Still Silence In Storrs

[epark88]

I would also think (hope?) that if all of these changes are for real, our governor and other key CT pols will be doing some stuff, too. This is the state school (as are most of the other schools in all of this shuffling) with a significant state investment in the Rent and other athletic endeavors, all of which also impact lots of other situations at the school, including acadamics and research funding, like it or not. BTW, UConn has a publication out now that states that 1/3 of the student body is from out of state. That was both surprising to me and I think not a great situation for state students or taxpayers. Maybe the university is doing what schools like Michigan do, and use out of staters to subsidize state kids by limiting aid to the out of staters. Then maybe the ration can be justified.

Personally, I loath this conference realignment situation. It's more than ever only about the money. Natural rivalries - the lifeblood of sport and real fan interest - are not part of any consideration in this scramble. It is becoming harder than ever to capture the feeling we (us elderly) felt about UConn's rivalries with schools like UMass and URI. Yes, the talent is all generally lots better and winning in "big time" sports is fun, but more and more I believe the bullet needs to be bitten and just legally professionalize the major sports franchises at the schools. If the athletes qualify for the school academically and want to go, great, but not necessary. If the schools can get fans in the seats and TV to show their incorporated teams, more power to them. No more NCAA, no more pretense about eligibility.

The out-of-state student population in Storrs shouldn't be frowned upon; that's par for the course for great State U's.

Besides, the University of Michigan fills it's state's flagship role while MSU/EMU/WMU/CMU services the in-state kids. Connecticut has the same structure in place: UConn as the flagship, with CCSU/ECSU/SCSU/WesConn serving the in-state kids (though CCSU should really be marketed as the 'mini-flagship' of the CSU system, imho)...

 

[mihusky]

The out-of-state student population in Storrs shouldn't be frowned upon; that's par for the course for great State U's.

Besides, the University of Michigan fills it's state's flagship role while MSU/EMU/WMU/CMU services the in-state kids. Connecticut has the same structure in place: UConn as the flagship, with CCSU/ECSU/SCSU/WesConn serving the in-state kids (though CCSU should really be marketed as the 'mini-flagship' of the CSU system, imho)...

Michigan alum here.... Michigan seeks to go beyond state flagship & has built a global, diverse brand of excellence much like top private schools. With UConn's investment strategy in infrastructure, academics and sports, I can see it seeking a similar path [like UM, other publics UVA, UNC etc]. Its recent ranking in US News suggests such a goal could be within reach in yrs to come. That's another reason that an idea that we would retreat to a legacy small regional basketball school setup in the aftermath of ACC earthquake is highly unlikely. We seem to be moving beyond that legacy identity of State U.

 

[Skiblets]

Not if it said UConn was joining the Big 1o. Marionette's statement in reaction to the Syrapitt move that the BE is still a viable conference or whatever flatulence he released is the sign of ultimate weakness.

John Marinatto

 

[upstater]

"I know it's an illusion that these are student athletes at a great many schools, but I hope the schools I root for are still sending these kids to class. I saw D1 sports up close in terms of kids taking classes/going to study hall/getting tutoring, and I never thought it was a sham in the places I've seen it work, but I also know there are certainly big problems. I bet a lot of people are like me and would stop watching if there weren't at least some effort to get these kids to class."

I would hope that so long as the kids are on a school scholarship that they are going to class. But, there is no rule I know of that says Podunk Communnity College or Backwater JC can't have the best team in the land either. I know it is ancient history, but I went to a really good basketball high school and there were some players who either could not get into any university at all or who could not get into a better university. That pretty much isn't so today. The quality of hoops may be better, or at least more athletic today because of the way athletes are admitted, but if that were not the case, no one would know any better. I have seasons tickets to UConn football and share them to men's hoops, and certainly have fun at the games, but the attitude of the fans toward winning and losing is far more demanding than ever.

I think top college sports could easily survive (and thrive) with higher entrance requirements.

Let's face it. Although there are some great athletes out there, the quality of college football and basketball is nowhere near as high as the pro level. Talent is too dispersed. You rarely see a college QB and WR connecting on a timing route. Fans come to see a reasonably enjoyable game and root for their team, whether they went to the school or not. I don't think a drop in the athletic level by raising requirements would hurt the sports too much. There is probably a basic level below which they dare not drop, but they have a lot of wiggle room. Fans do not pay to see athletic excellence. They look for competitive and entertaining games.

 

[upstater]

The out-of-state student population in Storrs shouldn't be frowned upon; that's par for the course for great State U's.

Besides, the University of Michigan fills it's state's flagship role while MSU/EMU/WMU/CMU services the in-state kids. Connecticut has the same structure in place: UConn as the flagship, with CCSU/ECSU/SCSU/WesConn serving the in-state kids (though CCSU should really be marketed as the 'mini-flagship' of the CSU system, imho)...

U Michigan actually has a cap at 20%

I'd go beyond this discussion a bit and I would tie state subsidy to holding spots open for state taxpayers. A lot of states don't subsidize their schools. Take PSU, for instance. The state subsidy is 4% of the budget and they've threatened to cut that by 50%, not to mention that the subsidy is easily eaten up by running PSU's satellite campuses (like DuBois or Altoona, etc.). In other words, the main campus sees not a dime from state taxpayers. So I'd say in PSU's case, they have less of a responsibility to hold doors open for state residents. It's a quasi private school.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

And none of them matter at all.

+1 .... let other posters boast about their academics all they want. CCSU is a safety school for most in state kids and is still seen by many as a commuter school. They are growing but not relevant with the big boys. If you want your degree to be worth more you need to put the $$ where your mouth is and athletic programs bring $$$ which bring relevance and exposure which brings larger application pools to choose from ... which UConn can select the best and most diverse students from all over the world which helps drive US News rankings.

 

[upstater]

+1 .... let other posters boast about their academics all they want. CCSU is a safety school for most in state kids and is still seen by many as a commuter school. They are growing but not relevant with the big boys. If you want your degree to be worth more you need to put the $$ where your mouth is and athletic programs bring $$$ which bring relevance and exposure which brings larger application pools to choose from ... which UConn can select the best and most diverse students from all over the world which helps drive US News rankings.

This is just so untrue, but I've given the evidence many times, and still people will persist in their fantasies. Applications are skyrocketing to the same degree at schools without big athletic programs. It's being driven by a lot of things. And as many bigtime athletic schools have dropped in the USNews rankings as have risen. Not to mention the top 45 of the rankings are dominated by schools without programs.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

This is just so untrue, but I've given the evidence many times, and still people will persist in their fantasies. Applications are skyrocketing to the same degree at schools without big athletic programs. It's being driven by a lot of things. And as many bigtime athletic schools have dropped in the USNews rankings as have risen. Not to mention the top 45 of the rankings are dominated by schools without programs.

I have to say looking into what you said I am glad to see UConn passing Cuse and The State University of New Jersey in US News.

 

[PAGS]

This just in from Dez via courant.com

http://blogs.courant.com/uconn_football/

 

[UConnChapette]

If you work in a large company, you can understand this comparison.

At review time, the ones who get the bad reviews are angry and usually vocal about it. Everyone knows they weren't the top performers or the most valuable to the organization. You can tell the ones who got the best reviews, the top performers, the ones who were ranked the highest and were rewarded with the bonuses and pay increases, because you don't hear much at all from them. At most you usually get a "my review was okay" or something equally bland if you get anything at all.

Silence here, to me anyway, means that UConn is very much in play, and the UConn athletic department and administration are keeping their cards very close to their vests while the process plays out. As others have said I would be more worried if they came out with a statement at this point.

On edit: I see Herbst came out with a statement. Acknowledges Syracuse and Pitt leaving and that it is a jolt, but it is not over yet, and really nothing more. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It sounds like she wants this to be over soon to remove the distractions. We may hear something sooner rather than later. She also has ties to GaTech. That may help UConn's case with the ACC.

 

[upstater]

I have to say looking into what you said I am glad to see UConn passing Cuse and The State University of New Jersey in US News.

And, Cuse and Rutgers don't have athletic programs? Rutgers has dropped 25 spots.

 

[Waquoit]

Would you feel better if Herbst came out and played a kazoo?

That is a straight line, if I ever read one. Too bad I can't give the punch line.

 

[Waquoit]

With regard to BC trying to block an invitation to us,

BCU is not trying to block UConn. They are on their knees praying every night for UConn to join the ACC. Their sports have steadily declined from the moment the backstabbed us. If we join the ACC, the get us back while saving face. A win-win for them.

 

[upstater]

BCU is not trying to block UConn. They are on their knees praying every night for UConn to join the ACC. Their sports have steadily declined from the moment the backstabbed us. If we join the ACC, the get us back while saving face. A win-win for them.

I don't understand this. If UConn football withers on the vine, BC football improves.

 

[jpm25]

I don't understand this. If UConn football withers on the vine, BC football improves.

not true. Maybe wins a few more local recruiting battles, or all of them, but a strong UConn with a rivalry will make a strong BCU.

 

[WestHartHusk]

I don't understand this. If UConn football withers on the vine, BC football improves.

USC / UCLA;
Alabama / Auburn;
Florida / Florida State;
Texas /OU/;
OU / OSU
etc etc etc.

There is just to much evidence to prove that a good local rivalry benefits both parties - I think BC may finally be realizing this.