We are UConn dammit

[ballislife]

I really don't understand what the hell is going on. I have no clue what ia going on behind the scenes but I don't understand why we aren't being mentioned with the ACC or Big 10. We have the best basketball program in the nation, we have one of the best soccer programs in the country, we look a little down in football this year but have been pretty good the last several seasons and we are a damn fine Public University. I don't for the life of me understand how Pitt and Syracuse are more attractive than us.

 

[UconnU]

2nd best overall athletic school in the country, 29th largest media market in the country and a top 20 public university last year. We should be the biggest fish in the Big East. Makes no sense to me.

 

[ballislife]

It's really bothering the hell out of me, it makes no sense. It's like people think Syracuse and Pitt are better than us and we might be on the same level as Rutgers if we are lucky. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

 

[teresias216]

We sat on our hands and Pitt and Syracuse pulled the trigger. That is the biggest difference.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

Just replace 'invented piano key necktie' with 'won the national championship' and Derek with Pitt.

 

[husky99]

We sat on our hands and Pitt and Syracuse pulled the trigger. That is the biggest difference.

yup!

 

[mihusky]

yup!

unfortunate timing w new & interim leadership in UConn's athletic dept...

 

[HooperScooper]

It's all about football. And despite UConn going to a BCS bowl game last year UConn's football program doesn't have the history that both those schools have. And the Rent only seats 40,000. That's pretty small for most big time programs. Basketball doesn't do anything.

Here, read this article about where Kansas stands in all:

this, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../09/16/Kansas.Big.12/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a1

And yet, this elite, storied jewel of a program is in a precarious position for the simple reason that its university does not have a football program to match. Oh sure, the Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl four years ago, but they don't have nearly the cache of gridiron behemoths like Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Perkins told me that one reason KU did not generate more interest last summer was because its football stadium barely holds 50,000 people. "We had talks with other schools, but we were never offered the opportunity to go to another conference," he said. "I thought our basketball would drive us a little bit more, but I wasn't angry about it or even disappointed. It just reinforced the importance of football."

 

[gruconn]

Uconn will be fine, we are a basketball school and while I will miss the games against Syracuse and Pittsburgh we will still be a powerhouse for years to come. I would hate it if we went to the ACC we have no tradition versus those schools down south. If we went to the ACC we are in their league go ask BC about that. I really think we should reduce the number of schools in the Big East, I like a 10-12 team league. I love the match ups with local teams like Georgetown, Villanova, St. Johns and even Providence. A smaller league would give us the flexibility to schedule a lot of good out of conference games. We are blue blood now so most teams in the country would jump at the chance to schedule us.

 

[zyron]

Uconn will be fine, we are a basketball school and while I will miss the games against Syracuse and Pittsburgh we will still be a powerhouse for years to come. I would hate it if we went to the ACC we have no tradition versus those schools down south. If we went to the ACC we are in their league go ask BC about that. I really think we should reduce the number of schools in the Big East, I like a 10-12 team league. I love the match ups with local teams like Georgetown, Villanova, St. Johns and even Providence. A smaller league would give us the flexibility to schedule a lot of good out of conference games. We are blue blood now so most teams in the country would jump at the chance to schedule us.

So under your plan we just eliminate the football program?

 

[lavuuk153]

So under your plan we just eliminate the football program?

Completely agree. We have to go somewhere otherwise the football program becomes useless. ACC makes the most sense since it can be a north south split. I don't care if the ACC reminds us we are in their conference because that'll make it sweeter when we win their conference (basketball), which is no longer a 2 horse race.

 

[gruconn]

So under your plan we just eliminate the football program?

Not a big College Football fan, could you or someone explain why the football program will be eliminated if we stay in the Big East. This is a serious question please someone enlighten me. I prefer not to mess up a good thing "Big East Basketball" because of football.

 

[lavuuk153]

Not a big College Football fan, could you or someone explain why the football program will be eliminated if we stay in the Big East. This is a serious question please someone enlighten me. I prefer not to mess up a good thing "Big East Basketball" because of football.

The problem is that the Big East will only have 6 teams right now with Pitt and Cuse leaving. TCU isn't here yet and might not come if given another opportunity. The only way BE football can survive is merging with the leftovers of the Big 12 (Kansas, KState, ISU, maybe Baylor) which would keep the conference alive. It's also not terrible for basketball adding Kansas but it makes travel a nightmare with half of our games in all sports in the midwest. Going to the ACC allows a nice North/South split which helps keep regional rivals for football as we'd get to finally kick BCU's ass as well as go against Edsall at Maryland. It also keeps all the teams on the East coast for other sports which makes travel much easier.

 

[gruconn]

The problem is that the Big East will only have 6 teams right now with Pitt and Cuse leaving. TCU isn't here yet and might not come if given another opportunity. The only way BE football can survive is merging with the leftovers of the Big 12 (Kansas, KState, ISU, maybe Baylor) which would keep the conference alive. It's also not terrible for basketball adding Kansas but it makes travel a nightmare with half of our games in all sports in the midwest. Going to the ACC allows a nice North/South split which helps keep regional rivals for football as we'd get to finally kick BCU's ass as well as go against Edsall at Maryland. It also keeps all the teams on the East coast for other sports which makes travel much easier.

Thanks for the explanation lavuuk153. Here is my point I don't see Uconn winning a national championship in Football anytime soon. Worst case scenario we are in a football league best case scenario we add some teams and still get a BCS bowl bid maybe. We are who we are and that's a basketball school. For now I don't want to see that messed up and we fit perfectly in the big east and I don't see the same situation if we went to the ACC. How does Notre Dame get a BCS invite without a league?

 

[lavuuk153]

Notre Dame has the biggest following in all of football regardless of how good they are. They have a deal with NBC and will get a nod to a bowl game over teams with better records because of the laundry they wear. I agree I'd love to keep the Big East basketball conference together, but at the end of the day football drives the conferences. Joining the ACC makes more sense at this point since it will have plenty of regional schools involved, we keep playing Pitt/Cuse, and add Duke/UNC. For football we play only Northeast teams which makes road games easier to go to with the Virginia teams being the furthest away. Not to mention that the football schools leaving doesn't cripple the bball only schools as they will still a pretty decent conference with Gtown, Nova, St. Johns, Marquette and Notre Dame leading the way.

 

[EricLA]

Kansas' football stadium barely holds 50,000. UCONN's is about 40,000. If Kansas can't get any interest, UCONN gets even less. just the facts of the matter.

 

[zls44]

Thanks for the explanation lavuuk153. Here is my point I don't see Uconn winning a national championship in Football anytime soon. Worst case scenario we are in a darnty football league best case scenario we add some teams and still get a BCS bowl bid maybe. We are who we are and that's a basketball school. For now I don't want to see that messed up and we fit perfectly in the big east and I don't see the same situation if we went to the ACC. How does Notre Dame get a BCS invite without a league?

Football revenue is what ensures UConn's ability to compete nationally. Without football, UConn basketball will turn into San Francisco.

 

[gruconn]

Football revenue is what ensures UConn's ability to compete nationally. Without football, UConn basketball will turn into San Francisco.

I have heard that argument but I dont buy it. How did we survive before we went to Division 1.

 

[zls44]

I have heard that argument but I dont buy it. How did we survive before we went to Division 1.

Money was different then. Texas played in a stadium the same size, roughly, as what Louisville plays in now. It's like the NFL- college football has exploded in the past 20 years, starting with the SCOTUS ruling that the NCAA's TV ban was illegal.

 

[Stinger92860]

Uconn will be fine, we are a basketball school and while I will miss the games against Syracuse and Pittsburgh we will still be a powerhouse for years to come. I would hate it if we went to the ACC we have no tradition versus those schools down south. If we went to the ACC we are in their league go ask BC about that. I really think we should reduce the number of schools in the Big East, I like a 10-12 team league. I love the match ups with local teams like Georgetown, Villanova, St. Johns and even Providence. A smaller league would give us the flexibility to schedule a lot of good out of conference games. We are blue blood now so most teams in the country would jump at the chance to schedule us.

You have no clue. We could be irrelevant in 2-3 years.....