What is stopping us from being Temple?

[Hoophound]

UConn should be able to dominate the American with its brand recognition. One great hire and we'd be media darlings. UConn is one of the only schools in the American that would sell out the AAC championship game. The momentum would build quickly. Our facilities are the best in the conference. This is a program and fan base ready to explode, the only thing holding us back is the coaching.

 

[JMick]

UConn should be able to dominate the American with its brand recognition. One great hire and we'd be media darlings. UConn is one of the only schools in the American that would sell out the AAC championship game. The momentum would build quickly. Our facilities are the best in the conference. This is a program and fan base ready to explode, the only thing holding us back is the coaching.

I don't think it would build that quickly, but the potential is there.

 

[Hoophound]

I don't think it would build that quickly, but the potential is there.

Not sure why it wouldn't build quickly. It already happened once and even then, we played ground and pound football. Start scoring points in the air more often and the stadium will be full. Given the product, the attendance isn't bad at all. Look around the country, empty seats everywhere except in the stadiums of big football with winning teams. UF had plenty of empty seats this year until they heated. Haven't seen that in ages.

 

[JMick]

Not sure why it wouldn't build quickly. It already happened once and even then, we played ground and pound football. Start scoring points in the air more often and the stadium will be full. Given the product, the attendance isn't bad at all. Look around the country, empty seats everywhere except in the stadiums of big football with winning teams. UF had plenty of empty seats this year until they heated. Haven't seen that in ages.

UConn football was "new" back then, though. Now everyone just thinks UConn football sucks.

 

[gtcam]

Hmm let in football players?

This school admitted Nate Miles. I'm pretty sure it can be done.

And pray tell - how did that work out?

 

[whaler11]

And pray tell - how did that work out?

Poorly but not because he was a marginal student.

 

[Hoophound]

UConn football was "new" back then, though. Now everyone just thinks UConn football sucks.

I don't buy it. Connecticut fans aren't showing up for a losing team that plays boring football. That formula doesn't work anywhere these days. My wife and kids loved the Cincy game and they aren't even UConn fans really (they like them because I do), let alone football fans. It's just a great venue with good tailgating, good beer and food, a good band and a decent DJ. It isn't a hard sell with several million people nearby. However, a silent stadium and almost no points scored puts a damper on things. They'll be back when the points come back.

 

[BlueMAB]

UConn should be able to dominate the American with its brand recognition.

Sooner or later this fanbase will learn that no matter the sport, brand recognition doesn't win a single game, much less "dominate" a conference.

Coaches and players win games and dominate conferences. Look at Texas football. Coaches and players win, not brand.

 

[JMick]

I don't buy it. Connecticut fans aren't showing up for a losing team that plays boring football. That formula doesn't work anywhere these days. My wife and kids loved the Cincy game and they aren't even UConn fans really (they like them because I do), let alone football fans. It's just a great venue with good tailgating, good beer and food, a good band and a decent DJ. It isn't a hard sell with several million people nearby. However, a silent stadium and almost no points scored puts a damper on things. They'll be back when the points come back.

I'll agree to disagree. I think it'd take multiple years of 8 win seasons just based off my fellow alumni friends, coworkers, and other friends from the state.

Put it this way, out of all the people I met at UConn, I'm the only one that follows UConn football. That's out of fifty or sixty people that I am friends with or run into occasionally.

 

[whaler11]

I'll agree to disagree. I think it'd take multiple years of 8 win seasons just based off my fellow alumni friends, coworkers, and other friends from the state.

Put it this way, out of all the people I met at UConn, I'm the only one that follows UConn football. That's out of fifty or sixty people that I am friends with or run into occasionally.

Yeah anyone who thinks the crowds are coming back fast is crazy. It's going to take a long time to being people back. The entire state other than us has moved on.

 

[JMick]

Yeah anyone who thinks the crowds are coming back fast is crazy. It's going to take a long time to being people back. The entire state other than us has moved on.

I was able to convert two friends that went to another state school to UConn fans, but it was like pulling teeth. Getting people to the tailgate is the first step. Getting them in the door is the second. After that it's up to the team to pull them in. I did my part... the program has not.

After watching the Villanova and Navy games last season they haven't wanted to go to another game lol

 

[Hoophound]

You guys are being really pessimistic. They'll be back if winning is back. There are tons of people tailgating at the games that don't go in. They'll go in if there is something worth seeing. I've been to games at other schools that traditionally have bad attendance. They have like 1000 people tailgating. We have droves.

 

[whaler11]

I was able to convert two friends that went to another state school to UConn fans, but it was like pulling teeth. Getting people to the tailgate is the first step. Getting them in the door is the second. After that it's up to the team to pull them in. I did my part... the program has not.

After watching the Villanova and Navy games last season they haven't wanted to go to another game lol

I used to spend a ton of energy trying to get people to go to the games, put together a big group
of season ticket holders, organize tailgates.

Gave up. Now I just go with my wife and daughter and if they have something better to do I can usually find one other person who will go.

 

[JMick]

I used to spend a ton of energy trying to get people to go to the games, put together a big group
of season ticket holders, organize tailgates.

Gave up. Now I just go with my wife and daughter and if they have something better to do I can usually find one other person who will go.

Yeah I haven't been to a game since because literally no one else I know wants to go with me. I can even get free tickets and people won't take them

 

[Hoophound]

Sooner or later this fanbase will learn that no matter the sport, brand recognition doesn't win a single game, much less "dominate" a conference.

Coaches and players win games and dominate conferences. Look at Texas football. Coaches and players win, not brand.

It's the coach. From there, brand and facilities will help a lot. So will the fan base. Connecticut will show up for a winner and kids want to see fans in the seats. These kids also want to play at schools people know. People know UConn. That's a huge edge to have over schools that don't have a big name in any sport. The facilities are big too. We have way better facilities than many P5 schools. If you bring in a coach like Rhule, we'll do big things and capitalize quickly. You act as if an entertaining and winning team won't sell tickets, it will. We were selling a decent amount of tickets 6 weeks ago.


The brand and fan base are a big bonus. We need a coach to win in order to capitalize. I said nothing about the brand winning us anything. I said that the brand would make a big difference once we are winning. It will.

 

[whaler11]

It's the coach. From there, brand and facilities will help a lot. So will the fan base. Connecticut will show up for a winner and kids want to see fans in the seats. These kids also want to play at schools people know. People know UConn. That's a huge edge to have over schools that don't have a big name in any sport. The facilities are big too. We have way better facilities than many P5 schools. If you bring in a coach like Rhule, we'll do big things and capitalize quickly. You act as if an entertaining and winning team won't sell tickets, it will. We were selling a decent amount of tickets 6 weeks ago.


The brand and fan base are a big bonus. We need a coach to win in order to capitalize. I said nothing about the brand winning us anything. I said that the brand would make a big difference once we are winning. It will.

Eh by that logic Duke and Kentucky should have great football teams.

 

[JMick]

Eh by that logic Duke and Kentucky should have great football teams.

eh they're better than us, have been playing well with good coaches.

 

[whaler11]

eh they're better than us, have been playing well with good coaches.

Yeah right this second. It's also the best they have ever been in years.

It's not like the Kentucky brand is now going to let them build on 6-6 or 7-5.

 

[JMick]

Yeah right this second. It's also the best they have ever been in years.

It's not like the Kentucky brand is now going to let them build on 6-6 or 7-5.

No I know, but the brand should help attract coaching talent, and coaching wins games in college football. I'll agree that it's not as important as many believe, though.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Without reading through other responses, Temple players are coached to play every play from start to finish, they are coached to treat every play like the game depends on it, they are coached to perform their task on each play.

Their players understand their roles and their expectations for each play.

They respect the game and show it by their effort

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Bad coaches and smart kids.

We need better coaching and kids who squeak through the admissions process and things change.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Is it our location?
Our coaching selections?
Our financial commitment to football?
Our facilities?
The "basketball school" curse (Indiana, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas)?
Our late start at the FBS level?
Our fan support (or lack thereof)?
All of the above?

I tend to think it's our coaching. The other items are not significant hurdles. In fact, our facilities are probably above average from what I've read.

Temple seems to have done well in a bad location (not the best section of Philly), no stadium of their own, and less fan support than we have. With the right coach, we should be fine.

The answer is very obvious. Uconn has made two bad choices for head coach.

The right coach can build a dynasty (Calhoun and Geno). The wrong coach can apparently shake the foundation to the core.
Uconn has now done that twice.

With the decisions made so far you really have to wonder how serious Uconn is for big time football. $5M is a lot of money on its own. But would anyone on this board let $5M stand in the way when $10's if not $100's millions have already been invested?

something bold and decisive has to happen. Anything less like hiring a retread OC on the cheap is waving the white flag.

 

[Marty Jackson]

UConn should be able to dominate the American with its brand recognition. One great hire and we'd be media darlings. UConn is one of the only schools in the American that would sell out the AAC championship game. The momentum would build quickly. Our facilities are the best in the conference. This is a program and fan base ready to explode, the only thing holding us back is the coaching.

Ready to explode???? I agree one good season will change things, but that one good season looks like two or three years out.

 

[06029]

Currently, this is objectively incorrect.

Who has been denied admissions due to academics for FB? Uconn has taken FB players from those bastions of academic rigor Milford Academy and Fork Union. Not one coach has raised a stink about academic requirements to the press.

Without names and proof, I don't buy it. Innuendo by GDL is a CYA move. Uconn has a history of taking minimally qualifying athletes and it continues today. After the BB APR fiasco, the structure is in place to keep all teams looking fine on that front.

 

[FartMan69]

I don't understand the brand argument. Ask anyone in the country what they think of when they think UConn and 100% will say basketball. Same goes for anybody here in state. Every single person knows we have good bball and crap football. A decent season isn't going to bring droves of casual fans in here because they don't just think of UConn as "one big brand" oozing with success and that's been expedited with a slate of teams nobody cares about coming to East Hartford. This program is so far down in the crapper it will take nearly perfect seasons to draw what we did in the honeymoon phase of FBS and even that's doubtful given our conference slate.