The next step for the program

[NickDanger]

There are a lot of opinions on what the football program should do. What's better than a poll to measure opinion?

There are two realistic options (assuming no P4 invite and we stay in the Big East for Olympic sports):

1. Stay independent and schedule 4-5 P4 H/H series a year

2. Accept a football-only invite from either the MAC or CUSA (if invited) with likely 2-4 game basketball slate as collateral

What say you?

Good God, please shut it down… or go back to 1-AA.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Give me Tulane's scheduling strategy. They play one P4 game this year and they are ranked, and likely on their way to a second straight New Year's Day bowl. Who wouldn't sign up for that? It's the same scheduling strategy that turned Gonzaga basketball into a powerhouse.

They played the CUSA newbies plus Ole Miss.

 

[huskysupporter]

The other thing people need to remember is that FSU and Clemson and others aren’t waiting until 2036 to leave the ACC. They will pay a heavy financial penalty to get out early. My guess is that the ACC will look different by 2030. That is six more seasons. We can hang in for that long.

When the ACC is gutted it will be a mediocre G5.

 

[WrenchFan69]

I know the drop to FCS suggestion doesn't make sense financially or strategically for the university, but I'd be more interested in matchups against Yale, URI, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Holy Cross, etc rather than directional Illinois, directional Michigan, Kennesaw St, etc that comes with the MAC and CUSA

 

[giddyup]

Good God, please shut it down… or go back to 1-AA.

No need to shut down. We need to actually invest in success and stop them nickel and dime, half in BS. We hire a good coach then give him an econo- budget staff. We have AD that is utterly useless with NIL, and a board of trustees half of which love FB failing. Screwed up school

 

[superjohn]

No need to shut down. We need to actually invest in success and stop them nickel and dime, half in BS. We hire a good coach then give him an econo- budget staff. We have AD that is utterly useless with NIL, and a board of trustees half of which love FB failing. Screwed up school

Our NIL is really good for basketball. What would you have the AD do for football NIL?

 

[Purple Stein]

All this NIL stuff is so opaque to me.

How much do we have? How much do we need?

I feel like if this were articulated clearly and there was a defined ask a lot of small donors would step up. But maybe that’s insufficient?

 

[SwingDog]

I thought AD Benedict's/the university's objective was to make the program nationally respected and relevant in Division I. If we go to a mid-tier conference then how will that really help? Sure, we can try and become a big fish in a small pond but that's a step backwards in my view. The only way it could work is by building a strong out of conference schedule, and by beating some of those teams as well as performing well in-conference. And CUSA's geographic footprint does not look like a good fit for us, much like the AAC, maybe worse.

The conundrum is being able to recruit talent (both playing and coaching) good enough to beat those teams without having much to offer. Of course, as has been said many times, money is big part of the equation in generating results as far as recruiting, and maybe what @Purple Stein says about small donations can play an integral part. It wouldn't hurt to try as long as there are clear expectations and plans laid out so people knew what they were getting behind. I feel like the objectives do need to be articulated more clearly, especially as we toil and spiral downward in mediocrity.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Anyone who suggests the MAC or CUSA should need to be on the hook for a ten year commitment to season tickets if it comes to be.

 

[giddyup]

Our NIL is really good for basketball. What would you have the AD do for football NIL?

I’d be marketing the hell of NIL for FB setting up meetings and scouring the state for support. Everybody knows it’s a total sham and UConn needs to start playing up to the line like others. You work with a NIL program, market by key positions and raise the money. There is literally nothing more important in saving FB. My guess is they are going full out on BB NIL and burning FB with a token effort.

 

[gopher2]

Maybe we should form a team with UMass. One school provides the offense, the other fields the defense and special teams. I'm not sure if I'm joking here or not.

 

[BonaConn]

The only non-P5 we should consider for football only is the Mountain West (or whatever comes from an MW merger with Wazzu/Oregon State) and the Sun Belt. Our recent games against Wyoming, Fresno and Utah State prove we can hang with them. It also would be a good conference to play OOC games with in basketball as part of a deal. SDSU, Boise, Utah State are usually tournament teams and plenty of others can be great in any given season. It's the best conference outside the P6 in basketball.

The Sun Belt may have less attractive names, but it has passed the AAC, MAC and CUSA in terms of talent. It's also in great football recruiting areas (TX, GA, Carolinas, VA). Ultimately, being independent isn't inherently going to stop the team from improving. I don't see issues like NIL money, coaching, fan attendance getting magically repaired in the MAC/CUSA/AAC. Good luck getting anyone to The Rent for Tuesday night MACtion, which is only designed for degenerate gamblers (I would know, I bet on both games this past week). There's virtually zero national attention given to the MAC/CUSA/AAC conference champion unless they're undefeated. A 10-3 UConn team isn't going to get an enormous national boost from winning a MAC title. The MW has the advantage of being the best G5 conference and the Sun Belt is trending closer towards the MW than the other 3.

Our future schedules over the next 5 years seem just as good as any of the ones BYU developed as an independent. As far as I can tell, the only "body bag" game currently on the future schedule is at Ohio State in 2025, so hopefully there are fewer games like Tennessee today and more like NC State this year (or more preferably, the BC win last year). The on-the-field and financial issues can be fixed to the point where we're a 6 to 9-win independent team with a nationally relevant schedule. That would set us up for the ultimate goal of breaking into the future P4 or a conference with ACC leftovers. Of course, the question is will the school or state actually make the needed investments?

 

[Kowalski]

The only non-P5 we should consider for football only is the Mountain West (or whatever comes from an MW merger with Wazzu/Oregon State) and the Sun Belt. Our recent games against Wyoming, Fresno and Utah State prove we can hang with them. It also would be a good conference to play OOC games with in basketball as part of a deal. SDSU, Boise, Utah State are usually tournament teams and plenty of others can be great in any given season. It's the best conference outside the P6 in basketball.

The Sun Belt may have less attractive names, but it has passed the AAC, MAC and CUSA in terms of talent. It's also in great football recruiting areas (TX, GA, Carolinas, VA). Ultimately, being independent isn't inherently going to stop the team from improving. I don't see issues like NIL money, coaching, fan attendance getting magically repaired in the MAC/CUSA/AAC. Good luck getting anyone to The Rent for Tuesday night MACtion, which is only designed for degenerate gamblers (I would know, I bet on both games this past week). There's virtually zero national attention given to the MAC/CUSA/AAC conference champion unless they're undefeated. A 10-3 UConn team isn't going to get an enormous national boost from winning a MAC title. The MW has the advantage of being the best G5 conference and the Sun Belt is trending closer towards the MW than the other 3.

Our future schedules over the next 5 years seem just as good as any of the ones BYU developed as an independent. As far as I can tell, the only "body bag" game currently on the future schedule is at Ohio State in 2025, so hopefully there are fewer games like Tennessee today and more like NC State this year (or more preferably, the BC win last year). The on-the-field and financial issues can be fixed to the point where we're a 6 to 9-win independent team with a nationally relevant schedule. That would set us up for the ultimate goal of breaking into the future P4 or a conference with ACC leftovers. Of course, the question is will the school or state actually make the needed investments?

MWC for football would be great but I doubt they’d extend an invite - at least, not without a major G5 shake up.

The Sunbelt is slightly more realistic for football if they’re looking to expand their footprint & get more exposure. Maybe if we add some basketball scheduling & come in with a partner like Liberty or Western Kentucky, they’ll buy in.

It would be better than the MAC.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Since no one is bothering to say it: What if we join the MAC and still go 3-9 or 2-10? We aren’t going to be good in any conference without major staffing changes. At least now we have a good schedule.

I would absolutely not join MAC or CUSA until we’ve tried being Indy with a good OC and DC and competent special teams. I can pretty much guarantee you that if we had a Rhett Lashlee level OC right now, we wouldn’t be having any of these discussions today.

Should have made him HC.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Give me Tulane's scheduling strategy. They play one P4 game this year and they are ranked, and likely on their way to a second straight New Year's Day bowl. Who wouldn't sign up for that? It's the same scheduling strategy that turned Gonzaga basketball into a powerhouse.

I honestly would have gone for Tulane instead of SMU if I was the ACC

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

MWC for football would be great but I doubt they’d extend an invite - at least, not without a major G5 shake up.

The Sunbelt is slightly more realistic for football if they’re looking to expand their footprint & get more exposure. Maybe if we add some basketball scheduling & come in with a partner like Liberty or Western Kentucky, they’ll buy in.

It would be better than the MAC.

Does Air Force join the AAC with Army and Navy?

If so they may need a 3rd for football when OrSU and Wash St join. UConn fb only Gonzaga bb only

 

[Rdkid]

All this NIL stuff is so opaque to me.

How much do we have? How much do we need?

I feel like if this were articulated clearly and there was a defined ask a lot of small donors would step up. But maybe that’s insufficient?

I think this has been the Athletic Department’s achilles for a long while - opacity in asking directly for what is needed from FANS. Fundraising strategy beyond what has been supported by whales has been lacking. The recent capital improvements from big donors such as Rizza, Toscano, et al. are great, but the small ball asks have always been lacking. Giving money to go in player’s pockets is noxious to many, but so is losing football. I’m concerned that a lack of transparency and stated strategy and accountability on football from the top down will get us more of what we have. This thread senses it, and I think there is reason for concern.

 

[Rdkid]

All this NIL stuff is so opaque to me.

How much do we have? How much do we need?

I feel like if this were articulated clearly and there was a defined ask a lot of small donors would step up. But maybe that’s insufficient?

and you may be right on the last question, but you have to start by asking for support from people who are most invested. It is like the AD is afraid to piss football ticketholders off because we suck. State the need, make the case, appeal to reality and make the ask. Fans saying no only brings clarity on how much support for the program is out there. All while simultaneously going to whales and business (small & large) on NIL. The existential crisis for UConn football is here, it always has been. Don’t leave any powder dry in fundraising - it is the lifeblood for a program without TV money. If we are truly afraid of not having enough NIL support for basketball (men’s and women’s) and winning football, then someone needs to level with the fanbase and come up with a realistic plan for what healthy expectations are for football. Mora know this. The sport is expensive and clearly needs more resources to win at the G5/Indy with aspirations level. If we can’t fundraise the money and can’t hope for more TV dollars in the near future, who pays for this? Does the deficit matter? And finally, what do the President, BOT and the AD really believe will happen to UConn Athletics if we are never a revenue-producing winner in the football game?

 

[Ldandy]

I'm going to write something that most won't like, but some may agree with. I fully believe that talent is the overarching issue within the program, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. You can talk play calling, tackling technique or effort until you are blue in the face. Those things matter, but they matter maybe to the extent of one less UT Score. The difference in speed and athleticism of UT compared to UConn was jarring. There is likely a major talent/numbers disparity between coaching staffs as well, but let's be honest, if the coaching staffs switched sidelines prior to the game the results on Saturday would have been much the same.

The days of Randy identifying under the radar talent and developing it into NFL Players is over. With Hudl, Maxpreps, and Youtube, if you can play everybody and their brother will know it. More damaging IMO is the leveling of the playing field of UConn dropping to G5 and other schools improving their credibility at that level. No argument that UConn is a better school than 95% of the G5, but for a young football player, who probably weighs the game with more importance than the school at 17 years old, places like Coastal Carolina, Liberty, or James Madison may seem like better options closer to home.

What can be done? Since nobody can wave a wand and raise millions of dollars to buy impact players, UConn should strongly consider targeting a coach and staff that plays system football. Before people cry about the Triple Option, there are many variations to what system football can be. Take Mike Leach at WSU and MSU for example. The guy recruited mostly 3-star talent that fit exactly what he was looking for in his system. He then molded those guys into a team that could make bowl games and pull upsets in the Pac 12 and SEC. Watching UConn play UT, you get a feel for how far away athletically that they are from a top 15-20 FBS program. The talent is not going to get substantially better under the current circumstances. Anyone believing that it will is deluding themselves. Scheme is the only thing that can make UConn a program that wins more than it loses, and one that at least shows up in a game like yesterday @ UT.

 

[giddyup]

I honestly would have gone for Tulane instead of SMU if I was the ACC

Better school, iconic destination, good market but they didn’t pay to play and that’s the difference I would imagine. SMU is paying their own way for like 10 years before rev. share kicks in. We would in the B12 today had we done the same. My guess, all we needed to do was take the equivalent of what we have know for 5 years.

 

[Rdkid]

I'm going to write something that most won't like, but some may agree with. I fully believe that talent is the overarching issue within the program, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. You can talk play calling, tackling technique or effort until you are blue in the face. Those things matter, but they matter maybe to the extent of one less UT Score. The difference in speed and athleticism of UT compared to UConn was jarring. There is likely a major talent/numbers disparity between coaching staffs as well, but let's be honest, if the coaching staffs switched sidelines prior to the game the results on Saturday would have been much the same.

The days of Randy identifying under the radar talent and developing it into NFL Players is over. With Hudl, Maxpreps, and Youtube, if you can play everybody and their brother will know it. More damaging IMO is the leveling of the playing field of UConn dropping to G5 and other schools improving their credibility at that level. No argument that UConn is a better school than 95% of the G5, but for a young football player, who probably weighs the game with more importance than the school at 17 years old, places like Coastal Carolina, Liberty, or James Madison may seem like better options closer to home.

What can be done? Since nobody can wave a wand and raise millions of dollars to buy impact players, UConn should strongly consider targeting a coach and staff that plays system football. Before people cry about the Triple Option, there are many variations to what system football can be. Take Mike Leach at WSU and MSU for example. The guy recruited mostly 3-star talent that fit exactly what he was looking for in his system. He then molded those guys into a team that could make bowl games and pull upsets in the Pac 12 and SEC. Watching UConn play UT, you get a feel for how far away athletically that they are from a top 15-20 FBS program. The talent is not going to get substantially better under the current circumstances. Anyone believing that it will is deluding themselves. Scheme is the only thing that can make UConn a program that wins more than it loses, and one that at least shows up in a game like yesterday @ UT.

I agree fully. Only problem is that likely requires another coaching change since Mora is not likely going to be a scheme guy anytime soon. That means having leadership with guts and vision - and capacity to communicate and build support for said plan. A plan that involves hiring an untested offensive planner/recruiter who will need a ton of support - including a big bag of NIL starter money to help us out recruit the winning programs you named. I’m not sure we have the leadership alignment/commitment stomach for that. Frankly, I’m not sure we have the stomach for winning football at this level. I hope I’m wrong, but the silence of leadership other than likely hanging it on Mora if/when we keep losing is deafening. Coaching matters, but leadership alignment matters more.

 

[giddyup]

I agree fully. Only problem is that likely requires another coaching change since Mora is not likely going to be a scheme guy anytime soon. That means having leadership with guts and vision - and capacity to communicate and build support for said plan. A plan that involves hiring an untested offensive planner/recruiter who will need a ton of support - including a big bag of NIL starter money to help us out recruit the winning programs you named. I’m not sure we have the leadership alignment/commitment stomach for that. Frankly, I’m not sure we have the stomach for winning football at this level. I hope I’m wrong, but the silence of leadership other than likely hanging it on Mora if/when we keep losing is deafening. Coaching matters, but leadership alignment matters more.

You are so correct. This is about UConn leadership providing token support for football. They won’t do anything that might compete with or jeopardize basketball. So, they will never go hard over NIL if it means potentially undermining basketball NIL, and they will never commit the dollars to build a staff and travel to recruit at the level needed. They are intentionally slowly strangling the program until the conditions are right to kill it.

 

[jdb50]

I'm going to write something that most won't like, but some may agree with. I fully believe that talent is the overarching issue within the program, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. You can talk play calling, tackling technique or effort until you are blue in the face. Those things matter, but they matter maybe to the extent of one less UT Score. The difference in speed and athleticism of UT compared to UConn was jarring. There is likely a major talent/numbers disparity between coaching staffs as well, but let's be honest, if the coaching staffs switched sidelines prior to the game the results on Saturday would have been much the same.

The days of Randy identifying under the radar talent and developing it into NFL Players is over. With Hudl, Maxpreps, and Youtube, if you can play everybody and their brother will know it. More damaging IMO is the leveling of the playing field of UConn dropping to G5 and other schools improving their credibility at that level. No argument that UConn is a better school than 95% of the G5, but for a young football player, who probably weighs the game with more importance than the school at 17 years old, places like Coastal Carolina, Liberty, or James Madison may seem like better options closer to home.

What can be done? Since nobody can wave a wand and raise millions of dollars to buy impact players, UConn should strongly consider targeting a coach and staff that plays system football. Before people cry about the Triple Option, there are many variations to what system football can be. Take Mike Leach at WSU and MSU for example. The guy recruited mostly 3-star talent that fit exactly what he was looking for in his system. He then molded those guys into a team that could make bowl games and pull upsets in the Pac 12 and SEC. Watching UConn play UT, you get a feel for how far away athletically that they are from a top 15-20 FBS program. The talent is not going to get substantially better under the current circumstances. Anyone believing that it will is deluding themselves. Scheme is the only thing that can make UConn a program that wins more than it loses, and one that at least shows up in a game like yesterday @ UT.

Watching Chiefs Dolphins now. Who do I hear on the broadcast? Dan O. I have no idea how long Jim Mora will do this for us. But if we wanted to create buzz and join the modern era offensively Dan Orlovsky would be the guy for Admin to go after. JM was a huge upgrade for recruiting over Edsall but Dan O is a now guy on TV and young players would know him. For next season JM keeping our best returning talent in the program is his biggest job in regards to having a winning season next year. Hire a DC. Maybe replace Charlton.

 

[king conn]

Funny thing about this OP is there was none of this (MAC) talk last year when Uconn was getting destroyed by MICH, CUSE and NC St. but
wound up 6-6 and then ended up hours from a Big 12 invite. Now the team loses a bunch of one scores games and part of the fan base is as quick to give up and submit to seat in the bottom of the FBS... as the fetal position hand offs/east west offense Charlton should be fired. As he blew the first part of the season and kept the 90% of the student section home, for good, after the Duke game. Until he realized that a pass down field isn't as scary as he thought it would be (way to late ! )

Personally I can't take weak minded quitters, narratives and the excuses (Yeah you Jim Mora too with your " poor me NIL" / "little Indy Uconn") that losing brings. Suck it up, stay the course and deal with it ...or go home and don't come back.

This. The perfect post to all this

 

[superjohn]

I’d be marketing the hell of NIL for FB setting up meetings and scouring the state for support. Everybody knows it’s a total sham and UConn needs to start playing up to the line like others. You work with a NIL program, market by key positions and raise the money. There is literally nothing more important in saving FB. My guess is they are going full out on BB NIL and burning FB with a token effort.

You can't force people to be interested in parting with their money on a terrible product. People support the basketball side because it's a basketball school and arguably the premier program in the sport, it's really hard to make people interested in a terrible program.