The reality of UConn's records, good or bad, doesn't matter. What matters is the perception that we're a bunch of feeble New Englanders who wouldn't know an oblong ball on a Saturday if it bit us in the ass. Hell, we're so backward that we still play high school football on Saturday. That's what I believe the south and midwest feel about UConn. That isn't going to change quickly, and isn't going to change if we get our asses handed to us by Towson at home. Yes, we beat South Carolina once, before they became a real power in the SEC and Notre Dame when they were down. But the next person who mentions beating Virginia or Maryland as a major high point for UConn should slap themselves...hard. Virginia sucks and Maryland is just barely above that.
To do list: Win and go to a bowl game, year after year. Win those bowl games at a 50% clip. Play tough, nasty defense (we have done this). Get the state to move frigging high school football to Friday nights...please. Create an atmosphere where on game day every employee at McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, BK and elsewhere (at least east of Hartford) wears UConn garb to work. I want visiting fans to come into East Hartford and see a unified community. This is the stuff that changes perceptions. It's what you get in the south and midwest and what they expect of any real program.