UConn Football breaks into The Athletic 131 Top 100

[huskymedic]

 

[aburks41]

True freshman at QB, WR1 & WR2 out for pretty much the entire season. RB1, RB2, and RB3 have been our for a while. Yet we keep on winning. This is legit legendary stuff from Mora and the staff. I'm 26 years old, not once in my life have I looked forward to watching UConn football more than the Patriots, until this year. What a turnaround for the program.

 

[Kolumbo]

Ahead of VPI, Nebraska, Rutgers, Indiana, AZ State. Impressive!
The UMass game is a huge opportunity to keep the mojo going.
I posted the updated CBS rankings in the other thread. UCONN up 14 spots to 99!
And Liberty is now ranked.

 

[PNolanFan]

Biggest key for me is to parlay this into a decent recruiting class. Need to have a recruiting class ranked inside top 100 with a decent amount of transfers

 

[Waquoit]

We're ahead of BCU and Va Tech. Heh.

 

[UCMB88]

Watching the game with my wife Saturday on CBSSN and she said, "oh my God, after 10 years of disaster, you are giddy about UConn football! How come Randy Edsall couldn't do this?" I told her there wasn't enough time to get into it all, LOL! I did say something special is brewing with Jim Mora.

 

[HuskyNan]

We're ahead of BCU and Va Tech. Heh.

That got a chuckle out of me, too. Throw Rutgers in there as well

 

[Waquoit]

... I told her there wasn't enough time to get into it all, LOL!

I think "he was a useless hack" would have sufficed.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Biggest key for me is to parlay this into a decent recruiting class. Need to have a recruiting class ranked inside top 100 with a decent amount of transfers

Mora's portal pick ups absolutely have stepped in and killed it. Roberson was looking good in practice and in the game until he got hurt. Mora is known as a good recruiter, no doubt this will turn into a very good recruiting class for us.

 

[freescooter]

So if I told you we would be ranked above BC, Rutgers maybe you’d say possible. If I said we would be ranked above Nebraska and VaTech? Not so much…

 

[HuskyNan]

Just noticed Miami at 76. Maybe next year….

 

[UConniki]

Ahead of VPI, Nebraska, Rutgers, Indiana, AZ State. Impressive!
The UMass game is a huge opportunity to keep the mojo going.
I posted the updated CBS rankings in the other thread. UCONN up 14 spots to 99!
And Liberty is now ranked.

Actually they’re up 16 spots to 90.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[SubbaBub]

The dynamics of the portal changed dramatically this past off season. That is the number 1 reason for what we are seeing right now. Number 2 is that you could not have hand picked a weaker slate of opponents.

It is equally true that Randy would not have jumped in with both feet like Mora did and had lost the program, regardless.

As for the injuries, I was never convinced that we had a ton of separation on the depth chart but Mora's biggest success is going 4 and 5 deep into the bench while still beating crappy teams we would have easily lost to in recent years at full strength.

Beat UMass, give Army a run and he could declare victory, even though he won't happy unless we are bowl eligible. Which is what we want to see from the coach. No moral victories.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

So if I told you we would be ranked above BC, Rutgers maybe you’d say possible. If I said we would be ranked above Nebraska and VaTech? Not so much…

Some on this board would say “though I love your enthusiasm I don’t like your logic”, from a smooth talker. Lol……..Or another might say “you need to put things in their proper perspective”, from a smooth cat.

 

[Waquoit]

Just noticed Miami at 76. Maybe next year….

Weren't we being told "Miami is Back!" a month ago?

 

[Kolumbo]

Actually they’re up 16 spots to 90.

I'm referring to the CBS Sports rankings

 

[Stinger92860]

4 Top 25 teams on our 2022 schedule. Not bad for an independent. Michigan, Liberty, NC State, Cuse.

 

[Kolumbo]

Liberty at 7-1 is the highest ranked Independent, has won 3 bowls in a row, and is headed to C-USA next year. It just beat BYU and lost by 1 to Wake. It has a tester against Arkansas, then UCONN, and then VPI and New Mexico State. I guess you have to start somewhere but C-USA just doesn't seem right.

 

[businesslawyer]

Liberty at 7-1 is the highest ranked Independent, has won 3 bowls in a row, and is headed to C-USA next year. It just beat BYU and lost by 1 to Wake. It has a tester against Arkansas, then UCONN, and then VPI and New Mexico State. I guess you have to start somewhere but C-USA just doesn't seem right.

You can only go where you are wanted. It doesn’t seem right that we’re not in a conference, but like Groucho Marx and country clubs, we don’t want to be in any conference that would have us.

 

[Kolumbo]

You can only go where you are wanted. It doesn’t seem right that we’re not in a conference, but like Groucho Marx and country clubs, we don’t want to be in any conference that would have us.

Of course. I'm just saying, I think one of the other conferences will soon be making the call. I don't think the SEC is in Virginia yet.

 

[aburks41]

Of course. I'm just saying, I think one of the other conferences will soon be making the call. I don't think the SEC is in Virginia yet.

Liberty will never get an invite to any of the power conferences. I'm surprised the AAC didn't take them, although the C-USA might be better than the AAC going forward lol

 

[uconndogs]

I don't think our ranking this season or even a bowl invite are all that indicative of the progress that is being made. The reality is that the offense is depleted and we will only be able to accomplish so much given that reality. The attitude has been absolutely transformational.

Now, next season, get everyone healthy and continue to recruit and use the portal effectively and we could be in for a nice ride. Mora has performed a miracle with this defense and if we can get a healthy offense in place.................yeah............

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't think our ranking this season or even a bowl invite are all that indicative of the progress that is being made. The reality is that the offense is depleted and we will only be able to accomplish so much given that reality. The attitude has been absolutely transformational.

Now, next season, get everyone healthy and continue to recruit and use the portal effectively and we could be in for a nice ride. Mora has performed a miracle with this defense and if we can get a healthy offense in place.................yeah............

All true. But there is a difference between accepting this team's limits -- which certainly exist -- and cheering and hoping that the players can beat UMass and then get to six wins.

 

[uconndogs]

All true. But there is a difference between accepting this team's limits -- which certainly exist -- and cheering and hoping that the players can beat UMass and then get to six wins.

Oh, absolutely!.....and they are certainly capable of beating UMass and Army. I think Liberty would be quite an upset.

Honestly, I'm giddy with what's gone on, because at the start of the season I looked at the schedule and was really concerned and then the injuries came often and early. I was hoping Mora could keep the kids together and he certainly has done that and more.