UConn and BCU talkin'

[huskymedic]

Why does each and every BC thread end up in the same rabbit hole?

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

NIU is a legit team, there is no question they have been better than us the last couple of years. We need to make sure that the Maines, Howards and Villanovas of the world are not better than us.

Agreed. There's also a good chance we lose our opener to 'Nova this year too... They went 11-3 last year and went to the FCS Quarterfinals.

 

[pj]

How is BC a rival at all, yet alone Uconns biggest ? They haven't played in 10 years, Uconn has never beaten BC, and they don't even play the same level of football

You don't have to play to be rivals. The Yankees and Mets were still rivals even when the American League didn't play the National League. As long as we share New England, we'll be rivals, even if we never play.

 

[epark88]

This is seen thru a Connecticut prism however.. and I get that. But in Massachusetts, there is more interest in BC and Umass getting together and playing football, than a BC - Uconn game. If we asked casual sports fans from Massachusetts would they rather watch BC play Uconn or Umass, the vast majority would say " Umass ". Thats not a disrespect to Uconn. Its the fact that there are far, far more graduates of the College State systems in Massachuetts, than there are Uconn grads in Massachusetts, especially the closer one gets to inside rte 495 corridor of Eastern Mass. This notion that somehow if Uconn plays BC in football that this will somehowbe a big shot in the arm to " New England College Football " ( heard many a time here ) is simply seen thru a Connecticut prism. BC students and alums are mostly from outside New England. They are not from N.E. at all. And there are few Uconn grads in Greater Boston( compared to alums that graduated from the State college system of Umass- Amherst, Umass- Boston, Umass- Lowell, and 7 other Massacusetts state colleges.) As a result, BC will have more Massachusetts residents at a BC- Umass game than a BC- Uconn game. So the fact that a BC- Umass game has more interest in Greater Boston than a BC- Uconn football game would is being shared now on here as seen thru a Massachuetts prism. Again, I DO understand the Connecticut prism lens here, and it makes perfect sense to me as to why this is seemingly such a big deal for people of Connecticut, or who are Uconn grads. I get that. I do. I just wanted to share however how this is looked at thru most Massachusetts casual sports fans prisims and who are not connected to BC in any way as alums there.

If this is the case, then UConn fans would pack out Alumni and take it over, Conte-style...

 

[Waquoit]

I agree it wasn't just the lawsuit. They left the Big East to get away from us.

No one really believes that, do they?

Bob Ryan has written and said as much.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If this is the case, then UConn fans would pack out Alumni and take it over, Conte-style...

Reason #1 why BC would never seek to have a UConn v. BC game at Gillette. Even giving out free tickets and offering students free bus rides from Chestnut it, the crowd would would be 50/50 at best for BC.

 

[John Greene]

Why does each and every BC thread end up in the same rabbit hole?

Trolls & gremlins are drawn to the magic letters 'BC' so they swarm onto this board. The same letters are also the trigger signal for some portion of the BY to have flash backs to the early part of the last decade. The net result is ground hog day ending in a rabbit hole.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Sigh, it was never the lawsuit. It was about market share and poor leadership at BC.

They've realized that we have no affect on their market and that their leadership sucked. It was always about them, not us.

So "Flipper" was only pretending to be an irrational, demented, whack-job, Carlos-the-Jackal type when he strapped on a suicide vest and set his GPS for Storrs. He took the Lawsuit way to personally; or, BC has a Drama School that rivals the New School.

(By the way, does BC have a Drama School?)

 

[Yawkey Way]

. As long as we share New England, we'll be rivals, even if we never play.

Diaco should have thought of this... and created a Trophy for it.

 

[Yawkey Way]

If this is the case, then UConn fans would pack out Alumni and take it over, Conte-style...

But why would Uconn fans go to a BC- Umass football game ? Would you ? I don't believe so.

 

[Yawkey Way]

I disagree. I live outside of Boston and have ties to BC and UConn. BC v UMass does not register; people up here will watch BC v UConn.

Well, we'll just respectfully disagree then. For every Uconn grad living inside rte.495 in the Boston area there are probably 50-60 grads of the Massachusetts State College system. My brother is a pro sports fan. He graduated from the Univ. Lowell. They don't play football. He is only marginally, at best, interested in BC football. But he is very much interested in seeing BC and Umass play, and will go the BC- Umass game next season. A BC- Umass game will have far more residents of Massachusetts at the game than Massachusetts residents at a BC- Uconn game. Also, BC will make more money, & have a bigger attendance, with a BC- Umass game than a BC game with ACC league opponent Wake Forest for example. BC will have long time annual football and now Atlantic Division , ACC opponent Syracuse as its future football rival, and Umass scheduled for local regional interest, it would now appear.

 

[BoatShow]

He is "Mr never miss a photo opt or interject on any subject".

Kinda like @Yawkey Way in a thread about BCU.

 

[CL82]

You don't have to play to be rivals. The Yankees and Mets were still rivals even when the American League didn't play the National League. As long as we share New England, we'll be rivals, even if we never play.

You're right! Somebody call coach Diaco, so he can order a trophy!

 

[pj]

You're right! Somebody call coach Diaco, so he can order a trophy!

The New England Cup. Ours until BC beats us. Likely to be ours a long, long time.

 

[Burkie22]

In 2014, BC drew 34,300 while UConn drew 27,460. Considering how poor UConn's on-field product was in 2014 and the lack of any marquee games (unlike Michigan in 2013) whereas BC did get USC at home, not as big of a difference as it should have been.

That's a significant difference especially considering the differences in demographics and the apparent great fans that make up the Uconn fan base . Let's also not forget, Uconn announced attendance for SMU at ~23,000. Using that as a benchmark, I would say that Uconns overall attendance metrics are heavily over inflated because the SMU game was lucky to have attendance over 5,000.

 

[Hoophound]

That's a significant difference especially considering the differences in demographics and the apparent great fans that make up the Uconn fan base . Let's also not forget, Uconn announced attendance for SMU at ~23,000. Using that as a benchmark, I would say that Uconns overall attendance metrics are heavily over inflated because the SMU game was lucky to have attendance over 5,000.

Wasn't everyone hiding under cover to avoid the cold for SMU? Not sure that's a good barometer. In general, UConn has been brutally honest with attendance.

 

[whaler11]

Wasn't everyone hiding under cover to avoid the cold for SMU? Not sure that's a good barometer. In general, UConn has been brutally honest with attendance.

They were and then they reverted to tickets distributed.

Gate count for SMU was like 5,100.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

That's a significant difference especially considering the differences in demographics and the apparent great fans that make up the Uconn fan base . Let's also not forget, Uconn announced attendance for SMU at ~23,000. Using that as a benchmark, I would say that Uconns overall attendance metrics are heavily over inflated because the SMU game was lucky to have attendance over 5,000.

UConn has been historically accurate, even when it is bad news, with attendance figures in terms of numbers coming through the gates. Of course it does not take into account folks leave during the game, which no one really does. You sure you are not confused with BC's basketball attendance? Oh, never mind, 5,000 would be too high as they averaged a hair above 4,000 per game in 2014 even though BC's home slate may have been better than UConn's with #2 UVA, #10 Louisville, #10 ND, & #19 UNC all visiting. UConn averaged a hair over 10K playing in the American and, yes, before you say it, had to deal with the same weather as BC. UConn's fan base is not the best in the world; but, I'll take it over BC's any day and any sport.

 

[CL82]

The New England Cup. Ours until BC beats us. Likely to be ours a long, long time.

In few years Diaco's office will be chock full of phantom rivalry trophies

 

[Burkie22]

UConn has been historically accurate, even when it is bad news, with attendance figures in terms of numbers coming through the gates. Of course it does not take into account folks leave during the game, which no one really does. You sure you are not confused with BC's basketball attendance? Oh, never mind, 5,000 would be too high as they averaged a hair above 4,000 per game in 2014 even though BC's home slate may have been better than UConn's with #2 UVA, #10 Louisville, #10 ND, & #19 UNC all visiting. UConn averaged a hair over 10K playing in the American and, yes, before you say it, had to deal with the same weather as BC. UConn's fan base is not the best in the world; but, I'll take it over BC's any day and any sport.

Last I checked this was a football message board ? Was I mistaken ? Not sure how basketball attendance is relevant to the discussion. My point was the number that you were referring to, the overall attendance figures for 2014, are clearly inaccurate based on the fact that they are calculating the SMU game at almost 5x the reality (conservatively, the actual attendance was most likely below 5,000).

For a school with twice the undergraduate student body, and a much more local alumni base, the fact that BC easily outdraws Uconn YoY says a lot despite the fact that many here continue to harp on BCs lack of support (BC also has an endowment 5x as big so all these great fans/alumni clearly aren't putting their money where their mouth is).

 

[Dooley]

BC consistently outdraws Uconn YOY (even with Uconns aggressive attendance records, see SMU 2015) so the attendance point you keep harping on doesn't really make sense. Also, the Uconn game of the millennium (vs Michigan) wouldn't even have been close to a sellout without all he maize in the crowd

I know you're new here and just trolling the board, but I'll engage with you anyway. What "attendance point" am I harping on? That BOTH schools are having difficulty selling out games these days? That is considered harping?? I have not once said UConn wasn't struggling with football attendance. UConn football attendance has been in a free-fall since Hathaway hired Pasqualoni. The combination of an uninspired coaching hire (that the majority of our fanbase KNEW was a bad hire from Day 1) + the inevitable losing seasons that resulted from said bad coaching hire + being deregulated into AAC abyss = attendance decline. This would happen anywhere and has happened here. No question about that.

Boston College is also struggling to fill its building. That is also fact. No, it's not at the level that UConn is dealing with but I should hope it wouldn't be considering that BC has enjoyed two straight bowl seasons and plays in a P5 conference (with a P5 schedule). Pre-Pasqualoni, UConn regularly filled its building when it enjoyed bowl seasons and was playing on a BCS level (with BCS schedule).

The point that I would harp on is that both schools are struggling with selling tickets. The northeast is starving for a true regional rivalry. The Game is the biggest annual draw in New England because it has what no other game in New England has: a long history of hating one another. It is of my opinion that UConn vs Boston College could reach that point someday, with annual sellouts of each others stadiums or even Gillette Stadium. Northeast/New England football needs another rivalry game and this could be it.

And about the Michigan maize comment: come back and talk to us after we see (and hear!) how many Irish fans are packed into Fenway...a few short blocks away from Chestnut Hill. Then we can compare notes and see if the two are even close.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Last I checked this was a football message board ? Was I mistaken ? Not sure how basketball attendance is relevant to the discussion. My point was the number that you were referring to, the overall attendance figures for 2014, are clearly inaccurate based on the fact that they are calculating the SMU game at almost 5x the reality (conservatively, the actual attendance was most likely below 5,000).

For a school with twice the undergraduate student body, and a much more local alumni base, the fact that BC easily outdraws Uconn YoY says a lot despite the fact that many here continue to harp on BCs lack of support (BC also has an endowment 5x as big so all these great fans/alumni clearly aren't putting their money where their mouth is).

BC sure had great attendance numbers for the USC game. Both upper endzones were ghost towns. Got my ticket outside for $20. Wasn't even close to 41K in the stadium for that one, and of those who were there, a good 5-6K were USC fans. Great to see the local crowd show up for your biggest home game of the year.

 

[John Greene]

I know you're new here and just trolling the board, but I'll engage with you anyway. What "attendance point" am I harping on? That BOTH schools are having difficulty selling out games these days? That is considered harping?? I have not once said UConn wasn't struggling with football attendance. UConn football attendance has been in a free-fall since Hathaway hired Pasqualoni. The combination of an uninspired coaching hire (that the majority of our fanbase KNEW was a bad hire from Day 1) + the inevitable losing seasons that resulted from said bad coaching hire + being deregulated into AAC abyss = attendance decline. This would happen anywhere and has happened here. No question about that.

Boston College is also struggling to fill its building. That is also fact. No, it's not at the level that UConn is dealing with but I should hope it wouldn't be considering that BC has enjoyed two straight bowl seasons and plays in a P5 conference (with a P5 schedule). Pre-Pasqualoni, UConn regularly filled its building when it enjoyed bowl seasons and was playing on a BCS level (with BCS schedule).

The point that I would harp on is that both schools are struggling with selling tickets. The northeast is starving for a true regional rivalry. The Game is the biggest annual draw in New England because it has what no other game in New England has: a long history of hating one another. It is of my opinion that UConn vs Boston College could reach that point someday, with annual sellouts of each others stadiums or even Gillette Stadium. Northeast/New England football needs another rivalry game and this could be it.

And about the Michigan maize comment: come back and talk to us after we see (and hear!) how many Irish fans are packed into Fenway...a few short blocks away from Chestnut Hill. Then we can compare notes and see if the two are even close.

Great response, you had him until the last paragraph and then let him off the hook. Why on earth would anyone expect to see a lot of BC fans at an ND home game?

 

[HartfordHank]

BC sure had great attendance numbers for the USC game. Both upper endzones were ghost towns. Got my ticket outside for $20. Wasn't even close to 41K in the stadium for that one, and of those who were there, a good 5-6K were USC fans. Great to see the local crowd show up for your biggest home game of the year.

Visiting teams get 5K tickets. 5K to 6K is not out of the question!

 

[pj]

In few years Diaco's office will be chock full of phantom rivalry trophies

Isn't the big one the trophy for beating Alabama?