What UMass can teach UConn about life as a football independent (Courant)

[Steve1981]

I appreciate people putting in the effort to make these theoretical schedules, so thank you. I will point out that we will most likely play UMass every year, so you may want to swap one of these teams out for them.

So what are you say, we trade you the USF away game and we give you a home game for that slot.

 

[SubbaBub]

Here is 2021 and your first chance to fill in a schedule. Assume we aren't getting a game on 12/6 reserved for conference championships. The teams in blue are already signed and don't forget the bye week.

• 09/02 - Holy Cross
• 09/11 - Purdue
• 09/18 -
• 09/25 -
• 10/02
• 10/09 - at UMass
• 10/16
• 10/23
• 10/30
• 11/06
• 11/13 - at Clemson
• 11/20
• 11/27

The following teams have an open OOC slot and might consider playing us: Wake Forest, BC, FSU (no chance in hell), Ga Tech, PItt, TCU (no), Texas Tech (no), Northwestern, Maryland (no), Texas A&M (no), Florida, Georgia, SCar, Tenn (no, their other games suck), New Mexico State (10/23 or 10/30), ECU, Temple, UCF, SMU, Tulsa, Central Michigan, FIU, Marshall, MTSU, ODU, So. Miss, UAB, UTSA, Fresno St, Hawaii, UNLV, Texas St, Louisiana-Monroe.

Notes:
Most of the G5's are looking for home games. Most of the P5's are looking for a third OOC home game.
This may be a 5/7 home/road split season
Cuse has a home game with Albany TBA that we might be able to buy out.

Plan A for AD Dave: Get 2 of Pitt/GTECH/Wake, 1 at home; Give Northwestern whatever they want for a H/H; Book NM St as we'll need to for years to come; Get 2 of the old AAC (Temple, ECU, Tulsa are the most likely); Suck up 1 more SEC buy game on the road; Fill #12 with any other G5 willing to play at the Rent in 2021.

Do that and Dave deserves a statue.

 

[Pudge]

Although they are close enough to be rivals of a sort....in all of these decades, Buffalo has only played Syracuse in a one for three series (between 2000-07)

I think that regional games make a lot of sense..

HATE TO SAY IT

That was deep in Darryl Gross's tenure. He overthought stuff. I don't know the AD profile today; thought he was a executive at ESPN. Babers, to me, has no fear like that. He would think beating up on us would serve a purpose and satisfy a slice of their fans. Buffalo too

 

[zls44]

Although they are close enough to be rivals of a sort....in all of these decades, Buffalo has only played Syracuse in a one for three series (between 2000-07)

Which they only did as part of the deal to get the state of New York to pay for a new roof on the Carrier Dome.

 

[BlueDogs]

Pudge, I've been agreeing with you on a lot of the Big East/Indy talk, but you gotta understand that nobody cares about Stony Brook, Holy Cross, or JMU no matter how you think we will.

So right. If we play a glorified FCS schedule, we are no better than just that - a glorified FCS squad masquerading as a legit FBS program. Nobody is filling seats to see us play Holy Cross or Colgate (although Colgate would have beat the snot out of us last year). May as well close up shop. Schedule up not down.

 

[Husky25]

I'm going to both Holy Cross games and any other away CHC game UConn plays. If for no other reason than I grew up 13 minutes away and I have a spot to crash two towns east whenever I wish.

 

[Chief00]

The article is fine ... but it is near identical to the one Paul Doyle wrote a few weeks ago. Thanks Putterman

I’d also emphasize Florida trips. We get 4-8 kids a year; we need a trip every year. As much as possible. With 4 likely targets - UCF, USF, FAU, FIU - there’s opportunity. And also Georgia. If we get a P5 date ... ok.

Agree - Schedule games in FL. With private Big East knowledge in the Spring, Chief was concerned about FL being the focus of such a high % of our recruits - I think we are feeling that now.
What I couldn’t understand was that Randy apparently had no knowledge - hence it makes more sense now.

 

[Pudge]

Which they only did as part of the deal to get the state of New York to pay for a new roof on the Carrier Dome.

WTF?

Really. That doesn’t sound like NY State. Under what part of the budget? Economic development? It’s a Private infrastructure project. Now ... you do know NYS built a Hollywood quality production soundstage ... in Syracuse ... and it’s been used like twice in 5 years.

Then. Chief? If we don’t go harvest Florida for speed and some positions, we should give up. That’s a core priority.

Lastly. No one is saying Play a FCS schedule. You do notice that Army is playing 2 a year. My point is SOME FCS are more important than directional Southern FBS. And might be better games.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Yale beat Army in New Haven in 2014. Not sure about anyone else.

Yale needed a special waiver to play the game which was the latest in a series that started in 1893. Army won the mythical National Championship in 1914. Otherwise the waiver would not have been granted.

PS it was a great game- 51-48. First time in the Yale Bowl in many years. Then I drove to the Rent to watch Temple spank the good guys. Total buzzkill

 

[noeynox]

Yale needed a special waiver to play the game which was the latest in a series that started in 1893. Army won the mythical National Championship in 1914. Otherwise the waiver would not have been granted.

PS it was a great game- 51-48. First time in the Yale Bowl in many years. Then I drove to the Rent to watch Temple spank the good guys. Total buzzkill

Pretty sure IVY'S can't play FBS schools, though i couldn't find it. I thought the Academies were exception because technically they don't give out scholarships.

 

[CCSU97]

Ivys can play anyone - they just don't count for FBS teams' bowl eligibility because they don't offer the required NCAA equivalences. Basically, they Ivy funding model is considered "non-scholly" by the NCAA.

UConn could play Yale or Dartmouth, but neither would count as a win toward bowl eligibility. UConn wins vs. Wagner, CCSU, Lafayette, Holy Cross, etc. do count (1 per season).

The majority of FCS teams that don't count for FBS bowl eligibility are in the Ivy League and Pioneer League (Marist, Dayton, San Diego, etc.)

 

[uconnbill]

Hate to break it to you, but thats exactly what the future is

No it's not, but you go with that.

UConn is still in a major conference for other sports and the connection with NYC sets UConn apart.

 

[Drew]

No it's not, but you go with that.

UConn is still in a major conference for other sports and the connection with NYC sets UConn apart.

This is a football board and commentary on UConn’s football future.

 

[Guapo]

No it's not, but you go with that.

UConn is still in a major conference for other sports and the connection with NYC sets UConn apart.

This is a football board and commentary on UConn’s football future.

And what did he say that ran afoul?

 

[Rosebud70]

You could always try to set up h/h with duke or NC tell offer a B-ball series with them to get the fball deal done. Ratings would be nice for s UConn vs duke or NC maybe even at the garden. Just a far fetched out the box idea

 

[billybud]

Have a H&H with Duke in 2023 & 24....doubt they schedule two H&Hs in the 2020's.

Alsi already have an H&H with NC State in 2022 & 2023.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is a football board and commentary on UConn’s football future.

And the future is much brighter than UMass' football future. We are recognized as a P5 opponent by the B1G. UMass is not. We have a much more marketable name (even in football) than UMass. We have two basketball teams that people want to play, and can use those as leverage, unlike UMass. Our football will likely be broadcast on SNY, unlike UMass.

 

[History Geek]

Roughly a third of Wake Forest’s student body is from NE/NY/NJ/PA. I’ve proposed this before, and as a Wake parent I have some ulterior motives, but I think a football H/H with the Deacs would be mutually beneficial. Adding a basketball scheduling arrangement would be a home run for both.

 

[huskymedic]

We are recognized as a P5 opponent by the B1G. UMass is not.

I’m interested to see if that “recognition” continues as an Independent football program on the go forward - my gut tells me it won’t.

 

[Husky25]

And the future is much brighter than UMass' football future. We are recognized as a P5 opponent by the B1G. UMass is not. We have a much more marketable name (even in football) than UMass. We have two basketball teams that people want to play, and can use those as leverage, unlike UMass. Our football will likely be broadcast on SNY, unlike UMass.

The UConnBlog produced a podcast yesterday that is worth a listen. It spells multiple reasons why UConn is closer to BYU than UMass, namely SNY and the brand, as you say above.

One of the contributors (Dan Madigan, IIRC) said while nothing earth shattering came from media day and granted UConn wants to move all applicable sports to the Big East sooner rather than later, the longer nothing is leaked regarding football, the more likely it is that UConn will have a football home in the AAC for 2020.

 

[Husky25]

Well, I guess this answers that.^^^^

 

[Drew]

I’m interested to see if that “recognition” continues as an Independent football program on the go forward - my gut tells me it won’t.

Thank you. The recognition had more to do with the fact that Illinois and Indiana already had us on the schedule and full OOC schedules for those years, plus our AAC affiliation, than it did the actual UConn program.

It’s not an insult to say UConn is going to be like UMass in the future. Nobody in Florida cares if your games are on SNY, your parents aren’t watching it down there anyways. The makeup of the future schedule and lack of bowl affiliations will most likely reflect something closer to UMass than BYU, who has a national title and a deal with ESPN that will pay them more than UConn’s with SNY. And people can say “but we booked home and homes with Illinois”! Well 1 that was with the conference affiliation and 2 UMass has home and homes with Mizzou and a couple other impressive teams too.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Thank you. The recognition had more to do with the fact that Illinois and Indiana already had us on the schedule and full OOC schedules for those years, plus our AAC affiliation, than it did the actual UConn program.

It’s not an insult to say UConn is going to be like UMass in the future. Nobody in Florida cares if your games are on SNY, your parents aren’t watching it down there anyways. The makeup of the future schedule and lack of bowl affiliations will most likely reflect something closer to UMass than BYU, who has a national title and a deal with ESPN that will pay them more than UConn’s with SNY. And people can say “but we booked home and homes with Illinois”! Well 1 that was with the conference affiliation and 2 UMass has home and homes with Mizzou and a couple other impressive teams too.

It is an insult. We are in better shape than that. Clearly so.

https://twitter.com/ManthonyCourant

 

[Drew]

It is an insult. We are in better shape than that. Clearly so.

https://twitter.com/ManthonyCourant

Happy to be proven wrong

 

[uconnbill]

Alabama here we come