May I remind you ...

[J187Money]

Maybe Swofford told Warde "My word is stronger than oak."

 

[freescooter]

I just find the blaming ... Funny.

Our President was less than one year on the job; our AD as well. And, the scorn is because they hadn't established relationships? Their physical location in the USVI us like Bush slapping Brownie now?

And free scooter: we just aren't Louisville in Football. We lost when the criteria straight lined to that.

No amount of Lobbying would have won this ... Particularly at this moment at UConn. I agree ... This argument is going to go on here & it's old. It poisons our board & our enjoyment of a good Program. And you might have years before there is another move.

And ... A lot of our Fanbase won't really care. Warde is here.

That is just a bunch of excuses...Oh, we weren't there long enough...oh, Louisville was better in football...Susan Herbst was essentially the COO of the Georgia State University system and held a faculty position at Georgia Tech, for heavens sake. If she didn't have contacts in the ACC, well I'm not sure how she did her last job. But just out of curiosity, how long would she and Warde needed to be on the job before they should have been working on this issue on UConn's behalf? Obvioulsy you don't think they had to do anything since they were there a year and 8 months, respectively? So if another opportunity comes up, is a couple of years each enough time? 5 years and 6 years? 10? They held the jobds, they knew what the priority was and they failed. Whether they were there a day or 2 years or 20 years. As far as Louisville's football prowess, here's the problem. We aren't Louisville, maybe, but neither was Louisville the Louisville that was painted in the media. the 3 years before that they were 6-6, 5-7, 4-8. They had a nice stretch under Petrino for 4 years, but before that John L Smith had winning records, 7-5, 7-5, 9-3, 11-2, 7-6. And nobody before that did much...Schnellenberger was 54-56-2 in 10 seasons, Weber was 20-35, his predecessor was 25-29...you can just look at those numbers and you know Louisville simply wasn't a very good program for most of its history. That is reality. But they were allowed ot set the narrative that they were Notre Dame and it wasn't challenged.

 

[freescooter]

Is this same argument going to go on until UConn gets into a P5 conference or Warde moves on or is fired? This gets rather old now. It is what it is and will not change for at least a year or two. Move on with blaming Warde folks....

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

One can dream...

 

[CL82]

Everything that has happened in conference realignment.

That's my evidence. So you have nothing?

The ACC needed a football school. Louisville has a better football program than UConn. By a lot. By a whole lot. UConn beat them last year and could beat them 45-3 for the next five years and it would not change that fact. You can either accept demographic and infrastructure trends, or you can think this is based on some phone calls.

The ACC did not make a major structural adjustment based on four days' worth of phone calls from an AD. Its an absurd way to think they conduct business.

To further entertain the stupidity: what proof do you have that Warde wasn't making phone calls from the USVI? Hmm? Why couldn't he do the exact same things Jurich was doing? Boy, when you stop huffing and puffing in place and actually consider that little conundrum it reeeeeally stops that sandwich of an argument in its tracks, doesn't it?lol, no. You are the one who said and you still haven't presented a single fact to support that statement.

Ain't THAT a bi*ch.

No, not so much. I did find it ententertaining that you both downplay and and play up the value of phone calls in a single post within of dozen or so words of each other. All I wanted to know is whether you were pulling that unequivocal statement out of your butt or whether you had something. An article, and interview, anything at all. You don't and that's fine. There is whole heck of a lot unsubstantiated opinion on the Boneyard. It's not a big deal.

Now if the point you are trying to make is that you believe that there was no way that FSU could have been placated because they were making a power move, that could well be correct. I do think that UConn could have done a better job of explaining it's strengths and highlighting the accounting game that Louisville used to amp up there program. Connecticut has a very good narrative that has been made on this board many, many times. The fact that we didn't hear it, not from the university and not echoed by ACC presidents after the fact, makes me wonder if or at least how effectively it was made. Whenever a decision comes down to a vote, it is a lobby effort and lobbying is far more effective in person than remotely.

All of that notwithstanding, Herbst and Manual being in the USVI is unfortunate optics and optics matter both for that round and the next one. Hopefully we are better prepared now and hopefully there will be more realignment to come.

 

[UConn Dan]

Maybe Swofford told Warde "My word is stronger than oak."

The irony is, Swofford may have actually told Herbst/Warde that we would be picked up and to keep quiet. This is purely speculative, but this is what we know:
1) Aresco is friends with Swofford, and Aresco is on record as saying Swofford told him that the ACC would only take one school (as opposed to three that some in the media were speculating).
2) During the teleconference announcing Tulane's addition to the Big East (which happened just prior to the ACC picking Louisville), Aresco and Tulane President Scott Cowen (UConn Alumn), avoided at all costs mentioning UConn and touted Louisville. Scott Cowen, even stopped short of saying Connecticut and instead said "I even played football at ...(er) a big east school." It may be that Swofford told Aresco that UConn was "penned in".
3) Jurich touting that UConn was "not penciled in, but penned in". It may be Jurich, building up Jurich, but I'm sure he has his sources and went to work accordingly.

So, it's reasonable to assume that Swofford told Herbst/Manuel that we were a lock and to sit tight and keep quiet. Last time, we were vilified for being too vociferous, this time we were vilified for keeping quiet.

What happened, happened. All of us are disappointed, and some of us are furious, but you know what, we've got to move on and keep our head's up and go to games, spread the word, win games, build on our fan base, and hopefully, our day will come. It will come - damn it!

 

[AZHuskiePop]

One can dream...

This whole realignment is made at the presidential level is one of those obvious statements that on the surface has to be true.
But really is a lot more complex.
That assumes the president makes that decision unilaterally.
If true our president should be fired. Acamemics seldom have enough knowledge of athletics to understand the implications.
The AD is the guy providing that input. He also is the face of the strategy as bloody hands and University presidents should be mutually exclusive events.
The plan I previouslly outlined has to be carried out on both levels
Our president selling UConn Acedemic growth to her peers and our allies and our AD addressing his peers our plan correct the negative aspect of our athletics
I did leave out an important piece of the plan
Create a situation in the minds of both levels peers that you are the possible target of exspansion by another conference.
If the ACC had an iota of fear of the B1G taking us we were the hands down winner over Louisville. What hurts the ACC more Louisville a mid-south team going to the Big 12 or UConn going to the B1G. A Rutgers Maryland UConn Penn State Div splits the ACC in two. UConn Rutgers gives the NYC edge to the B1G.
The most important thing of all is the proactive nature of the plan.
On the surface it looks like we failed. Time will tell.

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[businesslawyer]

The irony is, Swofford may have actually told Herbst/Warde that we would be picked up and to keep quiet. This is purely speculative, but this is what we know:
1) Aresco is friends with Swofford, and Aresco is on record as saying Swofford told him that the ACC would only take one school (as opposed to three that some in the media were speculating).
2) During the teleconference announcing Tulane's addition to the Big East (which happened just prior to the ACC picking Louisville), Aresco and Tulane President Scott Cowen (UConn Alumn), avoided at all costs mentioning UConn and touted Louisville. Scott Cowen, even stopped short of saying Connecticut and instead said "I even played football at ...(er) a big east school." It may be that Swofford told Aresco that UConn was "penned in".
3) Jurich touting that UConn was "not penciled in, but penned in". It may be Jurich, building up Jurich, but I'm sure he has his sources and went to work accordingly.

So, it's reasonable to assume that Swofford told Herbst/Manuel that we were a lock and to sit tight and keep quiet. Last time, we were vilified for being too vociferous, this time we were vilified for keeping quiet.

What happened, happened. All of us are disappointed, and some of us are furious, but you know what, we've got to move on and keep our head's up and go to games, spread the word, win games, build on our fan base, and hopefully, our day will come. It will come - damn it!

That is, by far, the most rational explanation of what happened. And that Swofford was as blindsided as anyone.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

That is, by far, the most rational explanation of what happened. And that Swofford was as blindsided as anyone.

Think about your last statement. An assumtion the conference president was unaware of the potential conflicts within the football bunch is quite a grasp. Knowing this a plan to assuage these schools should have been in place.
Listen telling Fla State and Clemson they will play in the New York area giving them media attention their state rivals could only dream of getting would outweigh any short term gain received with picking Louisville. If these two schools were on board you think BC really had a voice?


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[huskymedic]

From ESPN ACC Blog Story: (http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/45009/tom-jurich-is-louisvilles-mvp)

How did you outmaneuver UConn to get into the ACC?

"I didn’t outmaneuver anybody," Jurich said. "I just put our story out there."

Well, UConn was thought to be the favorite to get the spot.

"Nobody told me that," Jurich said. "So I just worried about selling Louisville. That’s all I worried about."

... and he used 16 years of powerful contacts and relationships to do that. Read this story - http://www.wdrb.com/story/20216639/...nference-fate-in-11-days?clienttype=printable

In the end... Blame the UConn BOT, we did not have the horsepower in place - they got beat by a shrewder, more experienced adversary.

I get that it's easier to blame SH/WM because they are "outsiders" but spinning up a thread of venom/vile each week isn't going to reverse it.

 

[UConn Dan]

Think about your last statement. An assumtion the conference president was unaware of the potential conflicts within the football bunch is quite a grasp. Knowing this a plan to assuage these schools should have been in place.
Listen telling Fla State and Clemson they will play in the New York area giving them media attention their state rivals could only dream of getting would outweigh any short term gain received with picking Louisville. If these two schools were on board you think BC really had a voice?


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The addition of UConn to the ACC would have been SOP for the ACC prior to Maryland leaving the ACC. Just about every media outlet reported that we would get the nod. The story started to change after about a week, and by then I'm sure Swofford knew that the southern football contingent of the ACC wanted to go with the perceived better football choice. But initially, this is purely speculative, it had to be that UConn was the choice. The longer the ACC took to come to vote, the more the talking points evolved. By then, too late. Game over.

 

[UConn Dan]

Well, UConn was thought to be the favorite to get the spot.

"Nobody told me that," Jurich said. "So I just worried about selling Louisville. That’s all I worried about."

I've mentioned it before elsewhere, that Jurich with the comment above is directly contradicting his UConn was "penned it, not penciled in" comment. He talks out of the both sides of his mouth, and clearly that's what matters in big time sports.

 

[Marty Jackson]

This is post is bad timing and perspective. We basically had an opportunity to invest and move into what was a seemingly upcoming and competitive league and football conference. We did that and have since seen our conference minimized. We are in a bad position. If there is a reasonable probability we can end up in a favorable position in 3-5 years I say invest. But it's more likely this is a self-fulfilling prophecy and the little interest there already is for UConn fball will wane when we have years of ECU, Tulsa and Tulane coming to Rent.

you can already see the schedule change in OOC for both BB and FB. The staff and people in charge know this and are doing what they can to beef up the schedule given a weaker conference. You see it already taking place.
For that that subscribe to the 'we should just joined the ACC' mentality, it's going to be tough to grasp the concept that scheduling is similar. you can't just schedule a team. there needs to be mutual agreement.

 

[Marty Jackson]

The AD's trip to the VI and lackadaisical attitude toward strengthening the football program has erased thirty years of progress for UConn. After the next year or two, money to fund athletics will be exhausted and things will only get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other members of the AAC get invites out and UConn continues left holding the bag as they monitor the situation.

buddy, have you been hanging with anyone calling themselves chicken little or henny penny?

 

[Marty Jackson]

Michigan made a business decision. Pay $2 million buyout, and then add a million to find an opponent for a home payday game. That's $3m.

Or play the game in the rent.

There was a pesky law that manuel had no role in drafting that prevents uconn from playing out of state home games. Manuel also was not the AD when michigan was signed, nor did he have a role in drafting the buyout fee.

that's one side of the equation. how much does michigan make for having 100K fans at a game. I'm guessing more than $3M.

 

[Marty Jackson]

This had no- and when I say no, I mean absolutely NO- impact on conference realignment whatsoever. It's anger, not fact.

tell that to Frank the Tank. He's been spouting that since it happened.

 

[huskymedic]

I've mentioned it before elsewhere, that Jurich with the comment above is directly contradicting his UConn was "penned it, not penciled in" comment. He talks out of the both sides of his mouth, and clearly that's what matters in big time sports.

Not really... this is his actual comment:

“We were definitely the underdogs,” Jurich said. “People had UConn not penciled in, but penned it.”

 

[UConn Dan]

Not really... this is his actual comment:

“We were definitely the underdogs,” Jurich said. “People had UConn not penciled in, but penned it.”

How does he say that Louisville "were definitely the underdogs" (back in November), yet in the recent ESPN blog post (RIP Big East blog) he then responds that "Nobody told me that" when told that "UConn was thought to be the favorite" by AA? What I was saying is he's contradicting himself...revisionist history...talks out of both sides of his mouth...self serving... as should be in big time sports.

 

[businesslawyer]

Think about your last statement. An assumtion the conference president was unaware of the potential conflicts within the football bunch is quite a grasp. Knowing this a plan to assuage these schools should have been in place.
Listen telling Fla State and Clemson they will play in the New York area giving them media attention their state rivals could only dream of getting would outweigh any short term gain received with picking Louisville. If these two schools were on board you think BC really had a voice?


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You think the Presidents of those universities were making their decisions based on what the schools that wanted an invitation told them, rather than what their consultants told them?

And, in any event, that really isn't responsive to the post I was agreeing with.

 

[Rumrunner]

I've read per game PROFIT (not revenue) anywhere from $2m to $8m, depending upon the opponent. But that isn't even that clear since the Big Ten shares ticket revenue.

I think Michigan's decision was first and foremost a business one- would they make more money if they scheduled a home game at the cost of $3 million (or maybe just $2 million if they didn't get a payday opponent, which given the timing would be unlikely).

Maybe I'm wrong and that Manuel's michigan connections combined with michigan's altruism combined to keep the game. Or other factors came into play as well- a chance for michigan to get northeast/new england exposure, a trial run for the big ten in new england.

Since the coverage of football is so bad by local journalists, I doubt we'll ever see a story like "How UConn kept the michigan game" which just leaves us to our speculation. Which is too bad, because if manuel was instrumental in keeping the game, that would be something for us to feel good about. It's not like we've had a bunch of great things happen on the football side lately, so you'd think positive stories would be of interest. Instead, we read into michigan's decision what we want to see- manuel was decisive or he was a potted plant.

Bottom line, keeping the michigan game, no matter the why, is great for the program. I just hope uconn hypes the heck out of it in the next two months.

that's one side of the equation. how much does michigan make for having 100K fans at a game. I'm guessing more than $3M.

 

[UConn Dan]

No need for UConn, Cincy to go begging

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebask...d/86275/no-need-for-uconn-cincy-to-go-begging
Some tidbits (wow someone from ESPN actually now claiming that we penetrate NYC market):
But the Big Ten remains the shadow that looms in two ways. It could still try to bulldoze its way into adding an ACC school. If that occurred, there would be hope for Cincinnati to join the ACC. Or, as a longshot, the Big Ten could one day see the need to expand into the Northeast again and give Rutgers and Maryland another partner. Tabbing UConn, which penetrates the New York City market, would make sense. But Cincinnati wouldn't make sense for the Big Ten since Ohio State dominates the in-state market.

UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said he's not chasing other conferences anymore. Cincinnati AD Whit Babcock essentially said the same thing. Neither are in a position to publicly beg the ACC or the Big Ten to take them. It doesn’t look good for either program, but both want their teams to be the best in the league. ​

 

[Husky25]

No need for UConn, Cincy to go begging

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebask...d/86275/no-need-for-uconn-cincy-to-go-begging
Some tidbits (wow someone from ESPN actually now claiming that we penetrate NYC market):
But the Big Ten remains the shadow that looms in two ways. It could still try to bulldoze its way into adding an ACC school. If that occurred, there would be hope for Cincinnati to join the ACC. Or, as a longshot, the Big Ten could one day see the need to expand into the Northeast again and give Rutgers and Maryland another partner. Tabbing UConn, which penetrates the New York City market, would make sense. But Cincinnati wouldn't make sense for the Big Ten since Ohio State dominates the in-state market.

UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said he's not chasing other conferences anymore. Cincinnati AD Whit Babcock essentially said the same thing. Neither are in a position to publicly beg the ACC or the Big Ten to take them. It doesn’t look good for either program, but both want their teams to be the best in the league.​

The Bold passages are what folks ought to take from this. It didn't look good in November, and wouldn't look good now.

Louisville was perceived to have the better football program, regardless of what was actually true. People need to stop quoting records over a 10 year period. Perception to the powers that be is reality. The ACC becomes the Big East of 2002 without FSU and Clemson, and the New BCS becomes the Power 4 conferences and the other 6 conferences who pretend to play Div. 1A. Hathaway, Austin, Pendergast, Manuel, and Herbst collectively had already put forth UConn's presentation to the best of their ability. There was really nothing more that could have been done. They were, for intents and purpose, the next in line until FSU threatened to take its ball and go home unless Louisville, a better perceived football program, was the selection. A couple other matters helped seal UConn's fate last time around, but in the end, it was just window dressing.

That turned the page for me on the ACC. While I want a seat at the table, the ACC spot is next to the wobbly leg and there is just so much reneging and putting off of the school that I can handle. UConn's attention has rightfully turned to the Big Ten and how the can find its way to stop putting coasters under the leg. Herbst seems to be focused on that with the AAU and growth initiative. Manuel's now should be strengthening the Athletic Department as a whole with a particular focus on football coach. I believe basketball will take care of itself for the next couple years, and if Ollie can get a guy or two to the Association, he will have little problem recruiting more 4-5 star players beyond that.

 

[freescooter]

My take on the Michigan game is that the new Michigan AD thought he would try and steamroll UConn to move the game to a locale where they would have an advantage. . When UConn wouldn't give in, he figured it wasn't worth the bother to force the issue, and he could always blame his predecessor who made the deal if there is too much catawhalling about it. But he made it clear that Michigan isn't doing home-home series with teams they consider their inferiors any more. this was just a leftover from the previous administration. Had very little to do with Warde's Michigan ties, though they might have agreed to help him out since if he had lost this game after getting bamboozled out conference re-alignment, he would have looked even worse than he does, and UConn would never have benefitted from one of his specialties, designing new logos.

 

[Husky25]

But he made it clear that Michigan isn't doing home-home series with teams they consider their inferiors any more.

I don't remember that. Source, please? I remember Barry Alvarez saying that the PTB won't schedule anymore FCS teams, but UConn, at last check, was still an FBS team.

 

[freescooter]

H25,
I couldn't find the actual reference but I also didn't try that hard. If you go back to some of the articles on relocating the game, what he basically says is that Michigan only wants to play B-10 teams on the road. The only exception will be the occasional neutral site game. they pretty much said they want 8 home games every year. That's really what I was referring to. Just being a little more dramatic for effect.

 

[Husky25]

H25,
I couldn't find the actual reference but I also didn't try that hard. If you go back to some of the articles on relocating the game, what he basically says is that Michigan only wants to play B-10 teams on the road. The only exception will be the occasional neutral site game. they pretty much said they want 8 home games every year. That's really what I was referring to. Just being a little more dramatic for effect.

The OOC schedule is important in Football to measure conference vs. conference. Everyone plays a cream puff or two and they go to the Big House, but (if this is true) Michigan is going to then have a hard time scheduling a traditional OOC rival like Notre Dame or any other Power 5 opponent (even weaker ones). All of these Presidents and ADs have egos and will probably not agree to a one off only game with Michigan. The MWC, AAC, and MAC might be 2-1 deals, but say goodbye to the cream puff schedule. That is why I think you might be referring to the no FCS game for the Big Ten as a whole.

Related to basketball, this strategy will make them the Syracuse of BCS football. Syracuse rarely ventures outside the geographic New York state boarder (At least they didn't when they were in the Big East) before the conference schedule starts and over 90% of those games were at the Carrier Dome. So when they beat up on the Binghamton's and Elmira State's of the world, no one could figure out how they handle a raucous enemy crowd or unfriendly rims. Typically, that doesn't bode well come Tournament time unless you have a ready made 18 year old NBA All Star who happens to want to sow his oats in college for a year (In current days, that player goes to Kentucky).

 

[freescooter]

The OOC schedule is important in Football to measure conference vs. conference. Everyone plays a cream puff or two and they go to the Big House, but (if this is true) Michigan is going to then have a hard time scheduling a traditional OOC rival like Notre Dame or any other Power 5 opponent (even weaker ones). All of these Presidents and ADs have egos and will probably not agree to a one off only game with Michigan. The MWC, AAC, and MAC might be 2-1 deals, but say goodbye to the cream puff schedule. That is why I think you might be referring to the no FCS game for the Big Ten as a whole.

It isn't like Michigan is the road warriors anyway, so I'm not sure how much this matters. Historically they have only played Notre Dame on the road anyway. Last year they played a neutral site game to open the season, and at ND, but that was the first time in a long while they've played 2 games outside the Big House. Since at least the 2000s they've palyed 3 or 4 home games depending on where the Irish game was. Going forward I think they have a game at Utah in 2015, but that was scheduled as part of that aborted PAC-BIG scheduling alliance. And in 2016, the schedule shows 9 Big games.The Notre Dame series comes to an end after 2015 I think when they get integrated into the ACC.

 

[Husky25]

It isn't like Michigan is the road warriors anyway, so I'm not sure how much this matters. Historically they have only played Notre Dame on the road anyway. Last year they played a neutral site game to open the season, and at ND, but that was the first time in a long while they've played 2 games outside the Big House. Since at least the 2000s they've palyed 3 or 4 home games depending on where the Irish game was. Going forward I think they have a game at Utah in 2015, but that was scheduled as part of that aborted PAC-BIG scheduling alliance. And in 2016, the schedule shows 9 Big games.The Notre Dame series comes to an end after 2015 I think when they get integrated into the ACC.

It may end as an every year game, but I can't believe that the rivalry won't continue with a game every few years. But that's just my opinion.

 

[freescooter]

It may end as an every year game, but I can't believe that the rivalry won't continue with a game every few years. But that's just my opinion.

I'm just telling you that Michigan has schedules out through 2016 and after I think 2014 it ends. ND had to drop some traditional rivalries to fulfill its ACC commitment and have room for some new opponents along the way. One of those they dropped was Michigan They kept Navy, USC and I think Stanford because they want to go to the west coast every year. In fact Michigan is sort of a Johnny come lately to the ND schedule. They have played all those other teams much more often, and their longest rivalry is actually with Michigan State.

 

[Waquoit]

Michigan asked to get the game moved to a place where they could get more seats for their fans. UConn said no. I'm going to take the UM AD at his word when he said they will play the game at the Rent because UM is an entity that lives up to their word. Why not?

 

[arnie3]

One consistent about posting on the CRB, every one ends up with bashing Warde! Now that's consistency!