Mora is right

[UConnJim]

Well...they let Cincinnatii play in the 4 team CFP...and Cincinnati not scoring a single TD in the game did not do much to build confidence that the best of the G5's would compete with the best of the P5's.

Total crap. There have been 18 semifinal games in the CFP era. There have been only 5 games decided by 10 points or less (two last year), 7 by 11 to 21 points, and 6 by >21 points. The Cincinnati game was decided by 21 points which is in the mid range of CFP playoff games.

Do you remember these games?
Oregon 59, FSU 20
Alabama 30, Michigan St. 0
Alabama 24, Washington 7
Clemson 31, Ohio St. 0
Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3
Alabama 24, Clemson 6
LSU 62, Oklahoma 28
Georgia 34, Michigan 11

Only 3 teams that year held Alabama to fewer points than Cincinnati (27):
Auburn 24
LSU 20
Georgia 18 (Championship game)

Alabama scored more points against:
Miami 44
Florida 31
Ole Miss. 42
Texas A&M. 38
Miss. St. 49
Tennessee. 52
Arkansas. 42
Georgia. 41

Cincinnati clearly belonged as they had 9 players drafted in that year's NFL draft, which was 3rd most of any school.

 

[Waquoit]

This is where I am going to part company. I buy my tickets and make my seat donations but that's it. Any money I carve out for charity goes to charity, not college kids already on the dole.

 

[JMick]

I don’t get why fanbase got mad at Jim today.

Really? You don't know why? You think it's ok to say that in order to have an opinion you have to pay for it? Please. The dude is spiraling.

 

[UConnJim]

We all love the possibility in the Dance...even if it is an illusion.

Data is data...and the data says that the 9-16 seeds have zero chance....we just like the Horatio Alger story...it could happen, someday, maybe, if enough candles were lit to St. Jude...

The NCAA Tourney has been won by one of the top three seeds 89% of the time (over past 38 years)...a 9-16..well, just there for the possibility interest.

There are 4 one seeds, four 2 seeds, 4 three seeds,... In other words, the "3 seed" teams are actually ranked 9, 10, 11, and 12. And, there have been 2 teams ranked outside of the top 25 seeds that have won an NCAA Championship. I would think that 89% of the champions should come from the top 12 seeds. I think it's more surprising that 11% of the champions have come from the 13th seed and up.

 

[Patman]

This is where I am going to part company. I buy my tickets and make my seat donations but that's it. Any money I carve out for charity goes to charity, not college kids already on the dole.

and that's fair, in the end its the high rollers that are the ones that will have to kick in for the program to do things. And getting good will change things of course as it opens up legitimate sponsorship/advertising opportunities.

 

[Patman]

Really? You don't know why? You think it's ok to say that in order to have an opinion you have to pay for it? Please. The dude is spiraling.

Get over yourself. This is a real narcissistic take.

 

[billybud]

There are 4 one seeds, four 2 seeds, 4 three seeds,... In other words, the "3 seed" teams are actually ranked 9, 10, 11, and 12. And, there have been 2 teams ranked outside of the top 25 seeds that have won an NCAA Championship. I would think that 89% of the champions should come from the top 12 seeds. I think it's more surprising that 11% of the champions have come from the 13th seed and up.

DATA....9-16...32 teams...have zero chance....the bottom 20 teams...zero chance of a Final Four...the bottom 36...the barest slimmest chance.

History of Records By Seed in the NCAA Tournament

Odds, records, and history by seeding for March Madness tournament to help find upsets in this year's bracket.

www.betfirm.com

 

[UConnJim]

Unfortunately, nobody has stood up at UConn like Mora has to speak the truth about college football today. Has Benedict? To some degree, but not as forcibly as Mora. It's OK if you don't believe him, but I do. UConn lost almost all of the offensive playmakers to the portal: Carter, Marion, Turner, Brewton, and Houston. What did UConn lack this year? Explosive offensive plays and a competent offense.

What has changed in the last year that has amped up Mora? The reality of NIL changing quickly. I would bet Mora thought UConn would be competitive in the NIL game and he found out after last season that wasn't the case. Thus, UConn lost way more in the portal than they gained this year. Look at the portal adds 2 years ago which included Bouyer-Randle, Bembry, Shearin, Roberson, Zozus, Guidone, Stafford, McDuffie, Shor, Stewart, Oladele, ... Much more impactful players than this year's portal crop.

Why has UConn football not performed? We have not invested in the program. For example, look at the head football coach salary. Pasqualoni's salary in 2011 was $1.5 million, the same as Jim Mora's in 2023! There is not one school that cares about football that has not increased the salary of the football coach over 12 years! And, is there any school in which the women's basketball coach makes over double what the football coach makes? Sure, Geno deserves his salary based on performance, but the differential is indicative of the commitment to football. And, Mora would have been the lowest paid football coach in the AAC last year.

Finally, as UConn fans, we all know that men's and women's basketball are not the driving force behind conference realignment and the LT viability of competing in the top level of college basketball probably depends on getting into a P4/5 conference. If you want UConn to get into a P4/P5 conference long term, we need to competing at the top level of G5 football.

 

[JMick]

Get over yourself. This is a real narcissistic take.

It's a narcissistic take to think that people's opinions shouldn't be gatekept by how much money they have or choose to spend on a football program? Really? GoFY

 

[JMick]

Unfortunately, nobody has stood up at UConn like Mora has to speak the truth about college football today. Has Benedict? To some degree, but not as forcibly as Mora. It's OK if you don't believe him, but I do. UConn lost almost all of the offensive playmakers to the portal: Carter, Marion, Turner, Brewton, and Houston. What did UConn lack this year? Explosive offensive plays and a competent offense.

What has changed in the last year that has amped up Mora? The reality of NIL changing quickly. I would bet Mora thought UConn would be competitive in the NIL game and he found out after last season that wasn't the case. Thus, UConn lost way more in the portal than they gained this year. Look at the portal adds 2 years ago which included Bouyer-Randle, Bembry, Shearin, Roberson, Zozus, Guidone, Stafford, McDuffie, Shor, Stewart, Oladele, ... Much more impactful players than this year's portal crop.

Why has UConn football not performed? We have not invested in the program. For example, look at the head football coach salary. Pasqualoni's salary in 2011 was $1.5 million, the same as Jim Mora's in 2023! There is not one school that cares about football that has not increased the salary of the football coach over 12 years! And, is there any school in which the women's basketball coach makes over double what the football coach makes? Sure, Geno deserves his salary based on performance, but the differential is indicative of the commitment to football. And, Mora would have been the lowest paid football coach in the AAC last year.

Finally, as UConn fans, we all know that men's and women's basketball are not the driving force behind conference realignment and the LT viability of competing in the top level of college basketball probably depends on getting into a P4/5 conference. If you want UConn to get into a P4/P5 conference long term, we need to competing at the top level of G5 football.

And then you have A&M which paid $75 million to have a guy not coach, spent millions on players, and still aren't anywhere close to being in the conversation for the playoff.

Money matters but coaching does too. You can't just throw money at a problem and fix it.

If we were sitting here with six wins again and Mora said that to get over the hump that we needed more support, I would fully understand where he's coming from. But a lack of money doesn't get you an offense this bad. Plenty of teams do more with less.

 

[SwingDog]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown on where the NIL money is coming from for the top programs. This would give the university a basic blueprint to work with. Mora seems to indicate that AD Benedict is committed, so the next step would be to bring in someone to take charge of fundraising.

 

[SwingDog]

And then you have A&M which paid $75 million to have a guy not coach, spent millions on players, and still aren't anywhere close to being in the conversation for the playoff.

Money matters but coaching does too. You can't just throw money at a problem and fix it.

If we were sitting here with six wins again and Mora said that to get over the hump that we needed more support, I would fully understand where he's coming from. But a lack of money doesn't get you an offense this bad. Plenty of teams do more with less.

To be fair, Mora did say that lack of money was not the reason for all of the losses. Clearly, there were games this season we could have/should have won with the roster we have, and we could have done better. Money or lack thereof is not the only factor, but it is perhaps the greatest one. But I think to say we could be more successful with more money is true, and I think the expectations would be greater and more achievable. And, as a sidenote, Mora has hinted at coaching changes, so I think we can expect to see some in the off season, but having the financial support is part of bringing in coaches who can come in get behind the effort to bring this program to the level it wants to reach. People (players, coaches, donors, fans) want to see without a doubt that the university is fully committed to this program.

 

[HuskDawg]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown on where the NIL money is coming from for the top programs. This would give the university a basic blueprint to work with. Mora seems to indicate that AD Benedict is committed, so the next step would be to bring in someone to take charge of fundraising.

Found this stat "The industry's growth has been driven in large part by collectives. These donor-backed groups facilitate NIL opportunities like autograph signings and appearances at fundraisers and account for 80% of the money flowing to student-athletes. The remaining 20% comes from brand deals, per Opendorse." Sep 19, 2023

 

[huskymedic]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown on where the NIL money is coming from for the top programs. This would give the university a basic blueprint to work with. Mora seems to indicate that AD Benedict is committed, so the next step would be to bring in someone to take charge of fundraising.

They have someone:

 

[Rdkid]

It appears that NIL payments for our program is distasteful for many of this board’s avid football supporters. Likely generational as well (most of us middle-agers & above seem to be at best holding our noses - and we’re the ones with the $). What does this say about support for football in this new age? Rubber is hitting the road.

Bleeding Blue for Good is not a secret. It has not been for all of ‘23.

If you want to see winning UConn sports, hold your nose and give something.

Communication and an articulated plan from the coach and athletic department would help. Not a haranguing from the coach from the podium when he’s 2-9 and his team is disheveled to put it kindly. He can go to charm school after UMass, cuz yeah, he’s got a game to coach - and coach better than he has. And a loss Saturday will be a giant nick in the kutz for hope.

 

[JMick]

To be fair, Mora did say that lack of money was not the reason for all of the losses. Clearly, there were games this season we could have/should have won with the roster we have, and we could have done better. Money or lack thereof is not the only factor, but it is perhaps the greatest one. But I think to say we could be more successful with more money is true, and I think the expectations would be greater and more achievable. And, as a sidenote, Mora has hinted at coaching changes, so I think we can expect to see some in the off season, but having the financial support is part of bringing in coaches who can come in get behind the effort to bring this program to the level it wants to reach. People (players, coaches, donors, fans) want to see without a doubt that the university is fully committed to this program.

It just feels like he doesn't get it.

He would not have people complaining if we were winning games that we "should" win. The expectations from the fanbase are so low and he still has to get up there and tell people to not complain unless they're contributing to an NIL fund. We could go 6-6 every year and he'd get a statue, and he acts like the fanbase is demanding a national championship. It doesn't make any sense.

 

[Waquoit]

It's a narcissistic take to think that people's opinions shouldn't be gatekept by how much money they have or choose to spend on a football program? Really? GoFY

Why should free riders have any influence?

 

[UConnJim]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown on where the NIL money is coming from for the top programs. This would give the university a basic blueprint to work with. Mora seems to indicate that AD Benedict is committed, so the next step would be to bring in someone to take charge of fundraising.

I can help out. Generally, there are 2 types of NIL. There is NIL money for top stars from brands like Nike, Gatorade,… that is going to top players based on the star’s ability to market the brand. Think Paige Bueckers or Caleb Williams. That is not what Mora is talking about as that only impacts a very few players. Then, there is NIL cash that is being being paid by collectives, small and medium businesses, individuals,… that is basically paying the players for some “use” of NIL but is basically a payout. I don’t think large corporations are a big part of this. That is what Mora means when he says NIL.

At most large universities, they have a well developed booster club outside of university oversight that has been raising money for years for things like facilities, athletic scholarships, coaching salaries, … Many are now involved in NIL. To my knowledge, I don’t think UConn has a booster club, as historically the AD has been the fundraiser. With NIL it has to be an outside organization that is raising the money.

 

[JMick]

Why should free riders have any influence?

Since when is an opinion influence?

 

[Rdkid]

Found this stat "The industry's growth has been driven in large part by collectives. These donor-backed groups facilitate NIL opportunities like autograph signings and appearances at fundraisers and account for 80% of the money flowing to student-athletes. The remaining 20% comes from brand deals, per Opendorse." Sep 19, 2023

And nobody wants the autograph of anyone on a bottomed-out team. NIL for football at UConn is purely pay for play right now, which is what makes it so distasteful.

 

[UConnJim]

They have someone:

Unfortunately, I think this group may be good for smaller dollar donations, but where would someone who wants to invest $200k in football turn to? Not sure and that is what UConn needs.

 

[huskymedic]

Unfortunately, I think this group may be good for smaller dollar donations, but where would someone who wants to invest $200k in football turn to? Not sure and that is what UConn needs.

I’m positive that they can assist you in that endeavor - give Jared a call

They are working w/ CT Corporations and businesses @ that dollar commitment level.

 

[UCMB88]

Good atricle about Clawson at Wake Forest bemoaning what college football has become. As the title of this thread sates, Mora is not wrong!

Wake coach perplexed by ND 'love' for Hartman

 

[JMick]

Good atricle about Clawson at Wake Forest bemoaning what college football has become. As the title of this thread sates, Mora is not wrong!

Wake coach perplexed by ND 'love' for Hartman

Did you read the article? Because it doesn't support what Mora has said at all besides the basic fact that NIL is a crap show.

He even said there's no use complaining about it because it is what it is

 

[Slick]

This is where I am going to part company. I buy my tickets and make my seat donations but that's it. Any money I carve out for charity goes to charity, not college kids already on the dole.

That’s fine as long as you don’t mind that UConn is never going to be competitive in football.