You’re welcome, Big East

[1974yankees]

Is Northwestern big-time? How about Boston College?

Do you think Northwestern and BC are on the level of Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Miami, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn, Arkansas?

BC is in the ACC (with Miami) and is considered a mid tier program. But they have a long history of producing NFL linemen.

Uconn football is not even close. Just my opinion.

 

[CL82]

Do you think Northwestern and BC are on the level of Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Miami, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Auburn, Arkansas?

BC is in the ACC (with Miami) and is considered a mid tier program. But they have a long history of producing NFL linemen.

Uconn football is not even close. Just my opinion.

I don't think Northwestern and BC are on the level of Alabama Texas, etc., but I do think they're P4 programs and that was your point right? Now, if your point is that today Connecticut isn't as good as the best teams in college football, I'll just shrug and say "well… Yeah"

 

[packwrap]

All tournament games should be played like they are from the beginning. The Final Four should not be more physical then the round of 64.

I should have been clearer. Final Four games are not tougher just because they are Final Four games, it's because teams are better, athletes are better, and teams play tighter defense. The quality of the opponent makes the game more physical.

 

[Skeets]

I should have been clearer. Final Four games are not tougher just because they are Final Four games, it's because teams are better, athletes are better, and teams play tighter defense. The quality of the opponent makes the game more physical.

You and Sarge are both right. The deeper you go in the tournament, the better the teams get. But that is no excuse for the refs calling the game differently. If quality = physicality, then there ought to be at least as many fouls called in the FF as in the round of 64.

 

[HuskyNan]

2025 ACC Football Average Home Attendance (Approximate)

• Clemson: 79,142
• Florida State: 65,876
• Miami (FL): 63,834
• Virginia Tech: 59,946
• NC State: 56,919
• Pittsburgh: 51,845
• North Carolina: 50,500
• Louisville: 50,292
• Virginia: 48,776
• Georgia Tech: 47,694
• Boston College: 41,090
• Syracuse: 38,605
• California: 34,991
• SMU: 33,530
• Wake Forest: 29,433
• Stanford: 28,171
• Duke: 24,283

If we had a decent schedule (can't play everyone), we could get to Syracuse level (almost 100% capacity). Maybe that would open the door to adding another tier to the Rent (already planned, and it would get us to well over 50k).

UConn’s average home attendance was 30,444 in 2025

@1974yankees It’s always a good idea to look up stats before quoting them

 

[HuskyNan]

And while football is huge, so is advertising revenue from the most watched games:

 

[1974yankees]

I don't think Northwestern and BC are on the level of Alabama Texas, etc., but I do think they're P4 programs and that was your point right? Now, if your point is that today Connecticut isn't as good as the best teams in college football, I'll just shrug and say "well… Yeah"

I will say my point.

Uconn football brings in zero money compared to those big time SEC football programs. SEC football programs like Alabama, Texas and the rest of them that fill 100,000 seat stadiums.

It's not about if Uconn is a powerhouse it's about the money.

Therefore because our football can't compete financially with those teams our basketball team (specifically the Women's team) is stuck right where it is. The Big East.

So I am not sure what your point is or if you are just trying to quibble with me.

Btw,

If Uconn football were to play teams like Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M etc. They would probably lose 79-0

 

[CL82]

i'm not sure of just what we have to do to get accepted into one of the power conferences, but it better be soon.

It's not going to be. I'm starting to see some chatter among big 12 Talking Heads about adding Connecticut, but that's them filling podcasts.

My best guess is we need some kind of disruption in the existing power structure for us to move anywhere. In 2030 the ACC's exit fees dropped to an agreed upon 75 million per school. If either the big 10 or the SEC wants a school, that number becomes manageable. After that, the next window is 2036 when the ACC's TV deal ends. Depending on what happens then other schools may exit the ACC. When that happens, Connecticut is the logical school to backfill, but logic has always prevailed in conference realignment.

Keep in mind as well that if Connecticut goes to the ACC under those circumstances, it will be a depleted AC with the headline teams having already left. It's also very possible that the big 12 would come in and try to pick up some schools that make sense in their footprint such as Louisville and Virginia Tech. Miami would also be desirable, but I would be surprised if it doesn't get picked off by someone else. So if Connecticut ended up in the ACC, it would be a much depleted ACC, which, in all likelihood, would still have higher conference distributions than the big east.

TLDR: We're basically screwed. In all likelihood nothing will happen until 2030, if anything happens at all.

 

[CL82]

I will say my point.

Uconn football brings in zero money compared to those big time SEC football programs. SEC football programs like Alabama, Texas and the rest of them that fill 100,000 seat stadiums.

It's not about if Uconn is a powerhouse it's about the money.

Therefore because our football can't compete financially with those teams our basketball team (specifically the Women's team) is stuck right where it is. The Big East.

So I am not sure what your point is or if you are just trying to quibble with me.

Btw,

If Uconn football were to play teams like Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M etc. They would probably lose 79-0

You seem to think that Connecticut not bringing in as much money as the top football schools and not being able to compete with them on the field in football is a particularly unique or insightful comment. It isn't. It would be the equivalent of a poster on the Fairfield stags women's team board, if one even exists, saying well we lack the money that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team has, and they would beat us on the court 100 to 45. Both statements are indisputably, true, but not particularly insightful or relevant.

 

[1974yankees]

You seem to think that Connecticut not bringing in as much money as the top football schools and not being able to compete with them on the field in football is a particularly unique or insightful comment. It isn't. It would be the equivalent of a poster on the Fairfield stags women's team board, if one even exists, saying well we lack the money that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team has, and they would beat us on the court 100 to 45. Both statements are indisputably, true, but not particularly insightful or relevant.

The "insightful" point is that everyone complains about the Big East Conference with regards to our women.

I pointed out a fact. Football money rules. I dont care how good or bad Uconn football is, they will never make the money at the gate that SEC football teams do. Because of this, it is my opinion that our basketball teams specifically the women dont have the competition that the SEC teams play on a day in and day out basis.

Because the SEC wont accept our football team we play where we play.

I am sure I am just regurgitating what everyone knows.

 

[1974yankees]

You seem to think that Connecticut not bringing in as much money as the top football schools and not being able to compete with them on the field in football is a particularly unique or insightful comment. It isn't. It would be the equivalent of a poster on the Fairfield stags women's team board, if one even exists, saying well we lack the money that the University of Connecticut women's basketball team has, and they would beat us on the court 100 to 45. Both statements are indisputably, true, but not particularly insightful or relevant.

The "insightful" point is that everyone complains about the Big East Conference with regards to our women.

I pointed out a fact. Football money rules. I dont care how good or bad Uconn football is, they will never make the money at the gate that SEC football teams do. Because of this, it is my opinion that our basketball teams specifically the women dont have the competition that the SEC teams play on a day in and day out basis

The "insightful" point is that everyone complains about the Big East Conference with regards to our women.

I pointed out a fact. Football money rules. I dont care how good or bad Uconn football is, they will never make the money at the gate that SEC football teams do. Because of this, it is my opinion that our basketball teams specifically the women dont have the competition that the SEC teams play on a day in and day out basis.

Because the SEC wont accept our football team we play where we play.

I am sure I am just regurgitating what everyone knows.

We are the basketball capital of the world but in the SEC football is king.

 

[Skeets]

The "insightful" point is that everyone complains about the Big East Conference with regards to our women.

I pointed out a fact. Football money rules. I dont care how good or bad Uconn football is, they will never make the money at the gate that SEC football teams do. Because of this, it is my opinion that our basketball teams specifically the women dont have the competition that the SEC teams play on a day in and day out basis.

Because the SEC wont accept our football team we play where we play.

I am sure I am just regurgitating what everyone knows.

TV markets are a much bigger driver than "at the gate". Unfortunately, neither Hartford nor Storrs is a major TV marketing hub. This explains why Rutgers and BC are where they are. Why would a P4 (3?) conference want to share TV revenue with UConn when they would most probably bring in less money than what they take?

 

[mhshuskies]

With that being said, UConn should go to the ACC to renew old rivalries and play in a more competitive conference schedule. It's a win-win for the school, where all of its sports teams would benefit, especially basketball, football, baseball, and even hockey, basically the entire athletic department. We're helping the BE, but they're not helping us..We'd lose conference tournament home-field advantage, but the adversity would help us.

Or better yet, Duke should move to the Big East to get better competition!

 

[Bald Husky]

Obviously, we have to get rid of the BE and join a P4 conference. Roadblock, football. First of all, Jim Mora actually made us better, so better that we beat Duke last season, the eventually ACC champion. That's right, the ACC tournament champion. UConn has made great progress, so don't these so called P4 football experts know that joining a P4 conference will attract better players, especially when the basketball teams are ranked better than mostly all the P4 teams every year? Of course they will, and I just saw a podcast that endorsed the BIG12 to offer a spot in their conference. It doesn't matter how far; we just have to do it. We are running out of conferences, and maybe the ACC will be gone, so let's do this and do anything we can to get out of this mid-major league. It is killing our reputation, and our ability to compete with the top schools who are tournament ready for March Madness.

 

[BobbyJ]

Obviously, we have to get rid of the BE and join a P4 conference. Roadblock, football. First of all, Jim Mora actually made us better, so better that we beat Duke last season, the eventually ACC champion. That's right, the ACC tournament champion. UConn has made great progress, so don't these so called P4 football experts know that joining a P4 conference will attract better players, especially when the basketball teams are ranked better than mostly all the P4 teams every year? Of course they will, and I just saw a podcast that endorsed the BIG12 to offer a spot in their conference. It doesn't matter how far; we just have to do it. We are running out of conferences, and maybe the ACC will be gone, so let's do this and do anything we can to get out of this mid-major league. It is killing our reputation, and our ability to compete with the top schools who are tournament ready for March Madness.

Killing the reputation and ability to compete? UConn’s reputation is solidified as the best WBB program of all time. And only missing one FF that’s been played since 2008 indicates that they’re having no problem competing with the top teams yearly while consistently ranking at or near the best strength of schedule in the country.

 

[Bald Husky]

Killing the reputation and ability to compete? UConn’s reputation is solidified as the best WBB program of all time. And only missing one FF that’s been played since 2008 indicates that they’re having no problem competing with the top teams yearly while consistently ranking at or near the best strength of schedule in the country.

We were not remotely ready for the complete demolition of our girls to South Carolina. In the past it didn't bother us, but now that there many superior teams out there it makes a difference if we have not been tested during the conference schedule. Of course we have the best coaches, and many of the best players, but playing mid-majors at the conference level leaves us unprepared to face the other best teams in the country. The best team doesn't always win, and experience in big games does make a difference.