UConn's proposed 2015 BE Division

[ConnHuskBask]

UConn, Louisville, USF, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU, Navy.

WTF?

If Pres. Herbst signs off on any divisional alignment that isn't with the current BE members she should be fired.

As if it wasn't bad enough losing Pitt, WVU and Cuse, those teams above will be our opponents every season.

This has to be some kind of sick nightmare. There's been a ton of hyperbole on the Boneyard about the future of the program, but if this is what Herbst and company sign off on, it will be the death of the program.

What casual fan in their right mind would sign up for this garbage. I could begrudgingly live with the current BE + UCF and Temple, but this is just too much.

 

[Chin Diesel]

That would be the Florida/Texas/West Coast divisional alignment where each division has one team in Florida, one in Texas and one west coaster.

Don't like it.

 

[zls44]

http://espn.go.com/college-football...presidents-expected-approve-divisions-tuesday

Sources told ESPN that for the purpose of football, the conference will be divided into a western division of Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU and Temple, and an eastern division of Central Florida, Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Rutgers and South Florida.

 

[Adios]

We would probably also play Rutgers and Temple as cross-divisional rivals. This is an interesting method to gain exposure. Our players would sure get to travel.

 

[zls44]

Oh, my bad ConnHuskBask, just read a bit more. Maybe NBC will pay for the travel subsidy. What a freaking nightmare.

The proposed Red Division in 2015 would consist of Louisville, UConn, Memphis, Navy, San Diego State, USF and SMU, while the Blue Division would consist of Boise State, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, Rutgers, Temple and the 14th team.
Each team would play six games within its division and two games against the other division, including one permanent cross-division game. The annual cross-division games would be Cincinnati-Louisville, UConn-Rutgers, Boise State-San Diego State, Houston-SMU, Navy-Temple, UCF-USF and Memphis versus the 14th team.

 

[Carl Spackler]

UConn, Louisville, USF, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU, Navy.

WTF?

If Pres. Herbst signs off on any divisional alignment that isn't with the current BE members she should be fired.

As if it wasn't bad enough losing Pitt, WVU and Cuse, those teams above will be our opponents every season.

This has to be some kind of sick nightmare. There's been a ton of hyperbole on the Boneyard about the future of the program, but if this is what Herbst and company sign off on, it will be the death of the program.

What casual fan in their right mind would sign up for this garbage. I could begrudgingly live with the current BE + UCF and Temple, but this is just too much.

Really now.

Our first Big East football game was played Sept. 17, 2004 vs. Boston College. A full year earlier than we originally were intended to play a Big East conference game.

That's a little over 8 years ago. Two four year cycles of college students.

We didn't have a conference before that in 1-A football.

Prior to that we were in the Atlantic 10 conference for football - when Randy Edsall was still coaching this program.

In 1998 - the season that ended about a month before Randy Edsall was hired - this is what our conference opponents looked like:

Maine
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Northeastern
Delaware
William & Mary
UMass - Lowell


Yes - the Big East in 2013, is going to be much different than the big east we joined early 8 years ago.

I, for one, am glad that we have conference leadership, that finally understands the value of football, in maintaining the viability of a division 1A athletic conference, at the highest level of revenue draw, and competition.

If we had it before, the Big East wouldn't look like it does now - but this is the kicker......

If we had it before - the Big East - UConn - would still be playing that 1998 conference schedule, and never have been extended the invite to upgrade.

So suck it up, and get ready for the return game of SMU-UConn.

 

[Adios]

I look forward to our historical rivalry vs SDSU.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

We would probably also play Rutgers and Temple as cross-divisional rivals. This is an interesting method to gain exposure. Our players would sure get to travel.

Rutgers would be our annual crossover game. We would play 1 of the other teams in the other division per year. Boise State might not come to the Rent until 2025 or something.

 

[CTMike]

There may not be any alternatives, but that doesn't mean that this proposed slate doesn't suck farts.

 

[freescooter]

Can we just change the name to the Big Mess? I've always hoped common sense would prevail and and East-West split would be the order of the day. To me it makes too much sense. You have an opportunity to develop regional rivals and the chance to really push the concept of Eastern football vs Western football-- which is better? Under this proposal, UConn rarely plays Temple but we play Memphis every year. We play San Diego every year but not Cincinatti with whom we've developed a bit of a rivalry. What a mess this is turning out to be.

 

[MattMang23]

So by my calculations, Boise would come here once every... Oh... Twelve years! Awesome!

At least we get Memphis each and every season.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

There may not be any alternatives, but that doesn't mean that this proposed slate doesn't suck farts.

Would that be bad? I'm just asking, cause I've never sucked farts. What's it like?

 

[coachcap]

I look forward to our historical rivalry vs SDSU.

You'll love going there for an away game. San Diego is a fantastic city to visit. Just hope that it's not on Veteran's Day Weekend or you may not get a seat to the game.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Rutgers would be our annual crossover game. We would play 1 of the other teams in the other division per year. Boise State might not come to the Rent until 2025 or something.

We'll play Boise once, either next year or in 2014, home or away TBD. With 5 division games and three crossovers, we'll get every team in the new 12 team big east at least once in the next two years. In 2015, it will change, and we won't see the other division as regularly.

The 2015 set up, is the made for TV lineup. It's a non-geographic model, that is set up for scheduling purposes. THe local, short travel games, are cross-divisional, rather than same division. It should make for very interesting conference seasons leading up to a championship game, b/c take UConn Rutgers for example - both teams could end up in the championship game against each other, in a rematch of a regular season game, and hte regular season cross division matchups b/w rivals will mean so much more to winning the divisions.

It takes a little creative thought, but when you realize that what looks like a pile of steaming poop, was very systematically, made for TV - you can get something decent out of it.

 

[Adios]

I have the impression this set up is being done to remind people we have schools that, for the most part, can be "national" players, and this set up emphasizes that. The other conferences from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences are all regional.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I have the impression this set up is being done to remind people we have schools that, for the most part, can be "national" players, and this set up emphasizes that. The other conferences from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences are all regional.

What this football conference has, that no other conference has, is an incredible amount of room to grow new fans and viewership, from coast to coast.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Yeah, this is the "Made for TV" set up. TV executives and viewers can barely contain their excitment over UConn-San Diego State.

This whole thing sucks so bad. I just don't see how it can be justified at all.

It's just astonishing how this conference continues to up every single decision they've ever made. I realize a lot of things were or are out of hands, but this is downright ridiculous. Its sad that I'm even shocked by it at this point.

 

[gars44]

Yeah, this is the "Made for TV" set up. TV executives and viewers can barely contain their excitment over UConn-San Diego State.

This whole thing sucks so bad. I just don't see how it can be justified at all.

It's just astonishing how this conference continues to up every single decision they've ever made. I realize a lot of things were or are out of hands, but this is downright ridiculous. Its sad that I'm even shocked by it at this point.

You said it all when you said, or tried to say, it's out of our hands. There's no use complaining. Just not. That being said, why is this league so bad? It's not the same big east we joined, but I'm not enthralled with Syracuse or Pitt, or BC or Virginia, or Wake or any of them. It's so homogenized, what's the difference? Go out and win football games and it's all good. Go out and lose and do you feel better because of who you're losing to? I'm a fan. I want to see us win.

And that being said, trips to Annapolis, Tampa and San Diego beat the heck out of Syracuse, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Morgantown and a lot of other places.

 

[whaler11]

The proposed divisions are absurd for 2015. If there is one thing that you can take to the bank if the Big East gets an opportunity to screw up they won't miss it.

 

[CL82]

This whole thing sucks so bad. I just don't see how it can be justified at all.

This.

I am just staring at my screen shaking my head.

What a cluster .

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Would it really have been that hard to go old school/new school?

East:
UConn
Rutgers
Cincy
Louisville
USF
UCF
Navy

West:
Boise
SDSU
SMU
Houston
Steaming pile of Memphis
Temple
Team TBD (hopefully BYU or Air Force)

How can you this up so badly?

 

[UConnDan97]

Would it really have been that hard to go old school/new school?

East:
UConn
Rutgers
Cincy
Louisville
USF
UCF
Navy

West:
Boise
SDSU
SMU
Houston
Steaming pile of Memphis
Temple
Team TBD (hopefully BYU or Air Force)

How can you this up so badly?

If they do not figure this simple statement out by the end of 2014, then I am going to go bonkers!!! This is a no-f#$king-brainer. The 2015 proposal is so fubar-ed that I don't even know what to say. Let's hope that a successful 2013 and 2014 change their idiotic minds...

 

[ZooCougar]

UConn, Louisville, USF, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU, Navy.

WTF?

If Pres. Herbst signs off on any divisional alignment that isn't with the current BE members she should be fired.

As if it wasn't bad enough losing Pitt, WVU and Cuse, those teams above will be our opponents every season.

This has to be some kind of sick nightmare. There's been a ton of hyperbole on the Boneyard about the future of the program, but if this is what Herbst and company sign off on, it will be the death of the program.

What casual fan in their right mind would sign up for this garbage. I could begrudgingly live with the current BE + UCF and Temple, but this is just too much.

I am trying not to knee jerk this. If we play Rutgers every year and we can get our stuff together football wise, our odds of going to the championship game every year could be decent. Charlie Strong will not be at Louisville forever. Nobody in that division scares me.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Yeah, this is the "Made for TV" set up. TV executives and viewers can barely contain their excitment over UConn-San Diego State.

This whole thing sucks so bad. I just don't see how it can be justified at all.

It's just astonishing how this conference continues to up every single decision they've ever made. I realize a lot of things were or are out of hands, but this is downright ridiculous. Its sad that I'm even shocked by it at this point.

Look, I know that I"m older than you. I can tell you for sure, that if you had told me 10 years ago, that we would get a return game from SMU to Rentschler, before we got a return game from Miami - I would have looked at you crosseyed. You whine for WVU, Syracuse and Pitt. Me? I'd rather be in a football conference with Miami and Virginia Tech, that's what I thought we were signing up for, to compete with the best football programs in the country (at the time) IN conference, not to compete with Pitt and Syracuse.

The facts are, that our prior conference leadership, and university leadership, have led both the conference and our university through the changes that have happened right up through the conference nearly evaporating in 2011 after the Villanova debacle. Our prior leadership at both the conference level and university level, since that BOT vote to upgrade in 1997, 15 years ago now has led us right to where we were in 2011, standing around with our pants and shorts around our ankles, and our d*cks swinging in the wind.

The leadership since then, has done the best they could, with the hands they were dealt, at both the university and conference level, and the potential of growth that we have, with a conference of fellow outcasts, outliers, and up and comers together - is much better than the growth potential we would have competing for recruits as an ACC member, or with some new fangled regional conference. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program, and we are not in a region, where single state counties can produce a full roster of 1-A players.

Because that's what it all boils down to. I don't really care that much about other football programs, I want ours to succeed at this level, that we have been at for 12 years now - 12 short years - and only 8 years as a conference member, and recruiting for UConn football, is going to be much easier in this new conference, than it was before. We have reach into Florida, into Texas, into Ohio, into Pennsylvania, as far west as Colorado and California. We can go all those places and recruit, and we are already, and will continue.

 

[gandydancer]

I'm really happy with the grouping. It gives us toeholds in TX, CA and TN for recruiting. It also gives us national exposure. My only disappointment is that Boise isn't in it. An added bonus for me is to finally be in a red division.