Non-Key Tweets

[Dooley]

Maybe the best way to explain my statement is a story.

Growing up as a kid in Connecticut my Dad often took me to UConn Men's basketball games. It was in the old Field House at Storrs which felt like attending a game at a high school gym.

When I attended UConn as a student in the 90s UConn basketball was just starting to boom. Some of my best memories were watching UConn hoops games and the subsequent post game parties on campus. At the time I attended UConn, UConn football was not a D1 program and the Rent did not exist.

Now I have a son and I take my son to several UConn basketball and football games every season. While he loves all things UConn to include UConn basketball, for him attending UConn football games is way more exciting than UConn basketball. If given a choice he will always ask to go to a UConn football game over a UConn basketball game.

Personally I love both UConn football and basketball but much of my childhood is tied to UConn basketball. For people of my generation, UConn basketball is part of our culture. But for my son, UConn football is part of his culture. To this day I still watch every UConn basketball game with my Dad even though I live in Virginia and we have to watch together on the phone. But now my Dad and I watch both the UConn basketball and the football games together on the phone. That is a change in culture.

When pundits say "no one cares about UConn football" I just laugh. UConn football is still a relative new comer but it is growing and has a lot more potential than the other G5 programs we are competing against. UConn dominates an untapped market and has a loyal fan base...love of football is coming. My son's generation who grew up with UConn football will some day prove it.

So are you saying your original statement has nothing to do with message board counts?? I'm confused.

 

[whaler11]

Or maybe he means that UConn fans cheer for and support our women instead of covering up raping them, like many football schools.

Honestly Billy, what value do you bring here? What in the world does message board counts have anything whatsoever to do with anything the OP said? He said that UConn fanbase is big (it is), we don't have a long history of FBS (we don't) but, over time, we will (especially with a P5 schedule that excites fans up here). And yes, UConn fanbase includes women's basketball - of which there are more fans of than Memphis/Cincinnati/UCF/USF/Houston football. And guess what? They can all be mobilized to root for 'UConn' in any sport - including football.

Perhaps you should take your women's hoops slights back to the 1950s where they belong.

If he were to read it, he would understand the post count is from
people all over the place who have no connection to the school or state - they just like the team. Nothing wrong with that but it doesn't reflect the people who are actually here going to the games.

 

[upstater]

I think he means like an SEC school...when the Women's Basketball board has a couple of hundred thousand more messages than the Football Board...it ain't like the SEC...totally football first.

The big problem is that almost all southern pro football teams have stunk up the joint in the last decade. Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston, Dallas, etc. An endless streak of suck.

Whereas the two teams within 30 miles of Connecticut have won 6 of the last 15 Super Bowls, and the fans up here love football, obviously, since you won't see the empty seats you see down south.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

It's hilarious to me people use the WBB success against us all the time. Oh they're just a women's basketball school. Completely ignore we've had huge success in many sports.

 

[don356]

Bucky is the dude's step brother.

 

[ASweet3781]

It's hilarious to me people use the WBB success against us all the time. Oh they're just a women's basketball school. Completely ignore we've had huge success in many sports.

And that overall athletic success is the hallmark of ANY strong athletic program and a reason why we can be solid in football (seeing they forget we already were).

 

[jostar1]

Jason Williams ‏@jwilliamscincy 3h3 hours ago
Source: BYU Big 12's No. 1 overall. Oklahoma wants Cincy. Texas of course wants Houston. Don't be surprised if compromise is Cincy & Houston

Bearcat Ed ‏@BearcatEd_30 · 2h2 hours ago  Reading, OH
@flugempire have anything to say about this

Greg Flugaur‏@flugempire
@BearcatEd_30
OU Contacts have told us they don't believe a UH +1 can get UH 8 votes in total.

 

[sportsart]

Jason Williams ‏@jwilliamscincy 3h3 hours ago
Source: BYU Big 12's No. 1 overall. Oklahoma wants Cincy. Texas of course wants Houston. Don't be surprised if compromise is Cincy & Houston

Bearcat Ed ‏@BearcatEd_30 · 2h2 hours ago  Reading, OH
@flugempire have anything to say about this

Greg Flugaur‏@flugempire
@BearcatEd_30
OU Contacts have told us they don't believe a UH +1 can get UH 8 votes in total.

On the UH +1 not being able to get the votes, I have a source that tells me the votes are indeed there. Reason why? Fear....

 

[upstater]

On the UH +1 not being able to get the votes, I have a source that tells me the votes are indeed there. Reason why? Fear....

Explain. They are going to end this with Houston & Cincy because they are afraid of something?

 

[Fishy]

It's hilarious to me people use the WBB success against us all the time. Oh they're just a women's basketball school. Completely ignore we've had huge success in many sports.

I'm convinced that UConn's overwhelming success in basketball has become a net negative.

No one will ever accuse Houston or BYU or Cincy or Memphis or UCF of being basketball schools because they're simply not remarkable at it.

BYU is a step ahead because they actually have a good history - the rest of them are purely ordinary, but they're football schools because.....why? Because nothing else on campus stands out.

 

[sportsart]

Explain. They are going to end this with Houston & Cincy because they are afraid of something?

Go read the n.u.t kick thread for context. Doesn't work when I have to explain it.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm convinced that UConn's overwhelming success in basketball has become a net negative.

No one will ever accuse Houston or BYU or Cincy or Memphis or UCF of being basketball schools because they're simply not remarkable at it.

BYU is a step ahead because they actually have a good history - the rest of them are purely ordinary, but they're football schools because.....why? Because nothing else on campus stands out.

The way I see it Houston is a golf school.

 

[TRest]

I'm convinced that UConn's overwhelming success in basketball has become a net negative.

No one will ever accuse Houston or BYU or Cincy or Memphis or UCF of being basketball schools because they're simply not remarkable at it.

BYU is a step ahead because they actually have a good history - the rest of them are purely ordinary, but they're football schools because.....why? Because nothing else on campus stands out.

Not only are we not considered a football school, our football has never had the type of year where it was ranked for a long period, and I believe we have never finished a season ranked. The ceiling looks low and made of cement, and when we are successful it is when playing a remarkably dull brand of strong defense and inept offense.We would be better off in the B12's eyes if we could at least put up yards and points in a competent manner.

 

[UConnNick]

Cincinnati and Memphis are BB schools, just like us. Always have been, always will be. BYU and Houston are football schools. UCF is still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up.

If the B12 wants the two football schools, it will be Houston and BYU. If they want the two overall best schools, it will be UCONN and BYU.

If they take four, it's a no brainer...the two UC's, BYU and UH.

It really should be that simple.

 

[billybud]

The big problem is that almost all southern pro football teams have stunk up the joint in the last decade. Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston, Dallas, etc. An endless streak of suck.

Whereas the two teams within 30 miles of Connecticut have won 6 of the last 15 Super Bowls, and the fans up here love football, obviously, since you won't see the empty seats you see down south.

The south is college football country....has been since I was a boy in North Florida and the nearest pro team was Washington and St. Louis. You might be able to hear some interference laden AM radio skip broadcasts at night.

We grew up with college football...,strong traditions.

The fans up there around Connecticut do "love football"...I agree. Do they love college football in the NE?

 

[BoomerHusky]

I've listened to most if not all of the interviews John Ourand and Michael Smith did last week after they released their article. In almost every interview they brought up pretty much the samethings.

• Neither network wants Houston, they don't believe adding Houston will help them overtake the SEC in the Houston market.
• ESPN doesn't want to pay more for content they already have, most of the time they bring up BYU when discussing this.
• Uconn is the only school that owns its own market and has strong numbers in surrounding markers. No other school excluding BYU is even in the top 2 of their respective markets.
• BYU has a strong national brand but this relates more to ticket sales than viewership numbers.
• The whole premises of the article was a negotiation tatic and your not just dealing with Big 12 vs networks but your dealing with ESPN vs FOX. They also said they were working on more articles about Big 12 expansion.
• Both have stated if they go to 12 it would be BYU and Uconn as they are really the only schools that add value.

 

[UConnNick]

I've listened to most if not all of the interviews John Ourand and Michael Smith did last week after they released their article. In almost every interview they brought up pretty much the samethings.

• Neither network wants Houston, they don't believe adding Houston will help them overtake the SEC in the Houston market.
• ESPN doesn't want to pay more for content they already have, most of the time they bring up BYU when discussing this.
• Uconn is the only school that owns its own market and has strong numbers in surrounding markers. No other school excluding BYU is even in the top 2 of their respective markets.
• BYU has a strong national brand but this relates more to ticket sales than viewership numbers.
• The whole premises of the article was a negotiation tatic and your not just dealing with Big 12 vs networks but your dealing with ESPN vs FOX. They also said they were working on more articles about Big 12 expansion.
• Both have stated if they go to 12 it would be BYU and Uconn as they are really the only schools that add value.

That's exactly right. If it's only two, UCONN and BYU are the only two which make logical, rational sense. However, I have grave doubts about whether B12 or any college presidents are likely to make any CR decisions based on logic and rationality. Maybe the networks can dictate the picks by threatening to not pay for the additions, forcing the league to sue them for their money, unless they get the two schools they want.

 

[noeynox]

That's exactly right. If it's only two, UCONN and BYU are the only two which make logical, rational sense. However, I have grave doubts about whether B12 or any college presidents are likely to make any CR decisions based on logic and rationality. Maybe the networks can dictate the picks by threatening to not pay for the additions, forcing the league to sue them for their money, unless they get the two schools they want.

The Big 12 is entirely unpredictable so who knows what if anything they ultimately decide to do however I put no weight on a Cincinnati writer claiming Cincinnati and UH as a compromise picks.

We shall see, but I think at the end of the day they will fall back on the data provided to them by the two firms they paid millions to. If they were going with gut or compromise selections why hire anyone?

 

[upstater]

The south is college football country....has been since I was a boy in North Florida and the nearest pro team was Washington and St. Louis. You might be able to hear some interference laden AM radio skip broadcasts at night.

We grew up with college football...,strong traditions.

The fans up there around Connecticut do "love football"...I agree. Do they love college football in the NE?

The point is, when you have strong pro teams, your fervor gets split. The same would happen if you guys had good teams in the south. In Carolina for instance, if Cam Newton ever became a consistent winner, it would hurt UNC football.

 

[MattMang23]

I don't understand how this is confusing. People only have so much discretionary income and there are only twenty-four hours in a day. Not enough time and money for everything.

 

[SpartyCyclone]

That's exactly right. If it's only two, UCONN and BYU are the only two which make logical, rational sense. However, I have grave doubts about whether B12 or any college presidents are likely to make any CR decisions based on logic and rationality. Maybe the networks can dictate the picks by threatening to not pay for the additions, forcing the league to sue them for their money, unless they get the two schools they want.

One of the reasons for expansion was supposedly because WV was on an island. There are no other teams in the league anywhere close. So why would the B12 remedy that by inviting another island in BYU? That doesn't make sense. Then again, who ever claimed the B12 ever made logical decisions? (Note - I am not advocating that they take BYU and CSU, before anybody accuses me of that!?)

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

 

[SubbaBub]

One of the reasons for expansion was supposedly because WV was on an island. There are no other teams in the league anywhere close. So why would the B12 remedy that by inviting another island in BYU? That doesn't make sense. Then again, who ever claimed the B12 ever made logical decisions? (Note - I am not advocating that they take BYU and CSU, before anybody accuses me of that!?)

That is a problem that only WV cares about. They have good reasons to not even want Cincy. The XII schools may not what to give up their bus league geography any further but, I'm sure they don't care about WVa's travel budget one iota.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Maybe the best way to explain my statement is a story.

Growing up as a kid in Connecticut my Dad often took me to UConn Men's basketball games. It was in the old Field House at Storrs which felt like attending a game at a high school gym.

When I attended UConn as a student in the 90s UConn basketball was just starting to boom. Some of my best memories were watching UConn hoops games and the subsequent post game parties on campus. At the time I attended UConn, UConn football was not a D1 program and the Rent did not exist.

Now I have a son and I take my son to several UConn basketball and football games every season. While he loves all things UConn to include UConn basketball, for him attending UConn football games is way more exciting than UConn basketball. If given a choice he will always ask to go to a UConn football game over a UConn basketball game.

Personally I love both UConn football and basketball but much of my childhood is tied to UConn basketball. For people of my generation, UConn basketball is part of our culture. But for my son, UConn football is part of his culture. To this day I still watch every UConn basketball game with my Dad even though I live in Virginia and we have to watch together on the phone. But now my Dad and I watch both the UConn basketball and the football games together on the phone. That is a change in culture.

When pundits say "no one cares about UConn football" I just laugh. UConn football is still a relative new comer but it is growing and has a lot more potential than the other G5 programs we are competing against. UConn dominates an untapped market and has a loyal fan base...love of football is coming. My son's generation who grew up with UConn football will some day prove it.

I think this is true for many of us. It's similar to my own story. One difference for me is that we moved to CT from the KC area when I was 5. So while I started getting into UConn basketball as a teenager, I have been watching college football since I was very small. It's something my mom and dad brought with them from the midwest, and I adopted it as well. Most of my friends growing up weren't college football fans, except some who loved Notre Dame.

But I completely agree that the culture will continue to grow, and people in CT will embrace big time college football, especially if UConn is playing against compelling opponents.

 

[Hoophound]

One thing that sticks with me in all of this is a comment Benedict made in June. When B12 expansion cooled off, he said that the B12 had slowed down on the idea but that it wasn't over with in his opinion. Then he said something to the effect of "even if the B12 doesn't expand, more movement will be happening next year". He had a somewhat sly look on his face when offering that up. Meanwhile, we start hiring people like crazy. What is happening next year? I think therein may be the answer as to why we are very quiet and yet moving at warp speed to improve everything in the athletic department.