The AAC and ESPN: will there be an eventual slide?

[JS]

Oh God of the Boneyard Pleeaaasssseee make this way beyond redundant way past depressing thread with its suicidal title slip off the front page!!!!

I took it up with the God of the Boneyard (GOTB) Rocky, who rather disagrees with despair and made the following observations:

• The OP said there originally was a question mark on the title, so it didn't seem so cataclysmic; and
• ZLS, who admits to having some control over these matters, posted that the disparate treatment by ESPN of the AAC in basketball -- the concern that, according to the OP justified a return to a redundantly discussed topic -- is a mistake that he'll try to get fixed.

The GOTB therefore granted your wish for relief with a more neutral and somewhat less depressing title.

The GOTB also said the thread's persistence and content, as usual in this forum, are beyond repair even for a god.

 

[CTyankee]

I'm not sure they have to be "good", but better than they are will make the deal more attractive.

I don't really consider Rutgers or Maryland great programs, but currently they are not worse than UConn; RU improved greatly under Greg Schiano, went 8-5 this season in Kyle Flood's 3rd year, won 3 B1G games and just pretty much pasted UNC in a bowl game. Maryland had a very nice run under Ralph Fridgen (who happens to be offensive coordinator at RU now) and while I know there is some angst in the UConn world over it, I think Randy Edsall was a winning hire for them.

Syracuse isn't very good now, but with their storied history (something RU, Md and UConn all lack) I think they can regroup eventually. Unfortunately you and Syracuse share having hired someone with the initials "PP" in football.

I think - in time - your teams will end up in a P5, at the next conference scramble. What I suspect is there will be a few years of suffering (not in WBB!) until then. And I do hope it happens, as I think all major state universities should be in power conferences.

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

The thing about the B1G schools is they all seem to be huge and with that comes some of the largest alumni/fan bases in the country. That's why Yankee Stadium was full of Penn State fans last night. It's also as close to the Bronx as Boston is. Even if you swapped BC out for UConn last night, Yankee Stadium still would have been 75% Penn State fans. It's why every bowl wants them - they travel very well and spend money - and it seems they've been doing it forever. A bowl would take a 6-6 Penn State over a 9-3 mid-major/middling P5 school any day.

 

[HuskyNan]

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

Bowls usually have a conference affiliation. The Pinstripe Bowl hosts a matchup between an ACC team vs a Big Ten team.

Generally speaking, many bowls will actually designate that the team finishing in a certain place, say third in its conference, will go to a particular bowl to play the fourth place team in another particular conference. This assumes the teams are bowl-eligible, of course. This is another good reason for UConn to be in a P5 conference as the bowls affiliated with the American are lesser bowls (less visibility, less impressive to recruits, less money).

 

[Biff]

The GOTB also said the thread's persistence and content, as usual in this forum, are beyond repair even for a god.

Hey, I can't do everything.....

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Why does UConn's football team HAVE to be good ... yet Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, etc. all secured P5 invites despite having worse programs?

Sure, having a good football team helps, but markets seem to be the bigger driving force. Unfortunately, UConn's doesn't appear all that attractive to conferences at the moment.

I think UCONN is hurt by the small population of the state of Connecticut and the fact that their football team doesn't have a lot of out-of-state fans. Obviously, New York, New Jersey and Maryland have much larger populations to expand the Big Ten Network. The ACC is a much more likely future home for you guys since they're more basketball-centric and you could help secure the New England market, along with BC.

 

[HuskyNan]

I thin UCONN is hurt by the small population of the state of Connecticut and the fact that their football team doesn't have a lot of out-of-state fans. Obviously, New York, New Jersey and Maryland have much larger populations to expand the Big Ten Network. The ACC is a much more likely future home for you guys since they're more basketball-centric and you could help secure the New England market, along with BC.

UConn gets quite a bit of coverage in the Boston and NY newspapers. But even teams in the greater NY area, like Rutgers, don't necessarily deiver those markets as they are pro oriented, same with Boston College and the Boston area. TV viewership barely makes a blip on ratings meters in Boston.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

UConn gets quite a bit of coverage in the Boston and NY newspapers. But even teams in the greater NY area, like Rutgers, don't necessarily deiver those markets as they are pro oriented, same with Boston College and the Boston area. TV viewership barely makes a blip on ratings meters in Boston.

Good point; I'm a NJ native and the only college sports fans I remember were Penn State fans. Rutgers didn't have a huge following back then. They were all arrogant in my neighborhood, which is why I still can't stand the Nittany Lions. I actually DO pull for UCONN quite often since it's one of my favorite states and my sister-in-law is a UCONN grad.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Syracuse isn't very good now, but with their storied history (something RU, Md and UConn all lack) I think they can regroup eventually.

Just for historical accuracy, Maryland was mythical national champion back in the 50s. Bear Bryant was coach there. Admittedly Bryant was no Greg Schiano though.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Just for historical accuracy, Maryland was mythical national champion back in the 50s. Bear Bryant was coach there. Admittedly Bryant was no Greg Schiano though.

Before my time, I was born in the '50s and didn't follow college football seriously until about 20 years ago or so. Did see Bryant, Hayes, Parsegian etc. coach on TV when I was growing up, but it was a casual interest. Interesting, though. I did know that - back in the day - the college football landscape was very different than it is now. Just as over time the women's basketball landscape has evolved and changed.

 

[Stinger92860]

I think UCONN is hurt by the small population of the state of Connecticut and the fact that their football team doesn't have a lot of out-of-state fans. Obviously, New York, New Jersey and Maryland have much larger populations to expand the Big Ten Network. The ACC is a much more likely future home for you guys since they're more basketball-centric and you could help secure the New England market, along with BC.

This small population is a top 25 TV market in the US.

 

[Vowelguy]

As someone who, like, actually helps control these things...post the link and I'll try and get that fixed. P5 is a FB-only thing, so any ranking system that doesn't include the AAC has been unintentionally set up incorrectly.

You mean something good might actually come from a message board post?
Thanks zls!

 

[DobbsRover2]

This small population is a top 25 TV market in the US.

Yeah, and population shouldn't be pushed too much concerning football prowess. States such as Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and West Virginia have far smaller populations than Connecticut but with at least a bit more pigskin stature, but maybe it is a factor for 50th ranked Wyoming.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

This small population is a top 25 TV market in the US.

The population of Connecticut is slightly smaller than Kentucky. Who has two P5 teams,as do smaller states like Kansas,and Iowa.
Market certainly isn't isn't the big issue for us.especially when Fairfield County is added. Sometimes forgotten in the figures.
The one major issue is these fans who love UConn basketball ,never adopted football to anywhere the same level.
The reasons for this are pretty complex , but my feeling is their is huge pent up demand just waiting to be tapped. Exciting competative football ,and opponents whose names actually mean something to the traditional Connecticut football fan will release that potential.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

This small population is a top 25 TV market in the US.

The population of Connecticut is slightly smaller than Kentucky. Who has two P5 teams,as do smaller states like Kansas,and Iowa.
Market certainly isn't isn't the big issue for us.especially when Fairfield County is added. Sometimes forgotten in the figures.
The one major issue is these fans who love UConn basketball ,never adopted football to anywhere the same level.
The reasons for this are pretty complex , but my feeling is their is huge pent up demand just waiting to be tapped. Exciting competative football ,and opponents whose names actually mean something to the traditional Connecticut football fan will release that potential.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Pasqualoni drove the program into the ground. Diaco is a young and energetic coach and hopefully as he starts getting more of his own recruits he will be able to help the program rise from the ashes.

I like the idea of being a little optimistic. Too many people here are already a little down on Diaco. He's a new head coach and his year started out roughly. I'm inclined to think that he'll evolve as will his team and his energies and positiveness might entice kids who would have otherwise said no to a program like UConn's. From what I understand, he's really working on getting the kids fit and UConn does have this great practice facility. With a little more seasoning, I'd like to think we'll get appreciably better and maybe get a few of those skilled players that sometimes can elevate a team. Seems like getting Dan Orlovsky really made UConn appreciably more competitive and helped even after he left with the recruiting. Prior to that, I don't think Randy Edsall was doing too much.

 

[Buzzyboy]

The population of Connecticut is slightly smaller than Kentucky. Who has two P5 teams,as do smaller states like Kansas,and Iowa.
Market certainly isn't isn't the big issue for us.especially when Fairfield County is added. Sometimes forgotten in the figures.
The one major issue is these fans who love UConn basketball ,never adopted football to anywhere the same level.
The reasons for this are pretty complex , but my feeling is their is huge pent up demand just waiting to be tapped. Exciting competative football ,and opponents whose names actually mean something to the traditional Connecticut football fan will release that potential.

I think Kansas was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. They've been in the Big 8 forever and they've seldom had anything but a pathetic football program. The only really viable athletic team they've had over the years has been Kansas men's basketball and they are in the boondocks, to say the least. If they were unaffiliated, would anyone ever pick them up???? I would say no. A lot of the Big 10 schools don't offer a whole lot on the competitive side of athletics including Northwestern, Minnesota but owe their positions to having been there over the years. They do have football programs that don't win very much but probably do get decent support and have a big stadium but it's probably more to do with Michigan or Ohio State or Michigan State and Purdue coming to town that started the "tradition" of attending games that they would inevitably get beat in. UConn has a heck of a lot of success with their athletic programs other than football that should be important to a conference but somehow doesn't seem to be. We shall see down the road. Hopefully we'll find a better home and enhance the conference that's lucky enough to get us.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Unfortunately, UConn is already getting hurt by its conference affiliation. The Men's Basketball team for example was ONLY able to recruit 2 kids(both of them local) in a year in which they won a National Championship, opened a state of the art practice facility, and signed Ollie to a long extension.

The same thing happened three years ago when conference affiliation wasn't nearly a big thing. It has a lot less to do with that than what you're implying. There is absolutely nothing about the men's basketball recruiting class that suggests it is attributable to being in the AAC. Yet people seem to want to make it so. I hate that because I'm one of those people who think no matter how wrong or irrational it is, if you keep saying things long enough, they become true, at least in a lot of peoples eyes.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Like Goodgood said it all hinges on the football team. If UConn is to have any kind of shot at getting into a decent conference the football team has to start winning.
I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen and I don't think anyone else should either. The program has been abysmal since Randy Edsall left for Maryland.

I think the one player who made a massive difference in how Randy Edsall was perceived was Dan Orlovsky and his impact and the teams success with him, enhance Edsall's recruiting over the next few years, minimally. With no Dan Orlovsky, I think we might have thrown Edsall out the door long before Maryland came calling. The teams success with Dan and the residual effect he had was what made Edsall's teams for a few years.

 

[Palatine]

Connecticut has 1.3 million television households. The UConn brand also significantly penetrates the New York and Boston markets. That is what should be sold to perspective conference suitors.

Look how bad Rutgers sucks. They got into the B10 because of their 3.1 million TV households.

 

[Buzzyboy]

ESPN, like any for-profit business, is interested only in making money, so they follow teams that attract the most viewers - those with the biggest fan bases.

You noted that Syracuse would help with the New York city area viewing and I think that's a fairy tale. I think UConn has a far bigger footprint in New York than does the Orangemen. I do agree that we have to improve our football team and the perception of our football team. The Orange used to be highly successful in football but they are no longer anywhere near the team that some older people relate to, when Jimmy Brown and Larry Csonka and Floyd Little made them a powerhouse. They are so far from New York that a lot of people in the New York City area don't even relate to them on any level.

 

[Buzzyboy]

College football as we know it was fathered in Connecticut by a Connecticut Native
Yale built the largest stadium in the world to accomodate crowds of up to 80,000 people. We have 3.5 million people and zero professional teams. The pent up demand is just waiting to be released. The missing ingredient is a viable product.
The Ivies de-emphasized football and no Connecticut team was there to pick up the mantle until UConn was cajoled by the Big East nearly 30 years later.
They made the expenditure just as the Big East was falling apart,sped along by the leagues rejection of a new ESPN contract.
If UConn by some miracle gets into the BiG and offers a half way competative product. UConn football will be the hottest ticket in the state.
With only 6 or 7 home dates they will easily fill the Rents expanded capacity.
Diaco needs to deliver or it will be a tough road ahead.

A good product and having some storied teams coming in like Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue with a few other prime dates would change everything. I realize Michigan did play one game here but you've got to continually have good programs coming in to get people energized. Once you do that, it would change forever and people would forget about how it was when we first went 1A.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Connecticut has 1.3 million television households. The UConn brand also significantly penetrates the New York and Boston markets. That is what should be sold to perspective conference suitors.

Look how bad Rutgers sucks. They got into the B10 because of their 3.1 million TV households.

And yet no one turns on those tv sets for Rutgers.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Just look at the football bowl games shown in the last two days... The Pinstripe Bowl (whatever that is) broadcast from Yankee Stadium between Boston College and Penn State... Neither team a NY area team, but northern, eastern based... A bowl game with a sold out boisterous crowd; a national audience; an exciting game... Rutgers playing in the Quick Lane Bowl... What do the best of the AAC get??? The Military Bowl between Cincinnati losing to VA Tech (9th best ACC team) from Washington DC area... And the Miami beach bowl for our AAC champion, Memphis... Our football team has a very long way to go before anyone thinks we are material for the ACC or the Big 10.

Thanks for your words of cheer!

 

[HoopsFan21]

You noted that Syracuse would help with the New York city area viewing and I think that's a fairy tale. I think UConn has a far bigger footprint in New York than does the Orangemen. I do agree that we have to improve our football team and the perception of our football team. The Orange used to be highly successful in football but they are no longer anywhere near the team that some older people relate to, when Jimmy Brown and Larry Csonka and Floyd Little made them a powerhouse. They are so far from New York that a lot of people in the New York City area don't even relate to them on any level.

The living proof of what you are saying is when the Orangemen were pre-empted by a UConn WCBB game. If you're Syracuse, that tells you everything you need to know about where you stand in NYC. Boy were those Syracuse fans pissed although it had to be sobering.