They couldn't sustain football outside the BE, but they'll also need to explain why Tempe could. That's the big disconnect here. Temple football used to be a big joke on this board. One can only conclude that Temple's administration is much better than UConn's. What other explanations do people have for Temple doing what UConn couldn't do?
Also, it is pretty evident that people around the country don't realize that UConn actually competed in the old BE and had much better football than this. It once had 24 players in the NFL, which far surpassed most of the P5. I'm sure people like Joe Moorehead knew all about the school's ceiling, its problems, the difficulties of recruiting and being paid, but these coaches also knew about the games they won and the players they developed. So, sure Iowa St, Baylor, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina, fans may look down and laugh at what UConn football has become, but they all took losses to UConn and they got as good as they gave.