Ugly Wins Vs Not Winning

[DoctorWho85]

I think ugly wins does more for the team than blowing out the competition. Shows them they have the fight to dig through the trenches and avoid sitting on the benches.

 

[giddyup]

I honestly think the people who complain are one if the following:

1. Football fans who think every game is a P4 referendum

2. Secret football haters who are mad they are winning and would rather program seize. Ugly wins are infuriating.

3. Fans can't get over the fact that winning is more important than performance. And I don't mean that rhetorically. How you win matters in cfb, because rankings are subjective.

But, for UConn, just winning is most important now. Huskies are sindsr removed from a top 50 program, gotta chill there. Win games.

Good performance and winning are highly correlated but not perfectly correlated. Smart fans are always trying to project what the team could do against future opponents and hypothetical opponents. Example - Syracuse. Could we beat them? Yes, if we play at our highest level and they play poorly. Is it likely? No. Why? 1. Because we lack offensive consistency. 2. We are missing an effective passing game and our RPO has no real R. 3. P4 speed will be much better defending the edge. 4. Our D is very good but breaks down being on the field way too much. It’s fantastic where we are, but the quest to be better never ends, not should it.

 

[AllHusky]

Good performance and winning are highly correlated but not perfectly correlated. Smart fans are always trying to project what the team could do against future opponents and hypothetical opponents. Example - Syracuse. Could we beat them? Yes, if we play at our highest level and they play poorly. Is it likely? No. Why? 1. Because we lack offensive consistency. 2. We are missing an effective passing game and our RPO has no real R. 3. P4 speed will be much better defending the edge. 4. Our D is very good but breaks down being on the field way too much. It’s fantastic where we are, but the quest to be better never ends, not should it.

Is it my imagination or is Syracuse coming to it pretty nicely?

 

[businesslawyer]

The day after the season ends the only thing anyone will care about this season is the total number of wins this season. The higher the better. The rest is noise.

The last 10 seasons have had win totals of 3, 6, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 6, 2, 3. Posting an 8-5, 9-4, or OMG, 10-3 record would be huge for the program, P4 win or no P4 win. Next season's job would be to back up this season's total. After that P4 wins start to matter as program builders, though as one-offs they would still be a nice gift for the fanbase.

This year is a big step forward and it’s great to leave the stadium after winning 6 out of 7 weeks. But there is reality. It’s not just, or even primarily, that we haven’t beaten a P-4 team. We haven’t beaten even a mediocre G-5 team.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Not really.

I think how you win college football matters for cfp and bowl purposes. But, with UConn in this current state, there really is no reason to care how they win.

It is so infrequent, and expectations so low, that Huskies just getting to a bowl game and a winning recirdnis critical.

We aren't really fighting for anything other than pride and an open bowl slot.

I want to win against syracuse. I'd trade 1-2 if the one win is cuse.

An interesting take on high ceiling vs low floor.

This team has shown it is better than the basement dwellers of CFB 2024. It hasn't shown it can beat a higher tiered team.
7-5 with a win against 'cuse
or 8-4 with a loss to 'cuse.

Spicy.

I think I like the 7-5 option with a win against an ACC team.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I think winning is the important thing. Beatin P4 teams is something we want to do for us, but I don’t know how essential it is. Let’s look at SMU. They play ok 1-2 P4 teams a year. Mostly lost pretty big. They are in the ACC. What Houston and SMU and the rest did was win games on a regular basis. Not P4 games. Those they played 1-2 a year and for the most part lost. We play 4. We need to win most of the non-P4 games, win an occasional P4 game, and we’ll be fine. I’d personally like us to get into a league for football, AAC or PAC would be best, and compete for championships. Maybe even get the G5 playoff slot. But we simply do not need to win 3 P4 games. We don’t even have to play 3-4 of them. We just need to win the majority of the games we play.

SMU bought their way in. Houston was successful playing in the best G5 conference and beating the P4 teams on their schedule plus beating P4 teams in their post season bowl appearances.

 

[freescooter]

This year is a big step forward and it’s great to leave the stadium after winning 6 out of 7 weeks. But there is reality. It’s not just, or even primarily, that we haven’t beaten a P-4 team. We haven’t beaten even a mediocre G-5 team.

Houston has an occasional win against a P4-5 school, but mostly losses. And they only play 1-2/year. Look at Army, currently ranked in the Top 20. They have basically played UConn’s schedule, minus the P4 teams. Temple, FAU, Rice, UAB, Lehigh,East Carolina, Air Force, Tulsa, The biggest difference is they are unbeaten. I don’t know FCS Lehigh’s record, but exactly zero of the rest of those teams have winning records. End of the day, Army will play 3 teams with winning records. They play 1 P4 game against Notre Dame. Our schedule is at worst comparable. I would argue it’s tougher. They are unbeaten so they are ranked. If we replaced Maryland, Duke and Wake with Tulsa, East Carolina and Air Force, and won them we’d be ranked. Instead we play one of the most P heavy G5 schedules PPP knowing 1-4 is likely our ceiling. The important thing is to win most of the games we play and NOT to over schedule. Just like nobody is talking about how ARMY has played a weak schedule, but only how they are undefeated, we’d be in the same conversation with only Syracuse or Duke not 4 P4 games.

 

[noeynox]

These are the teams we are playing. I would rather win against this schedule than lose to these same schools. Just last year we got trashed at GA State and lost at home ro FIU.

If we really are near the top (2)of G5 in NIL as I heard Mike Burton say on a podcast with Steve Culley, I would expect this trend to continue. Aside from QB, they hit it out of the park with the number of impact players they brought in through the portal. McDonald and Barton who both transferred to P5 schools and then transferred here before ever playing a game at those schools have been huge impact guys for us. The fact that Mora embraces the portal and doesn't loathe it like Edsall or Dabo Sweeney is a huge plus.

 

[giddyup]

Houston has an occasional win against a P4-5 school, but mostly losses. And they only play 1-2/year. Look at Army, currently ranked in the Top 20. They have basically played UConn’s schedule, minus the P4 teams. Temple, FAU, Rice, UAB, Lehigh,East Carolina, Air Force, Tulsa, The biggest difference is they are unbeaten. I don’t know FCS Lehigh’s record, but exactly zero of the rest of those teams have winning records. End of the day, Army will play 3 teams with winning records. They play 1 P4 game against Notre Dame. Our schedule is at worst comparable. I would argue it’s tougher. They are unbeaten so they are ranked. If we replaced Maryland, Duke and Wake with Tulsa, East Carolina and Air Force, and won them we’d be ranked. Instead we play one of the most P heavy G5 schedules PPP knowing 1-4 is likely our ceiling. The important thing is to win most of the games we play and NOT to over schedule. Just like nobody is talking about how ARMY has played a weak schedule, but only how they are undefeated, we’d be in the same conversation with only Syracuse or Duke not 4 P4 games.

I expect Army to get dismembered by ND (though I’ll be in Army’s corner). And, if ND foes, just like it tore Navy apart, it only reinforces what we all know - to become higher level competition you must play and prove you can beat higher level competition.

 

[ZooCougar]

These are the teams we are playing. I would rather win against this schedule than lose to these same schools. Just last year we got trashed at GA State and lost at home ro FIU.

If we really are near the top (2)of G5 in NIL as I heard Mike Burton say on a podcast with Steve Culley, I would expect this trend to continue. Aside from QB, they hit it out of the park with the number of impact players they brought in through the portal. McDonald and Barton who both transferred to P5 schools and then transferred here before ever playing a game at those schools have been huge impact guys for us. The fact that Mora embraces the portal and doesn't loathe it like Edsall or Dabo Sweeney is a huge plus.

This 1000%.

It’s fortuitous that Mora has an NFL pedigree and he is comfortable with free agency. Versus these pure college coaches who are coming to grips with it.

Even though the QB didn’t work out, I appreciate the effort that went in to get him.

 

[ScottVib]

UConn winning against REALLY BAD G5 teams will soon not be good enough for spying P4 eyes - also yes (i believe).

While I agree that for program development and to demonstrate the kind of progress we all want, there needs to be P4 success; I'm not sure who or how they win matters to the P4.

UConn getting into the P4 is not going to be primarily to add the football program. As a result, I think they just need to stack enough wins to eliminate the easy argument that UConn is "one of the worst programs in FBS." Win 8 games even against this schedule regularly and it would go a long way to eliminating that crutch as a reason to not invite UConn (I’m sure another will be found, but.). They need to give the Yormark’s of the world enough help to get things over the goal line.

 

[UCan3]

I think many are forgetting how long it’s been since we had a winning record. How many time before we’ve seen games like this weekend slip away with collapses in the 4th quarter.

We are in no position to complain about “ugly” wins. For now, every win is to be cherished.

The one thing we do need, however, is one statement win - win against a team we were underdogs. This is of the utmost importance for our program.

Syracuse is the one game we have left to collect such a win. It is a big challenge - they are a top 30 team but with the Defense we have, there‘s a chance.

UAB is no pushover either - focus on this game for now.

 

[freescooter]

While I agree that for program development and to demonstrate the kind of progress we all want, there needs to be P4 success; I'm not sure who or how they win matters to the P4.

UConn getting into the P4 is not going to be primarily to add the football program. As a result, I think they just need to stack enough wins to eliminate the easy argument that UConn is "one of the worst programs in FBS." Win 8 games even against this schedule regularly and it would go a long way to eliminating that crutch as a reason to not invite UConn (I’m sure another will be found, but.). They need to give the Yormark’s of the world enough help to get things over the goal line.

Exactly, and if you somehow manage to have a great year and go 10-2 it helps even more.

 

[Jetskies]

They need to give the Yormark’s of the world enough help to get things over the goal line.

do you think there is more than 1 yormark?
lol i feel like no one wants us at all except him.
presumably cuz no one has a vision for basketball like he does.

 

[BlueandOG]

This program is close to dead - people get so steamed when I say that but it’s true, we can argue the reasons, but it’s true.

Wrong. The program may have been close to death during Bobby D's flying circus and the RE 2.0 mess; however, the program emerged from the ashes and is on the ascent. All of the key metrics are trending in the right direction: wins/losses, fan attendance, national press coverage, recruiting, and use of the portal. We are poised to maintain, perhaps accelerate, the positive trajectory thanks to 1) NIL, 2) Connecticut's affluence, 3) UConn's fans' willingness to spend money to win, 4) AD Dave, and 5) Coach Mora and his staff. This is an exciting time to be a UConn fan!

 

[JohnFSilver]

lol UConn WOULD beat syracuse and then turn around and lose to UMass the following week.
But i'd take that trade too... i guess?

Yep.

But no one remembers the miss. They remember the win. Its why this season Is frustrating. All anyone would remember if they finished 8-4 was kiss to to all four P4 teams.

They need that win over Cuse
To get legitimacy.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Wrong. The program may have been close to death during Bobby D's flying circus and the RE 2.0 mess; however, the program emerged from the ashes and is on the ascent. All of the key metrics are trending in the right direction: wins/losses, fan attendance, national press coverage, recruiting, and use of the portal. We are poised to maintain, perhaps accelerate, the positive trajectory thanks to 1) NIL, 2) Connecticut's affluence, 3) UConn's fans' willingness to spend money to win, 4) AD Dave, and 5) Coach Mora and his staff. This is an exciting time to be a UConn fan!

People who say program Is close to death whine too much. It is an aspirational thought.

What is the recent event in this state that can potentially draw 30,000 people to it? A concert at Xfinity?

I think those that protest UConn football are off their rockers when they say dead.

We go nuts over 10k for a hoops game, but whine over 30k for a football game. Basketball team couldn't draw 30k on a regular basis, maybe just big games.

 

[B1GEast]

I would have taken ugly wins against Duke or Wake

 

[metsfan2323]

I think most of the complaints are just people who think we are playing the wrong QB. There is sound statistical evidence they are right.

 

[Jetskies]

Yep.

But no one remembers the miss. They remember the win. Its why this season Is frustrating. All anyone would remember if they finished 8-4 was kiss to to all four P4 teams.

They need that win over Cuse
To get legitimacy.

so frustrating. I guarantee the talking twitterheads and podcast-heads will harp on and on about the 4 P4 losses if we end up going 2-1 over the last 3 games here. Heck, We'll even win our bowl game against that meh G5 school.

a 9 win team is "TRASH, BRO".

I am so sick of uconn being pooped on.

 

[freescooter]

Yep.

But no one remembers the miss. They remember the win. Its why this season Is frustrating. All anyone would remember if they finished 8-4 was kiss to to all four P4 teams.

They need that win over Cuse
To get legitimacy.

I don’t think that’s true. After a decade of losing, 8-4 looks like a huge turn around, and it would be. 7-5 would be for that matter. Plus, if we can consistently win 7-8 games we will eventually knock off somebody.

 

[cohenzone]

Not really.

I think how you win college football matters for cfp and bowl purposes. But, with UConn in this current state, there really is no reason to care how they win.

It is so infrequent, and expectations so low, that Huskies just getting to a bowl game and a winning recirdnis critical.

We aren't really fighting for anything other than pride and an open bowl slot.

I want to win against syracuse. I'd trade 1-2 if the one win is cuse.

That’s why i started this thread. Win any way you get them for now. We have 3 losses. We would not have beaten MD the way we defended with Tom Brady at QB. We gave a really solid Duke team a game where at the end they were too much for our D to hold off. Wake is the most disappointing loss, but they are not so different talent wise from us, maybe even slightly better overall. Even with spotty play from Evers, he made a really good clutch pass that resulted in the famous non call at a spot on the field that was in fg range to tie and with enough time to even score a winning TD.

Of our 6 wins, 3 were total domination. Yes i know Merrimack was one of them, and i think at their level they have been scoring pretty well. The other 3 were Temple, Rice and Ga State. I can’t see why anyone has trouble with 34 vs GState. Our D had a little to do witn the final score and time of possession. Temple and Rice are not good. but Temple had played overall tougher teams and Rice was also not so bad as their record, and beat good Navy a week after we beat them. Could a QB other than Evers have led us to the beautiful and dominating victory margin some crave, who knows.

I think some are overestimating our talent, which is undoubtedly much better than it’s been in a long while, And it seems whether any of us like it ir not, it looks like Evers is Mora’s guy and if we win but win ugly with him, so what. As far as Fagnano goes, 90% of this board didn’t want him back this year. McDonald is done and Wellever is this year’s edition of the unseen UConn QB who is assumed better than all the others.

As far as Cuse goes, beating them would be great even though close family live very near Syracuse, are Cuse fans but not rabid. and one of them works at the SUNY school that is basically on the SU campus. His office is a literal stone’s throw from the Dome which is across a narrow drive from the SUNY school.

Frankly, I have zero expectations for our team this year and so don’t get too bothered if a win is not beautiful. I’m having fun with wins.

 

[metsfan2323]

t. As far as Fagnano goes, 90% of this board didn’t want him back this year.

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

 

[cohenzone]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play.

You might be on to something about this board. But seriously, Mora obviously thinks Evers is better. I have a basic belief that coaches aren’t suicidal when they make player usage decisions. Of course they can be wrong, but they make choices that seem right to them.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

I always want more Players in the mix. QB play is a weakness if team, but as long as winning I am willing to give Evers theexperince. Will help down road.

 

[JohnFSilver]

so frustrating. I guarantee the talking heads will harp on and on about the 4 P4 losses if we end up going 2-1 over the last 3 games here. We'll even win our bowl game against that meh G5 school. a 9 win team is "TRASH, BRO".

I am so sick of uconn being pooped on.

Talking heads. Every anti-football fan out there. Lol.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

You know that two things can be true at the same time, right? You can be happy we're winning and also be disappointed that one of the most talented teams we've had in the last decade is being held back because we don't have average production from the most important position on the field

That seems so obvious, and yet here with are with a thread that seems to believe it's one or the other.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Mora obviously thinks Evers is better. I have a basic belief that coaches aren’t suicidal when they make player usage decisions. Of course they can be wrong, but they make choices that seem right to them.

This is what most of the complainers, myself included, were complaining about. I believe that we are winning in spite of the QB choice and that Fagnano earned the right to get more PT with his play. I'm thrilled we are winning and going bowling, but that does not prevent me from believing that with a change at QB we could be even better. I want what's best for the team.

 

[Waquoit]

So "you are what your record says you are" doesn't count all of a sudden?

 

[noeynox]

Then maybe 90 percent of the board were dumb. He has looked pretty good when given the opportunity to play. I wonder what the outcome would be if the WR's were polled?

I dont know how 90 percent of the board could feel that way after 6 quarters of play. This was still the same guy that beat out Roberson for the job.