What do you view as a realistic ceiling for Uconn 2017 & Beyond?

[JMick]

Make a bowl 80% of the time. Compete for an AAC title every 4 years and finish the year ranked in the top 25 once every decade. That's what I think our absolute ceiling is.

 

[shizzle787]

Winning 10 games just one time would make my life

I can't tell you how disappointed I was the year we lost to Wake in a bowl game that we led 10-0 at half that would have been win #10 that year.

 

[Redding Husky]

I think we can be a top 60 team consistently, with trips into the top 40 somewhat common.

And once in a while, we should reach the top 25.

Rankings higher than 100 are inexcusable.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

If we can reach top 25 two years in a row -- and end the season that way -- ACC may give us a serious look.

 

[PPKChamp]

I think our ceiling is to be ranked in the top 20 at the end of the season. If we could do that once every 4-5 years, win some bowl games, get back to a New Years Bowl game.... that would be awesome!

 

[tjhusky]

I think our ceiling is to be ranked in the top 20 at the end of the season. If we could do that once every 4-5 years, win some bowl games, get back to a New Years Bowl game.... that would be awesome!

...and get back into a P5

 

[freescooter]

I think 4-5 next year and would be thrilled at 6. Over time I think we can get to a top 35-ish program that in good years makes a run at the top 20. 8-4 on a consistent basis with better years thrown in. If Edsall gets us back to that level he will have done his job well.

 

[sdhusky]

in my world ... we talk comparables (or peer Programs)

Why can't UConn regularly be better than Temple? They have had a nice run; but we should kick their butt recruiting (housing and food on N Broad Street? Cmon). We should be - eventually - be better than Navy. In our market, we can regularly be better than BC and Syracuse.

That, IMHO, gets into the top 40 ... and maybe better.

In my world, take RU, Temple, BCU, SU and UConn and the program with the best coach will have the best program at that moment.

No one has such a massive (see Penn St) advantage over the others for it to be any more than coaching.

 

[sdhusky]

UConn was in the Big East (a power conference at the time). In case you missed it, UConn is now in a mid-major (read that as lower tier) conference. Recruiting will be a whole lot harder now for Mr. Edsall when all teams around us are in the P5.

Edsall wasn't beating Michigan or Alabama for recruits.

He was getting guys without offers (Branch was in a Syracuse suburb with no SU offer) and getting them in the NFL.

He can still get the same type of players as before.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Our ceiling and our realistic expectations are not the same. Our near term expectations are to return to over .500 football, being competitive in most every game, and going to minor bowls. It's what Edsall did before.

Our ceiling, if we had the right coach, and probably an on-campus stadium seating about 55k, is to be be roughly K-State or Virginia Tech, a team that goes bowling pretty much every year, finishes in the bottom half of the top 25 often, and occasionally challenges for a bigger bowl and top 10 finish. We can't be Alabama, USC, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU or even A&M, Florida or Georgia.

One of the reasons I wasn't fond of this hire, aside from the negative optics to the larger college football world, is that I don't think Edsall is a guy who can get us close to our ceiling. I'm not convinced that in our current situation he can even replicate what he did before. He's not regarded as he was, and we aren't in a BCS conference anymore.

 

[jimva]

Get off the football board.

+1

 

[freescooter]

Hawk. I'm not so sure about that. Edsall was a good talent evaluator. I think much better than a lot of people gave him credit for. His approach was not so different from Calhouns early philosophy of finding not the best guy on the field but rather the guy with a high upside. Jacobs said today and I've seen others say that he founnd guys who turned out to be better than expected in places they weren't expected to come from. We probably had more contributors from Canada than some hockey teams for example.

 

[ZooCougar]

As an outsider who adopted Uconn Football Fandom through a connection to a former player, I'm curious how the truly devoted of this fan base view the potential of the program going forward?

Without knowing who the next coach will be, Do you believe that there is a ceiling on success, and if so what would be viewed as acceptable by you? We all want to go undefeated every year and win the National Title, but the actual expectations at Indiana are greatly different than at Alabama. What are yours?

7-9 wins a year and being one of the classier non P5 teams. I want P5 teams to be afraid of scheduling us.

 

[ZooCougar]

I have gone to a minimum of 4 football games a year since they moved into the Rent and I will continue to go to football games (and basketball games and hockey games). I don't have any problem with UConn football winining 5-6 games a year. I just have reasonable expectations. Name 1 football team in the North East that is any good and who realistically has any chance of being really good. No talent in north east!!!!

Please ban yourself.

 

[sdhusky]

I want P5 teams to be afraid of scheduling us.

I want P5 fans screaming to fire their coach after playing us.

 

[ZooCougar]

I want P5 fans screaming to fire their coach after playing us.

We used to get people fired. It was pretty cool.

 

[TitleTown]

Stick to basketball. Better yet stop rooting for the basketball. If you don't support all sports here we don't want you. Bye.

How do you know he doesn't "support all sports"? Because he was honest with his prediction? The UConn football program doesn't exactly have a history that rivals Alabama.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

In a typical (most) season UConn will win 4 to 5 games. In a good season (every 10 years or so) they will win 6 to 7 games. Occasionally (every 15 or 20 years) they will have a really really good season and win 8 to 9 games. That is where I see UConn ceiling as a football program.

 

[len0322]

An appearance in the conference championship should the goal every year.

 

[Colt house75]

My expectation:
NONE other than I expect seeing my great friends, EXPECT good grilling and food, EXPECT cold beer and EXPECT me getting my into my seat
by kickoff. I expect my friends will do the same. I EXPECT them not to be DEBBIE DOWNERS. I EXPECT to get to every game
I can being a season ticket holder and I EXPECT my family understands that..... LIFE IS SHORT!!

OUR football tailgate group has been together for quite a few years now. Everyone in our group EXPECTS and feels the worst is behind us.

I EXPECT not too hear about energy vamps, vitamin D and batman.....

Realistically, I hope to see Randy 2.o bringing a competitive team in the second half of 2017 into 2018 after working out the kinks in the first half of 2017.
His teams never NEVER NEVER QUIT. That is all I hope for and leave EXPECTATIONS at the door because there are too many factors
such as injuries, etal that have an overall impact on Win/loss record.

 

[Excalibur]

There is no reason why we can't do what Temple has done in the AAC, or exceed it. That is an independent question from whether Randy can get us there now.

I don't see us winning more than 4 games with the current roster unless the 2016 class is better than what was already on the field by a wide margin and Diaco was committed to redshirting all of them no matter what (the Williams disaster notwithstanding). That's possible -- in terms of offers the class was equal to or better than than any we've had -- but not likely given what we know about Diaco as evaluator of talent.

 

[Pudge]

UConn was in the Big East (a power conference at the time). In case you missed it, UConn is now in a mid-major (read that as lower tier) conference. Recruiting will be a whole lot harder now for Mr. Edsall when all teams around us are in the P5. The northeast is not a hot bed for football talent. The other schools in the American have much better recruiting grounds to scour for talent. Also, didn't someone pose a question as to what we think UConn's football ceiling will be???? This happens to be my opinion whether you like it or not. You have your opinion I have mine, whats the problem? I will still be going to the games win or lose.

I DON'T BELIEVE THIS

Why? Because Edsall really was on a different planet in terms of who he brought in. Rarely did he get into a tussle ... late in the process with 3 other Universities. He identified early ... and kept under the radar. He watched senior year ... and scooped up kids when the others were near full classes. This path was refined over 12 years and he rarely wavered. As we just heard from a few sources, Edsall got great credit for this. At Maryland, he actually tried to ratchet up higher ... and had some hurt fans because they are far more discerning than us. I don't think anything has really altered in this world for Edsall. We still have the type of kids he went for available --- with the bonus being New England prep schools have more solid kids than 10 years ago.

I expect Edsall to be marginally better in recruiting.

 

[Dooley]

As an outsider who adopted Uconn Football Fandom through a connection to a former player, I'm curious how the truly devoted of this fan base view the potential of the program going forward?

Without knowing who the next coach will be, Do you believe that there is a ceiling on success, and if so what would be viewed as acceptable by you? We all want to go undefeated every year and win the National Title, but the actual expectations at Indiana are greatly different than at Alabama. What are yours?

I can't/won't speak for others, but my expectations for our football program are as follows:

1. we run a clean program. I don't ever want to become a Baylor or FSU or OU in the sense that we sit on proof of criminal activity for over a year in order to win football games. I want to win as much as the next guy, but not at the expense of people's lives.

2. we win 6+ games a year. Yes, there will be a few 5-7 seasons sprinkled in, but I expect us to hit the 6 win mark every season in the AAC. We are never going to contend for national championships...but I do expect to contend for mediocre bowl games each year.

3. our recruiting class rankings move from the 100s back into the 60s and 70s range. I have confidence in Edsall to find those 2-star kids that can turn into top performers at the FBS level.

4. we get back to our bread & butter: tough OL, stout running game, solid defense, very good special teams play. I really don't care how we move the football - by land or by air - but as of right now, we are better suited to move it by land. I expect 2017 to re-introduce a power run game to our offense and, hopefully, that will open the aerial attack via play-action.

5. the annual decline in attendance to stop right here. I think it will be a long time before the Rent sells out and has the same atmosphere that it had when Edsall was last here...but I do think 3 - 5K fans we lose a year under Diaco/Pasqualoni ends right here. We might even sell out the BC game now.

 

[Afroabe224]

My expectation:
NONE other than I expect seeing my great friends, EXPECT good grilling and food, EXPECT cold beer and EXPECT me getting my into my seat
by kickoff. I expect my friends will do the same. I EXPECT them not to be DEBBIE DOWNERS. I EXPECT to get to every game
I can being a season ticket holder and I EXPECT my family understands that..... LIFE IS SHORT!!

OUR football tailgate group has been together for quite a few years now. Everyone in our group EXPECTS and feels the worst is behind us.

I EXPECT not too hear about energy vamps, vitamin D and batman.....

Realistically, I hope to see Randy 2.o bringing a competitive team in the second half of 2017 into 2018 after working out the kinks in the first half of 2017.
His teams never NEVER NEVER QUIT. That is all I hope for and leave EXPECTATIONS at the door because there are too many factors
such as injuries, etal that have an overall impact on Win/loss record.

To piggy back: I EXPECT that UConn football is relevant enough to fill the Rent and I EXPECT that this team is exciting to follow based on their play, not their wacky coach.

 

[CL82]

View attachment 18024

Does he have any eligibility left?