Why are Memphis, Navy and Cincinnati in the top 21 in preseason rankings and UConn is 125?

[LoyalFanCT]

I just looked at the FB preseason rankings published by our new partner CBS Sports Network. Our former conference teams, Memphis, Navy and Cincinnati are ranked among the highest FBS teams. We are five from the absolute bottom. Excuses aside, why are we so low? These other teams have had ups and downs over the years, just like UConn. If an opening comes up in the ACC or B10 are we going to be pushed aside again? What will we be doing different so we are in the top 21 too within a few years?

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[Palatine]

UConn as an institution still doesn't understand the college athletic landscape.

 

[ucawn]

I just looked at the FB preseason rankings published by our new partner CBS Sports Network. Our former conference teams, Memphis, Navy and Cincinnati are ranked among the highest FBS teams. We are five from the absolute bottom. Excuses aside, why are we so low? These other teams have had ups and downs over the years, just like UConn. If an opening comes up in the ACC or B10 are we going to pushed aside again? What will we be doing different so we are in the top 21 too within a few years?

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They have us going 2-10, if we can get to 4-8 we'll end up near that 100 range

 

[gioff2323]

Um, our downs are unique and persistent and our ups are rare. Sure, Memphis was a doormat for years, but Navy and Cincy have not had the same ups and downs.

now, rankings are primarily driven by past results. If we want to change the narrative, we can win. And when we don’t, we can take teams to the wire, and not have their offense sit the entire half.

let’s earn our way up. It’s time.

 

[Ajs120102]

Idk might be the whole stadium 30 miles from campus in the worst recruiting area in the country. And the good kids from our state arent choosing independent UConn over a power school. Need to start winning.

 

[Guapo]

I just looked at the FB preseason rankings published by our new partner CBS Sports Network. Our former conference teams, Memphis, Navy and Cincinnati are ranked among the highest FBS teams. We are five from the absolute bottom. Excuses aside, why are we so low? These other teams have had ups and downs over the years, just like UConn. If an opening comes up in the ACC or B10 are we going to pushed aside again? What will we be doing different so we are in the top 21 too within a few years?

College Football Rankings 2024 - CBS Sports Rankings

Get the latest College Football rankings for the 2024 season. Find out where your favorite team is ranked in the AP Top 25, Coaches Poll, CBS Sports Rankings, or Playoff Rankings polls and rankings.

www.cbssports.com

the Big 10 is not taking Cincy, Navy or Memphis

 

[Guapo]

UConn as an institution still doesn't understand the college athletic landscape.

Says the person that didn’t even know how many members were in conference with his own school

 

[ktuck911]

Let's let everybody still believe we're ranked 125.. We haven't proven otherwise... Time to shock some folks once we get playing again....

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't understand this thread. What do we have to do to get better preseason rankings? We have to win more games and play better football. We've sucked for a decade now. Why would anyone assume we'll stop sucking until we do?

An entirely different matter is what our ceiling is. Revenue, history, geography and conference affiliation put different ceilings on different programs. We know 40 wasn't our ceiling in the old Big East. But we are so, so, so far from being at that level today that discussions about what our ceiling might be are pointless.

We have to first improve from unbelievably awful to bad, and then up to mediocre, and then I can revisit this.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I don't understand this thread. What do we have to do to get better preseason rankings? We have to win more games and play better football. We've sucked for a decade now. Why would anyone assume we'll stop sucking until we do?

An entirely different matter is what our ceiling is. Revenue, history, geography and conference affiliation put different ceilings on different programs. We know 40 wasn't our ceiling in the old Big East. But we are so, so, so far from being at that level today that discussions about what our ceiling might be are pointless.

We have to first improve from unbelievably awful to bad, and then up to mediocre, and then I can revisit this.

Cincinnati, Memphis and Navy also had times when they needed to "win more games and play better football." Why were they able to do it and we haven't been able to do it? What does UConn need to do differently?

 

[gioff2323]

Cincinnati, Memphis and Navy also had times when they needed to "win more games and play better football." Why were they able to do it and we haven't been able to do it? What does UConn need to do differently?

do u really believe our experience over past decade has been shared by anyone?

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Cincinnati, Memphis and Navy also had times when they needed to "win more games and play better football." Why were they able to do it and we haven't been able to do it? What does UConn need to do differently?

Navy has history and is a service academy.

Memphis and Cincinnati are schools in rich recruiting areas that are easy to get into.

UConn is in a poor recruiting area and also our University won't relax admissions standards, which means, academically, we're competing against Penn State or Rutgers or BC and we have basically nothing to offer them in comparison.

 

[History Geek]

Idk might be the whole stadium 30 miles from campus in the worst recruiting area in the country. And the good kids from our state arent choosing independent UConn over a power school. Need to start winning.

This

 

[Husky68]

Let me think, why! Hmmmm. I'll start in 2003 with Hathaway. HCRE1.0 to HCREDreamJob1.0 in the still of the night. Ms. Suzy must be in here as a major player. The Twins. Donut Man. Red Pants. HCRE2.0.

My buddy Occam thinks its very simple, crappy leaders turn stuff into crap.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Why would we be ranked better than 125?

 

[businesslawyer]

Cincinnati, Memphis and Navy also had times when they needed to "win more games and play better football." Why were they able to do it and we haven't been able to do it? What does UConn need to do differently?

Huge steps forward are a combination of coaching, program and luck. Both Cincy and Memphis are both in geographic areas where they produce far, far, far more big time football players than New England does, but Memphis had decades where they were as bad as us. Navy has had outstanding coaching and has come up with a niche to suit a unique recruiting situation.

We have a lot to overcome as a program between geography, lack of history and at the moment no fan or revenue base for football. We had two straight coaches who didn't show they could handle it. We now have one who handled it really well in his first stint and has produced horrible results while trying to rebuild the program this time around. If he fails we'll try another coach, but often it also requires luck to have a spark. How much longer would it have taken us the first time around without getting an NFL QB? Would the Smith/Sellers/Burrell group have gotten us a national reputation without the luck/spark/magic of Henefeld?

 

[CTBballfan243]

UConn needs to focus on getting Men's basketball back into the top 25 and winning the Big East. Football just needs to show improve and put entertaining teams on the field. As a fan who goes to the majority of the home football games, I just want to be entertained. In my opinion, the games were very entertaining last year. I thought the team showed improvement.

 

[freescooter]

Um, our downs are unique and persistent and our ups are rare. Sure, Memphis was a doormat for years, but Navy and Cincy have not had the same ups and downs.

now, rankings are primarily driven by past results. If we want to change the narrative, we can win. And when we don’t, we can take teams to the wire, and not have their offense sit the entire half.

let’s earn our way up. It’s time.

Navy did but have been up for a decade while we have been down.

 

[SubbaBub]

This is a weird question. Those other teams have been ranked as recently as last season.

We OTOH have been objectively beyond horrible. There are only a handful of FBS teams that could be considered worse over the last 5 years.

 

[freescooter]

Navy has history and is a service academy.

Memphis and Cincinnati are schools in rich recruiting areas that are easy to get into.

UConn is in a poor recruiting area and also our University won't relax admissions standards, which means, academically, we're competing against Penn State or Rutgers or BC and we have basically nothing to offer them in comparison.

What history. Navy went 15 years without a winning record, then went 5-6 years before Johnson came. Johnson Actually scheduled much like we are now, lesser D1 opponents with a handful of major programs. Much like Army is doing now too. Those schools have different problems with recruiting but found coaches who can use the use the talent they get very effectively.

 

[Guapo]

What history. Navy went 15 years without a winning record, then went 5-6 years before Johnson came. Johnson Actually scheduled much like we are now, lesser D1 opponents with a handful of major programs. Much like Army is doing now too. Those schools have different problems with recruiting but found coaches who can use the use the talent they get very effectively.

Do you think UConn should consider installing the triple option?

 

[don356]

They for the most part know the type of coaches they need to get kids to come play for them. Plus it doesn't hurt in the case of Cincy and Memphis that they are both urban areas which kids likely would rather spend the year than in an isolated campus environment. Navy has a special pedigree, but also runs a different type of program. In Cincy and Memphis's case the talent pool is deep, but there are also a lot of kids that want to stay home and play for coaches like in Cincy's case who are also Ohio guys(Fickell and future hc Freeman). They were also smart enough to get on board the facilities upgrade bandwagon which helps a heck of lot. There's a lot of talent to go round, but these school have had enough success that it is at this point a built in advantage. Look at Cincy's commitment list for 21, and at this point Edsall is looking to get his first. Obviously, playing time is not the only thing kids are looking at as Cincy has a heck of a lot of depth. This on top of two high profile transfers from Nd and Bama:

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[mike012]

I thought 125 was an improvement, there have been times over the past few years were we are not a top 125 team. I wasn't sure if we could be .500 team in Div 2

 

[CTBballfan243]

Do you think UConn should consider installing the triple option?

God I hope not. I would stop watching if that were the case. Id rather watch paint dry than watch the triple option.

 

[uchusky32]

Fairly easy answer we're not good. Haven't been good. And won't be good first awhile. All kinds of reasons. Coaches, perceived slight when realignment hit. Wrong conference for us to recruit in. Bla bla bla. Have to win games to be ranked high.