they largely pass on to student fees.

4. you can't compare us to SCU and BC. apples to oranges. P5 big boy money vs little boy. they also have much better coaches....ya I said it!

 

[Dooley]

1) I don't see how you come to this conclusion.

You don't? The tea leaves have already begun sprouting up all over the place. Biased scheduling, power strokes to move their conference tourney games to MSG, P5 weighted seedings...P5 conferences will figure out how to better monetize (read: monopolize) basketball just like they have already done with football. It's not just coming...it's already here.

 

[SirHypeAlot]

You don't? The tea leaves have already begun sprouting up all over the place. Biased scheduling, power strokes to move their conference tourney games to MSG, P5 weighted seedings...P5 conferences will figure out how to better monetize (read: monopolize) basketball just like they have already done with football. It's not just coming...it's already here.

this might be the weakest big ten and pac 12 I have ever seen in my life in basketball. 3 of the top 9 teams in the preseason top 25 poll are non-p5. When a school is focused on basetball and their program fits their conference ie Nova, Gonzaga they can be perennial powerhouses. Nova has deep pockets you don't think they could support FBS? I do but they don't because they know their bread is buttered with bball so why weigh it down with a football program that's winning percentage is .300 over the last what 8 years?

 

[RSTuthill]

In most parts of the country, this discussion would NEVER happen.

Why don't you go live down south where CFB is all they have to live for if you want to be like them. Tiring of hearing this whining line.

 

[Adios]

Why don't you go live down south where CFB is all they have to live for if you want to be like them. Tiring of hearing this whining line.

UConn aspires to be like Big Ten schools. Besides Chicago, did any ever mention dropping football?

Jeff, you lowly weasel.

 

[RSTuthill]

There have been schools that dropped football. The most notable for me was UVM which made the national news. They also dropped baseball after having a pretty good record and not too many years after Kirk McCaskill became a star with the Angles and White Sox. He also played hockey in the AHL with the Sherbrooke Jets.

 

[Exit 4]

Ah UVM, they have to be a power in hacky sack, quidditch and of course frisbee golf.

 

[DAC17]

Would someone explain to me exactly how we're going to get into a P5 conference with football attendance at less than 95% average capacity? And, as much as no one wants to hear it (including me), who thinks we can do that in the next several years??

I view it sort of like the Whalers, where there are probably 8,000 people who would buy season tickets tomorrow. But not enough others to make the business case for an NHL team here. Hence, we have AHL hockey (sort of like FCS football...) I hope I'm wrong.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Ah UVM, they have to be a power in hacky sack, quidditch and of course frisbee golf.

And who doesn't remember Kirk McCaskill? He played obtuse, right, straight and acute when he was the Angles.

 

[RSTuthill]

Ah UVM, they have to be a power in hacky sack, quidditch and of course frisbee golf.

Guessing women's rugby is right up there too.

 

[gtcam]

It’s pretty obvious we need to not only save it, but further invest in it. Jacobs should simply state that. He knows the Big East is not going to thrive long term assuming a P5 split. Letting the uninformed think that’s a great solution to bring us back to the good old days is malpractice.

You are correct
But what do you expect from JJ and the rag he writes for....
JJ, Susan Herbst and AD David Benedict can all ride into the sunset or oblivion - sooner the better
The NBE is not a place for UConn not now and as far as I can see - forever

 

[Hoophound]

The number of people that worry about empty seats for a few years killing off the program is staggering. Crappy teams don’t sell tickets. There are half empty stadiums at all kinds of P5 schools at this point. We have to win. If we win, fans will buy tickets again. The powers that be are well aware no one is coming to see a one win team. If fans would come see that, we wouldn’t care who the coach was. Just support the school and ride this out. I know it may be unconventional thinking for some stubborn Yankees, but you don’t have quit everything you aren’t good at. This is unheard of and pathetic.

 

[History Geek]

A friend of mine (sports fan, doesn't follow UConn football closely) read the article today. All news to him, says Jacobs makes a good argument.

 

[whaler11]

What I really want to read, God forbid, is how the heck UConn can win at football again. Can we increase funding to bring in a high quality (or highest possible quality) FBS staff? Is it time to cut or decrease funding of other sports to better fund football? Other than winning, can we improve gameday atmosphere somehow? You know, the questions that every other fanbase in the country asks when their teams struggle. Not quitting the sport. I guess that's only unique to our entitled media and fanbase.

yes they should drop sports and fund football. but they do the opposite - they spend even more on other sports and hire randy.

maybe randy can live in the idiotic hockey shed

 

[Hoophound]

My beef with Jacobs is that whenever he has a beef, he invokes coaches pay. He did it again today. I remember Randy being quite gracious to Jeff when he came back after his heart attack. Too bad Jacobs didn't have the balls to come today if true (and assuming he's healthy of course). Perhaps he was busy at lunch with Delaney and Swofford??

Agree’d. It is very damaging to constantly harp on coaching salaries. People with little understanding of sports find it outrageous that coaches are paid so well. They don’t understand how hard it is or the market. Arming the ignorant majority with bad information won’t help the sports programs. I’m amazed how many people used to use Ken Kreyske as their info source.

 

[huskymedic]

I’m amazed how many people used to use Ken Kreyske as their info source.

... and Krayske is supporting Jacobs on this piece so what does that tell ya?

 

[polycom]

Jacobs has a job to do. Part of that job is to say controversial things sometimes to encourage readership and discussion.

I cannot think of any appealing scenario that involves dropping football. You can’t do it.

1. It will jeopardize the basketball programs long term.

2. We have great facilities and they are already built.

3. Every week or two some FCS school anoounces that they are upgrading.

4. If UMass is in FBS for the long haul, which they are, we sure as heck are as well.

In most parts of the country, this discussion would NEVER happen. It is amazing to me that some of you even consider it. We are more likely to go along being terrible in FBS than we are to drop to FCS. As far as dropping football altogether, highly unlikely. Syracuse and BC are in the Top 25 and UMass just beat us. All that proves is there is no reason we can’t be average in the AAC.

We don't have the culture similar to most parts of the country....

 

[Adios]

We don't have the culture similar to most parts of the country....

We're wusses and crybabies.

 

[Madmannsucks]

We know the program is losing $$$. However, I doubt that includes the Nike deal, other sponsorships and corporate and Alum donations. Seems to be left out of the equation. If someone has info to clear this up...please correct me. I would like to know.

 

[uconnric]

Keep football, it's Jeff the sports editor we can live without. He has to keep thinking of things to write about, and UConn is the number one topic in Conn.

 

[RSTuthill]

We're wusses and crybabies.

Nah, we just have a helluva lot more things to do. Only two hours from almost anything. NYC, Boston, shore, mountains, you name it.

 

[the Q]

There have been schools that dropped football. The most notable for me was UVM which made the national news. They also dropped baseball after having a pretty good record and not too many years after Kirk McCaskill became a star with the Angles and White Sox. He also played hockey in the AHL with the Sherbrooke Jets.

Baseball and wrestling were destroyed by title ix

 

[Dooley]

yes they should drop sports and fund football. but they do the opposite - they spend even more on other sports and hire randy.

maybe randy can live in the idiotic hockey shed

$45M for a part-time hockey arena / meditation center / quiet study hall / sleep aid. Just wonderful use of that kind of money.

 

[the Q]

Agree’d. It is very damaging to constantly harp on coaching salaries. People with little understanding of sports find it outrageous that coaches are paid so well. They don’t understand how hard it is or the market. Arming the ignorant majority with bad information won’t help the sports programs. I’m amazed how many people used to use Ken Kreyske as their info source.

Coaches are effectively CEOs. People take issue with those as well. So I guess it shouldn’t be that surprising.