What impact will Maine game have on realignment?

[UConnfan8]

Maine is not a bad team. They are a very good team.

No. Wrong.

 

[UConnfan8]

There will not be any real effect of last nights close game. But if you think Big 12 big wigs ARENT paying attention to scores and shooting texts to other trusted people in decision making, your delusional. I'm sure many big 12 leaders checked their phone and saw the score of the UConn game last night and rolled their eyes. Many probably don't even know that Maine has a football program. Like it or not- it's a football first conference. Improving in basketball every year- but they want it to stay football first.

I realize the importance of game days for us, I realize the importance of filling the rent (4 game mini pass purchaser here) but at what point is being down to Maine (truly a bad football program) in the 4th quarter and pulling out a squeaky win just not good enough to be in a P5 conference against teams of Big 12 stature. We need to start winning games that should be won, convincingly. Our defensive backs (something Diaco hangs his hat on) were useless last night.

 

[CTMike]

Btw, DIACO is not failing. I know 2 of the players on the team, very well. They're raving about the defensive prowess of your coach. He is very good. To be perfectly honest, he's not gonna be there very long, but will make his mark.

People aren't going to be beating down his door if he only delivers mediocrity (and that's being kind), no matter how nice a guy he is. I want him to deliver the goods here, the jury is still out, but he's running out of excuses.

 

[CL82]

People aren't going to be beating down his door if he only delivers mediocrity (and that's being kind), no matter how nice a guy he is. I want him to deliver the goods here, the jury is still out, but he's running out of excuses.

When the "nicest guy on the Boneyard" is starting to be critical of our football coach, you know he needs to produce.

 

[BlueandOG]

None.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Haven't we been to like 6 bowls since we went D-1 in 2004 ish? That's pretty respectable given our programs short history and horrible Pasqualoni era. We probably would have been to another bowl during Orlovsky's time here if we weren't in Football limbo and no conference at the time. Not sure what else we could do. We hired a better coach, he just needs to get some W's now.

 

[uc1974]

Game means nothing except a W. Seriously.

 

[nomar]

I think we're a lock for Yankee Conference expansion.

 

[MattMang23]

Do we have any pictures of the stadium when it is more full vs. the pre-kickoff one that's been sharing around the Internet? We are being pounded to pieces by bunch of idiot Memphis fans on CSNBBS.

Ah, the Memphis fans who averaged about 15K until the last two years?

If Memphis wants to talk, they don't have much to say. Just four short years ago, they drew 67K...

FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

Which actually marked an improvement as in 2011 they drew 62K (!!!!!!!!).

Actual Tiger 2012 Football Attendance: 67,181 | City Beat Blog | Memphis News and Events | Memphis Flyer

 

[Tenspro2002]

I can't help but feel like the longer B12 expansion drags into football season, the more it hurts us.

In the offseason, we can talk all we want about being a program on the rise with major growth potential. These are abstract concepts.

But performance during the season is concrete and brings it all back to earth -- Texas and Oklahoma will receive a stark reminder of what UConn football would actually look like as a representative of their conference, and it's not pretty.

 

[dwalks93]

Relax....it was a subpar performance but UConn survived....

Lots of things to be concerned about from last night's game but next week is Navy and a chance for redemption.

The biggest fear for Big12 expansion is not UConn's underwhelming performance last night but instead that poor play and uninspired coaching will alienate a UConn football fan base which was excited for the first time since Edsall. The Big12 is more interested in fan attendance than they are in the outcome of the games. Fan interest = money for the Big12. UConn cannot afford to have its fans abandon the football program now but the performance last night will not help get fans excited to come out to the games. A boring, predictable game plan, an unwillingness to make adjustments, and almost inexplicable conservative play calls is not the recipe to fire up a fan base.

Big12 expansion is about money...if they can make more money with UConn (not just today but 8 years from today) than with the other candidates then that is all that will matter...football, academics, location, culture, etc...all take a distant backseat to money. And money is directly tied to fan interest, particularly football fan interest. If UConn loses its fan all will be lost. That is the real risk of the game last night.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

If we beat Navy and Virginia, no one will care how bad we looked last night.

 

[SAMCRO]

It's cool. If we get passed over, at least HCBD got the message Susan tried to send a few weeks back.

From Jacobs' article:

"Very exciting game. Hopefully everybody was wildly entertained."

Good old Bob...

 

[huskymedic]

Do we have any pictures of the stadium when it is more full vs. the pre-kickoff one that's been sharing around the Internet? We are being pounded to pieces by bunch of idiot Memphis fans on CSNBBS.

Divert their attention and ask for proof they haven't been eliminated from Big 12 consideration for poor academics like Boise State.

 

[Padutch5]

Relax....it was a subpar performance but UConn survived....

Lots of things to be concerned about from last night's game but next week is Navy and a chance for redemption.

The biggest fear for Big12 expansion is not UConn's underwhelming performance last night but instead that poor play and uninspired coaching will alienate a UConn football fan base which was excited for the first time since Edsall. The Big12 is more interested in fan attendance than they are in the outcome of the games. Fan interest = money for the Big12. UConn cannot afford to have its fans abandon the football program now but the performance last night will not help get fans excited to come out to the games. A boring, predictable game plan, an unwillingness to make adjustments, and almost inexplicable conservative play calls is not the recipe to fire up a fan base.

Big12 expansion is about money...if they can make more money with UConn (not just today but 8 years from today) than with the other candidates then that is all that will matter...football, academics, location, culture, etc...all take a distant backseat to money. And money is directly tied to fan interest, particularly football fan interest. If UConn loses its fan all will be lost. That is the real risk of the game last night.

I'm so tired of all the focus on the current state of UCONN football. The fact is that the UCONN program has proven its ability.to support athletic programs across the spectrum. Should there have been more fans in the stands last night. Yes. However it was a meaningless game on a Thursday night before a holiday weekend. The fan base has proven in the past than when there are big name teams [Michigan] or meaningful games [Pitt, Cincinnati etc.] They will show up.
Even if the tea is boring agin as it was last night. So what re expansion. UCONN
built he program very quickly to bowl status. They will do it again.

 

[Fairfield 1st]

In response to OP-zero

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I still can't believe we came a few hundred short of 30k. So annoying. I don't have the best view of the whole stands from my seats but we could have said 31k and no one would have judged it. Except of course some idiots on the FB board who swore there was "maybe 18k fans at the game." Yeah at like 6:50 probably.

 

[MattMang23]

I still can't believe we came a few hundred short of 30k. So annoying. I don't have the best view of the whole stands from my seats but we could have said 31k and no one would have judged it. Except of course some idiots on the FB board who swore there was "maybe 18k fans at the game." Yeah at like 6:50 probably.

Lol. At 6:50 there were like 12K maybe.

 

[jho]

Lol. At 6:50 there were like 12K maybe.

Sadly, with Batman's offense you can show up at the end of the 1st quarter and not miss anything.

 

[huskymedic]

Do we have any pictures of the stadium when it is more full vs. the pre-kickoff one that's been sharing around the Internet? We are being pounded to pieces by bunch of idiot Memphis fans on CSNBBS.

Divert their attention and ask for proof they haven't been eliminated from Big 12 consideration for poor academics like Boise State.

Psst... University of Memphis not among Big 12 expansion finalists

 

[Jerry1714]

The dog poop attendance has more meaning than the score. The score means zero

 

[NYUConn]

The dog poop attendance has more meaning than the score. The score means zero

Last nights attendance was 3K more than last year's opener. Still not great by any means, but it shows we are moving in right direction.

 

[CTMike]

Sadly, with Batman's offense you can show up at the end of the 1st quarter and not miss anything.

Seriously. You want butts in seats? Score on the opening drive once in a while.

 

[zls44]

The win at ranked Louisville 48 hours before the last ACC expansion vote had a HUGE impact.

 

[Ldandy]

UConn managed to defeat Maine after a sloppy football game. Was it just on off night for the Huskies or is this a sign that UConn is not ready to be in a Power 5 conference -- at least in football? Should we wait for another game to draw conclusions, get rid of one or more coaches, or get used to being in the AAC for decades?

Last night was a sign that UConn is not ready to be in a P5 Conference for Football? As a non Uconn Guy maybe my memory is a bit foggy, but didn't UConn win a P5 Conference Championship? Twice? Only one way to find out if you are ready. Roll the damn ball out and get after it. SMDH.