Q&A With Liberty AD Ian McCaw (UConn Mention)

[Storrs South]

Meanwhile the CAA would want UConn (eyeroll). Independence/FBS makes the most sense.

Dukes Picked To Win Colonial

Although UConn brass has said it doesn’t want to drop its football program from FBS to FCS, the Colonial Athletic Association is paying attention.

“It’s very premature at this point to say that might be the direction they choose to go in,” CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio said. “But if they were to choose to go in that direction, we certainly wouldn’t shy away from having a conversation just like we wouldn’t shy away from having a conversation with anybody else.”

“I’d say this, for CAA Football it’d be a fit,” longtime New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell said. “I don’t know how it’d fit for the rest of their programs since they’re going back to the Big East, but it’d help. And we’ve got 12 teams that are pretty good.


And in the MAC:

 

[Pudge]

What I noticed … the MAC doesn't get Name FB teams as Home Games. Far less than the AAC or even Sunbelt/CUSA. Might be our way to have a … alliance without being in a conference. Take 2 games a year MAC at the more interesting teams.

Spitballing still

 

[Pudge]

And ...

"Even as UConn searches for a new football home, James Madison has already reached out about a future contest with the Huskies. On Tuesday, Dukes associate athletic director Kevin White, who handles football scheduling at JMU, said he’s inquired with UConn about the possibility of playing a non-conference game.
“With scheduling it’s a two-way street,” White said. “But we’d have a very strong interest in that game if it could work out.”"​

 

[noeynox]

What I noticed … the MAC doesn't get Name FB teams as Home Games. Far less than the AAC or even Sunbelt/CUSA. Might be our way to have a … alliance without being in a conference. Take 2 games a year MAC at the more interesting teams.

Spitballing still

Would the MAC reconsider on UMass as football only if we went in football only?

I'd prefer Independence, but if they had to 2 FB only members, in the northeast to go with Buffalo it makes sense from their end.

 

[CL82]

The schools may, but these are just football games. I doubt God himself has a rooting interest.

Really? Then why did he smite the Jets?

 

[CL82]

And they have a snowflex centre. If we can't have football on campus, we should at least have skiing.

Well we used to have one.

 

[whaler11]

I’m not going to another Liberty game as long as I live.

 

[Stinger92860]

I hope Notre Dame never gives them the light of day with all the anti-Catholic bigotry that has come from that family/school.

Honestly I’m surprised that BYU plays them, it’s not like they have nice things to say about Mormons either.

This is about money, every religion can agree on money.

 

[whaler11]

I just hope we get good enough to crush the Fightin’ Falwells

Well we were... the historical series is 1-0!!!

 

[Exit 4]

this who we talking about about?

 

[Guapo]

Well we were... the historical series is 1-0!!!

I was there!

 

[whaler11]

I was there!

let’s see if i can get it off top of head. labor day weekend 04. billion degrees. like 7-7 at half and 56-7 final.

 

[Guapo]

let’s see if i can get it off top of head. labor day weekend 04. billion degrees. like 7-7 at half and 56-7 final.

Sounds about right to me

 

[huskyblooz]

Liberty AD is right. We’ll have games vs Liberty, Army, UMass & BYU every year. Add a FCS team, a Sun Belt and a MAC. The other 5 have to be P5, with 3 of them being top 20 programs. ... 2020 will be difficult to schedule. And I don’t care about their religious beliefs. It’s football!

 

[metsfan2323]

Meanwhile the CAA would want UConn (eyeroll). Independence/FBS makes the most sense.

Dukes Picked To Win Colonial

Although UConn brass has said it doesn’t want to drop its football program from FBS to FCS, the Colonial Athletic Association is paying attention.

“It’s very premature at this point to say that might be the direction they choose to go in,” CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio said. “But if they were to choose to go in that direction, we certainly wouldn’t shy away from having a conversation just like we wouldn’t shy away from having a conversation with anybody else.”

“I’d say this, for CAA Football it’d be a fit,” longtime New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell said. “I don’t know how it’d fit for the rest of their programs since they’re going back to the Big East, but it’d help. And we’ve got 12 teams that are pretty good.


And in the MAC:

This is great news.

If we can't keep football in the AAC I would VERY MUCH prefer joining the MAC with UMASS vs being independent. I think being in a conference is beneficial to recruiting vs being independent. Being independent has disaster written all over it. (we will become UMASS and it will suck). The MAC is a solid league and I think recruiting would stay at its current levels in that league assuming we start winning. I think recruiting will crater as an independent. (nothing to play for as an independent, just a nothing program going through the motions)

 

[Hoophound]

This is great news.

If we can't keep football in the AAC I would VERY MUCH prefer joining the MAC with UMASS vs being independent. I think being in a conference is beneficial to recruiting vs being independent. Being independent has disaster written all over it. (we will become UMASS and it will suck). The MAC is a solid league and I think recruiting would stay at its current levels in that league assuming we start winning. I think recruiting will crater as an independent. (nothing to play for as an independent, just a nothing program going through the motions)

I’m not so sure. An Indy can create an image and prestige that can compete on a national scale if done right. A MAC school can’t.

I realize it’s a long shot, but I think I’d rather be independent and hope for the best than join the MAC and guarantee a stadium environment worse than we had in the AAC. If that’s the goal, shut it down. It just won’t play in CT where we’ve played BCS football and been to the Fiesta Bowl. I know people have these visions of a good UConn football team winning lots of games in the MAC and drawing fans to the stadium but it’s become painfully obvious that UConn fans aren’t interested. We want to play at a very high level or we just aren’t going to show up very often.

For example, the AAC basketball schedule doesn’t interest our fans and those schools are far more serious about playing on a national stage than the MAC football schools are. I guess my point is, our fans aren’t getting into a football game against Eastern Michigan or Akron if they can’t get into a basketball game against Houston or UCF.

 

[TRest]

I’m not so sure. An Indy can create an image and prestige that can compete on a national scale if done right. A MAC school can’t.

I realize it’s a long shot, but I think I’d rather be independent and hope for the best than join the MAC and guarantee a stadium environment worse than we had in the AAC. If that’s the goal, shut it down. It just won’t play in CT where we’ve played BCS football and been to the Fiesta Bowl. I know people have these visions of a good UConn football team winning lots of games in the MAC and drawing fans to the stadium but it’s become painfully obvious that UConn fans aren’t interested. We want to play at a very high level or we just aren’t going to show up very often.

For example, the AAC basketball schedule doesn’t interest our fans and those schools are far more serious about playing on a national stage than the MAC football schools are. I guess my point is, our fans aren’t getting into a football game against Eastern Michigan or Akron if they can’t get into a basketball game against Houston or UCF.

If we're being perfectly honest a good portion of the fan base is only there to get drunk in the parking lots. They don't want a reason to have to go inside the stadium.

 

[Hoophound]

If we're being perfectly honest a good portion of the fan base is only there to get drunk in the parking lots. They don't want a reason to have to go inside the stadium.

That’s true now, but it wasn’t when the stadium was full. Enough people came to fill the seats and there were still thousands outside partying. We need to bring the people back that left entirely and excite some younger fans. MAC won’t do it.

 

[Steve1981]

Winning matters more than Independence or MAC FB-only. If fans can have a reasonable expectation of winning, they will come. If they know the team stinks, they stay away.

 

[Exit 4]

Being the eastern outpost of the MAC would give us the same problems we had in the AAC, no rivals - no fan interest. I dont see how we close much of the financial gap in football by joining the MAC and the MAC seems to only want schools in for all sports, no football only.

I'm perfectly content with the risks and possible rewards of making independent football work.

 

[Hornet22]

Name the building.

View attachment 45008

Vines Center? Been there before

 

[crewbear742]

I always cringe wherever Liberty University gets mentioned in a thread. Just as surely as the sun sets in the West, so any mention of Liberty will bring forth expressions of religious (or anti-religious, as the case may be) hostility. Every. Single.Time. People enjoy their socially acceptable prejudices, I guess.

It's a board about sports. Just sayin...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Liberty AD is right. We’ll have games vs Liberty, Army, UMass & BYU every year. Add a FCS team, a Sun Belt and a MAC. The other 5 have to be P5, with 3 of them being top 20 programs. ... 2020 will be difficult to schedule. And I don’t care about their religious beliefs. It’s football!

You paint a pretty realistic picture up until the bolded part.

Of the P5, 2 or 3 should be local, i.e. BC, Cuse, Pitt, Rutgers, MD, VA, WVA, etc. Don't hold your breath on getting Top 20 programs in here.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Don't hold your breath on getting Top 20 programs in here.

Beyond not holding our collective breath on chances of scheduling 3 current top 20 programs, reasonably UConn/we might need our heads examined. Good thing Clemson 2021’s a quality pay day if it even occurs, but 3 top 20 programs? Yeah, that’ll happen.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Beyond not holding our collective breath on chances of scheduling 3 current top 20 programs, reasonably UConn/we might need our heads examined. Good thing Clemson 2021’s a quality pay day if it even occurs, but 3 top 20 programs? Yeah, that’ll happen.

I think the best case scenario in the future looks something like the below:

1 - FCS: Nova, UNH, Maine, URI; always home
4 - Indy: UMass, Liberty, Army, New Mexico State, or BYU: 2 home/2 away
2 - MAC: 1 home/1 away
1 - FBS Buy Game: 1 away
4 - FBS P5: 2 home/2 away

Home 6: Villanova, New Mexico State, UMass, Toledo, Duke, Rutgers
Away 6: Army, Buffalo, BYU, Clemson, North Carolina State, Virginia

Something like that. I'd be happier with that than the AAC. Sure, the home slate isn't going to be Old Big East quality, but if you start to win 7 or 8 games a year, I think we could have some fun and get maybe 30k in the house.