What UConn is and is not, and what has changed and what has not...

[RioDog]

Or why I stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb…

What UConn is not-

UConn is not Alabama or Texas or Notre Dame. When our stock is falling we cannot bounce back like these programs can. By the same token we are not a directional, a private or a metropolitan commuter school- we CAN eventually recover lost ground. The effect of the PP era, while bad, will pass. The power brokers in college athletics are smart enough to know that.

What UConn is-

UConn is the top public land-grant school in New England, located in a wealthy state, with a national pedigree in many sports, and fans/alums in many large media marketsand improving academics. The effects of the PP era do not change that. The power brokers in college athletics are smart enough to know that.

What has changed-

The football team has been bad for a couple of years. We went from beating the Irish under the Dome and playing in a BCS bowl to losing the season opener to an FCS opponent in sad and embarrassing manner. We have gone from uncertainty to certainty about the wisdom of the PP hire AND his inevitable departure. Our conference affiliation has changed, temporarily, for the worse. The effect of the PP era may slow these processes down, but cannot stop the ultimate ascension of UConn athletics.

What has not-

UConn is the top public land-grant school in New England, located in a wealthy state, with a national pedigree in many sports, and fans/alums in many large media markets and improving academics. Goofy quotes from the leadership notwithstanding, UConn has a winning tradition, and that has not and will not change. The ascension of the program will continue long after the PP era is a distant memory.


Yesterday’s loss was shocking and embarrassing, but ultimately it is only one game, coached by a staff that will soon be replaced. This season may be a total bust, and certainly the timing is not ideal in the greater context of CR. PP’s effect on UConn’s trajectory in college athletics will not be positive, but UConn’s recent struggles in football will not destroy UConn athletics as some posters seem to believe.


Thats my view- go ahead and blaze away.

 

[willie99]

and we are NBA-U, we are are literally the WNBA, we won NC's in men's soccer, baseball is solid, track is a regional power, and woman's field hockey won NC's and is nationally ranked

we have 4 programs that are contenders on the national level every year

and when we're fully committed to hockey, I think we'll do well there too

I think we will be fun to watch and field decent football teams once PeePee is disposed of

 

[RioDog]

and we are NBA-U, we are are literally the WNBA, we won NC's in men's soccer, baseball is solid, track is a regional power, and woman's field hockey won NC's and is nationally ranked

we have 4 programs that are contenders on the national level every year

and when we're fully committed to hockey, I think we'll do well there too

I think we will be fun to watch and field decent football teams once PeePee is disposed of

Couldn't agree more.

 

[CTMike]

I hope you are right.

 

[RioDog]

I hope you are right.

Me too Mike. I'm just a schmoe with an opinion, and I'm not an insider or sports management or media expert. I have been around for few years, worked in some different industries- done some management, sales and marketing as well as teaching, and I pay attention. Some of the hyper-nuanced discussions on the board about CR and our plight, while amusing and informative at times, seem to me largely useless except to keep or jangled nerves under control- give us something to talk about while we twist in the wind. But the fine points discussed here fly out the window as soon you consider the BiG selection of SUNJ. Others have stated here, I think correctly, that that choice had nothing to do with athletic pedigree and everything to do with media markets (NYC) and TV contracts (and maybe a little to do with recruiting opportunities in NJ). That explanation feels right to me so I'm using it as a working premise going forward. UConn can offer similar entre into big media markets AND some exceptional athletic pedigrees, not to mention academics on a major upswing.

SO I guess in a long-winded way I'm trying to say that predicting UConn's future in athletics is kinda like considering the probability of extraterrestrial life beyond Earth. You don't have to be an astrophysicist to go outside on a clear night and start counting stars. After a few minutes you start to realize that there are alot of friggin stars up there, and those are just the ones you can see from Earth with the naked eye. Extraterrestrial life starts to look pretty possible. When you start counting UConn's "stars", and compare them to the other remaining programs that want in, it becomes hard to imagine that UConn WON'T ultimately be approached by the BiG or ACC or whoever, current coaches and crappy losses notwithstanding.

Sorry for throwing a "Spackler".