The Boise and TCU models

[uconndogs]

Well, here's reality as I see it. We are in a conference that puts us at a competitive disadvantage compared to programs in the other five. We'll see less money to reinvest into the program and recruiting will be tougher as questions remain about the BE's stability and access to a new play-off system. It is what it is.

So how do we compete at a national level? I think the Boise and TCU models hold part of the answer. To be completely honest, I don't really know what those models are, but there is no doubt that those programs have competed successfully at the highest levels college football for prolonged periods while being outside of a BCS conference. In fact, I think TCU may have been the best team in the country in 2010 after their Rose Bowl win over a very good Wisconsin team. So, it can be done - competing at a very high level with a less than ideal conference affiliation.

I think it starts with an absolute commitment by the school to maintain a football program at the highest level. As part of that commitment is a drive to find the best coaching available and give them the time and resources to be successful. Being in a recruiting hotbed certainly helps. While TCU had that going for them, they played second fiddle for many recruits to four Big12 programs. Boise is not in a recruiting hotbed. Excellent assessment and development of talent is key. The factories get the "no brainers", everybody else needs to do much better homework than everyone else to be successful.

Fan and alumni support are key. Buying tickets, traveling to games and bowls, and being their when its good and when it isn't so good. That drives revenues and better bowl opportunities.

With what's left of the Big East, UCONN needs to go on a run of dominating the conference and lining up quality OOC opponents and beating them. I think we are as well positioned as anyone to do that.

 

[SubbaBub]

The TCU/BSU models revolve around unique recruiting advantages. TCU has the deep Texas pool and Boise is in the Pacific Northwest where there isn't much in the way of BCS competition. Both have lower academic standards which give them access to certain recruits that others can't take.

This is not really a model for Uconn as the northeast gets hit up by the BE, Big Ten, ACC, and even the SEC in terms of the top recruits. Our model has been and will continue to be to look under every rock for hidden value, hope to land enough of the top New England talent and pick up targeted top recruits from elsewhere.



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[uconndogs]

I think that's all true, and certainly the academic side comes into play. Not sure that Boise and TCU don't have pretty heated recruting battles though. Boise, to me, has been far supperior to Wash., Wash. St., Colorado, while TCU has seen much more success than all but the Longhorns over the past 5 - 10 years. My point simply being that inspite of conference affiliation, they have competed at a very high level with very good talent.

 

[SubbaBub]

I think that's all true, and certainly the academic side comes into play. Not sure that Boise and TCU don't have pretty heated recruting battles though. Boise, to me, has been far supperior to Wash., Wash. St., Colorado, while TCU has seen much more success than all but the Longhorns over the past 5 - 10 years. My point simply being that inspite of conference affiliation, they have competed at a very high level with very good talent.

They won a lot of games, had high rankings over a 5-6 year period. It builds on itself, but the talent to do that came from favorable recruiting geography. UW, WSU, and CU have been non-entities and the big boys don't generally recruit the NW. Their biggest recruiting threat had been Stanford, but they recruit a different kind of athlete.

Our natural recruiting grounds are NE, NY, NJ, PA, FL. Those last three are where most of the talent lies. Guess who else recruits there? Every big name program between here, Iowa, and Miami.

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[SJScout]

Not sure what the lure to Boise couldve been, especially when dealing with the quality of life in subzero temps and a foot of snow on the ground. TCU has had to compete in one of the most talent rich parts of the country. What these programs did do to overcome this was build explosive offenses and recruit playmakers especially at the QB, RB and WR positions. The same can be said for OK St. Never considered a top flight Big 12 program until a recruit could turn on one of their games and watch fireworks! We had this discussion even about little things like uniforms and marketing. These schools have to take a good hard look at what lures some of these kids to a program and sometimes it means re-branding the entire product (just like Oregon did in the late 90s). Lighting up the scoreboard with a creative offensive philosophy has also been a good re-branding tool. The proof is in the pudding, it can be done, regardless of the conference. Hawaii has been another example. UConn is already way ahead of the game compared to TCU, Boise and others like them. If Rutgers could recruit an explosive QB they would be knocking on the door (but they never do!)

 

[Dann]

temple did the exact same thing, thats why its program came back to life. every kid that was good at fball out west that needed better grades or test scores went to bsu instead of a juco. temple did that the past couple years very well. your going to see umass do it now, they are going to get good players who we would want but who couldn't qualify. they are also going to feast on the juco/preps as well. its a new age in new england football with 2 teams fighting for kids.

 

[SJScout]

temple did the exact same thing, thats why its program came back to life. every kid that was good at fball out west that needed better grades or test scores went to bsu instead of a juco. temple did that the past couple years very well. your going to see umass do it now, they are going to get good players who we would want but who couldn't qualify. they are also going to feast on the juco/preps as well. its a new age in new england football with 2 teams fighting for kids.

No doubt! I know UMass is recruiting heavily in NJ and a few of the kids arent extremely strong academically and some have to already go juco/prep. UConn does have some strong relationships with schools like Avon and Lackawanna and Dean so they can put themselves in the mix. The re-branding, offensive philosophy and getting explosive at the skill positions are what will enable some serious comp on the recruiting trail. Thats why I thought the committ from Bradley was a bigger deal than what people are saying. He is a true playmaker!

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Boise State has 20, 10+ win seasons since 1968, thats almost half . Their success is not a happenstance if that is such a word. They have manuevered their way from JC to the Big Sky to the WAC to MWC to BE while being a very competative program within each conference on their way up and on the national platform. They have been playing good football since the end of WWII. Football has become very important to UConn for a relatively short period of time.

We very much need a breakout year(s). 10-11 win season(s) If it takes looking under rocks, fine.

 

[mattp]

didn't Boise just have a few scholarships taken away because of their recruiting model? i don't think we need to copy that

 

[Dan Thompson]

The TCU/BSU models revolve around unique recruiting advantages. TCU has the deep Texas pool and Boise is in the Pacific Northwest where there isn't much in the way of BCS competition. Both have lower academic standards which give them access to certain recruits that others can't take.

This is not really a model for Uconn as the northeast gets hit up by the BE, Big Ten, ACC, and even the SEC in terms of the top recruits. Our model has been and will continue to be to look under every rock for hidden value, hope to land enough of the top New England talent and pick up targeted top recruits from elsewhere.



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Please stop perpetuating the myth that "Both have lower academic standards which give them access to certain recruits that others can't take." this is simply not true, they have the SAME rules to follow as ANY D1 school, neither uses prop 12 athletes, or any other type that other schools do not use, this is a canard that losers use to justify losing.

 

[metsfan2323]

I agree that the recent success of Boise and TCU give us reason to hope.

We can also look for inspiration from West Virginia, Cincy (top 5 just a few years ago), South Florida (they were ranked # 2 in the country for a week), Louisville (the Petrino years) Boston College (One player turned them into a household name in the 80's) Syracuse (some big years under P)

One common thread that these teams share (when they were successful) is outstanding QB play and thankfully that may be on our doorstep with Whitmer and Cochran.

We came close in 2009. If Orlovsky or someone will his skill were QB'ing the 2009 team we would have crashed the top 15 (at least) that season.

 

[Dan Thompson]

Boise had scholarships taken away because they did not have a summer bridge program for incoming signed recruits like every other school has so that the incoming recruits would sleep on the floor or couch of existing players till the dorms were ready and they could move into them.
Boise thought they were in compliance, even asked the NCAA about it and was given the ok for 5 years till the NCAA changed their mind and hit them with the sanctions.
Boise now has a summer bridge program in place to accommodate incoming players.

 

[gioff23]

Here's a possible approach -

1. win games;
2. recruit highly ranked kids, particularly at skill positions;
3. win games;
4. market the program, here and elsewhere;
5. win games;
6. play top ranked/well established teams - the mantra should be will play anyone, anywhere at any time;
7. win games;
8. be more imaginative on the field; and
9. win games

Let's be honest, we have never finished ranked, so whining about being left out of a 4 team playoff is silly. Win games, play top ranked teams and earn a seat at the table. Then, when we finish 12-1, ranked in top 10 and are left out of the dance we can start whining. In the interim, take care of business and frankly that means acting like a D1 program and winning games. The ONLY thing programs that have risen from the ashes like Boise, TCU, Oregon and OK State have done worth emulating is winning.

 

[uconndogs]

I see, all we have to do is "win games". Wonder nobody ever came up with that. Thanks for the insight.

 

[upstater]

Colorado back in McCartney's games dipped into Los Angeles and took kids no one else would take. They were a top-ranked team back then. After the whole rape scandals, Colorado went back to being Colorado. We've already heard stories of the unseemliness going on at TCU.