UConn to the NBE?

[UConnNick]

uconn is so p5 that it’s running a 40 million dollar deficit in the aac with a 7 million dollar tv contract that seemingly runs into the next century.

but some p5 dregs will play at rentschler. cool.

P5 dregs? Here's a list of the P5 schools that have played at PAWS-ARF from 2001 on:

Michigan
Iowa State
Georgia Tech (at Memorial)
Duke
Wake Forest
Virginia
Baylor
North Carolina
Vanderbilt
North Carolina State
Syracuse (as an ACC member)
Indiana
Missouri

Yeah, a few of these teams were near the bottom of their leagues during the seasons we happened to play them, but most of them weren't.

You're wrong about this just as you were wrong about the men's and women's BB teams, both of which lost money, as indicated in the post above by TJT.

 

[whaler11]

P5 dregs? Here's a list of the P5 schools that have played at PAWS-ARF from 2001 on:

Michigan
Iowa State
Georgia Tech (at Memorial)
Duke
Wake Forest
Virginia
Baylor
North Carolina
Vanderbilt
North Carolina State
Syracuse (as an ACC member)
Indiana
Missouri

Yeah, a few of these teams were near the bottom of their leagues during the seasons we happened to play them, but most of them weren't.

You're wrong about this just as you were wrong about the men's and women's BB teams, both of which lost money, as indicated in the post above by TJT.

lol the bcs era doesn’t count.

 

[whaler11]

P5 dregs? Here's a list of the P5 schools that have played at PAWS-ARF from 2001 on:

Michigan
Iowa State
Georgia Tech (at Memorial)
Duke
Wake Forest
Virginia
Baylor
North Carolina
Vanderbilt
North Carolina State
Syracuse (as an ACC member)
Indiana
Missouri

Yeah, a few of these teams were near the bottom of their leagues during the seasons we happened to play them, but most of them weren't.

You're wrong about this just as you were wrong about the men's and women's BB teams, both of which lost money, as indicated in the post above by TJT.

the basketball teams lose money on paper because of how they keep the books. they don’t lose money in reality.

they don’t allocate revenue from things like IMG to individual sports for example.

using the courant sports sections as a source on finances is painful. every article proves them illiterate on the topic.

 

[Adios]

...and Butch made the resolution as it applies to himself - not others. CR back and forth makes Butch evil!

Maybe I am. Muahahahahahahahahaha.

Gog and Magog, FTW!

 

[UConnNick]

lol the bcs era doesn’t count.

Boston College, Michigan, Syracuse and Missouri all played us at home during our AAC membership I also forgot to include Maryland on the list. That's a pretty representative list of current P5 members. BC, GT and Indiana played us at the Rent (or in GT's case, Memorial) when UCONN was an Independent.

 

[whaler11]

Boston College, Michigan, Syracuse and Missouri all played us at home during our AAC membership I also forgot to include Maryland on the list. That's a pretty representative list of current P5 members. BC, GT and Indiana played us at the Rent (or in GT's case, Memorial) when UCONN was an Independent.

What in the world are you talking about? Boston College was at Fenway - so they even screwed up an opportunity to host a decent opponent.

Michigan and Maryland were scheduled long before the AAC was a glimmer in Aresco’s eye.

I don’t know when Missouri was scheduled but sure you can have Syracuse and Missouri.

Going forward they get the Illinois, Indianas, Duke...

If other schools thought UConn is a P5 program... THEY WOULD BE A P5 PROGRAM LIKE EVERY OTHER FORMER PEER EXCEPT CINCI AND USF.

 

[Hogoff]

Boston College, Michigan, Syracuse and Missouri all played us at home during our AAC membership I also forgot to include Maryland on the list. That's a pretty representative list of current P5 members. BC, GT and Indiana played us at the Rent (or in GT's case, Memorial) when UCONN was an Independent.

I don’t remember BC playing is at home? I remember us playing them at Fenway.

 

[crewbear742]

I’ll take Seton Hall and Butler.

A view from outside the bubble. Or perhaps not, since I have a daughter actively preparing to attend DePaul.

The commercial value of the Big East is a wasting asset, and you come across as one who knows it. I suspect you want a school with more national standing to join the Big East in order to give it more gravity. I don't think you have the best interest of UConn in mind. I think you have the best interest of the Big East in mind.

Just sayin' ...

 

[UConnNick]

I don’t remember BC playing is at home? I remember us playing them at Fenway.

That was officially a UCONN home game. We agreed to play it at Fenway because they agreed to pay us something like 1.25 million to play it there. It was a weird home payday game, in a sense. If we hadn't agreed, they would have had to play us at PAWS-ARF. They did play at Renschler in 2003 when we were an Independent.

 

[GridironGR8]

How did I miss this thread until now? LOL.

Wait! Was April Fools Day postponed this year until this past Wednesday?

 

[Zissou]

A view from outside the bubble. Or perhaps not, since I have a daughter actively preparing to attend DePaul.

The commercial value of the Big East is a wasting asset, and you come across as one who knows it. I suspect you want a school with more national standing to join the Big East in order to give it more gravity. I don't think you have the best interest of UConn in mind. I think you have the best interest of the Big East in mind.

Just sayin' ...

We all have our own bias.

Still, I think Seton Hall and Butler are better conference mates for a northeast school than East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa.

For me personally I have enjoyed the progression of the Big East except for the few years prior to the breakup and the break itself. The original 9 line-up and St John’s, Georgetown, and Nova was classic 80s. UConn coming on in the late 90s added a nice new money Blue Blood to the conference. WVA and the Florida schools never felt like a fit, but I liked the Marquette, Cincy, and Ville adds. Stepping away from the AAC was a desperate final move after the house crumbled, but I’m pleasantly surprised and content with the outcome. There were some competent moves including keeping the Big East name and history, keeping and extending the MSG relationship, an ok TV deal, putting the HQ in NYC, and the 3 program adds.

It’s easy being happy with 2 Nattys and being poised for more.

UConn to the P5 is obviously a no brainer. I think UConn is deserving. It just hasn’t happened and it doesn’t look like it will happen. The options aren’t ideal for UConn. I would like UConn in the Big East if they make a non-P5 move.

 

[Dooley]

This has, literally, and I cannot stress this enough, zero impact.

Every SEC fanbase is completely psychotic and they're doing ok.

Don't confuse psychotic for unified. In fact, SEC fanbases are so psychotic, that it unifies them even further. There isn't a single SEC fan debating whether or not they should leave the SEC nor cutting basketball. There also isn't a single SEC fan who wouldn't chop off a limb so that they can win a national championship.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Don't confuse psychotic for unified. In fact, SEC fanbases are so psychotic, that it unifies them even further. There isn't a single SEC fan debating whether or not they should leave the SEC nor cutting basketball. There also isn't a single SEC fan who wouldn't chop off a limb so that they can win a national championship.

Can’t compare other fan bases to ours.

We got the “original” big east taken away from us.

If a program like Alabama or Auburn lost the SEC they would act just like us.

 

[UConnNick]

Can’t compare other fan bases to ours.

We got the “original” big east taken away from us.

If a program like Alabama or Auburn lost the SEC they would act just like us.

No, they wouldn't. There isn't a fanbase in the country that's as fractured as UCONN's. We have football only fans. We have men's BB only fans. We have women's BB only fans. We even seem to have baseball only fans, although that fanbase seems far more limited than the other three. I can think of no other school that has various factions of its general fanbase actually rooting for other sports at the same school to fail. The only segment of the fanbase that seems commited to seeing ALL Husky teams do well are many of the alumni. You would think that might be enough to diminish all the other subfactions comprised mostly of non-alums, but for some unknown reason it doesn't seem to.

Most normal college fanbases in the country root for all the teams their favorite school puts on the fields or courts. I have actually had conversations with men's BB fans at UCONN who resent the success of the women's program because they think it detracts attention from the men's program. They also, like many in this thread, can't understand why UCONN even bothers to field a football team. Of course, these folks tend to be non-UCONN alums. The women's BB fans at UCONN are good people, but they only care about women's sports in general through their fandom with the UCONN women. Most of them have no clue what's going on with men's BB and football, or any other sports at UCONN, even other women's sports, unless they are successful. They are typically elderly males and females, disproportionately, compared with the other fractured fanbases. Men's BB fans are generally much younger and more likely to be UCONN alums, including many recent grads. The football fanbase seems to be a cross section of many groups...alums and their families, non-alums and their families, across many age brackets.

We have the craziest collective fanbase in the country. Other big land grant flagship universities don't have to deal with this. Yes, they may have certain groups of fans that prefer men's or women's sports, or prefer football over all other sports, but they aren't openly antagonistic toward the other sports programs like many narrowly focused Husky fans seem to be. Being the AD at UCONN is a daunting task. I wouldn't wish the job on anybody. Keeping all these disparate, narrow based fan factions happy must be a continuing nightmare. None of it helps UCONN while attempting to find a P5 league, because your average P5 league members don't generally have factions of fans constantly at war with each other.

 

[Dooley]

No, they wouldn't. There isn't a fanbase in the country that's as fractured as UCONN's. We have football only fans. We have men's BB only fans. We have women's BB only fans. We even seem to have baseball only fans, although that fanbase seems far more limited than the other three. I can think of no other school that has various factions of its general fanbase actually rooting for other sports at the same school to fail. The only segment of the fanbase that seems commited to seeing ALL Husky teams do well are many of the alumni. You would think that might be enough to diminish all the other subfactions comprised mostly of non-alums, but for some unknown reason it doesn't seem to.

Most normal college fanbases in the country root for all the teams their favorite school put on the fields or courts. I have actually had conversations with men's BB fans at UCONN who resent the success of the women's program because they think it detracts attention from the men's program. They also, like many in this thread, can't understand why UCONN even bothers to field a football team. Of course, these folks tend to be non-UCONN alums. The women's BB fans at UCONN are good people, but they only care about women's sports in general through their fandom with the UCONN women. Most of them have no clue what's going on with men's BB and football, or any other sports at UCONN, even other women's sports, unless they are successful. They are typically elderly males and females, disproportionately, compared with the other fractured fanbases. Men's BB fans are generally much younger and more likely to be UCONN alums, including many recent grads. The football fanbase seems to be a cross section of many groups...alums and their families, non-alums and their families, across many age brackets.

We have the craziest collective fanbase in the country. Other big land grant flagship universities don't have to deal with this. Yes, they may have certain groups of fans that prefer men's or women's sports, or prefer football over all other sports, but they aren't openly antagonistic toward the other sports programs like many narrowly focused Husky fans seem to be. Being the AD at UCONN is a daunting task. I wouldn't wish the job on anybody. Keeping all these disparate, narrow based fan factions happy must be a continuing nightmare. None of it helps UCONN while attempting to find a P5 league, because your average P5 league members don't generally have factions of fans constantly at war with each other.

Excellent post. You captured and communicated what I was trying to say far more eloquently than me. The fact that our fanbase is so segmented is likely a factor in why we are in the spot we're in. P5 conferences don't believe in the UConn brand and just how giant a fanbase UConn has...if you added all of the segmented programs' fans together. But like you said and I agree - the fanbase is not united and, instead, actively root against another. More bullets to shoot ourselves in the feet with.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Excellent post. You captured and communicated what I was trying to say far more eloquently than me. The fact that our fanbase is so segmented is likely a factor in why we are in the spot we're in. P5 conferences don't believe in the UConn brand and just how giant a fanbase UConn has...if you added all of the segmented programs' fans together. But like you said and I agree - the fanbase is not united and, instead, actively root against another. More bullets to shoot ourselves in the feet with.

You guys couldn't be more wrong.

You're telling me programs like Alabama don't have football only fans? Give me a break. That probably makes up a good majority of their fan base.

The main reason UConn has basketball only fans (which does make up a majority of our fanbase) is because UConn failed to bring the football team up to FBS in the 90s when UConn basketball became elite. When fans latched on to basketball, they could have latched on to football.

 

[CL82]

You guys couldn't be more wrong.

You're telling me programs like Alabama don't have football only fans? Give me a break. That probably makes up a good majority of their fan base.

The main reason UConn has basketball only fans (which does make up a majority of our fanbase) is because UConn failed to bring the football team up to FBS in the 90s when UConn basketball became elite. When fans latched on to basketball, they could have latched on to football.

Meh. UConn has football only fans, men's basketball only fans, baseball only fans, woman's basketball only fans, and everything UConn fans (of which I count myself) just like every program in the country. Football was packing 38K-40K into the Rent when it was on the rise. It will again if they manage to win.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Meh. UConn has football only fans, men's basketball only fans, baseball only fans, woman's basketball only fans, and everything UConn fans (of which I count myself) just like every program in the country. Football was packing 38K-40K into the Rent when it was on the rise. It will again if they manage to win.

But still. I believe that if they brought it up during “HuskyMania” they could have built a bigger fan base for football.

 

[UConnNick]

You guys couldn't be more wrong.

You're telling me programs like Alabama don't have football only fans? Give me a break. That probably makes up a good majority of their fan base.

The main reason UConn has basketball only fans (which does make up a majority of our fanbase) is because UConn failed to bring the football team up to FBS in the 90s when UConn basketball became elite. When fans latched on to basketball, they could have latched on to football.

We're not saying other schools don't have one sport fans. We're saying that those fans aren't openly at war with fans of the other sports programs at the school, or actively hoping other sports are diminished so they don't detract from the one sport they care about and support.

 

[gampelcrazies]

We're not saying other schools don't have one sport fans. We're saying that those fans aren't openly at war with fans of the other sports programs at the school, or actively hoping other sports are diminished so they don't detract from the one sport they care about and support.

They would if they were in our spot. If Alabama football had an opportunity to be in a better conference and were held back by basketball. There would be an outcry to get rid of basketball by bama fans.

UConn fans weren’t like this in the mid 2000s.

 

[whaler11]

We're not saying other schools don't have one sport fans. We're saying that those fans aren't openly at war with fans of the other sports programs at the school, or actively hoping other sports are diminished so they don't detract from the one sport they care about and support.

This is explained very simply.

Every other major college basketball power is already in the P5 or doesn’t play FBS football.

There isn’t another program of UConn’s stature who may be left behind.

Of course nobody at Kentucky or Duke resents the football team - they don’t have to worry about going to Dallas to play in front of 18 people in the AAC tournament.

The basketball fans at UConn blame the football program and the football fans understand the basketball only fans are lawst.

 

[UConnNick]

But still. I believe that if they brought it up during “HuskyMania” they could have built a bigger fan base for football.

I agree with you. John Toner wanted to upgrade UCONN football back in the 1980's. It was an idea that was bounced around for 20 years. The political climate for it wasn't right until the two BB programs became successful. Lew Perkins knew we had to do it or risk getting left behind. You're right that we'd have been a lot better off if the upgrade had happened in the 1990's. We could have had a well established football program by the time CR started exploding in the early 2000's.

As for the football fanbase, we supported the teams well when we were winning in the 2000's and we will support them again if they start winning. The CT fanbase is fickle. They'll show up for a winner. Win and they'll be back.

 

[UConnNick]

This is explained very simply.

Every other major college basketball power is already in the P5 or doesn’t play FBS football.

There isn’t another program of UConn’s stature who may be left behind.

Of course nobody at Kentucky or Duke resents the football team - they don’t have to worry about going to Dallas to play in front of 18 people in the AAC tournament.

The basketball fans at UConn blame the football program and the football fans understand the basketball only fans are lawst.

That's true regarding football at P5 schools, but seldom do they have men's BB fans who resent the success of the women's BB program. Even when Pat Summitt was at Tennessee and the women's program was far more successful than the men's, there didn't seem to be any animosity between the fanbases. Heck, Calhoun set the standard for that at UCONN by shunning Auriemma when the women won their first championship and started to threaten the men in popularity. Then there were the unfortunate bumper stickers..."UConn...where men are men and women are champions." I'm sure those privately sent Calhoun into orbit. That kind of coaches' and fans' rivalry doesn't happen at most schools, P5 or non-P5.

 

[whaler11]

That's true regarding football at P5 schools, but seldom do they have men's BB fans who resent the success of the women's BB program. Even when Pat Summitt was at Tennessee and the women's program was far more successful than the men's, there didn't seem to be any animosity between the fanbases. Heck, Calhoun set the standard for that at UCONN by shunning Auriemma when the women won their first championship and started to threaten the men in popularity. Then there were the unfortunate bumper stickers..."UConn...where men are men and women are champions." I'm sure those privately sent Calhoun into orbit. That kind of coaches' and fans' rivalry doesn't happen at most schools, P5 or non-P5.

many of the women’s fans are delusional w/r/t the reality of spoets and i’ve said a bunch of times their success has actually been a net negative to the school in conference realignment.

 

[CL82]

But still. I believe that if they brought it up during “HuskyMania” they could have built a bigger fan base for football.

UConn had a longstanding plan to upgrade, but I feel as if it started with Lew Perkins, not John Toner.

Here's the thing we came within a hairsbreadth of making it a couple times. I don't see a clear path forward now though.