UConn to new Big East? What happens to Husky football?

[Exit 4]

I disagree. We still had a chance at the P5 then. Today nuked that option/chance.

I respectfully disagree. I knew that day that was the last ride out of Saigon. Everything else since then has been about making our non P5 status the best it can be.

 

[billybud]

I think there will be less fan angst regarding a poor performing football program once it sails off into total national irrelevance.

UConn basketball first/only fans will be overjoyed that football becomes a very minor side show.

Where football ends up is anybody's guess....but an all sports conference taking a football only program, to me, seems less likely than indy.

This decision tells us what we all knew..
....regionalism still is important to fans
....basketball is far, far away the UConn primary sport
....the nostalgia for the old Big East is a strong pull
....UConn didn't ultimately have the $$ to compete in football.

 

[whaler11]

I ask you seriously.

Did you think UConn was ever going to be competitive playing AAC football?

If yes - how?

 

[billybud]

Baseball should be OK with UConn being the Koi in the goldfish pond.

 

[Exit 4]

I ask you seriously.

Did you think UConn was ever going to be competitive playing AAC football?

If yes - how?

I thought we could claw our way to a seven win season once in a while. Maybe eight games once a decade. We could have some draft picks again and play some exciting meaningful games. Thing is, if you happen to land the right QB behind a decent OL then some magic can happen.

 

[Adios]

....UConn didn't ultimately have the $$ to compete in football.

We were doing fine till Edsall took off for UMD.

If Temple can win in the AAC, how can we not? Academic issues?

 

[DefCONNOne]

I respectfully disagree. I knew that day that was the last ride out of Saigon. Everything else since then has been about making our non P5 status the best it can be.

There's no proof that was the last ride out and you know it.

 

[Exit 4]

There's no proof that was the last ride out and you know it.

This topic isn’t that interesting to me and it’s truly an opinion situation here. At that time, I didn’t think there would be another opportunity at P5 status in the many years to come. Has there been?

 

[Redding Husky]

At one point our trajectory was to be another University of Michigan. With this move, we'll be another University of New Mexico.

Oh well. The dream was fun while it lasted.

 

[noeynox]

There's no proof that was the last ride out and you know it.

7 years since UL got the call over us. 7 years of dwindling attendance and apathy sinking in.

I hate this move, but what you're saying is like saying show me martians aren't real. All evidence points against it.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Who was the moron who thinks that we need the Big East (a bunch of Catholic schools) to fix basketball? At least I don't need to spend fall afternoons watching FB, I can enjoy boating more...hey, thanks UConn. You freed up my Saturdays in the fall...

 

[billybud]

I think it was more than "bad football".

It was the culture of UConn.

basketball...northeastern basketball. First, foremost, and maybe overwhelmingly.

 

[Drew]

I ask you seriously.

Did you think UConn was ever going to be competitive playing AAC football?

If yes - how?

Competitive? Sure. We were competitive in the old Big East and it was arguably (definitely?) a better league than the AAC is now.

It probably would've taken a new President, AD, and Coaching staff with a legitimate fiscal commitment to the program though.

So maybe not.

 

[DefCONNOne]

7 years since UL got the call over us. 7 years of dwindling attendance and apathy sinking in.

I hate this move, but what you're saying is like saying show me martians aren't real. All evidence points against it.

No what I'm saying is there's no concrete proof that realignment is dead. Any attempt to claim as such, like Exit 4 is doing, is simply conjecture.

As for the first part of your post....are you saying the solution to dwindling attendance and apathy is to kill football?

 

[Adios]

I think it was more than "bad football".

It was the culture of UConn.

basketball...northeastern basketball. First, foremost, and maybe overwhelmingly.

If our programs didn't fall on their faces as they have in football and basketball, just due to coaches, we wouldn't be here.

Our basketball fans are pathetic.

 

[Adios]

7 years since UL got the call over us. 7 years of dwindling attendance and apathy sinking in.

I hate this move, but what you're saying is like saying show me martians aren't real. All evidence points against it.

Has anyone said expansion is over? No. People still speculate expansion. And no one has said no more expansion. That's all evidence pointing towards it.

Holy cow.

 

[Exit 4]

No what I'm saying is there's no concrete proof that realignment is dead. Any attempt to claim as such, like Exit 4 is doing, is simply conjecture.

As for the first part of your post....are you saying the solution to dwindling attendance and apathy is to kill football?

Um, okay. Well- you can keep telling yourself that good CRA P5 news was right around the corner. I’m sure you are right. The ACC and B1G were just about to call because both need a program like ours (in these very uncertain times for TV revenue) because.....

 

[Redding Husky]

UConn
UMass
Buffalo
Army
Liberty
Temple?
Ohio?
Villanova?

An interesting regional conference. But two steps lower than the AAC.

 

[whaler11]

Competitive? Sure. We were competitive in the old Big East and it was arguably (definitely?) a better league than the AAC is now.

It probably would've taken a new President, AD, and Coaching staff with a legitimate fiscal commitment to the program though.

So maybe not.

The Big East had two huge advantages:

1. BCS tie-in
2. Cuse/Pitt/RU on schedule. It was a cultural and geographic fit.

I legitimately can’t see how you ‘win’ long term at UConn without huge systematic change.

1. Need academic requirements for fb players eliminated
2. Need to spend millions upon millions more
3. Need to keep hitting on head coaches.

We hired Edsall and Hurley. What should be our priority?

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Theoretical here.

Would you be happy if the football answer is Conference Independence, but with a 5 game per year scheduling alliance with the Big 12 (with 2 home , 3 away/neutral site) and access to the lower tier B12 bowls (but not Playoffs)?

Typical schedule would look something like:

Home—FCS, UMass, Indiana, Baylor, Iowa St
Away— Duke, BYU, Buffalo, Kansas, West Virginia, Temple
Neutral — Texas (at Met Life Stadium in NJ)

 

[DefCONNOne]

Um, okay. Well- you can keep telling yourself that good CRA P5 news was right around the corner. I’m sure you are right. The ACC and B1G were just about to call because both need a program like ours (in these very uncertain times for TV revenue) because.....

Your arrogant condescension is duly noted.

I never intimated that any good/great realignment news was right around the corner. Not once. You did though. Multiple times in fact.

All I'm saying is that there's no concrete proof that CR is dead.

 

[whaler11]

Has anyone said expansion is over? No. People still speculate expansion. And no one has said no more expansion. That's all evidence pointing towards it.

Holy cow.

The Summit did invite UMKC this week... kinda similar to UConn and Big East tho.

 

[Drew]

The Big East had two huge advantages:

1. BCS tie-in
2. Cuse/Pitt/RU on schedule. It was a cultural and geographic fit.

Most definitely. The BCS tie-in was enormous, really. More so than the cultural fit IMO.

I do think the CFP will expand to 8 with a G5 slot and that will basically be an AAC v Boise spot on an annual basis.

 

[billybud]

The good news is that the Civil Conflict can be retired.

UConn will challenge Villanova...and maybe sooner than they would Memphis et al,...I could see this as a good move for basketball.

....but UConn is irretrievably now on the wrong side of the money equation...football might move into obscurity, no bowls.

....and baseball? Should be an easier path to the conference championship.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Not that many people care but this is terrible for growing baseball program too. AAC is a premier baseball league. How many big east schools even play baseball? Outside of Creighton being in Omaha this gross.