NYT Article on Connecticut Situation

[WestHartHusk]

I thought this was a pretty good summary of the situation, put our football program in perspective, noted we are unequivocally the most successful sports school remaining, and did a nice job discounting some of Herbst's comments. All-in-all some more positive press turned in for the Huskies...maybe the tide has finally turned.

Some notable quotes:

But with three men’s national basketball championships and seven on the women’s side, and a football program no worse than some of the universities recently gone to the A.C.C. (Syracuse and Pittsburgh) and Big Ten (Rutgers)...



Rutgers was accepted into the Big Ten last fall, with the widespread belief that the conference wanted a foothold in the New York metropolitan area. But while intending no disrespect to Rutgers, Tranghese said: “A lot of people don’t understand what makes New York tick. The two schools with the biggest impact in the New York market have been Syracuse and Connecticut.”

 

[UCFBfan]

I agree it was well written but sad at the same time. I know we say all the time that we have no idea what's really happening but I'd like to just once see a little hint from SH or WM that they aren't ok with our new situation and would like to fix that. I feel like we see it in snippets from Cincy but not us. We're just happy to be here and will make the best of it.

Is that all we can do now? Sure but it sure as heck doesnt mean I or any other fan is ok with it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[freescooter]

On this matter I don't think herbst has a clue and Manuel is just doing what he's told.

 

[huskymedic]

I agree it was well written but sad at the same time. I know we say all the time that we have no idea what's really happening but I'd like to just once see a little hint from SH or WM that they aren't ok with our new situation and would like to fix that. I feel like we see it in snippets from Cincy but not us. We're just happy to be here and will make the best of it.

Is that all we can do now? Sure but it sure as heck doesnt mean I or any other fan is ok with it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Doesn't this say it in a "professional, NYT, non-BY vitriol kind of way"?

"...Manuel admitted that while the dust seems to have settled for now, who knows when a wind gust will again rearrange the landscape. “We feel settled in the new league, we’re moving forward, but if at some time someone wants to reach out to us, we’ll have that conversation,” he said. Speculative translation: if the Southeastern Conference should seek to expand its footprint to the northeast, perhaps book a couple of its gridiron Goliaths into MetLife stadium, Manuel and Connecticut would not play hard to get. If the Big 12 should raid the A.C.C. — as some have speculated it might — then he would keep a night light in the window to help the A.C.C. folks locate him in countrified Storrs."

I don't need people to blow rainbow smoke up my just to make me feel better.

 

[ctchamps]

Doesn't this say it in a "professional, NYT, non-BY vitriol kind of way"?

"...Manuel admitted that while the dust seems to have settled for now, who knows when a wind gust will again rearrange the landscape. “We feel settled in the new league, we’re moving forward, but if at some time someone wants to reach out to us, we’ll have that conversation,” he said. Speculative translation: if the Southeastern Conference should seek to expand its footprint to the northeast, perhaps book a couple of its gridiron Goliaths into MetLife stadium, Manuel and Connecticut would not play hard to get. If the Big 12 should raid the A.C.C. — as some have speculated it might — then he would keep a night light in the window to help the A.C.C. folks locate him in countrified Storrs."

I don't need people to blow rainbow smoke up my just to make me feel better.

Well according to freescooter this statement by WM came from SH.

 

[CTMike]

Bingo, UCFB... Well written but sad at the same time.

Throughout this whole "give this league a chance, we love our new peers"... well, BS... it does a disservice to fans in that anyone can plainly see who our peers used to be, what our league used to be, and what it is now. We went D1 in football assuming one (presumably great) set of peers. That changed to a somewhat lesser slate of peers, but peers nonetheless, yay us. Our current league and peers are no where CLOSE to where we used to be- we have very obviously been demoted in all regards- but they just keep parroting how wonderful everything is. We had better. We deserve better.

 

[Rumrunner]

Oh my, a big hint:


"Rutgers was accepted into the Big Ten last fall, with the widespread belief that the conference wanted a foothold in the New York metropolitan area. But while intending no disrespect to Rutgers, Tranghese said: “A lot of people don’t understand what makes New York tick. The two schools with the biggest impact in the New York market have been Syracuse and Connecticut.”

The Big Ten does prefer that its members be part of the Association of American Universities, an organization of leading research universities. But while Connecticut does not belong, and Rutgers does, Nebraska lost its membership after joining the Big Ten, which has also at times pursued another non-A.A.U. member, Notre Dame.

“I stopped guessing a long time ago why people make decisions about you,” said Susan Herbst, who has been Connecticut’s president since June 2011. “We are what we are, a top public research university with a commitment to great athletic programs across the board.”

 

[Waquoit]

This made me wince, "I mean, look at the history of the Big East. We weren’t a very good program at the beginning.”

We came to the Big East as the best team in New England and a berth in the Big Dance. We were led by freshmen had a 5-recruit soph with a ring coming in. And Glen Miller. We were a program on the come. Warde should do his homework or STFU.

 

[Waquoit]

Oh my, a big hint:

Has anyone else seen "They Might Be Giants"? A cult movie starring George C. Scott as a guy who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes. I think of it often when I read this stuff.

 

[Fishy]

UConn's position: We will leave right freaking now if anyone calls us.

I know it will never happen, but holy crap, I would be terrified at the prospects of our first few years of football in the SEC. Our injured list would be longer than the active roster.

 

[huskymedic]

This made me wince, "I mean, look at the history of the Big East. We weren’t a very good program at the beginning.”

We came to the Big East as the best team in New England and a berth in the Big Dance.

... and then an 11 year drought.

 

[noeynox]

We need movement. Somebody please do something.

 

[UConn Dan]

Haha. ESPN insider rumors picked up on UConn to SEC.
http://es.pn/15Ir3BW

 

[John Greene]

UConn's position: We will leave right freaking now if anyone calls us.

I know it will never happen, but holy crap, I would be terrified at the prospects of our first few years of football in the SEC. Our injured list would be longer than the active roster.

Perhaps the CT high school "mercy rule" could be applied to UConn SEC games?

 

[huskymedic]

Haha. ESPN insider rumors picked up on UConn to SEC.
http://es.pn/15Ir3BW[/quote]

Paul Finebaum just the bed...

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Haha. ESPN insider rumors picked up on UConn to SEC.
http://es.pn/15Ir3BW

It makes you realize how ridiculous these "rumors" are. It wasn't a rumor..it was a hypothetical statement!

 

[John Greene]

It makes you realize how ridiculous these "rumors" are. It wasn't a rumor..it was a hypothetical statement!

I hear that UConn to the SEC is a done deal if we agree to play all FB home games in the GA Dome for a 15 year period.

 

[jostar1]

TuxedoYoda picked up on it:

Tuxedo Yoda‏@TuxedoYoda
This is getting ridiculous http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/college-football/rumors/post?id=2952…

 

[Rumrunner]

No, you misunderstood. I read it to mean:



NEW YORK TIMES: UConn purportedly in talks with SEC

It makes you realize how ridiculous these "rumors" are. It wasn't a rumor..it was a hypothetical statement!

 

[SubbaBub]

Tranghese said: “A lot of people don’t understand what makes New York tick. The two schools with the biggest impact in the New York market have been Syracuse and Connecticut.”

At the risk of cheapening something I agree with and posssibly the most intelligent and accurate thing this ever uttered by the ol' commish, he was saying this as the same dyed in the wool, Providence bound, basketball centric ninnymuggins he's always been.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I hear that UConn to the SEC is a done deal if we agree to play all FB home games in the GA Dome for a 15 year period.

DONE!

 

[WestHartHusk]

Well, from a UConn standpoint this makes more sense than our current league (see below regarding travel). And - what the SEC needs is eyeballs and bball for their new network. We would essentially be like the Rutgers add to the B1G - except we would bring athletic success.

Also, lets put this in perspective of the B1G rumors regarding GTech. B1G needs football talent and they are looking to make in roads on the Southeast. The SEC, though, has rather different needs - bball and eyeballs for their new network which may draw them more north and east. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, but there could be a little tit-for-tat here. And I also think that, while it will never happen, UConn in the SEC and getting those teams on television in the NYC metro would completely cripple the B1G's plans with Rutgers. Who knows, maybe these kind of rumors recalibrate the B1G's ambitions and lead them to protect the Northeast, rather than trying to penetrate into the Southeast.

SMU 1688 to Florida 1140
Houston 1768 to Mizzou 1219
Tulane 1446 to Georgia 960
UCF 1213 to USC 845
USF 1269 to Tennessee 847
Memphis 1236 to Vanderbilt 1025
Cinci 794 Kentucky 845

America 12 1352.143 to SEC East 975.7143

 

[SubbaBub]

DONE!

I'd demand a high-speed train leaving Hartford every Friday morning and returning Sunday, but it's doable

 

[Chief00]

Well a couple months ago the wise men on this board laugh at me when I said the most likely scenario for UConn is the SEC barring exodus from the ACC to Big Ten. It would be a great move with some vision. True FB would have to ramp up but home games with Bama, GA, FL, LSU and TN would be great. We are the last NYC option for the SEC. Mutual need! Basketball would be good also and we would help that.

Speculative translation: if the Southeastern Conference should seek to expand its footprint to the northeast, perhaps book a couple of its gridiron Goliaths into MetLife stadium, Manuel and Connecticut would not play hard to get.

 

[junglehusky]

Doesn't this say it in a "professional, NYT, non-BY vitriol kind of way"?

"...Manuel admitted that while the dust seems to have settled for now, who knows when a wind gust will again rearrange the landscape. “We feel settled in the new league, we’re moving forward, but if at some time someone wants to reach out to us, we’ll have that conversation,” he said. Speculative translation: if the Southeastern Conference should seek to expand its footprint to the northeast, perhaps book a couple of its gridiron Goliaths into MetLife stadium, Manuel and Connecticut would not play hard to get. If the Big 12 should raid the A.C.C. — as some have speculated it might — then he would keep a night light in the window to help the A.C.C. folks locate him in countrified Storrs."

I don't need people to blow rainbow smoke up my just to make me feel better.

Maybe you don't, and I don't either, but for some of the other folks on this board who like to throw rocks at Manuel/Herbst for pumping the new conference, or eating donuts at the paradise jam tournament (while networking with the wrong ACC people while Jurich was networking with the right ACC people), can't we at least agree that the bolded statement was a pretty huge flag that UConn is not satisfied staying in the Aresco league? It seems the teeth gnashing of the boneyard upon hearing Herbst's "espirit de corps" line and similar statements of solidarity were because those boneyarders were taking her lines at face value, or perhaps they just didn't like the sound of the words. That's understandable but it doesn't take a snake charmer to figure out that UConn isn't happy or that UConn isn't going to do everything in its power (which may still not be enough since other presidents control the process) to get the heck out of dodge. We don't NEED Manuel to come out and say what he just said to make boneyarders happy, but now that he has, can we at least pretend we're a little bit satisfied that he said something we were ripping him for not saying? And then we can move on and rip them for something else