Scheduling the Big Games

[Brochacho]

Now I know we all love having the big teams come to the Rent OOC. But we haven't been able to beat one of these teams since Vanderbilt in 2010. We are 10-8 at the Rent against big-time OOC (service academies, P5, independents such as BYU/ND) but 10 of those wins came under Edsall.

Diaco: 0-1 (BYU)
PP: 0-4 (ISU, NC State, Maryland, Michigan)
Edsall: 10-3 (Indiana, Duke, Army x2, Navy, WF, Virginia, Baylor, UNC, Vandy)

So I guess my question is, have we reached a point in our program where scheduling home games for wins is more important that scheduling for butts in seats?

 

[J187Money]

Maybe we can get that H/H with Bama now. We are like a Yankee conference team. They don't have to be afraid.

Home field advantage at the Rent is so 2008.

 

[Adios]

So nice of CT natives to duck_k up (PP and GDL).

 

[ASweet3781]

Now I know we all love having the big teams come to the Rent OOC. But we haven't been able to beat one of these teams since Vanderbilt in 2010. We are 10-8 at the Rent against big-time OOC (service academies, P5, independents such as BYU/ND) but 10 of those wins came under Edsall.

Diaco: 0-1 (BYU)
PP: 0-4 (ISU, NC State, Maryland, Michigan)
Edsall: 10-3 (Indiana, Duke, Army x2, Navy, WF, Virginia, Baylor, UNC, Vandy)

So I guess my question is, have we reached a point in our program where scheduling home games for wins is more important that scheduling for butts in seats?

I got into this subject in the off season when some fans were criticizing the decision to play UMass at Gillette. This program is in terrible shape right now. Once a program reaches rock bottom in perception it can take YEARS to get out of it. It took Syracuse a DECADE to get out of their down period. It took Rutgers DECADES. Some schools like Indiana never get out of it. If we have any hope to turn this rut around we need to schedule SMART. Regional beatable opponents like Army and UMass, maybe a 1-aa Yankee conference team, mid to low level MAC, and 1 name school. We need at least 3 non conference games a year we have a chance to win if this program has any hopes to turn the momentum around. Tough luck to the whiney fans who need big name schools to have interest. Newsflash. We are not good enough right now to beat those team. Our talent and skill level is atrocious. The only way to turn that around as quickly as possible is scheduling WINS and turning the perception of the program around. Getting pounded by a team we have no shot at beating does nothing for us right now.

And for those that argued that playing weak non league games would hurt attendance, I don't think 35000 fans showing up for BYU and getting pounded is worth it if we only had 31000 to open at home vs UMass or URI and got the W.

 

[tduconn]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with ASweet3781.

It isn't the whiney fans who need big name schools to have interest........it's the potential recruits. Our talent level and skill level will remain atrocious because loading UConn's schedule with the UMass, Army, Villanova, Southern Texas, Liberty, Rhode Island, etc because its easy wins and will only attract athletes with equivalent talent

The history of UConn's recruiting is such that it is very seldom they get a player with offers from major football programs. The "best", who want to play against the "best" aren't licking their chops to play a schedule with OOC teams that are at the weak end of the FBS spectrum with a few 1-aa teams thrown in for wins.

P5 conferences, if there ever is a "next expansion" would be less enticed by a program with a bunch of wins in a schedule sprinkled with cupcakes.

If you want to tell recruits to put on big boy pants and play with UConn, you better have a schedule that includes teams that also wear big boy pants, or we will never see an upswing in talent.

Its the "chicken or egg call" Look at the schedules for UCF, ECU, Cincinnatti,.......win or loose, pundits will note how competitive UConn is among major players.......and their commentary can help make or break the perception. UCF played a very good game against Penn State today even though they lost, don't you think recruits still sitting on the fence with their school of choice noticed the team they played........and that they were competitive.

I would rather loose to Penn State than gloat we dominate the win-loss scenario with UMass.

 

[ASweet3781]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with ASweet3781.

P5 conferences, if there ever is a "next expansion" would be less enticed by a program with a bunch of wins in a schedule sprinkled with cupcakes.

Go take a look at some of Rutgers non league wins during the years Schiano started building them up. They are in the Big Ten. Due to their "TV market" of course but they turned their program's horrible reputation around scheduling sure fire wins non conference and getting to 6-7 wins. They also lost some of them too for years (a 2 win UConn team beat them in 2001). But ultimately they turned it around by winning.

I would rather loose to Penn State than gloat we dominate the win-loss scenario with UMass.

This line of thinking will seal the fate of this program. I pray those in Storrs don't feel this way.

This is not about gloating. This program is in a precarious position right now. Unless you want to be Rutgers/Temple circa 1995 or Syracuse circa 2008 for a decade, we better start getting wins any way we can get them and change perception. I know for one thing, UConn getting 7 wins a years and going to bowl games will be much more attractive in expansions and to recruits than finishing with 3-4 wins and being embarrassed on national TV against non league opponents we cannot match up with right now.

The non conference schedule can improve if we show improvement. To keep things right now the way they are? Suicide.

 

[Ha Who]

Than let's knock the rent down and bribe some company to move there. We can put a cute 22,000 seat stadium on campus. You must be a wolfpack fan. After getting a test of the major leagues, minor league football bores me.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Gotta go with TDUCONN on this one. We have to schedule the big boys because that's who we want to be peers with. The fans will always come for the great match-ups (see Michigan last year). If I didn't have season tickets, I wouldn't pay to see Stony Brook or UMass. I would pay to see Boise.
As a fan base we need to chill out a little. We've got a first year head coach and a completely new staff except for Foley. There will be growing pains. I certainly wish my view from 240 looked a lot different and I was extremely frustrated we didn't give a better game, but we've got to be realistic.

 

[Ha Who]

Gotta go with TDUCONN on this one. We have to schedule the big boys because that's who we want to be peers with. The fans will always come for the great match-ups (see Michigan last year). If I didn't have season tickets, I wouldn't pay to see Stony Brook or UMass. I would pay to see Boise.
As a fan base we need to chill out a little. We've got a first year head coach and a completely new staff except for Foley. There will be growing pains. I certainly wish my view from 240 looked a lot different and I was extremely frustrated we didn't give a better game, but we've got to be realistic.

Gotta agree. The attitude of scheduling down reminds me of my sons local baseball league. One team scouted 8 year old kids and put the best kids on one team. Sure, they dominated at their level, but once they reached high school they failed. They hadn't faced real competition and couldn't compete.

 

[Lethalinjection]

Over reaction Saturday.

 

[kcc1442]

I got into this subject in the off season when some fans were criticizing the decision to play UMass at Gillette. This program is in terrible shape right now. Once a program reaches rock bottom in perception it can take YEARS to get out of it. It took Syracuse a DECADE to get out of their down period. It took Rutgers DECADES. Some schools like Indiana never get out of it. If we have any hope to turn this rut around we need to schedule SMART. Regional beatable opponents like Army and UMass, maybe a 1-aa Yankee conference team, mid to low level MAC, and 1 name school. We need at least 3 non conference games a year we have a chance to win if this program has any hopes to turn the momentum around. Tough luck to the whiney fans who need big name schools to have interest. Newsflash. We are not good enough right now to beat those team. Our talent and skill level is atrocious. The only way to turn that around as quickly as possible is scheduling WINS and turning the perception of the program around. Getting pounded by a team we have no shot at beating does nothing for us right now.

And for those that argued that playing weak non league games would hurt attendance, I don't think 35000 fans showing up for BYU and getting pounded is worth it if we only had 31000 to open at home vs UMass or URI and got the W.

Nice sentiment, and I almost bought in but then I remembered we almost beat Michigan last year. Momentum can be gained during a year or a short period. It doesn't need to be built over yearS. If we played 3 really good games coming into this game things could have been different. Hell we didn't even play well going into Michigan last year and everyone was still up for that. In that case momentum was just built from hype of the game. Schedule the big boys Warde. Keep giving us a chance to be in the spotlight a chance to be great for 1 night. And then when it finally happens lets run with it. Whooping up on bad competition may raise our confidence but can easily give us an inflated sense of achievement. They need the opportunities to beat the best and they need to believe they can and play really really well while not shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[APA]

Now I know we all love having the big teams come to the Rent OOC. But we haven't been able to beat one of these teams since Vanderbilt in 2010. We are 10-8 at the Rent against big-time OOC (service academies, P5, independents such as BYU/ND) but 10 of those wins came under Edsall.

Diaco: 0-1 (BYU)
PP: 0-4 (ISU, NC State, Maryland, Michigan)
Edsall: 10-3 (Indiana, Duke, Army x2, Navy, WF, Virginia, Baylor, UNC, Vandy)

So I guess my question is, have we reached a point in our program where scheduling home games for wins is more important that scheduling for butts in seats?

Service academies are not big time.