Uconn in CR

[CAHUSKY]

This stuff is similar to a Providence fan crowing about beating UConn in a season where they don't make the NIT.

Only if Louisville was a 3 time national champion with a 25 year history of sustained success. In this case it's simply true.

 

[upstater]

I never said they weren't middling - I merely was wondering if a sold out expanded stadium, a high preseason ranking in 2013 and two BCS wins in the last 5-6 years is middling what the hell is 10-14 and a team that might not be bowl eligible in the AAC.

Sure in 2003 this might have looked acceptable for UConn. After 2010 it's an embarrassment to the athletic department. The fact there were that many draft picks on the roster makes it even more disappointing.

Preseason ranking, eh?
The AAC stuff we know about. What are you asking anyway? I'm not sure I get it.
The two BCS wins are very nice--wish UConn had them. They look good. But at the end of the day, you look back at BCS history, and the lesser games are not exactly what they are cracked up to be. In terms of competition, it's as good as a win against South Carolina.

When UConn was slated against Oklahoma, everyone had to know that was the worst possible draw. I remember the look on the face of some bball friends at Boston U., when they had 2 future NBAers on the team, they were looking for a 13 or 14 seed when they had their best season in ages. The NCAA committee saddled them with a 15 and a game against Duke. That's the kind of look I had when UConn drew Oklahoma. I knew that the Sooners had several bad bowl performances in a row, including losses to non-BCS teams. The postseason for them was underwhelming. A loss to UConn would have set their program on a big backward roll. Couple that with their quick-paced offense (that you just knew Edsall could not prepare for) and that game was a nightmare. You'd rather UConn take on anyone else that year except for the top 2.

Look at the teams: Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, heck Ohio State! Anyone but the Sooners.

 

[upstater]

This stuff is similar to a Providence fan crowing about beating UConn in a season where they don't make the NIT.

I don't think it's the same at all. UConn has won at the highest levels. Louisville football hasn't. I mean, Syracuse took ville to the woodshed last year.

 

[whaler11]

Here is what I know:

Louisville expanded their stadium and sells out their games.

They won two BCS bowls in recent history.

They have a very good coach who is committed to them.

It was enough to vault them over UConn into the ACC even with laughable academics.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Here is what I know:

Louisville expanded their stadium and sells out their games.

They won two BCS bowls in recent history.

They have a very good coach who is committed to them.

It was enough to vault them over UConn into the ACC even with laughable academics.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

They are a middling team with basically middling results. They have done it longer than Uconn and with more fans. Doesn't make anything said earlier untrue.

 

[whaler11]

They are a middling team with basically middling results. They have done it longer than Uconn and with more fans. Doesn't make anything said earlier untrue.

So the original comment; if they are middling I don't want to see what words describe UConn.

 

[CAHUSKY]

So the original comment; if they are middling I don't want to see what words describe UConn.

A middling team with a shorter history and fewer fans but who is their equal head to head

 

[CL82]

are they male or female goats?

Wait is this goat stuff for real....
....or are you just kidding?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Here is what I know:

Louisville expanded their stadium and sells out their games.

They won two BCS bowls in recent history.

They have a very good coach who is committed to them.

It was enough to vault them over UConn into the ACC even with laughable academics.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

My only point of contention is the stadium size/capacity issue.

As a top 25 team they drew 45k in a 55k seat stadium for our game last season. Aside from last season, you very rarely see The Rent with many empty seats.

Basically, they hired Strong and we hired P and have been on opposite trajectories since then.

I think there is nothing inherently better about Louisville than UConn except they've been better the past two seasons and that was enough to get then in.

 

[whaler11]

My only point of contention is the stadium size/capacity issue.

As a top 25 team they drew 45k in a 55k seat stadium for our game last season. Aside from last season, you very rarely see The Rent with many empty seats.

Basically, they hired Strong and we hired P and have been on opposite trajectories since then.

I think there is nothing inherently better about Louisville than UConn except they've been better the past two seasons and that was enough to get then in.

If the Rent had 55k seats there would be 16,500 more empty every week.

The inherent difference is their commitment to athletics. When the door opened they knocked UConn out of the way and walked through it.

I keep reading here how there is no difference. Yet, the ACC held their nose on Louisville's academics. The perception elsewhere is different than the perception here. Now maybe that's because people have short memories, but it's like the Big 10 talk here - it only exists in this bubble.

 

[The Viking]

Guys like Rudy Gay do tons of charity and community work. I'm not going to get on their case if they choose to help the needy instead of UConn athletics.

Why can't you do both?

 

[The Viking]

This stuff is similar to a Providence fan crowing about beating UConn in a season where they don't make the NIT.

Please don't compare UConn football to Providence basketball.

 

[The Viking]

Here is what I know:

Louisville expanded their stadium and sells out their games.

They won two BCS bowls in recent history.

They have a very good coach who is committed to them.

It was enough to vault them over UConn into the ACC even with laughable academics.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

The difference between UConn and Louisville is Teddy Bridgewater.

Sorry but it's really that simple and if you don't believe me then you didn't watch the UConn/UL game or the UL/Florida game.

 

[The Viking]

So the original comment; if they are middling I don't want to see what words describe UConn.

UConn has had a pretty damn good 10 year run in football unless you expected them to win a Fiesta Bowl against a nationally acclaimed college football power within 10 years.
Their basketball has been outstanding and the nay-sayers who said the basketball program would suck when Calhoun left might actually be wrong.
And they are a pretty damn good academic school fitting perfectly in the ACC both academically and geographically, better than Louisville does.
But it was all about making FSU and to a lesser extent BC happy so there you go.

As long as it makes you feel content to keep bitching away at a 10-year football program that has done some pretty impressive things then have at it I guess.

 

[J187Money]

Calhoun was on record as saying past players had given enough to the university, and that he would not ask them to contribute toward the practice facility. I always thought it was due his feud with Hathaway but maybe that wasn't the case. In any event if Calhoun doesn't think he NBA alums should donate toward athletics why should the players themselves feel inclined to do so? This really is on the fans and the schools fundraisers.

I will be honest. Until our pros are done with sports and have figured out their long-term finances I don't think they have an obligation to do anything. Some of the NBA guys are set but lots of pros end up bust. For most of them they aren't making big money for a long time.

 

[upstater]

Here is what I know:

Louisville expanded their stadium and sells out their games.

They won two BCS bowls in recent history.

They have a very good coach who is committed to them.

It was enough to vault them over UConn into the ACC even with laughable academics.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

Strawman arguments.

So while you guys want to act like there is no difference between UConn and Louisville because of one game last season that's nice - the ACC and most of the rest of the world perceive it differently.

No one ever said this.

You are impressed way too easily.

How long have you been watching college football?

 

[whaler11]

Strawman arguments.



No one ever said this.

You are impressed way too easily.

How long have you been watching college football?

Yes Upstater people did say exactly that. Louisville was described as middling. I asked what describes UConn and I was told middling.

Some one uses THE EXACT SAME WORD TO DESCRIBE something how is that no one ever said this?

I'm impressed too easily? This coming in an argument where UConn's football program is being compared to Louisville's as similar because of 8 head to head games in conference?

 

[whaler11]

The difference between UConn and Louisville is Teddy Bridgewater.

Sorry but it's really that simple and if you don't believe me then you didn't watch the UConn/UL game or the UL/Florida game.

This type of ridiculous thinking is why Louisville is in the ACC and UConn is in the AAC.

If you can't see the difference in how Louisville approached football and how UConn approaches football you are lost.

One of them has shown that they value it. The other one makes you wonder if they wouldn't just prefer to quit and call it a day.

 

[SubbaBub]

UCONN isn't in the ACC because BC, FSU, Clemson (and presumably now Syracuse) didn't want them, period. All this talk of attendance, wins, (and lol) QB's is just untrue. If you want to say that if we beat OU and sold 50,000 seats per game and FSU and Clemson wouldn't object, then you still have BC (and presumably Syracuse). You'd have to project our program to ND level to make these arguments, in which case we'd be in the B1G.

I don't know why some don't want to believe all the reporting on this.

 

[upstater]

Yes Upstater people did say exactly that. Louisville was described as middling. I asked what describes UConn and I was told middling.

Some one uses THE EXACT SAME WORD TO DESCRIBE something how is that no one ever said this?

I'm impressed too easily? This coming in an argument where UConn's football program is being compared to Louisville's as similar because of 8 head to head games in conference?

Do you know what middling means? There are about 30 programs out there that one would describe as middling. I've never actually tried this, but off the top of my head, I'm assuming 40 are top tier, 30 are middling, 40 are bad. Let me try:

TOP: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan St., Purdue, North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida St., Miami, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Kansas St., Arizona, Arizona St., BYU, Cal., Stanford, UCLA, USC, Oregon, Washington, Oregon St., Notre Dame.

Struggled with Boise St., TCU, Colorado, Utah and Ole Miss. Up or down on these.

MIDDLING: Baylor, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, UConn, BC, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi St., Cincy, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Kansas, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, NC State, USF, UCF, Nevada, San Diego St., Washington St., Kentucky, Navy, Air Force, etc.

BOTTOM: Temple, the MAC, the Sun Belt, Vanderbilt, Duke, Wake Forest, Baylor, some of the AAC (not all), Army, some of the MWC (not all), all of CUSA.

 

[pj]

Vanderbilt's on the rise. Baylor is middling. Both are ahead of UConn in football.

 

[upstater]

Vanderbilt's on the rise. Baylor is middling. Both are ahead of UConn in football.

Ahead historically? Yes. Now?

You realize UConn has played these teams recently, right?

Vandy has had nothing but losing seasons until last year (in a very tough league, which explains it) but when you look at the OOC for that school, there's nothing there to tell you they'd be better outside it. Yes, Vandy nipped UConn in a game UConn threw away (and which Vandy tried to give back to them multiple times). But UConn blew them out the previous year.

Frankly, I hedged putting Vandy into the middling bracket.

As for Baylor, UConn beat them twice.

For the record, no way do I believe that UConn football is better than Louisville football. 2 years ago, yes. But 2 years ago was a lifetime away.

It's hard to figure out how those 2 programs are better when head-to-head they have losing records, and those losses weren't upsets as the teams were considered even. It's not like UConn upset them as they did Louisville.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Ahead historically? Yes. Now?

You realize UConn has played these teams recently, right?

Vandy has had nothing but losing seasons until last year (in a very tough league, which explains it) but when you look at the OOC for that school, there's nothing there to tell you they'd be better outside it. Yes, Vandy nipped UConn in a game UConn threw away (and which Vandy tried to give back to them multiple times). But UConn blew them out the previous year.

Frankly, I hedged putting Vandy into the middling bracket.

As for Baylor, UConn beat them twice.

For the record, no way do I believe that UConn football is better than Louisville football. 2 years ago, yes. But 2 years ago was a lifetime away.

It's hard to figure out how those 2 programs are better when head-to-head they have losing records, and those losses weren't upsets as the teams were considered even. It's not like UConn upset them as they did Louisville.

college football is a class system. using on the field results to support arguments of which program is better is no different than using cost of tuition, academic rankings, or even mascots as the basis for the arguments.
It's not fair, but its reality.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Vanderbilt's on the rise. Baylor is middling. Both are ahead of UConn in football.

One thing that hurt us tremendously during the decade (spring 2003 - fall 2012) that realignment consumed college sports as we once knew it was that, for the most part, with schools outside of the handful of historic programs the general public believes what they are told and nobody, anywhere, was telling anyone anything about UConn building a solid football program (we were during the bulk of this time period). Rutgers wouldn't stop preaching about the (supposed) fantastic win over Louisville. They got more mileage out of that story than any school has the legitimate right to expect and enough people who couldn't tell Rutgers from Temple bought it hook, line and sinker that they ended up in the B1G.

Both Baylor and Vandy have what appear to be quality HC's but neither school will ever be able to aspire to more than middle of the pack (which may well be outside if Vandy's reach) in their respective conferences. We could very easily have been 4-0 against those schools in recent competition, 3-1 is still something to hold our hat on if you are claiming each is ahead of UConn.

 

[upstater]

college football is a class system. using on the field results to support arguments of which program is better is no different than using cost of tuition, academic rankings, or even mascots as the basis for the arguments.
It's not fair, but its reality.

Are you saying we shouldn't use results? Not certain about your post.

A single head-to-head result is meaningless. I agree with whaler there.

But when coupled with long years of losing records, year-after-year, even in a tough conference, when outside that conference in OOC games you don't show much better, that tends to drag down a program. It highlights the head-to-head measurements in fact. Even in the middling category UConn football is toward the bottom. On the field, I think they've shown that they can beat Baylors and Dukes and Indianas regularly. In games against Virginia and Maryland, they've competed. Wins over South Carolina or Notre Dame or even Louisville don't elevate Uconn over those programs, not even a .667 record against Cuse and Pitt do that.

 

[UConn990411]

The difference between UConn and Louisville is Teddy Bridgewater.

Sorry but it's really that simple and if you don't believe me then you didn't watch the UConn/UL game or the UL/Florida game.

whaler is correct in saying UConn and Louisville are perceived differently by the general public. Those perceptions are based mostly on misperceptions (UConn got blown out in their lone BCS game, when they really didn't), and the fact that Louisville had a better team this year.

But he's very, very wrong when he implies the Louisville and UConn football programs are on different levels. They are, in fact, both middling programs that do nothing to improve the ACC's (deserved) reputation for being a crap football conference.

Louisville's invite was another in a long line of shortsighted decisions by the ACC. Unfortunately for UConn, FSU was calling the shots this time rather than the North Carolina schools.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If the Rent had 55k seats there would be 16,500 more empty every week.

The inherent difference is their commitment to athletics. When the door opened they knocked UConn out of the way and walked through it.

I keep reading here how there is no difference. Yet, the ACC held their nose on Louisville's academics. The perception elsewhere is different than the perception here. Now maybe that's because people have short memories, but it's like the Big 10 talk here - it only exists in this bubble.

I don't tend to overstate UConn football, i understand clearly where we stand on a national level.

I don't buy the Louisville commitment to athletics is so far greater than UConn argument being a valid one.

They simply made a home run hire in Coach Strong and we were stuck with P.

Go back a few years, as Louisville was going into its 3rd season with Kragthorpe after 6-6 and 5-7, with a pissed off fan base, just like ours now.

Point blank does ville have an overall better football program than UConn, yes because of their history and higher highs.

Perception of the two programs? today, obviously everyone thinks we suck (we do right now) and ville is legitimate (they are).

Just two short years ago, i think people say UConn is solid and growing, where as Ville is looked at as the program that has fallen off a cliff.

So, I guess I'm agreeing with you that Ville is better overall, but the idea they are a world ahead and always will be is solely based on Strong and P.

 

[Dann]

Here is what ppl miss perception wise with Lville. They have climbed and climbed for years. The perception is that they have arrived now with the acc invite but that they can sustain it over time and be a powerhouse athletics wise without fail. That's the image we lack

 

[Marty Jackson]

Are you saying we shouldn't use results? Not certain about your post.

A single head-to-head result is meaningless. I agree with whaler there.

But when coupled with long years of losing records, year-after-year, even in a tough conference, when outside that conference in OOC games you don't show much better, that tends to drag down a program. It highlights the head-to-head measurements in fact. Even in the middling category UConn football is toward the bottom. On the field, I think they've shown that they can beat Baylors and Dukes and Indianas regularly. In games against Virginia and Maryland, they've competed. Wins over South Carolina or Notre Dame or even Louisville don't elevate Uconn over those programs, not even a .667 record against Cuse and Pitt do that.

just stating facts. didn't say it was right.
programs aren't measured by wins and losses. they are measured by tradition, history, final season rankings, recruiting class, coaches salaries, facilities, national championships, pre-season rankings, # of announcers on ESPN, stadium size, conference affiliation, draft picks, current coach, and probably 100 other intangible metrics as well. Tenn hasn't done anything in a long time. Haven't been ranked at the end of the season in even longer. Boise has done everything in their power to prove they are on the level of the big boys including winning games on the field against the big boys. are you really telling me Boise's program is ahead of Tenn?

you can keep touting Uconn's wins. I care because I remember those games and they are big wins to a Uconn fan. Fact is, like it or not Indiana, WF, Baylor, and even Duke are in. they don't have to prove they belong because they already do. Beating them only means that Uconn has proven they can compete with the lowest performing programs of the power conferences. Yeah!!!! I don't see how it helps Uconn in the CR game. I also hope Uconn has their sites a little higher than Indiana or Duke football.

And I'm guessing you do as well.

 

[whaler11]

I don't tend to overstate UConn football, i understand clearly where we stand on a national level.

I don't buy the Louisville commitment to athletics is so far greater than UConn argument being a valid one.

They simply made a home run hire in Coach Strong and we were stuck with P.

Go back a few years, as Louisville was going into its 3rd season with Kragthorpe after 6-6 and 5-7, with a pissed off fan base, just like ours now.

Point blank does ville have an overall better football program than UConn, yes because of their history and higher highs.

Perception of the two programs? today, obviously everyone thinks we suck (we do right now) and ville is legitimate (they are).

Just two short years ago, i think people say UConn is solid and growing, where as Ville is looked at as the program that has fallen off a cliff.

So, I guess I'm agreeing with you that Ville is better overall, but the idea they are a world ahead and always will be is solely based on Strong and P.

I'm merely talking about their commitment to football, not athletics in general. They are vocal and have a presence. Strong found it compelling enough to stay. We couldn't keep Edsall nevermind a Strong.