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

[huskysupporter]

And just to add - although Benedict, Manuel, and Hathaway were all unmitigated disasters, this is a University decision. The blame does not lie solely with them.

 

[Pudge]

This is what my point is. You would think an institution would cross all their t’s and dot all their i’s when making such a monumental decision. Can you imagine if this is financially worse than being in the aac and the football program becomes independent (which will result in even lower revenue if you could believe that)?

They can’t be this dumb. They can’t. I want to believe they have a long term vision but nothing this administration has done in the last 15 years gives me any confidence.

You can’t believe this

It’s the CHANGE of administration. A new Chief (yuck) Executive. And it’s not random; not a wing. Not based on message boards or what he heard at parties or donor meetings. Named February 8th, he studied this ... Voila. This is what his voluminous report gave him. He might have even hired McKinsey or BCG. This is NOT a whim. It is a serious new direction by a Man formerly not connected to Our Institution.

 

[Adios]

They are so bad I want to change my handle. I love football too.

I’m just praying this is the time UConn finally pulls a rabbit out of the hat. When the AAC screwed us on SNY, I actually felt that it marked the end for us anyway. They basically said, “Even though you are the only school in the conference with any value on your own, we aren’t helping you out with one red cent”. I think the administration felt that way too. They were up against the wall and they realized, we need to at minimum get back in control of our destiny and take a shot. In the AAC, we were being pushed down. Our hard earned brand value was being stolen for the benefit of everyone else. It is a tough spot to be in. We are running out of time to parlay that brand into something better before the brand value just disappears. This move at least allows us to maneuver and negotiate.

Working together with institutions is how you work and earn your way up. We must have the dumbest fanbase in all college sports.

 

[huskysupporter]

You can’t believe this

It’s the CHANGE of administration. A new Chief (yuck) Executive. And it’s not random; not a wing. Not based on message boards or what he heard at parties or donor meetings. Named February 8th, he studied this ... Voila. This is what his voluminous report gave him. He might have even hired McKinsey or BCG. This is NOT a whim. It is a serious new direction by a Man formerly not connected to Our Institution.

You think I want that to be the case? That our administration made a horrendous decision? I’m hoping that in a few days we hear all the benefits financially for the athletic department and university as well as the new conference for the football team.

Everything available to us right now (aac contract provisions) indicates this is a poor decision financially. Athletically we already know it’s a horrendous decision.

I’ll wait and see, but stick a fork in the football program it’s gone.

 

[Adios]

Have you read any of the national media reports or message boards? People think this is a huge home run for UConn. Rightly or wrongly, national perception is that UConn is making the right move.

If that is the case, then we still have hope. Forge ahead.

Actually, some USA Today article said we gave up on football.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Of course their sense that we aren't a football school and a lack of knowledge about payouts and ratings drives that opinion.

We aren't a football school.

We have no idea what the payouts will be now in the Big East but we do know that we were locked into a horrific long term deal with ESPN, were going to be playing a lot of games behind a paywall, and the fact that aside from Cincinnati nobody in their right mind cared about any opponents.

Let's wait and see what happens with football. This is an absolutely huge move for hoops. And I say that having been a season holder for nearly a decade when I lived in the state and having went to 4 bowl games, so I'm certainly far from a hoops only fan.

The AAC wasn't sustainable and at least here, we have something to look forward to every winter/spring.

 

[StunningSteve]

And just to add - although Benedict, Manuel, and Hathaway were all unmitigated disasters, this is a University decision. The blame does not lie solely with them.

There is always an executioner behind the curtain.

For UAB, President Ray Watts was doing the bidding of Bear Bryant Jr (and the Crimson mafia)..

The whole President situation clouds this whole football situation. Someone is whispering in someone's ear during these uncertain times.

For now they are just known as the Grim Reaper. But there's a name..

It's a political move and water runs downhill.

 

[skies88]

Man I'm really enjoying all the basketball fans coming over to this board to basically say f off we're glad to see this football program finally die. It basically epitomizes everything that's wrong with this fanbase. I cannot think of any other school where their fans don't see their athletic teams as a whole. UConn might be the only school where it's fans believe that you can be a basketball fan and hope their Universities football program blows up. It's disappointing and the biggest thing I hate about our fans..... yesterday just made that rift even larger and more evident.

Yup, more or less said this word for word talking to a buddy of mine yesterday. Find any other school that actively roots for the downfall of other programs in favor of one sport because they're convinced it will help. There are UConn fans, and then there are UConn men's basketball fans

 

[UConnNick]

At least @huskymedic could substantiate it with a link to USA Today.

People are mocking football because we've sucked. The move hurts football, but what's the difference given our trajectory seems to be the national sentiment along with excitement over us returning to the Big East.

It was the most trending topic in the US yesterday on Twitter and the majority reaction was very positive.

Who cares what anybody nationally thinks? It's not like their approval will put money in our pockets.

This decision is so bad and poorly thought out that I have to seriously question the intelligence and/or sanity of anyone in a decision making position with the school administration.

As much as those of us who've always supported the football program (in my case back to the early 1960's) do not want to see football end forever, this administration is so stupid they're doubling down on a stupid decision.

OK, the football program was losing money in the AAC...no surprise after the series of incredibly boneheaded decisions made by Herbst and the AD over the past several seasons. They put us where we now are, so their apparent solution is to effectively kill a football program that's been in existence since 1896? Congratulations, folks. You will go down in the annals of UConn history as the idiots that killed football.

These folks now appear to be hell bent on doubling down on their own stupid decisions. As much as I don't want to see UConn football die, I really see no point in perpetuating the agony, watching us slowly wither away as an Independent? If you want to talk Independent, how about no way to effectively recruit, no way to attract home crowds, no way to compete except maybe against FCS opponents, no way to raise revenue except for epic beatdowns against the Clemsons of CFB on the road in payday games. When you think about it, why even bother? What's the point? Why not just end it all now so no more money is lost and you don't have to suffer any more humiliation on the field?

I think these idiots are only planning to perpetuate a shell of a program to appease the politicians who built Rentschler for the school, and so they can falsely claim later on that not them, but somebody else (i.e. future administration) pulled the plug. That's the definition of pure insanity. We're going to go on for years as an Independent losing even more money just to use the stadium on four or five occasions in the fall?

As much as it kills me to have to say it, just end the program now instead of putting everybody through that. Let the taxpayers scream about the white elephant left standing in E. Hartford because the BOT hired a clueless and brainless president, and she hired clueless and brainless ADs and coaches during her tenure.

 

[UofCT]

FYI - UConn football has been dead for years

 

[UConnNick]

There is always an executioner behind the curtain.

For UAB, President Ray Watts was doing the bidding of Bear Bryant Jr (and the Crimson mafia)..

The whole President situation clouds this whole football situation. Someone is whispering in someone's ear during these uncertain times.

For now they are just known as the Grim Reaper. But there's a name..

It's a political move and water runs downhill.

I guess the UAB story may provide some faint hope that a future UCONN administration will somehow resurrect the previously killed football program. How and when to be determined.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Yup, more or less said this word for word talking to a buddy of mine yesterday. Find any other school that actively roots for the downfall of other programs in favor of one sport because they're convinced it will help. There are UConn fans, and then there are UConn Men's-only and Women's-only basketball fans

FIFY

 

[Pudge]

You think I want that to be the case? That our administration made a horrendous decision? I’m hoping that in a few days we hear all the benefits financially for the athletic department and university as well as the new conference for the football team.

Everything available to us right now (aac contract provisions) indicates this is a poor decision financially. Athletically we already know it’s a horrendous decision.

I’ll wait and see, but stick a fork in the football program it’s gone.

Or ...

Someone in Bristol CONNECTICUT wakes up & says - sheesh - we laid out this structure for 12 years for the AAC with the secret sauce of getting robust Woman sports programming for zip. And it’s gone - poof. That plus 6 or 7 really solid demand Men’s hoop games. Their football - I dunno. Aresco sold us a pig in a poke

So. It could be a stick in the eye to our fellow CT taxpayers. But. I don’t think so.

 

[Adios]

Yup, more or less said this word for word talking to a buddy of mine yesterday. Find any other school that actively roots for the downfall of other programs in favor of one sport because they're convinced it will help. There are UConn fans, and then there are UConn men's basketball fans

They are people who base their self worth on the success of the school's basketball program, rather than even caring to further develop UConn for their kids.

 

[StunningSteve]

FYI - UConn football has been dead for years

View attachment 44085

Teams have had far longer droughts than UConn has had, and then turned around and maximized their programs.

TCU for instance was left out of the Big 12.... after long stretches of BAAAAAAAAAD football... and poor attendance..

It took them getting relegated to the WAC, to stumble on a coach that was worth a damn, in Dennis Francione… who was promptly hired away by Alabama, and they replaced him with a clumsy unknown DC (continuity hire) who turned out to be Gary Patterson.

That's just the topsy-turvy nature of collegiate athletics.

 

[Pudge]

Teams have had far longer droughts than UConn has had, and then turned around and maximized their programs.

TCU for instance was left out of the Big 12.... after long stretches of BAAAAAAAAAD football... and poor attendance..

It took them getting relegated to the WAC, to stumble on a coach that was worth a damn, in Dennis Francione… who was promptly hired away by Alabama, and they replaced him with a clumsy unknown DC (continuity hire) who turned out to be Gary Patterson.

That's just the topsy-turvy nature of collegiate athletics.

Yeah but ...

Fort Worth and then Orlando, TCU & UCF had far easier backyards of talent to harvest. Even Rutgers. Even there.

A fair observation - even with the 1-11 - is UConn needs to build far more carefully and with depth. One year and 7 studs ain’t happening to turn one or two wins into 6 or 7.

 

[upstater]

Or ...

Someone in Bristol CONNECTICUT wakes up & says - sheesh - we laid out this structure for 12 years for the AAC with the secret sauce of getting robust Woman sports programming for zip. And it’s gone - poof. That plus 6 or 7 really solid demand Men’s hoop games. Their football - I dunno. Aresco sold us a pig in a poke

So. It could be a stick in the eye to our fellow CT taxpayers. But. I don’t think so.

You have to believe that ESPN believed there as no way in hell UConn would make a decision like this.

 

[AndOne]

Seems like some of the same posters who were excited about the new ESPN deal had rationalized how streaming on ESPN+ was going to be great are the same ones now promoting the move to the BE. Very weird.

 

[RyanFoul]

FYI - UConn football has been dead for years

View attachment 44085

Except there are people who probably go on Quora and ask if Alabama has a football team.

 

[champs99and04]

Yeah I have zero sympathy for Edsall here. I am not as hard on him as others, but him leaving destroyed what was built here. He should be apologizing.

This line of thinking makes no sense to me. He's already paid the price for that decision many times over, first at Maryland and then again when he returned to UConn. He clearly cares a great deal about the program and deserves our support whether we agreed with the decision to bring him back or not.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is gross. Efff basketball and basketball fans. Enjoy playing in that crap XL Energy Center that is never full. I’m basically done with UConn when this happens.

 

[HuskyHawk]

98% of all fans know nothing about how "ESPN screwed us". They just know we gave up and walked away.

Have no idea what you’re talking about. We aren’t walking away or giving up. We are trying a different approach.

 

[huskysupporter]

This line of thinking makes no sense to me. He's already paid the price for that decision many times over, first at Maryland and then again when he returned to UConn. He clearly cares a great deal about the program and deserves our support whether we agreed with the decision to bring him back or not.

I wholeheartedly support him and have supported him in his comeback. I’m saying he deserves zero sympathy from people regarding the death of the program. He was a contributor.

 

[champs99and04]

Have no idea what you’re talking about. We aren’t walking away or giving up. We are trying a different approach.

Do you really believe that or is this just the PR spin? If this isn't giving up on football and the P5 dream, then I don't know what that would look like.

 

[champs99and04]

I wholeheartedly support him and have supported him in his comeback. I’m saying he deserves zero sympathy from people regarding the death of the program. He was a contributor.

I get what you mean, but I don't think blame and sympathy are mutually exclusive. I feel like he deserves a little bit of both whereas the administrators involved should get only the former.

 

[champs99and04]

Lol. So we're running a $40 million deficit, have to somehow find $10 million more to cough up, and then get partial payments of a lower revenue intake for 5-6 years?? I'm assuming we'll still be on the hook for paying for the Rent while being even more in the red for ticket sales in the low thousands and season ticket sales in the mid hundreds, if that.

So explain to me how this benefits anyone except the majority of fans who yearn for basketball in a conference that's missing the teams we loved to play and hate?

Did we really just make this move without thinking about where to put the football team and the financial ramifications just because the fans wanted it and we were butthurt from the SNY snub?

God our AD is a clown show

I would hope that this move was contingent on boosters funding the buyout. Otherwise, you can prepare for another spike in tuition costs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Do you really believe that or is this just the PR spin? If this isn't giving up on football and the P5 dream, then I don't know what that would look like.

I don’t have enough information to know. I don't think any of us do. i advocated against this for the last few years. You can check my posts. But there is something odd here. UConn is in the news. Enthusiasm about the brand is up. Fox is about to pay a lot of extra money to the Big East to bring us in. As I mentioned above, BYU makes this work, and without other programs like ours. Believe in yourself, win games and fill the stands. That’s how you build a brand tha transcends your conference.

 

[OldGoldnBlue]

Yeah but ...

Fort Worth and then Orlando, TCU & UCF had far easier backyards of talent to harvest. Even Rutgers. Even there.

A fair observation - even with the 1-11 - is UConn needs to build far more carefully and with depth. One year and 7 studs ain’t happening to turn one or two wins into 6 or 7.

While I agree it does help to have fertile instate recruiting grounds it's absolutely possible to field competitive football programs without them. Look at WVU for example.

 

[Adios]

I wholeheartedly support him and have supported him in his comeback. I’m saying he deserves zero sympathy from people regarding the death of the program. He was a contributor.

It ain't over. Just might take longer now.

Ironically, as we know, had Randy not left (or taken the ND series), we'd be in the ACC.

 

[whaler11]

This is gross. Efff basketball and basketball fans. Enjoy playing in that crap XL Energy Center that is never full. I’m basically done with UConn when this happens.

the xcel energy center is in minnesota...

it’s just the XL Center.