JMU did it. Why not us?

[Skies2018]

What do you think would happen to UConn athletics if we're not in the football game? What does it mean to be in the football game?

UConn football is 28-92 in the last decade, does that constitute being in the football game?

So we haven't been in the game for a decade for football and we continue to win national championships in basketball. You don't think UConn basketball is going to survive? Where exactly do you think they will go?

I don’t know why you assume college basketball is stuck in 1999. The same thing happening with football will happen to basketball. The deep pocketed schools in power conferences will eat up all the best recruits and everyone else will severely struggle to compete.

Beyond that, we simply will not be able to compete nationally as a school off of $5M from the big east. That’s not enough nowadays. Add that to the fact we probably lose money at our football games, half our basketball games, and a third of our hockey games because of absurd venue contracts - the athletics department is absolutely screwed financially unless something big changes. And that change can’t happen without a competent football program and strategy.

 

[billybud]

It seems to me that the argument seems to be...either or.

As if being good in basketball means not being good at football....

UConn can and will remain to be very good at basketball, and the northeast is more basketball centric than football.

Can UConn be good at football ?

Sure...but some may need to adjust their definition of "good". UConn may never be competitive with the top half of P4 conferences, but could be 8-2 like current SMU in the AAC (only losses to Oklahoma and TCU, from P4 conferences).

 

[superjohn]

I don’t know why you assume college basketball is stuck in 1999. The same thing happening with football will happen to basketball. The deep pocketed schools in power conferences will eat up all the best recruits and everyone else will severely struggle to compete.

Beyond that, we simply will not be able to compete nationally as a school off of $5M from the big east. That’s not enough nowadays. Add that to the fact we probably lose money at our football games, half our basketball games, and a third of our hockey games because of absurd venue contracts - the athletics department is absolutely screwed financially unless something big changes. And that change can’t happen without a competent football program and strategy.

No, I'm pretty well aware it's 2023...the year we won the national championship in college basketball. I think we have a very real chance at repeating if we stay healthy in 2024. You keep bringing up 1999, have you been in a coma for the past 20+ years?

 

[Skies2018]

No, I'm pretty well aware it's 2023...the year we won the national championship in college basketball. I think we have a very real chance at repeating if we stay healthy in 2024. You keep bringing up 1999, have you been in a coma for the past 20+ years?

I wasn’t trying to be insulting I’m just saying that things have changed and it’s very clear how the winds are blowing. Look how consolidated football power has become. Why do you think basketball won’t be that way?

Here’s a plausible future scenario. It’s 2033 and UConn and Alabama are recruiting the same point guard. UConn can offer the player $1M a year to play for us. Alabama says hold my beer and offers him $3M. Where do you think that kids gonna go?

 

[Kolumbo]

So we haven't been in the game for a decade for football and we continue to win national championships in basketball. You don't think UConn basketball is going to survive? Where exactly do you think they will go?

Why do you keep comparing the past to the future? It is clear times are changing. NIL wasn't around for the past decade. The PAC 12 didn't implode 10 years ago. The Big 12 didn't lose Texas and Oklahoma 10 years ago. I never said it would happen today or tomorrow. But as CR continues to cast aside fairly decent athletic departments while making the P2 filthy rich, I don't see how the Big East is going to survive long term as a power conference. I'd even wager programs like Villanova, Georgetown and SJU may even find better opportunities outside the big east if a Big 12 decides to go after brands.

 

[superjohn]

Why do you keep comparing the past to the future? It is clear times are changing. NIL wasn't around for the past decade. The PAC 12 didn't implode 10 years ago. The Big 12 didn't lose Texas and Oklahoma 10 years ago. I never said it would happen today or tomorrow. But as CR continues to cast aside fairly decent athletic departments while making the P2 filthy rich, I don't see how the Big East is going to survive long term as a power conference. I'd even wager programs like Villanova, Georgetown and SJU may even find better opportunities outside the big east if a Big 12 decides to go after brands.

I'm responding to someone who keeps talking about 1999 and you seem to be agreeing with him/her.

I'll ask you again, what do you think is going to happen to the UConn basketball program?

This is comical...why do you think basketball schools St. John's, Georgetown and Nova will have better opportunities than a much better basketball program/the best current basketball program in the country in UConn?

 

[Kolumbo]

I'm responding to someone who keeps talking about 1999 and you seem to be agreeing with him/her.

I'll ask you again, what do you think is going to happen to the UConn basketball program?

This is comical...why do you think basketball schools St. John's, Georgetown and Nova will have better opportunities than a much better basketball program/the best current basketball program in the country in UConn?

SJU, Nova, and Georgetown are or were great basketball brands. NYC, Philly, and DC are great basketball markets. I didn't say they have better opportunities than UConn, I said they may have better opportunities than remaining in the Big East. It really is a comprehension issue here. UConn may also have better opportunities and it would be foolish to pass on them to remain in the Big East. There is no way any of those other three programs stick around if they get a better offer. UConn has won 5 titles which is incredible. If the Big East drops off, so will UConn's prospects.

The UConn women last won in 2016. Since then the women's NCAA champion has come from the SEC, PAC 12, Big 12, and ND. The B1G and ACC were in the finals. It's not the same, but similar.

 

[superjohn]

SJU, Nova, and Georgetown are or were great basketball brands. NYC, Philly, and DC are great basketball markets. I didn't say they have better opportunities than UConn, I said they may have better opportunities than remaining in the Big East. It really is a comprehension issue here. UConn may also have better opportunities and it would be foolish to pass on them to remain in the Big East. There is no way any of those other three programs stick around if they get a better offer. UConn has won 5 titles which is incredible. If the Big East drops off, so will UConn's prospects.

The UConn women last won in 2016. Since then the women's NCAA champion has come from the SEC, PAC 12, Big 12, and ND. The B1G and ACC were in the finals. It's not the same, but similar.

UConn may have better opportunities? Have you been asleep during conference realignment? The Big 12 passed over us multiple times and straight up played us this last time and the ACC wants nothing to do with us.

 

[Kowalski]

I'm sure being stuck in a one-trick-pony conference of schools that are institutionally dissimilar to us will work out perfectly fine in the long run (as long as all you care about is basketball).

Actually, a lot of our basketball only fan base think it’s the ONLY way BB will be fine. To them, we couldn’t possibly achieve BB success in unless we stay in the one-trick-pony conference of schools that are institutionally dissimilar. Think of the new BE as a type of security blanket. And I guess for that reason, we shouldn’t invest anything in FB and just let it die on the vine.

 

[Kolumbo]

UConn may have better opportunities? Have you been asleep during conference realignment? The Big 12 passed over us multiple times and straight up played us this last time and the ACC wants nothing to do with us.

This is true, but I'm trying to remain optimistic.

 

[Skies2018]

I'm responding to someone who keeps talking about 1999 and you seem to be agreeing with him/her.

I'll ask you again, what do you think is going to happen to the UConn basketball program?

This is comical...why do you think basketball schools St. John's, Georgetown and Nova will have better opportunities than a much better basketball program/the best current basketball program in the country in UConn?

I already answered your first question but to answer your second - its because they can go to the P4 without football. Theyll get paid out the a** at a rate significantly less than the full members but still a step up from the BE. And they’d do it in an heartbeat.

And they can do that because they’re tiny catholic schools and that’s the epitome of what they can achieve. We’re a major state university and should have bigger aspirations than playing Xavier for the next 25 years. Namely having a respectable football program like our peers.

 

[KryHavok]

I'll ask you again, what do you think is going to happen to the UConn basketball program?

I believe part of the sentiment is that basketball is in a good place now, but the school itself is not. We're hedging our bets that the Big East will be our long term sanctuary, but look what happened to the PAC, which is an older, richer, and more established conference...it's been decimated and likely won't exist as an entity next year. The Big East is not safe, and it's just a matter of time until the Px freeze out the Big East, then what happens to our cherished basketball program once the Px decide UConn dies not fit into their new world order? We need football to be better to help maintain/save basketball down the road.

 

[John]

And they can do that because they’re tiny catholic schools and that’s the epitome of what they can achieve. We’re a major state university and should have bigger aspirations than playing Xavier for the next 25 years.

This nails it. Staying in the Big East long-term dramatically shrinks our horizons as an athletic department. Hopefully we're gone soon.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Is it that hard to understand that we're not Alabama and are never going to be Alabama?

Basketball is the reason UConn is a much better school than it used to be, it's the reason UConn football left double A and had a new stadium built for them. It sucks for football that we're in a power conference for basketball and not for football but there's nothing that we can do about that. The basketball program will remain a national powerhouse and the football program has everything it needs to be very successful as a G5 level program.

If your argument is we should be like Alabama you can just stop. If your argument is UConn football should go to the MAC instead of being Independent okay. I don't think that will change anything to make this terrible program better but at least it's something that can be argued.

Nobody is saying to be Alabama just attractive enough to get into a P4 conference.