Villanova is the Blueprint

[Horatio]

No they play at the level below you guys, same league as URI I think you guys have played them in recent years

Villanova football = Brian Westbrook forever

 

[FriarJ]

Villanova football = Brian Westbrook forever

Howie Long

 

[Adios]

It seems some of you prefer the Big East over the ACC, Big 12 or Big 10???

If Villanova had upgraded football, they'd be working to get out of the AAC, too...

 

[Towney007]

Basketball needs to keep doing what they're doing. Getting back to better regional recruiting, actual effort in recruiting and a coach who's actually good, knows the kind of player he wants and goes and gets it - even if said guy isn't full of STARZ~! from recruiting bureaus.

Personally, i'm done with football. It's a bad program, it's expensive, it's not a money maker and I think it's too late to rebuild it. I'm at a point where a move to the Big East is probably the best potential option.

That being said, I'm not cooked on the American as a hoops conference. COmpetitively, I like where it's headed. I love another good program like Wichita State being here. Tulane has a good coach. Houston is on the upswing. Cincinnati has arguably BENEFITED from being in the AAC. SMU has solidified themselves, too. Memphis and UConn aren't carrying their water, but they both made solid coaching moves and hopefully can turn things around. Temple and Tulsa are mediocre forever, but that's fine. It's just bringing up the bottom of the conference. UCF and Tulane seem pretty intent on doing that. ECU and USF are giant vats of suck.

SO I dunno. I could do another year or two, but if football is still a trainwreck in a year or two, then we need to cut bait.

 

[Hoophound]

There is no point in going FCS in football. It is no help at all. Football would actually work out pretty well for us if 30k or more were in the stands and a bowl game was a regular occurrence. Losing badly is the problem. There are plenty of players to field a “good” team. Many teams in the east are managing it fairly consistently.

 

[Zissou]

There is really not much upside in dropping to FCS. UConn just needs to get better.

The AAC is not bad and it’s a viable holding spot for UConn.

IF UConn wanted to go Big East, there is still no need to drop football down a level. Negotiate to stay AAC for football. If that fails, and it might, go Indy FBS for now.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

From CBS News:

According to data Villanova reported to the U.S. Department of Education, its men’s basketball team, which plays in the Big East conference, generated $11.4 million in revenue on expenses of $9.4 million.

Wow, a $2 million profit. How can we sleep at night without that sweet sweet Big East Money.

Money is in football. Kentucky makes that money in their sleep. As does Kansas and Duke.

You wait it out, try to go P5, if you miss the next wave of realignment, you re-evaluate.

Bear in mind, Villanova is the flagship Big East School. Don't be so quick to DePaul yourselves.

 

[kansashusky]

From CBS News:



Wow, a $2 million profit. How can we sleep at night without that sweet sweet Big East Money.

Money is in football. Kentucky makes that money in their sleep. As does Kansas and Duke.

You wait it out, try to go P5, if you miss the next wave of realignment, you re-evaluate.

Bear in mind, Villanova is the flagship Big East School. Don't be so quick to DePaul yourselves.

When exactly is the next realignment happening?

 

[Towney007]

Just keeping waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.....

And magically, the money will show up!

 

[kansashusky]

Just keeping waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.....

And magically, the money will show up!

My thoughts exactly.

 

[intlzncster]

When exactly is the next realignment happening?

When next round of CFB TV contracts are due for renewal. The wheels starts spinning in the 2022/23 time frame.

The Pac-12 and SEC's current deals run through 2023-24, the Big 12 is tied up through 2024-25 and the ACC through 2026-27.

The B1G is the most confusing. They've got 3 diff deals I think:

ESPNs deal for $192m per year lasts through 2022-23. Fox committed $240 million over the same time period. CBS will also renew its basketball-only package at $10 million annually through 2023.

 

[Towney007]

So only a few years until the bubble bursts. Good to know.

 

[intlzncster]

Just keeping waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.....

And magically, the money will show up!

No, after about 2023-2026, when the Conference TV contracts renew, you make the call.

 

[Towney007]

No, after about 2023-2026, when the Conference TV contracts renew, you make the call.

I'm sure everyone will be falling all over themselves to add one of the worst programs in division-1 to their roster. That'll pack 'em in.

 

[CL82]

Ok. Maybe UConn could consider dropping down a level. There’s just not enough good college football players to go around for the infinite amount of college programs.

Here's the thing, dropping down a level really doesn't help much for finances and makes us a less attractive candidate for P5 expansion. Right now, we stay the course but in five years we may have some hard decisions to make.

 

[intlzncster]

I'm sure everyone will be falling all over themselves to add one of the worst programs in division-1 to their roster. That'll pack 'em in.

It's still a ways away. A lot can happen between now and then. All we need is the team to be mildly competitive. As UCONN brings so much else to the fore.

Also depends on number of desired teams per conference (playoffs etc). Depends what influence TV networks have on the process. And I'm guessing politicians get heavily involved the next round. Stakes are too high.

So many moving parts, you just can't predict. But the money to the P5 is going to so outrageously pace those schools left out, that it's worth trying to build the football program. The other conferences are going to suffer.

And if you subscribe to the idea that the P5 will eventually leave the NCAA, then it's well worth taking a shot at getting amongst it.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I'm sure everyone will be falling all over themselves to add one of the worst programs in division-1 to their roster. That'll pack 'em in.

One of the best untapped TV markets left in the United States. You think B1G added Rutgers cause they're such an awesome football program?

 

[CL82]

I'm sure everyone will be falling all over themselves to add one of the worst programs in division-1 to their roster. That'll pack 'em in.

I tend not to feed trolls but I will give you the benefit of doubt for now. The hope, of course, is that we will have improved our football fortunes by then. Remember UConn, under current head coach Randy Edsall, won two Big East football championships and went to the Fiesta Bowl. As Jim Calhoun would say "It's doable."

Also keep in mind that what a P5 conference wants in an new member is a moving target, sometimes it is football prowess, sometimes it's geography, sometimes it's demographics, but having a BCS football program is always required since the P5 refers to the top 5 BCS football conferences. All we can do is keep our profile as desirable as possible and hope for the best.

As I have noted previously, the P5 is where the money is. Eventually their financial firepower will crowd out other programs. We paid $3M for Hurley because that is where the P5 set the market price for him. Sitting on the outside looking in will eventually mean second class coaches and facilities as we won't have the money to keep up. So if you are a fan of any UConn athletic program, you should be rooting for football to succeed, because a football is the key to athletic department success whether you like it or not.

 

[Towney007]

One of the best untapped TV markets left in the United States. You think B1G added Rutgers cause they're such an awesome football program?

The way TV works, you don't have to 'have' a market. They already have it. They don't need UConn to get it.

 

[Towney007]

I tend not to feed trolls but I will give you the benefit of doubt for now. The hope of course is that we will have improved of football fortunes by then. Remember UConn, under current head coach Randy Edsall won two Big East football championships and went to the Fiesta Bowl. As Jim Calhoun would say "It's doable."

Also keep in mind that what a P5 conference wants in an new member is a moving target, sometimes it is football prowess, some times it's geography, sometimes it's demographics, but having a BCS football program is always required since P5 is a football term. All we can do is keep our profile as desirable as possible and hope for the best.

As I have noted previously, the P5 is where the money is. Eventually their financial firepower will crowd out other programs. We paid $3M for Hurley because that is where the P5 set the market price for him. Sitting on the outside looking in will eventually mean second class coaches and facilities as we won't have the money to keep up. So if you are a fan of any UConn athletic program, you should be rooting for football to succeed, because a football is the key to athletic department success whether you like it or not.

I'm not trolling. And honestly - it's my fault, I quasi-brought it up, and apologies for dragging this onto this board...

But. Look. I'm 90% of the time a 'hope floats' guy. But I just can't be given an extended run of results and looking at the big picture as to where the program is.

We're legitimately one of - if not THE worst program in Division-1 football right now. That's where we're at - almost 20 years into this - and that's where the program was. Had a nice rise, couldn't sustain it for reasons anyone who follows college football for five minutes could understand and we're honestly right where we should be - for a variety of reasons.

The optimistic take is:

You're looking at a minimum 4-5 year rebuild just to get to the point where MAYBE, we're .500. That's at least 4-5 years of trying to sell a terrible product to a lot of people who've clearly checked out already, running up huge deficits in the process... and that's assuming of course - that you can actually find talent in a region where there's no cultural affinity for college football on a meaningful level, a low talent base and in spite of that - there's still four or five other schools you can go to so you can collect concussions against better opposition. And that's not even getting into the walking, talking PR hit the program is for the school every week. From the big losses, to the empty stadiums to the absolutely delusional, silly and flat out stupid things their latest and not so greatest hires are saying on a given day.

That's IF you can get talent, IF you can overcome being branded not only a loser - but a super loser, IF you can sell tickets to games absolutely no one wants to see and have students (future alumni) be OK with the increases in their student fees every year so that football can continue its self-immolation. IF all that happens - then maybe you get not terrible enough to get consideration.

And I don't want to hear a single, stupid thing about throwing more money into it. Randy Edsall got like $28k last week in incentives for losing to UMass and not throwing the ball once. Swear to god. They have a gorgeous new practice facility that hasn't paid dividends, a new stadium that's consistently empty is will be staying that way for a while, an increasingly perturbed 'fan base' and students who don't care. We actually might be worse now than we were when we started.

Even the flipping tailgating scene sucks. Because of rules and guidelines these dorks put in place. They can't even get drunk the right way. This is where we're at. At least at UMass, the tailgating scene is decent. Nothing UConn brings to the table from a football standpoint creates any value for anyone. Full stop. It's a worthless liability that is part of the package you hope you can deal with if you're a P5 conference.

UConn's biggest problem is that it's a victim of its own success. Success in Hoops came easily because we lucked into two generational coaches only a few years apart. Other programs certainly benefitted from that as well. But football isn't basketball. Whatever gate keepers there are in hoops - they're nothing compared to the gate keepers in football. Hoops, soccer and the like - they had a fertile recruiting ground to dig up recruits, a conference that was motivated and growing, organic, cultural rivalries rooted in regional communities..... All the ingredients were there for someone to succeed and we nailed it with both Calhoun and Gino. But the down side of that is that it's dumb people's views of how easy this stuff is to do. We did it inexplicably easily and to our credit - with two+ programs. But football ain't basketball and the conditions on the ground for football are almost the exact opposite of what they were for basketball.

And to boot - I'm an 100% confident that no one that's presently at UConn, from the AD on down - to their coaching staff - has the creativity or capability to pull it off and turn the program around. Football's best hope is that Danny Hurley turns around the basketball program to the point where it buys people patience. That'll keep noses barely above water and keep the longshot at the longshot still alive. It'll also create an escape hatch for when the school is finally at the point the rest of the country's at - and pulls the plug on football and goes to the new Big East.

That's football's only shot. The basketball coach.

 

[superjohn]

It's still a ways away. A lot can happen between now and then. All we need is the team to be mildly competitive. As UCONN brings so much else to the fore.

Also depends on number of desired teams per conference (playoffs etc). Depends what influence TV networks have on the process. And I'm guessing politicians get heavily involved the next round. Stakes are too high.

So many moving parts, you just can't predict. But the money to the P5 is going to so outrageously pace those schools left out, that it's worth trying to build the football program. The other conferences are going to suffer.

And if you subscribe to the idea that the P5 will eventually leave the NCAA, then it's well worth taking a shot at getting amongst it.

We were competitive in football and winning basketball championships left and right and they told us to take a hike, surely they'll want us if we somehow miraculously become mildly competitive.

 

[Adios]

The way TV works, you don't have to 'have' a market. They already have it. They don't need UConn to get it.

You ain't too bright. Just saying.

 

[CL82]

We're legitimately one of - if not THE worst program in Division-1 football right now. That's where we're at - almost 20 years into this - and that's where the program was. Had a nice rise, couldn't sustain it

Of course you can make exactly the same argument for basketball, right? Are you advocating we fire Hurley and shut down that as well?

That's IF you can get talent, IF you can overcome being branded not only a loser

Again, that argument applies to basketball as well. Of course Hurley appears to have turned it on it's head.

Randy Edsall got like $28k last week in incentives for losing to UMass and not throwing the ball once

Haha, have a link for that?

Edsall's base is $1M which phenomenally low. Randy's comp is probably not the best place to try and attack football.

hey have a gorgeous new practice facility that hasn't paid dividends, a new stadium

Sure it has. That "new" facility contributed to two Big East Conference Championships and Fiesta Bowl berth. Regardless, it is a sunk cost and frankly that works against your premise to downgrade or disband football right? We've already made the major capital outlay. Not to utilize assets which are in the prime of their useful life is horrific fiscal planning.

Even the flipping tailgating scene sucks.

You could not be more wrong.

That's football's only shot. The basketball coach.

I guess I was mistaken... you are even "more wrong" with this hot take.

 

[Towney007]

Of course you can make exactly the same argument for basketball, right? Are you advocating we fire Hurley and shut down that as well?
Again, that argument applies to basketball as well. Of course Hurley appears to have turned it on it's head.
Haha, have a link for that?

Edsall's base is $1M which phenomenally low. Randy's comp is probably not the best place to try and attack football.
Sure it has. That "new" facility contributed to two Big East Conference Championships and Fiesta Bowl berth. Regardless, it is a sunk cost and frankly that works against your premise to downgrade or disband football right? We've already made the major capital outlay. Not to utilize assets which are in the prime of their useful life is horrific fiscal planning.
You could not be more wrong.
I guess I was mistaken... you are even "more wrong" with this hot take.

Point #1 - UConn hoops is not the worst basketball team in division-1, But UConn football is the worst football team in division-1. One has a lengthy history and tradition, the other one is an experiment.

Point #2 - Yes, Edsall has $28k in performance incentives that he's earned this year. Here you go for your link.

Point #3 - So wait, we won two Conference titles and showed up for a Fiesta Bowl and you're OK with it being a sunk cost? I thought we were in this for the money!

Point #4 - In order for something to be an 'asset' it has to have value.

 

[Towney007]

You ain't too bright. Just saying.

No - i've just spent 15 years of my life in and around college athletics.

It sucks, I don't like it any more than you do.... but no - they don't need UConn to grab the TV market - or enough of it to move the needle. This is why the ACC and B1G are trying to put their things in MSG. Notice they haven't invited us along for the ride.

 

[BUConn10]

This is what happens when a program has competent leadership who knows what it means to “strike while the iron is hot”, to capitalize on success so that it snowballs and doesn’t deflate.

UConn never learned that, under anyone. Some of our worst seasons were following titles, and that is with the nba draft in consideration.

Wanna know why UConn is partly in this mess called the AAC right now? Refer to the above two paragraphs. I’ll check back in a couple hours to see what the usual idiots have to say about how the truth hurts them.

 

[CL82]

Point #1 - UConn hoops is not the worst basketball team in division-1, But UConn football is the worst football team in division-1. One has a lengthy history and tradition, the other one is an experiment.

Uh, actually UConn football has been around since 1896. That's a pretty long experiment, no? It has had 17 conference championships.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (17)
1949 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1952 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1956 Yankee Conference Champions
1957 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1958 Yankee Conference Champions
1959 Yankee Conference Champions
1960 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1968 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1970 Yankee Conference Champions
1971 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1973 Yankee Conference Champions
1982 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1983 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1986 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1989 Yankee Conference Tri-Champions
2007 Big East Conference Co-Champions
2010 Big East Conference Co-Champions
DIVISION CHAMPIONS (1)
1998 Atlantic 10 New England Division Champions

MBB hasn't made the NCAA tournament in the last two years. Your argument against football can be made against basketball as well. It is equally bad in either case.

Point #2 - Yes, Edsall has $28k in performance incentives that he's earned this year. Here you go for your link.

The link shows that he received $4,000 in bonuses during the UMass game, not $28,000. Regardless, paying a head football coach $1M is phenomenally low. Probably not the hill you want to die on.

Point #3 - So wait, we won two Conference titles and a Fiesta Bowl and you're OK with it being a sunk cost? I thought we were in this for the money!

Sorry, I tried as hard as I could but I couldn't make sense of your post. Kind of seems like you are floundering.

Point #4 - In order for something to be an 'asset' it has to have value.

So you don't think the Rent, Shenkman or Burton have value? Yep definitely floundering. It's okay, your argument was flawed to begin with. You weren't going to be able save it any event.

 

[Towney007]

Uh, actually UConn football has been around since 1896. That's a pretty long experiment, no? It has had 17 conference championships.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (17)
1949 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1952 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1956 Yankee Conference Champions
1957 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1958 Yankee Conference Champions
1959 Yankee Conference Champions
1960 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1968 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1970 Yankee Conference Champions
1971 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1973 Yankee Conference Champions
1982 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1983 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1986 Yankee Conference Co-Champions
1989 Yankee Conference Tri-Champions
2007 Big East Conference Co-Champions
2010 Big East Conference Co-Champions
DIVISION CHAMPIONS (1)
1998 Atlantic 10 New England Division Champions

MBB hasn't made the NCAA tournament in the last two years. Your argument against football can be made against basketball. It is equally bad in either case.
The link shows that he received $4,000 in bonuses during the UMass game, not $28,000. Regardless, paying a head football coach $1M is phenomenally low. Probably not the hill you want to die on.
Sorry, I tried as hard as I could but I couldn't make sense of your post. Kind of seems like you are floundering.
So you don't think the Rent, Shenkman or Burton have value? Yep definitely floundering. It's okay, your argument was flawed to begin with. You weren't going to be able save it any event.

1.) You're a fan. Great. Not as many people get as jazzed about Yankee Conference history... well, no one does. I'd be willing to bet 75%+ of posters on this board even know about that let alone care about it.

2.) Read the end of the tweet, Corky. I know you can. He's received $28,000 in performance incentives this season for being 1-7.

3.) It's not $1 million. It's that, but also the $9.5 million buy out for Diaco, $750K buy out for Pasqualoni... That's a ton of money to pay to move backwards, you don't think?

 

[FartMan69]

It's still a ways away. A lot can happen between now and then. All we need is the team to be mildly competitive. As UCONN brings so much else to the fore.

Also depends on number of desired teams per conference (playoffs etc). Depends what influence TV networks have on the process. And I'm guessing politicians get heavily involved the next round. Stakes are too high.

So many moving parts, you just can't predict. But the money to the P5 is going to so outrageously pace those schools left out, that it's worth trying to build the football program. The other conferences are going to suffer.

And if you subscribe to the idea that the P5 will eventually leave the NCAA, then it's well worth taking a shot at getting amongst it.

We were passed on when we actually had a decent football program. Now the landscape is vastly different and top tier football has passed us by. No football conference wants us and we don't provide anything they don't already have. So lets just keep throwing money we don't have/make at a dead football program?

 

[Tex-Lager93]

We were passed on partly because of grudges, politics and a lack of vision. Bad decisions came back to bite us. We need to make this work - and, yes, I'm biased as a football fan - having a decent football team again would be great for our UConn brand.