Will football actually wind up our downfall re: ACC?

[UConn Hoops1]

I am not a football fan. I pay very distant and inconsistent attention to the sport at college or pro level. It is the main reason I was and am so pi**ed at all of the upheaval in conference alignments. But that aside, there was an interesting article in the Waterbury Republican-American this morning by Ed Daigneault(the local Horde guy) evaluating UConn and the ACC. Despite the fact that I have a print subscription, their website (which I "should" have unlimited access to) is a pain in the a**. So I will give you the gist of it.

(1.)UConn, according to his sources in the ACC, is the clear frontrunner although
Louisville has gained ground.
(2.)Florida State,Clemson and Georgia Tech have voiced their opposition to UConn based
on our football program, in their opinion, doing nothing to improve the quality of
football in the ACC.
(3.)No decision is likely until after the ACC university presidents meet on December 1st.
(4.)An ACC source said that the league is considering the possibility of inviting
UConn,Louisville and either Cincinnati or South Florida if Florida State and Clemson
leave. But that is far down the list of contingency plans.

What concerns me is that we visit #19(9-1) Louisville this weekend. If Pasqualoni's team gets trashed and that is fresh on the minds of the ACC presidents meeting Dec.1, do we lose the pole position? I am also putting this in the context of ACC snobbery re: academics; and our basketball program still, at least occasionally, getting media attention re:APR and prohibition from BE and NCAA tournaments. I think it may be too much to overcome and I don't have a good feeling about it. At least Edsall's teams won in the BE and have some bowl hardware. Pasqualoni was quoted that all fans should rest assured that everything that can be done is being done re: behind the scenes work with the ACC. I have a lot of faith in Susan Herbst; but, we may be a bridge too far. I need some feedback from you folks here who are more knowledgeable re: football and other influences. It would be embarrassing if, despite all of JC's and the program's success, we get left holding the bag.

GO HUSKIES!!! BEAT THE SEAWOLVES!!!

 

[Greenback]

Not a football fan but you have a Block "C" on your avitar ? As a fan of all UCONN athletics, you hoops only people need to wake up and realize we are all in this together.

 

[UConn Hoops1]

Not a football fan but you have a Block "C" on your avitar ? As a fan of all UCONN athletics, you hoops only people need to wake up and realize we are all in this together.

How about an intelligent reply to the observations and concerns in my comments; and not some divisive, irrelevant drivel. That's why so many threads on this board go to hell in a hand basket and insults get traded ad nauseam. I don't like football(my prerogative). I am not knocking, or otherwise insulting football.

GO HUSKIES!!! BEAT THE SEAWOLVES!!!

 

[coachRD]

I am not a football fan. I pay very distant and inconsistent attention to the sport at college or pro level. It is the main reason I was and am so pi**ed at all of the upheaval in conference alignments. But that aside, there was an interesting article in the Waterbury Republican-American this morning by Ed Daigneault(the local Horde guy) evaluating UConn and the ACC. Despite the fact that I have a print subscription, their website (which I "should" have unlimited access to) is a pain in the a**. So I will give you the gist of it.

(1.)UConn, according to his sources in the ACC, is the clear frontrunner although
Louisville has gained ground.
(2.)Florida State,Clemson and Georgia Tech have voiced their opposition to UConn based
on our football program, in their opinion, doing nothing to improve the quality of
football in the ACC.
(3.)No decision is likely until after the ACC university presidents meet on December 1st.
(4.)An ACC source said that the league is considering the possibility of inviting
UConn,Louisville and either Cincinnati or South Florida if Florida State and Clemson
leave. But that is far down the list of contingency plans.

What concerns me is that we visit #19(9-1) Louisville this weekend. If Pasqualoni's team gets trashed and that is fresh on the minds of the ACC presidents meeting Dec.1, do we lose the pole position? I am also putting this in the context of ACC snobbery re: academics; and our basketball program still, at least occasionally, getting media attention re:APR and prohibition from BE and NCAA tournaments. I think it may be too much to overcome and I don't have a good feeling about it. At least Edsall's teams won in the BE and have some bowl hardware. Pasqualoni was quoted that all fans should rest assured that everything that can be done is being done re: behind the scenes work with the ACC. I have a lot of faith in Susan Herbst; but, we may be a bridge too far. I need some feedback from you folks here who are more knowledgeable re: football and other influences. It would be embarrassing if, despite all of JC's and the program's success, we get left holding the bag.

GO HUSKIES!!! BEAT THE SEAWOLVES!!!

The ONLY reason UCONN is even in the running for an ACC invite is BECAUSE we are respectable in football. If we were one of the catholic BE schools without football, we wouldn't even be in expansion conversations. As for the ACC football "superpowers" clamoring against UCONN inclusion-that's only because they know it's yet another school that will pound them in hoops into further irrelevance, and those schools all know a little secret they think the rest of the country doesn't know....(come in closer while I whisper) they aren't as good in football as they think; if anything, they are afraid that they AREN'T that much better than us in football, and we might sneak up and bite them every once in a while, further sullying their fading mystique as football superpowers. I'm not arguing we are better, or currently even, than them in football by any stretch because we aren't. They just don't want a non-sexy school around that might beat them every once in a while-that doesn't look good.

As for academics-the ACC likes to maintain the facade that their academics are a notch above, but see UNC over the last decade, The "u," FSU with their online "classes..." The conference has done pretty much squat with all those teams when they have urinated on the concept of "integrity" over the last decade. We are fine in that regard. UCONN is just a small notch below the elite public universities like UVA, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.

Obviously we wouldn't want to get beat up on by a Louisville team we are battling for an ACC spot, but I am assuming (hoping?) the ACC presidents are more forward-thinking than to be influenced by that. They want increased access into the New England/Tri-State area which we provide, and UL doesn't bring much to the table in terms of new viewers. As for the concern about a ceiling in football, there is no denying UL has an advantage over UCONN in one respect-the will accept ANY student athlete and UCONN won't, but UCONN has the infrastructure and has shown that they can field a good football team, so we're fine in that area.

I'll admit to being thrown for a loop when the Big 10 added RU, but I think we are just fine in terms of getting an ACC invite. Of course, that last sentence probably just doomed us to....

 

[Dove]

If the low-APR and grad rate of the program that made UConn a "national brand" is what keeps us from Big 10 consideration I will puke up my spleen and die. What irony that would be.

And agree with coach...football separated us from chaff.

 

[dante]

If we don't get this invite we are pretty much screwed, if and when the big 12 decides to expand we would be last on the list. Football is the driving force for all the conference realignment but doesnt it make you wonder why the big 10 didnt go after Florida st or Clemson or the other football powers of the ACC? instead 2 football programs not much better then ours. Markets!

Hartford/New Haven is # 30 in tv markets thats better then maybe half the bcs teams out there and we dont share it with nobody, NY's market is shared by RU, SU and us. Outside of the Huskies who else has done anything in New England? BC didnt bring the Boston market like promised I'm sure UConn would bring more viewers in Boston then BC ever did, yeah they're good at hockey but so will UConn, UConn will soon be playing in "Hockey East" the premier hockey league.

UConn has about 15 national championships trough out all their sports, had a recent BCS bowl game along with 2 big east championships in its football infancy. We have been the flag ship program in the big east for decades.

 

[mauconnfan]

The ONLY reason UCONN is even in the running for an ACC invite is BECAUSE we are respectable in football. If we were one of the catholic BE schools without football, we wouldn't even be in expansion conversations. As for the ACC football "superpowers" clamoring against UCONN inclusion-that's only because they know it's yet another school that will pound them in hoops into further irrelevance, and those schools all know a little secret they think the rest of the country doesn't know....(come in closer while I whisper) they aren't as good in football as they think; if anything, they are afraid that they AREN'T that much better than us in football, and we might sneak up and bite them every once in a while, further sullying their fading mystique as football superpowers. I'm not arguing we are better, or currently even, than them in football by any stretch because we aren't. They just don't want a non-sexy school around that might beat them every once in a while-that doesn't look good.

As for academics-the ACC likes to maintain the facade that their academics are a notch above, but see UNC over the last decade, The "u," FSU with their online "classes..." The conference has done pretty much squat with all those teams when they have urinated on the concept of "integrity" over the last decade. We are fine in that regard. UCONN is just a small notch below the elite public universities like UVA, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.

Obviously we wouldn't want to get beat up on by a Louisville team we are battling for an ACC spot, but I am assuming (hoping?) the ACC presidents are more forward-thinking than to be influenced by that. They want increased access into the New England/Tri-State area which we provide, and UL doesn't bring much to the table in terms of new viewers. As for the concern about a ceiling in football, there is no denying UL has an advantage over UCONN in one respect-the will accept ANY student athlete and UCONN won't, but UCONN has the infrastructure and has shown that they can field a good football team, so we're fine in that area.

I'll admit to being thrown for a loop when the Big 10 added RU, but I think we are just fine in terms of getting an ACC invite. Of course, that last sentence probably just doomed us to....

While football is KING I hope you are kidding about the ONLY reason being football because that is a joke. Why is Duke still in the ACC then? The ACC, while it obviously makes some serious scratch in football because of the likes of VT, FSU, Miami, Clemson etc, is still a top notch basketball power conference and the idea of bringing in a UConn/Duke, UConn/UNC, UConn/Cuse, UConn/Pitt together is a huge reason also..........of course they have to be excited over the potential UConn/FSU, UConn/VT, UConn/Clemson football games!!!! And while UConn seemed to be close in football until this year, they have faded and aren't close to the top programs previously mentioned as of now! I sincerely hope the football team plays well vs UofL as what Hoops1 says is not at all far from reality!!

 

[Vuce]

I will take my shot at this. The reason football exists as it does now at Uconn is thanks, in large part, due to Jim Calhoun and the basketball program. Without their phenomenal, unthinkable success, the move up in football would have never been possible. Let's start there.

However, now that big boy football is being played at Uconn, I would acknowledge that without it, we would be in much much more dire straits. Football rules the roost. It is the MOST POPULAR sport in America and it is not even close. It is driving all the realignment stuff.

I do not think for one second that one game will decide which school gets an invite to the ACC. Uconn has a lot of things going for it. First and foremost it is the market it is in. The Hartford/New Haven market is #30 and that does not even include Fairfield County. Also, Uconn has a contract with SNY to broadcast its hoops and football games - that is significant. Louisville is the #48 market - that is a big difference.

Next - academics. Uconn is ranked #63 in the US News ratings. Louisville is like 160 and is the second lowest ranked BCS school. If you look at Swofford's most recent comments after Maryland left he mentioned academics and athletics and in that order. If Louisville were invited they would be the lowest ranked school in the ACC academically....by a lot. Keep in mind that college presidents and faculty reps will be voting on this stuff in addition to ADs - that is important.

On the field. Yes, Uconn football is in the words of Joe Namath "struggling" this season. But since L'ville joined they lead the seies 4-3 - hardly one sided. Uconn has won two Big East titles and gone to one BCS bowl. In hoops we know the story - no school in the country has won more National Championships in the last 13 years than Uconn. We have new football facilities and are building a brand spanking new basketball complex. We are the only game in the State of CT. Louisville is top dog in their city but UK is king down there.

How will this all play out? who knows. Uconn is in good shape but bcu kept us out of the ACC last time when they wanted Cuse and us as first choices. bcu has a new AD who is very close with our new AD so hopefully that helps. If it is short term small minded thinking like L'ville is "better" now and they get the invite that would be unfortunate. FSU may be complaining the most but they havent even won the league since 2006 so it is not like they are Alabama. Uconn probably brings more to the table than Maryland when you look at everything (and we beat them this year). Uconn is a perfect match for the ACC academically, market wise and athletically. Louisville is not - but like I said, who knows.

 

[zls44]

Football happened because of a lot of people.

Because John Toner had a HELL of a seven months.
Because Jim Calhoun showed that a national program in a major sport can exist at UConn.
Because Lew Perkins wanted to push the school to the top, and was a force of personality.
Because the state of Connecticut made the investment.
Because fans reached out to the legislature, helped by postcards out on cars at Gampel Pavilion by some morons from a message board.

I'm prone to, ah, sliiiight outbursts of hyperbole on the topic, but without football, UConn would have no athletic future. This wasn't Rutgers or Maryland (lo, the irony)...this was prudent spending for future developments, with little debt burden placed on the state.


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