Villanova is the Blueprint

[intlzncster]

I haven't read this entire thread so someone could have said this already, but wasn't UConn the blueprint and Villanova copied UConn? They've just done it better very recently than we have.

The blueprint is to hire a Hall of Fame coach. That's it really.

 

[intlzncster]

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.

If they are looking to add, who is our competition? That's what you have to look at. We have a pretty good resume among who's out there.

If they aren't looking to add, we're !@#%#$!.

 

[superjohn]

If they are looking to add, who is our competition? That's what you have to look at. We have a pretty good resume among who's out there.

If they aren't looking to add, we're !@#%#$!.

We had a better resume than everyone added last time.

 

[StunningSteve]

If UConn is the blue print, why isn't Villanova in the AAC?

Nova tried to upgrade to FBS and were more inept at securing a worthy stadium than UMASS.

NBE just had mass defections and lost another signature coach to the ACC. That most definitely is no haven for UConn. How is St John’s and Georgetown recruiting working out?? Those are 2 of their premier brands and their recruiting is mediocre at best.

As was said, FB $$$ drives TV deals. The next AAC contract puts UConn in a better situation, on a much better network.

 

[intlzncster]

We had a better resume than everyone added last time.

Yes, and we got screwed by politics, incompetence, and I'm guessing a fair bit of under the table dealing. What can you do? The disparity is even more striking for the next round.

No harm in being patient. If we don't get selected, then make some decisions.

 

[CL82]

Nova tried to upgrade to FBS and were more inept at securing a worthy stadium than UMASS.

NBE just had mass defections and lost another signature coach to the ACC. That most definitely is no haven for UConn. How is St John’s and Georgetown recruiting working out?? Those are 2 of their premier brands and their recruiting is mediocre at best.

As was said, FB $$$ drives TV deals. The next AAC contract puts UConn in a better situation, on a much better network.

IIRC, Nova balked and then passed on the upgrade. I actually think that that might helped stabilize the BE had they done it.

 

[Towney007]

Yes, and we got screwed by politics, incompetence, and I'm guessing a fair bit of under the table dealing. What can you do? The disparity is even more striking for the next round.

No harm in being patient. If we don't get selected, then make some decisions.

I love your optimism - and in all honestly i'm with you in being patient and not making a move for the sake of it. I'm fine waiting for that next round of realignment - assuming that happens. But I just don't think we realistically have much of any kind of shot at this point - And if we do get in, we'll get into a P5 *in spite* of our football program, not because of it.

 

[intlzncster]

I love your optimism - and in all honestly i'm with you in being patient and not making a move for the sake of it. I'm fine waiting for that next round of realignment - assuming that happens. But I just don't think we realistically have much of any kind of shot at this point - And if we do get in, we'll get into a P5 *in spite* of our football program, not because of it.

I'm not banking on it per se. Just that it's a silly idea to kill the football program now. There's an appropriate time to have that conversation (after the next round). If we're out in the cold, we'll take stock and move on from there. Who knows how the AAC will be at that point? Maybe BB is on the come for this league.

 

[Towney007]

I'm not banking on it per se. Just that it's a silly idea to kill the football program now. There's an appropriate time to have that conversation (after the next round). If we're out in the cold, we'll take stock and move on from there. Who knows how the AAC will be at that point? Maybe BB is on the come for this league.

I mean i'm pretty direct in that i'm fine if they killed it now. There's still obvious downside to it and after possible realignment - there wouldn't be any.

I'm actually pretty optimistic about this conferences ability to build on itself as a hoops conference and in many regards it has. Had Memphis not flushed itself and remained mostly competitive and had we not gone down the drain - we'd be in a really fantastic spot, overall. Houston has made big strides as much as Sampson makes me want to grab a vomit bag. I think Dunleavy can make Tulane decent and bring it up to the level of say - a Temple or a Tulsa - where they can field a tournament team every now and then. So long as Wichita keeps their coaching staff in place - they're a super add. UCF has been perfectly fine and we honestly couldn't ask much more from them considering where they started from.

I guess what i'm saying - to my original point - is football's best hope is the hoops program gets good enough again quickly enough to take some heat off them and make enough noise to make it appealing in realignment. Basketball is football's best bet.

 

[Adios]

On the radar? Hahaa really? On the radar?

The ACC isn't interested at all right now. The B1G isn't either.

Both are trying to run events in New York City because they can. The ACC already has. And they're going to continue doing so and spray their stuff all over ESPN and expanding their brand recognition in that market without adding UConn or anyone for that matter. Meanwhile, our hoops team is playing on ESPN the Ocho because our AD is trying to salvage the steaming remains of a football program no one cares about and building a $45 million, 500 seat hockey arena we don't have money for.

That's reality.

I swear you're like the nerdy girl who's been sitting on the curb of the road waiting for the prom king to come pick her up but hasn't realized he was joking yet.

Football doesn't have 4-5 years. It's dead. It's best shot is Danny Hurley coaches UConn basketball real good and takes enough eyes off them so they can quasi-justify their existence for MAYBE another round of realignment. That's literally the only hope. Football isn't fixing football.

You are clueless. That's a lot of time wasted on nonsense.

 

[Towney007]

You are clueless. That's a lot of time wasted on nonsense.

I'll be sure to check your schedule next time I post.

 

[Adios]

I'll be sure to check your schedule next time I post.

Go right ahead. Your whining is useless.

 

[xclamations]

Id say Gonzaga is the blueprint. Theyre in a weak conference like uconn. But have a loyal coach. Im not so sure hurley is mark few as far as that goes once he gets the ball rolling

 

[Towney007]

Go right ahead. Your whining is useless.

And your whining about my whining is more useless.

 

[intlzncster]

Id say Gonzaga is the blueprint. Theyre in a weak conference like uconn. But have a loyal coach. Im not so sure hurley is mark few as far as that goes once he gets the ball rolling

While I'm not knocking the sentiment, AAC >>>>>>>>>>>> WCC. That kinda accentuates your point I suppose.

 

[xclamations]

While I'm not knocking the sentiment, AAC >>>>>>>>>>>> WCC. That kinda accentuates your point I suppose.

And thats saying something? lol. But their one yearly lock (zags)>>>>>>>>> any aac program so far. Dont bring up the 14 title because that was the first year. Nothing much since. The only consistency AAC has is cinci losing in the dance early. But at least they win. And AAC is a great value power 5 school... it should be better than a basketball league only...league.

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[TyroneShoo]

Some folks like Nova’s chances with Roach.

 

[olehead]

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.

Amen!

 

[TheChamps990411]

Football is a lot more difficult and lengthy rebuild than basketball. Especially considering where our football program is talent wise

YOu are correct but in football everything begins and ends with the coach. Get a real coach and Uconn can become relevant in football. Till then its not even worth the debate.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Don’t look now. Jay Wright just signed another five star recruit in JRE.

This happens on the same day our football coach told reporters his team will be competitive in 5 years. Less than 4,000 fans saw randy get out coached by UMass.

I believe the big east is the 3rd best basketball league, and is not going anywhere any time soon. I believe UConn could have the same successes Villanova is experiencing.

#bringbackthebrand

Wow! Have we really mustve fallen and people must have really, really short memories. I never thought id see the day that fans would want to have the success that Villanova has. Just wow.

 

[intlzncster]

YOu are correct but in football everything begins and ends with the coach. Get a real coach and Uconn can become relevant in football. Till then its not even worth the debate.

I mean, it does in basketball too, when it comes to college athletics, given the constant recruiting aspects of the job. Programs aren't inherently stable.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I mean, it does in basketball too, when it comes to college athletics, given the constant recruiting aspects of the job. Programs aren't inherently stable.

Absolutely but in BB you can be a mediocre coach and be a great recruiter and you suddenly find yourself in the F4. That is not the case with football. You better be big time with the Xs and Os or youre going to struggle. I could be wrong but thats what ive seen.

 

[Zissou]

Wow! Have we really mustve fallen and people must have really, really short memories. I never thought id see the day that fans would want to have the success that Villanova has. Just wow.

And Nova has risen.

 

[freescooter]

We had a bad coach. It sets you back. Hurley ain’t playing for a national championship for a few years either and basketball is much easier to rebuild. Should we draw hoops too? Or maybe just men’s hoop. The women seem to be doing ok. Though getting knocked out two years running??? We should probably look at them too.