how is it that we’re like the only school to win a national championship in basketball and reach a bowl game and still end up left at the table? I just don’t know what we do at this point. What else is there for us to prove?
If the ACC takes SMU, Stanford and Cal there’s legitimately no path left for a P5 invite until the 2030s.
Can someone explain to me what the heck we do?
Reaching a bowl game, for the first time in years, after a 6-7 (losing) season? That's a participation trophy.
If UConn were consistently good in basketball, and it is, then it would be a worthy addition to any basketball-centric conference in the country, even the very best basketball-centric conference. And that's where you are, in the very best basketball-centric conference in the country. Rejoice!
If UConn aspires to join a more football-centric conference, then it probably needs to prove that it can be consistently good in football -- good enough, at least, to garner wider media interest. UConn hasn't done that.
Of course, there are other factors at play besides athletic prowess: geography, market, academics, fan-base, facilities, history, endowment, rivalries, research activity, public perception, and so on.