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

[whaler11]

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.

Bowl tie ins is the best piece.

 

[DrG]

MAC? UMass has been there and done that, and nobody gave a crap about playing directional Michigan schools. Not that independence has been much better, but the MAC just is not a good fit for eastern teams (I'm not counting Buffalo which is really more of a Midwestern school.) Eventually they'll pressure you to move there for all sports as they did with Temple and UMass, and obviously that's a non-starter for you guys. Better to play a few MAC teams as an independent, as UMass is doing.

 

[noeynox]

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.

I agree. The caveat is, its hard to trust this current regime to get anything right. If this was Lew Perkins running things I'd feel a lot more confident.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Bowl tie ins is the best piece.

I don't know if I'm in the minority but the bowls mean very little to me; especially a tie-in that the MAC would have. I would imagine the extra few weeks of practice is worthwhile and actually playing something like a divisional title has some pull, but the MAC just doesn't do it for me.

 

[whaler11]

I don't know if I'm in the minority but the bowls mean very little to me; especially a tie-in that the MAC would have. I would imagine the extra few weeks of practice is worthwhile and actually playing something like a divisional title has some pull, but the MAC just doesn't do it for me.

It’s going to be a touch more difficult if you can’t tell kids 8-4 gets them to a bowl where they get to drive go carts and go home with a XBox.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It’s going to be a touch more difficult if you can’t tell kids 8-4 gets them to a bowl where they get to drive go carts and go home with a XBox.

Good point. I guess if the MAC added UConn/UMass to an eastern division and we could secure 4 P5 games a year I would be down with it.

If its MAC, + FCS and like 1 P5, it's going to be friends and family again.

 

[huskymedic]

Bowl tie ins is the best piece.

 

[noeynox]

It’s going to be a touch more difficult if you can’t tell kids 8-4 gets them to a bowl where they get to drive go carts and go home with a XBox.

This is what i mean, liberty AD mentioned having a bowl tie in. If Benedict makes this work it will change my opinion of him.

 

[Irishfan]

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

As they say, he doesn’t, but his mother does.

 

[CL82]

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.

This is what the voice in head keeps telling me. I'm just not sure if it BS or not.

(Anyway, the MAC doesn't football only schools.)

 

[Pudge]

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.

More specifically …

Beyond the independents

IF you schedule P5 as BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Penn State, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Rutgers … FBS Buffalo, Old Dominion, Florida Schools (FAU, FIU, USF, UCF), Georgia schools (GA State, Georgia Southern), Coastal Carolina, ECU, Temple, Cincinnati + Navy

You get two things: Places UConn fans can drive to for Away events; and get in to Recruiting zones we have desired.

As noted before, a good solid FCS - James Madison - is probably far higher on my list than a NM State. or a Louisiana or Louisiana Tech.

 

[Pudge]

This is what the voice in head keeps telling me. I'm just not sure if it BS or not.

(Anyway, the MAC doesn't football only schools.)

Maybe you missed this … it's less than a few days old:

"MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher spoke at length with several media members at a roundtable session at Ford Field. Steinbrecher said the MAC would be open to expansion, but didn’t specifically say if UConn reached out about joining as a football-only member.

UConn announced at the end of June that it was leaving the American Athletic Conference in all sports except football to join the Big East as early as 202o. UConn has not decided if it will play as an independent program or pursue another conference affiliation for its football program.

"You never say ‘never’ on any of this," Steinbrecher said. “Conference membership is often not a rational process. It’s incumbent on the conference commissioner to make it a rational process.

"You add people for two reasons, to survive as a league or to get better, to get stronger. We're clearly not in survival mode.”"

 

[CL82]

Maybe you missed this … it's less than a few days old:

"MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher spoke at length with several media members at a roundtable session at Ford Field. Steinbrecher said the MAC would be open to expansion, but didn’t specifically say if UConn reached out about joining as a football-only member.

UConn announced at the end of June that it was leaving the American Athletic Conference in all sports except football to join the Big East as early as 202o. UConn has not decided if it will play as an independent program or pursue another conference affiliation for its football program.

"You never say ‘never’ on any of this," Steinbrecher said. “Conference membership is often not a rational process. It’s incumbent on the conference commissioner to make it a rational process.

"You add people for two reasons, to survive as a league or to get better, to get stronger. We're clearly not in survival mode.”"

Yep, I did miss it, thanks. It's interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Practically speaking it would make our scheduling much easier. Still, I don't love the idea of being "a MAC school."

 

[Steve1981]

I don't know if I'm in the minority but the bowls mean very little to me; especially a tie-in that the MAC would have. I would imagine the extra few weeks of practice is worthwhile and actually playing something like a divisional title has some pull, but the MAC just doesn't do it for me.

Just to be clear regarding the MAC FB option, there would be zero directional teams in the East Division, those are all in the West Division and would have at most 1 directional home and away cross over game. Not as good as having 4 P5 teams, but better chance at winning and having a schedule to set up a winning season.

 

[Purple Stein]

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.”"​

Nothing good comes from us playing JMU.

 

[mikedog10]

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...

Does Liberty allow Jesus in the huddle? Asking for a friend...

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Does Liberty allow Jesus in the huddle? Asking for a friend...

Sure, but your friend’s supposed to be gone in about a week

 

[#MACtion]

Good point. I guess if the MAC added UConn/UMass to an eastern division and we could secure 4 P5 games a year I would be down with it.

If its MAC, + FCS and like 1 P5, it's going to be friends and family again.

There is no problem with MAC teams scheduling P5 teams in out of conference play. Only issue is signing the home-and-homes vs P5 but Toledo and NIU has been able to do it and UConn shouldn't have a problem if they add a basketball game. MAC teams just very often decide to do paycheck 1-off road games instead of home-and-homes. No reason why UConn couldn't schedule BC, Rutgers, Syracuse early and often.

Would end up with a schedule like:

Boston College (home)
Syracuse (away)
Army (home)
Rutgers (away)
--- conference play ---
Ohio University (divisional)
Buffalo (divisional)
Miami University (divisional)
U of Massachusetts (divisional)
Kent (divisional)
U of Toledo (cross-divisional non-annual)
Akron (divisional)
Northern Illinois (cross-divisional non-annual)

and it wouldn't be an easy schedule.

 

[noeynox]

Nothing good comes from us playing JMU.

Have to agree here. Plenty of FBS options in the area. Why risk getting your ass kicked by that FCS juggernaut? I watched them a couple of years ago, and they would have absolutely drubbed any of our teams the last 7 or 8 years. They were good everywhere.

 

[#MACtion]

So here are your choices:

MAC:
Boston College (home)
Syracuse (away)
Army (home)
Rutgers (away)
--- conference play ---
Ohio University (divisional)
Buffalo (divisional)
Miami University (divisional)
U of Massachusetts (divisional)
Kent (divisional)
U of Toledo (cross-divisional non-annual)
Akron (divisional)
Northern Illinois (cross-divisional non-annual)

or
Indy:
Boston College (home)
Syracuse (away)
Villanova (FCS) (home)
Rutgers (away)
--- Indy play ---
New Mexico State (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
Liberty (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
UMass (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
Army (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
BYU (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
MAC team anyway
MAC team anyway
Random FCS team like UNH to fill scheduling hole while other FBS teams in conference play.

other pros/cons

MAC:
Conference Championship to play for
ESPN and CBSSN TV
Bowl Tie-ins

Indy:
SNY as TV
No Bowls
No Championship to play for

 

[ConnHuskBask]

So here are your choices:

MAC:
Boston College (home)
Syracuse (away)
Army (home)
Rutgers (away)
--- conference play ---
Ohio University (divisional)
Buffalo (divisional)
Miami University (divisional)
U of Massachusetts (divisional)
Kent (divisional)
U of Toledo (cross-divisional non-annual)
Akron (divisional)
Northern Illinois (cross-divisional non-annual)

or
Indy:
Boston College (home)
Syracuse (away)
Villanova (FCS) (home)
Rutgers (away)
--- Indy play ---
New Mexico State (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
Liberty (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
UMass (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
Army (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
BYU (indy quasi-alliance annual game)
MAC team anyway
MAC team anyway
Random FCS team like UNH to fill scheduling hole while other FBS teams in conference play.

other pros/cons

MAC:
Conference Championship to play for
ESPN and CBSSN TV
Bowl Tie-ins

Indy:
SNY as TV
No Bowls
No Championship to play for

In that scenario, I think it's a no-brainer to do MAC.

 

[Guapo]

I think @Hoophound has it right.

We have to at least make a go of it as an independent. Maybe there’s some deal to be made a la BYU that, if we become bowl eligible, we go to that bowl (looking at you, Fenway Bowl).

If that ends up failing, go to the MAC.

Our brand is stronger than UMass’

 

[freescooter]

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

Red Auerbach had a great story about God in sports. He had lunch with Cardinal Cushing the Catholic archbishop of Boston regularly. One day he says to the Cardinal I notice all those kids playing for catholic schools makes this cross before they shoot fouls. Does it really help? Cushing looks at him and very seriously answers Of course it helps! Then a few second later adds as long as they are good foul shooter.

 

[chalk1]

Remember one thing about MAC play, it is often during the week. How many in for Arkon on a Wednesday night. Not me.

 

[Pudge]

Remember one thing about MAC play, it is often during the week. How many in for Arkon on a Wednesday night. Not me.

I’m thinking we’d do fine - without you. That is if WE Win. If we have a respectable Program. Akron is your extraneous variable.

Frankly, I’m thinking we do better with independent. What I pointed out is so true: the MAC gets no names OOC to visit. Exploit that - even if our Football is mediocre now. They’d rather have us - and make November games for us because we can be a name that gets a few thousand more. We’d like Toledo or Buffalo to fill.