Northeast Football

[tduconn]

You know the Big Ten is still focused on eastward expansion, correct?

If you think they're going to get Texas, keep dreaming. UT is now bigger and more powerful than every school in the Big Ten. The Pac-12 is the conference who would bend over for UT.

I often joke with an employee where I work who is both a Ohio State (BS) and UConn (MS) graduate. After one loss I poke him in the ribs and say "I don't think Ohio State is going to make the CFB playoffs this year". He replies "UConn can go undefeated and they won't make the CFB playoffs"

When we have serious conversations about conference realignment, wearing his UConn hat he suggests that UConn to a P5 is a pipedream. Wearing his Ohio State hat, he suggests no BIG or other P5 fan wants UConn.....for a few simple reasons:

(1) Not many schools care much about, or put much effort into WBB. Of the roughly 300+ Div 1 WBB schools, maybe 20-40 "give a damn". Joe D. has often made similar comments on radio. UConn WBB doesn't carry much weight in conference realignment.

(2) College basketball only brings in about 20% of a P5 conferences total revenue. Reference BC's AD comments when voting against UConn in the 2012 ACC realignment.

(3) CFB, the sport that means the most to P5 conferences, has minimal interest in New England and New York. UConn has not shown any evidence it would produce financial revenue sources equivalent to other P5 conference members. Also, it does not have the infrastructure to support the hoards of fans that travel with P5 teams, nor do they show evidence of traveling to venues of other conference schools.

As a UConn grad, he prays for the best, but does not hold out much hope. He does not want to appear overly negative to UConn, just wants to be truthful and honest with what he hears.

 

[QDOG5]

I often joke with an employee where I work who is both a Ohio State (BS) and UConn (MS) graduate. After one loss I poke him in the ribs and say "I don't think Ohio State is going to make the CFB playoffs this year". He replies "UConn can go undefeated and they won't make the CFB playoffs"

When we have serious conversations about conference realignment, wearing his UConn hat he suggests that UConn to a P5 is a pipedream. Wearing his Ohio State hat, he suggests no BIG or other P5 fan wants UConn.....for a few simple reasons:

(1) Not many schools care much about, or put much effort into WBB. Of the roughly 300+ Div 1 WBB schools, maybe 20-40 "give a damn". Joe D. has often made similar comments on radio. UConn WBB doesn't carry much weight in conference realignment.

(2) College basketball only brings in about 20% of a P5 conferences total revenue. Reference BC's AD comments when voting against UConn in the 2012 ACC realignment.

(3) CFB, the sport that means the most to P5 conferences, has minimal interest in New England and New York. UConn has not shown any evidence it would produce financial revenue sources equivalent to other P5 conference members. Also, it does not have the infrastructure to support the hoards of fans that travel with P5 teams, nor do they show evidence of traveling to venues of other conference schools.

As a UConn grad, he prays for the best, but does not hold out much hope. He does not want to appear overly negative to UConn, just wants to be truthful and honest with what he hears.[/QUOT
If your theory is correct then why did the Big 10 invite lowly Rutgers and middling Maryland? Big 10 commish Jim Delany admitted it was because both ares have large and growing populations which means more eyes on TV sets. West Lafayette IN, East Lansing MI and Champaign IL are smaller markets and no population growth. UConn may not get invited but the BIG10 will not be looking to add teams from small TV markets regardless of the name on the front of the jerseys.

 

[tduconn]

Neither my coworker or me are picking on UConn as an institution. He is just repeating what he hears from Ohio State alumni/fans. We're both UConn fans.

Recalling BIG's reason for selecting Rutgers and Maryland, they not only recognized that both areas produce HS graduates with the skills and a chance to succeed at the highest FBS program levels. Outside of population, they wanted to penetrate those recruiting areas better than they had. I guess the feeling was having a local team in the BIG would enhance their chances. (Others have pointed out on these forums that NY/NE on a yearly basis produces probably fewer than 1% of FBS recruits.)

You're correct about the markets of the other BIG schools you mentioned. But at the formation of the BIG membership in the early 20th century, TV wasn't much, if any, of a factor, if TV was even in existence at that time. And these schools also met/meet the academic criteria of the conference.

 

[Adios]

I often joke with an employee where I work who is both a Ohio State (BS) and UConn (MS) graduate. After one loss I poke him in the ribs and say "I don't think Ohio State is going to make the CFB playoffs this year". He replies "UConn can go undefeated and they won't make the CFB playoffs"

When we have serious conversations about conference realignment, wearing his UConn hat he suggests that UConn to a P5 is a pipedream. Wearing his Ohio State hat, he suggests no BIG or other P5 fan wants UConn.....for a few simple reasons:

(1) Not many schools care much about, or put much effort into WBB. Of the roughly 300+ Div 1 WBB schools, maybe 20-40 "give a damn". Joe D. has often made similar comments on radio. UConn WBB doesn't carry much weight in conference realignment.

(2) College basketball only brings in about 20% of a P5 conferences total revenue. Reference BC's AD comments when voting against UConn in the 2012 ACC realignment.

(3) CFB, the sport that means the most to P5 conferences, has minimal interest in New England and New York. UConn has not shown any evidence it would produce financial revenue sources equivalent to other P5 conference members. Also, it does not have the infrastructure to support the hoards of fans that travel with P5 teams, nor do they show evidence of traveling to venues of other conference schools.

As a UConn grad, he prays for the best, but does not hold out much hope. He does not want to appear overly negative to UConn, just wants to be truthful and honest with what he hears.

People in power have more say than alumni and fans, don't you think? Your co-worker has no idea what he's talking about.

We're on their radar now, whether I like it or not. Rather than throwing doubt at our own school, some of you should embrace the opportunity and exploit it. There's much more to realignment than just football (or sports even).

 

[NE Football]

We're not on anybody's radar, please stop the nonsense. We have been left out of every realignment. Our best chance was to beat out RU for the B1G and that did not happen.

Let's focus on making the AAC better.

 

[CL82]

Recalling BIG's reason for selecting Rutgers and Maryland, they not only recognized that both areas produce HS graduates with the skills and a chance to succeed at the highest FBS program levels. Outside of population, they wanted to penetrate those recruiting areas better than they had. I guess the feeling was having a local team in the BIG would enhance their chances. (Others have pointed out on these forums that NY/NE on a yearly basis produces probably fewer than 1% of FBS recruits.)

Source please.

 

[tduconn]

Source please.

There are numerous sources in addition to what I reference here that have analysis similar to SB Nation results, just "google " something similar to "What States produce the greatest number or percentage of top FBS recruits" (I don't think P5 conference members as a whole target "under the radar" athletes in their recruiting process as primary interests)

Per SB Nation, according to signing classes in 13. 14, 15, 16, & 17, a total of 1657 top recruits over those 5 years, the following breakdown was provided per State

Pa: 44 or 2.7%
NJ: 41 or 2.5%
Maryland : 36 or 2.2%

NY: 6 or 0.4%
CT: 4 or 0.2%
Ma: 2 or 0.1%
Maine, Vt, NH, RI : 0 or 0.0%

Wouldn't be surprised if 3*, 4* recruit breakdown revealed similar recruiting results/breakdowns.

I can understand why the P5 conferences see little benefit in penetrating NE area in search of top recruits.

 

[huskymedic]

There are numerous sources in addition to what I reference here that have analysis similar to SB Nation results, just "google " something similar to "What States produce the greatest number or percentage of top FBS recruits" (I don't think P5 conference members as a whole target "under the radar" athletes in their recruiting process as primary interests)

Per SB Nation, according to signing classes in 13. 14, 15, 16, & 17, a total of 1657 top recruits over those 5 years, the following breakdown was provided per State

Pa: 44 or 2.7%
NJ: 41 or 2.5%
Maryland : 36 or 2.2%

NY: 6 or 0.4%
CT: 4 or 0.2%
Ma: 2 or 0.1%
Maine, Vt, NH, RI : 0 or 0.0%

Wouldn't be surprised if 3*, 4* recruit breakdown revealed similar recruiting results/breakdowns.

I can understand why the P5 conferences see little benefit in penetrating NE area in search of top recruits.

Mapping Every College Football Player's Hometown

 

[CL82]

There are numerous sources in addition to what I reference here that have analysis similar to SB Nation results, just "google " something similar to "What States produce the greatest number or percentage of top FBS recruits" (I don't think P5 conference members as a whole target "under the radar" athletes in their recruiting process as primary interests)

Per SB Nation, according to signing classes in 13. 14, 15, 16, & 17, a total of 1657 top recruits over those 5 years, the following breakdown was provided per State

Pa: 44 or 2.7%
NJ: 41 or 2.5%
Maryland : 36 or 2.2%

NY: 6 or 0.4%
CT: 4 or 0.2%
Ma: 2 or 0.1%
Maine, Vt, NH, RI : 0 or 0.0%

Wouldn't be surprised if 3*, 4* recruit breakdown revealed similar recruiting results/breakdowns.

I can understand why the P5 conferences see little benefit in penetrating NE area in search of top recruits.

Agree, with the above, but what you said is the B1G took RU and Maryland to solely to improve recruiting into NJ and Maryland. Do you have a source for that?

 

[BlueMAB]

B1G powerhouses went into NJ and took players every year. They didn't need to add Rutgers to the B1G to do that. Giving NJ recruits the option of playing in the B1G and staying at home instead of having to leave the state to play at the P5 level didn't help those schools recruit NJ it made it harder.

B1G teams can only offer NJ recruits the opportunity to play in their home state 2 or 3 times during their college career, rather than 6 times a season.

This idea that schools like OSU, Nebraska, Michigan, MSU, Wisconsin, Penn St., Iowa, etc, etc needed (or even wanted) Rutgers on the schedule to help them recruit NJ is so ridiculous I can't believe any reasonably intelligent person would make that argument.

There was one reason. TV money.

It's no different with UConn. If we were a P5, recruits would have more reason to play for UConn, not less. Recruits would be more likely to stay home rather than go to BC, Cuse, Pitt, Penn St, Michigan (all schools that now have or have had top CT talent on their roster)

 

[QDOG5]

If a conference were looking for TV markets and fertile football recruiting then USF in Tampa #11 and UCF in Orlando #18 should be at the top of the list. UCF has 64,000 students and USF has 49,000. Both are bigger than Fla St. Not much tradition to speak of but they have the prerequisites. UConn in the #30 spot is not bad. We fans have to hope the administration can get the job done.

 

[BlueMAB]

If a conference were looking for TV markets and fertile football recruiting then USF in Tampa #11 and UCF in Orlando #18 should be at the top of the list. UCF has 64,000 students and USF has 49,000. Both are bigger than Fla St. Not much tradition to speak of but they have the prerequisites. UConn in the #30 spot is not bad. We fans have to hope the administration can get the job done.

Those markets are already owned by FSU, Florida, and Miami. Those schools are not voting to add anyone from Florida to their conference.