Here's the comeback - if it's all about 'pulling one's weight' and competing at high level then let's revamp the entire P-5 system. No room for sentimental favorites, no teacher's pets, no victims of anal retentive, parochial thinking - let's start fresh and create 4 or 5 16 member conferences of accomplished institutions, with proven product and solid academics to boot. UConn finds a spot easily under that scenario. This process would expose the extensive decay in the current P-5 system and provide glaring examples of P-5 members that in no, way, shape or form "belong" according to the alleged current entry rules.
With all this talk of what we have to do to get there, wouldn't it be fairer and more productive to cull out the existing P-5 dead wood and start fresh? There is a list of schools that would be terrified of such a process, but UConn would welcome it.
Spot on. I think we've all been saying this since this whole process of CR started. If there was a P5 re-draft based on merit/"pulling weight" (which I deem to be entire Athletic Department success), UCONN would be drafted ahead of roughly 1/3 of the grandfathered schools currently in the P5.
Off the very top of my head, UCONN has pulled more weight than: BC, Syracuse, Rutgers, Wake, NC State, Maryland, Pitt, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arkansas, Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Kansas, Kansas St, Iowa St, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma St, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona St, Washington, Washington St, Oregon St, UCLA, Cal, and Utah.
As an Athletic Department as a WHOLE, I'd place UCONN above 1/3 of the grandfathered P5 schools who have either won very little or won a very long time ago (and haven't renewed their "weight pulling" membership card in decades). I also think UCONN would be on equivalent level as other schools (Duke, Kentucky, etc). Then there would be debate how we stack up against one-trick ponies (namely, schools with football reputations only): Clemson, VT, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M, WVU, etc. Granted, winning a football National Championship is seemingly more difficult than winning a basketball championship simply because you have had to be good AND popular to get votes.
It's an interesting debate for sure. But since '99, UCONN has 4x MBB championships, 9x WBB, 1 BCS football season, Soccer championship, Field Hockey championships, Baseball College World Series appearance, and an upgrade to Hockey East. I'd say that that is some significant "weight pulling" in comparison with the P5.