Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[CL82]

For the record they do have half of a fencing trophy (not sure if it was cut vertically or horizontally) from ~1960 (NYU got the other half).

Was it for their innovative use of chain-link?

 

[Kolumbo]

For the record they do have half of a fencing trophy (not sure if it was cut vertically or horizontally) from ~1960 (NYU got the other half).

 

[WrenchFan69]

GCU cutting its men's volleyball program one year after making the 2024 Final Four. Non-rev sports are going to get slaughtered over the next couple years.

 

[gmc1055]

Really.

The contiguous thing is folklore

contiguous until it wasnt. UCLA and USC

 

[ZooCougar]

contiguous until it wasnt. UCLA and USC

Sometimes I think Kolumbo gets his info from a Sports Illustrated from 1985.

 

[Kolumbo]

contiguous until it wasnt. UCLA and USC

Ya think? Thus Colorado and Arizona. Of course contiguity trumps markets and brands and research. That's why UConn isn't in the Big Ten. Syracuse sucks and there is no other NY program worthy.

Sometimes I think Kolumbo gets his info from a Sports Illustrated from 1985.

Come on Zougar. Sometimes I think you seriously don't get sarcasm.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Really? I don't know man. Research. AAU. Alumni. It's all about contiguity. Nebraska lost its AAU but it's still contiguous. They have to complete the jigsaw.

Remember when we thought this mattered? Like, UConn doesn’t connect to New Jersey, so no. UConn isn’t AAU, so now. UConn is a land grant research institution….it never mattered.

UConn met every criteria for getting into these conferences except the one that kept them out…no one wants us in their league.

 

[CL82]

Remember when we thought this mattered? Like, UConn doesn’t connect to New Jersey, so no. UConn isn’t AAU, so now. UConn is a land grant research institution….it never mattered.

UConn met every criteria for getting into these conferences except the one that kept them out…no one wants us in their league.

I feel like this summarizes every conference realignment negotiation we've ever had:

 

[uconndogs]

Remember when we thought this mattered? Like, UConn doesn’t connect to New Jersey, so no. UConn isn’t AAU, so now. UConn is a land grant research institution….it never mattered.

UConn met every criteria for getting into these conferences except the one that kept them out…no one wants us in their league.

Yeah, it's really bizarre. In fairness, we went through a self-inflicted period ot total incompetence in football that certainly did not help our cause. P, Diaco and Edsall 2 is a hell of a string of misses.

 

[Kolumbo]

Remember when we thought this mattered? Like, UConn doesn’t connect to New Jersey, so no. UConn isn’t AAU, so now. UConn is a land grant research institution….it never mattered.

UConn met every criteria for getting into these conferences except the one that kept them out…no one wants us in their league.

A lot of things did matter that don't know. Things change. Location was and is still a major factor. At first conferences were created by region but that no longer matters. Then markets became more important. See Exhibit A, B, and C: Ruttie

I think AAU is still a factor. All Big Ten schools are research powerhouses. If the Big Ten wants a non-AAU program, it will suddenly get an invite. Oregon is probably the weakest link in terms of size and research, but it has football and Nike.

UConn is just not large enough. Enrollment, ranking, national titles, yes. Supposed market (I think they look at a map and see a small square), endowment, research, UConn falls short. I think if God forbid UConn and UMass merged, and maybe Buffalo, to create Northeast University, or UConnNYMass, the Big Ten would swoop in pronto. The founders didn't foresee the CR mess.

 

[Waquoit]

Yeah, it's really bizarre. In fairness, we went through a self-inflicted period ot total incompetence in football that certainly did not help our cause. P, Diaco and Edsall 2 is a hell of a string of misses.

Our FB "competence" had nothing to do with our being frozen out.

 

[Waquoit]

UConn: Supposedly not smart enough for the Big 10, too smart for the Big 12.

 

[ZooCougar]

A lot of things did matter that don't know. Things change. Location was and is still a major factor. At first conferences were created by region but that no longer matters. Then markets became more important. See Exhibit A, B, and C: Ruttie

I think AAU is still a factor. All Big Ten schools are research powerhouses. If the Big Ten wants a non-AAU program, it will suddenly get an invite. Oregon is probably the weakest link in terms of size and research, but it has football and Nike.

UConn is just not large enough. Enrollment, ranking, national titles, yes. Supposed market (I think they look at a map and see a small square), endowment, research, UConn falls short. I think if God forbid UConn and UMass merged, and maybe Buffalo, to create Northeast University, or UConnNYMass, the Big Ten would swoop in pronto. The founders didn't foresee the CR mess.

If your football team is really good then none of that matters.

 

[Vowelguy]

Our FB "competence" had nothing to do with our being frozen out.

of course it did

 

[Waquoit]

of course it did

Pitt, Cuse and Rutgers were no better than us. Yet here we sit.

 

[ZooCougar]

UConn: Supposedly not smart enough for the Big 10, too smart for the Big 12.

We don't serve ranch dressing with our pizza and it confuses them.

 

[Kolumbo]

If your football team is really good then none of that matters.

It matters. See Rutgers. There is no football program out there that is so good that none of the other stuff doesn't matter. Even Oregon is AAU.

Pitt, Cuse and Rutgers were no better than us. Yet here we sit.

It had to be because Pitt and cuse have a much longer history prior to selling out and being outkasts. rutgers is the anomaly of anomalies. Even the Architect has no idea about rutgers

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Pitt, Cuse and Rutgers were no better than us. Yet here we sit.

Those schools didn't sink to the depths of being in the 100-130 power rating for ~ 10 years. If we stayed up in the 40-60 range like we were under RE1, then we'd have been in a P4 years ago.

 

[JohnFSilver]

A lot of things did matter that don't know. Things change. Location was and is still a major factor. At first conferences were created by region but that no longer matters. Then markets became more important. See Exhibit A, B, and C: Ruttie

I think AAU is still a factor. All Big Ten schools are research powerhouses. If the Big Ten wants a non-AAU program, it will suddenly get an invite. Oregon is probably the weakest link in terms of size and research, but it has football and Nike.

UConn is just not large enough. Enrollment, ranking, national titles, yes. Supposed market (I think they look at a map and see a small square), endowment, research, UConn falls short. I think if God forbid UConn and UMass merged, and maybe Buffalo, to create Northeast University, or UConnNYMass, the Big Ten would swoop in pronto. The founders didn't foresee the CR mess.

No. Like, all these things they say. If money was there and they wanted UConn, they would be in.

 

[gimber]

Rutgers is treated dismissively by the BY because it was one of the least if not the least accomplished athletic department while in the Big East. These are sports fans message boards. Thats lost somehow on you. It's a good school. It was also a private school for much of its existence until relatively recent. Their 2 billion endowment is a system number shared by two other universities. State schools in the northeast unlike schools in the Midwest compete with many, much older and more established private schools. It's a totally different dynamic than the rest of the country. Maybe UVM may be the exception. It doesn't have an Ivy that the other state schools have to compete with, it does have Middlebury. Maine has Bates, Bowdoin and Colby. AAU research activity Is limited to on-campus research IIRC. UConn has more relationships on the outside. So yes, the endowment is lacking by comparison, but it was not needed for things like infrastructure improvements over the last 20 or so years. Monies are still available under older state building programs. You are here just to be a dick.

SUNJ sucks

 

[ZooCougar]

It matters. See Rutgers. There is no football program out there that is so good that none of the other stuff doesn't matter. Even Oregon is AAU.

It had to be because Pitt and cuse have a much longer history prior to selling out and being outkasts. rutgers is the anomaly of anomalies. Even the Architect has no idea about rutgers

Rutgers is a red herring and everyone knows why they were added.

When your football team is really good then many blemishes don’t seem that bad. And there are multitude of examples to support this.

Edit: You’re hilarious. You used Rutgers as evidence to the contrary and then in the next paragraph you say it’s an anomaly.

Your second paragraph is more correct.

 

[Kolumbo]

No. Like, all these things they say. If money was there and they wanted UConn, they would be in.

what do you mean, "No... If money was there." What money? What do you think drives money?

Rutgers is a red herring and everyone knows why they were added.

When your football team is really good then many blemishes don’t seem that bad. And there are multitude of examples to support this.

Edit: You’re hilarious. You used Rutgers as evidence to the contrary and then in the next paragraph you say it’s an anomaly.

Your second paragraph is more correct.

Rutgers is an anomaly because it is in the Big Ten for every reason in the book except athletic success. It is the prime example of evidence to the contrary. What do you find so amusing about that?

 

[jostar1]

what do you mean, "No... If money was there." What money? What do you think drives money?

I think he means that if a conference wanted to add UConn and their media partner (ESPN, Fox) was willing to pay pro-rata to add UConn, we would be added.

 

[Kolumbo]

I think he means that if a conference wanted to add UConn and their media partner (ESPN, Fox) was willing to pay pro-rata to add UConn, we would be added.

Yes, I agree, and that is obvious. And what makes both the conference and media partner value a program?

Remember when we thought this mattered? Like, UConn doesn’t connect to New Jersey, so no. UConn isn’t AAU, so now. UConn is a land grant research institution….it never mattered.

UConn met every criteria for getting into these conferences except the one that kept them out…no one wants us in their league.

The Big Ten added Maryland & Rutgers in 2014
The Big Ten added UCLA, USC, Oregon & Washington in 2024

What criteria did Maryland, Rutgers & UConn all meet which garnered the first 2 an invite but not UConn? I suggested UM and RU had location and AAU but you said No.

 

[KryHavok]

What criteria did Maryland, Rutgers & UConn all meet which garnered the first 2 an invite but not UConn? I suggested UM and RU had location and AAU but you said No.

At the risk of being flippant, what those 2 schools had was a name that didn't have the word "Connecticut" in it. Other than that, all 3 schools are large land grand schools having solid academics and good sports programs (with some of us having more championship trophies for our school to show). AAU is the cherry on top, but it's the excuse to keep a school out rather than a criterion to bring a school in. If they wanted to reach into New England, we'd be in, irrespective of that AAU tag.