(04-19-2014 04:41 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 04:20 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 03:39 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 12:37 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 12:04 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  Actually you do want to sound like a complainer. It's your MO.

You simply want to ignore what a disaster the AAC is for UConn. They have lost virtually all of their historic rivals. Rutgers was the last of those to go and the response of the AAC was to add Tulsa instead of UMass.

Rivalries are the life blood of college sports. UConn has no rivalries in the AAC and now Temple is the on.y school remotely close enough with whom they could develop such a rivalry in the future.

A comparable situation has been BC after their move to the ACC without Syracuse as originally planned. Fans have lost interest, coaches leave, and recruiting has become difficult. Just look at attendance which has fallen from 42,000 to 33,000 in football and from 7200 to 4000 in basketball. The money has been great, but everything else about the move has been a disaster.

You can't just cobble together a group of schools that don't care about each other to form a conference. Fans of the old CUSA schools don't see this because they do have shared histories and fan bases that care about playing each other. But out on an island, UConn has nothing. Their fans simply want to get back to playing opponents they care about beating.

UConn has 4 games a year where they can schedule any school they wish. Interestingly, 3 of the 8 games currently scheduled over the next 3 years are from the other side of the country....That said, if UConn wants closer games against rivals, they need only schedule them. Army, Nova, Stony Brook, and Virginia have all been scheduled. That type of scheduling should help UConn's situation. UMass is available as a rival, but half the UConn fans that post don't want them in the AAC. Adding non-football schools like VCU or UMass has also been shot down by many UConn fans. Hard to tell what UConn fans really want. The league isn't that bad for basketball. As for football, UConn lucked out when they were able to upgrade directly from FCS to an AQ conference. At this point, UConn is simply paying some dues that most AAC FBS schools paid long ago. Im sure that UConn will find their way into a P5 conference at some point.

2014
Stony Brook
Boise State
BYU
Army

2015

Villanova
Army
BYU

2016

Virginia

Yes, they're doing what they have to do. That's the route for them to go. And they're also in discussions with Boston College. Imagine that.

Look, I'm not complaining. I'm not here to vent. I'm doing analysis. I don't really care what UConn fans think.

I agree with everything you said. That doesn't change the fact that college sports thrive in an atmosphere in which there are rivalries that matter. UConn has lost that. The last one went out the door when Rutgers left. That is an enormous blow to their programs.

In a season that began which much anticipation and which ended with a run to a national championship, UConn attendance was down. Despite the fact that there was no hope for last year's team to go anywhere, attendance was 6% higher than it was this year. The same thing was true for women's basketball (off 8%). Same was true for football (off 10%). There's only one explanation for that kind of across the board drop. The change in conference affiliation.

Just looking- UConn's mens conference attendance was down by about 900 fans per game. however, that drop is primarily due to the Temple/UConn game being played in front of 4741 fans due to a snow storm. That's the reason mens basketball was down- nothing else. Well that and the fact that UConn had 2 more home games this year against dog teams.

Women's hoops- last year they had 4 games against top 10 teams- Maryland, Penn St, Duke, and Baylor OOC. This year they had only 1, vs Stanford. HUGE difference there- and the entire gap quite frankly...

So really it didn't have much to do with the conference change at all- just outside things that didn't have a damn thing to do with conference....

How many games the year before were played in snow storm? Or the year before that? Or the year before that? We get a lot of snow storms here in New England. If the game is big enough, people go out in a snow storm. If it's against Temple, they stay home.

900 fans per game in an 18 game schedule is 16,200 fans. Even if your theory were true, the Temple game wouldn't even account for half of that difference.

As for the women, their attendance was the lowest in the last 10 years despite having a national championship team. It had nothing to do with the schedule. I know. I go to those games.

Football was down as well. Attendance was down across the board.

I agree with you. Rivalries are a huge deal and UConn lacks rivals in the AAC. In previous posts, you pretty much said what I am thinking. However, if I were to have said it, I would have sounded like a SU fan trying to put UConn down.

I miss the days of being indy in football playing PSU, Pitt, WVU, BC, UMD, and so on in football, and I miss the days of playing BIG EAST teams in basketball, especially UConn, Georgetown, and Villanova.

(04-19-2014 06:06 PM)Rich52c Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 05:27 PM)BullsFanatic Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 03:46 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 03:19 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 09:39 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  "rumors persist about being invited to a BCS conference"

LOL

Rumors - more like wishful thinking on the part of UConn...

Serious question. What rumors are currently out there about UConn joining another conf.

I'd like to know that too. The Mohegan Sun is not basing business decisions on random internet chatter. There might really be something to this. With the deregulation of championship games, having an odd number of schools is not a problem any more. Maybe the B1G is looking at getting a bigger presence in New York than just Rutgers. In spite of what Delaney said about not adding any more teams until UMD and Rutgers are assimilated.

This might be a one sport issue. I have read a rumor that UConn was considering going independent in women's basketball and playing a national schedule - essentially becoming the Notre Dame of women's basketball. If UConn goes through with that, it would be stupid for both the AAC and Mohegan Sun to host the tournament there.

Would the AAC allow them to go independent in womans bb?
I doubt it.

One of the posters here who is in an expert in NCAA conference requirement regulations wrote that women's basketball and men's basketball have to be played in tne school's main conference. So Uconn can't go an independent route in women's basketball.

(04-19-2014 09:13 PM)BE4evah Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 06:06 PM)Rich52c Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 05:27 PM)BullsFanatic Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 03:46 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 03:19 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  Serious question. What rumors are currently out there about UConn joining another conf.

I'd like to know that too. The Mohegan Sun is not basing business decisions on random internet chatter. There might really be something to this. With the deregulation of championship games, having an odd number of schools is not a problem any more. Maybe the B1G is looking at getting a bigger presence in New York than just Rutgers. In spite of what Delaney said about not adding any more teams until UMD and Rutgers are assimilated.

This might be a one sport issue. I have read a rumor that UConn was considering going independent in women's basketball and playing a national schedule - essentially becoming the Notre Dame of women's basketball. If UConn goes through with that, it would be stupid for both the AAC and Mohegan Sun to host the tournament there.

Would the AAC allow them to go independent in womans bb?
I doubt it.

One of the posters here who is in an expert in NCAA conference requirement regulations wrote that women's basketball and men's basketball have to be played in tne school's main conference. So Uconn can't go an independent route in women's basketball.

I think that schools generally have to either play in their home conference or go indy if the sport is sponsored by their home conference (i.e. where men's bball plays). Otherwise, they can do whatever they want.

To be fair to UConn, EVERYONE in the AAC wants out and into their local p5 conference of choice. They are just the most likely to actually have the opportunity any time soon.

This UCONN oh woe is me garbage is getting real old...

I don't know how UCONN ever survived traveling for 2 decades to Indiana to play Notre Dame or Wisconsin to play Marquette for a decade, let alone to Florida since 1991... first the U, then USF... their fans make any travel seem like such a burden.

That said, Miami spent 13 years with no one nearby in the Big East and South Florida spent nearly a decade alone too -- no one thought that was unrealistic for them and ALL of the schools were a lot farther away as they were on an island as opposed to UCONN -- I don't know why a financially superior athletic program like UCONN is all of a sudden so woeful and unable to fathom eastern membership in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida as so far away.

As for rivals... UCONN had tried multiple times to get out of the Big East and run away from rivals to join other conferences - why are rivals all of a sudden an issue? Of course they are not... there are enough power programs in the American and seemingly PLENTY of northeast basketball schools willing to visit OOC to keep excitement and attendance up in Hartford. If not, then I'd say they've burned a lot of bridges!

I know some UCONN fans are crying, anything and everything is a deal breaker, and some on here want UMASS, but I'm not getting the impression that your athletic department or administration wants them included -- why would they want to share a major conference spotlight with a nearby school they look down on? UCONN administration doesn't hate being in the American, they just want to be in a P5 conference --- whether there are rivals there or not! UCONN has become ECU of the last realignment cycle -- the desperate program begging to be included that has spoken out of turn, burned a few bridges, and just is an incomplete program in the eyes of the big boys - thanks more or less to the less than mediocre fairly new fbs football program.

(04-19-2014 09:36 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  This UCONN oh woe is me garbage is getting real old...

I don't know how UCONN ever survived traveling for 2 decades to Indiana to play Notre Dame or Wisconsin to play Marquette for a decade, let alone to Florida since 1991... first the U, then USF... their fans make any travel seem like such a burden.

That said, Miami spent 13 years with no one nearby in the Big East and South Florida spent nearly a decade alone too -- no one thought that was unrealistic for them and ALL of the schools were a lot farther away as they were on an island as opposed to UCONN -- I don't know why a financially superior athletic program like UCONN is all of a sudden so woeful and unable to fathom eastern membership in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida as so far away.

As for rivals... UCONN had tried multiple times to get out of the Big East and run away from rivals to join other conferences - why are rivals all of a sudden an issue? Of course they are not... there are enough power programs in the American and seemingly PLENTY of northeast basketball schools willing to visit OOC to keep excitement and attendance up in Hartford. If not, then I'd say they've burned a lot of bridges!

I know some UCONN fans are crying, anything and everything is a deal breaker, and some on here want UMASS, but I'm not getting the impression that your athletic department or administration wants them included -- why would they want to share a major conference spotlight with a nearby school they look down on? UCONN administration doesn't hate being in the American, they just want to be in a P5 conference --- whether there are rivals there or not! UCONN has become ECU of the last realignment cycle -- the desperate program begging to be included that has spoken out of turn, burned a few bridges, and just is an incomplete program in the eyes of the big boys - thanks more or less to the less than mediocre fairly new fbs football program.

You're missing the point.

You're thinking it's whining and complaining. It's not. It's pure analysis. You're being too emotional about it. I'm all in my head. Straight analysis of the situation. Not here to complain. That would be a complete waste of time.

Who are UConn's historical rivals? Universities they played from 1990 on when they became relevant? Or their true historical rivals from the Yankee Conference that they belonged to from 1949 to 1989 in football? In that regard their true historic rivals are UMass and Rhode Island. If UConn is destined to be in a so called P5 conference it should have happened already or should happen soon. I wish them the best but their fate may have already been decided.

(04-19-2014 09:23 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  To be fair to UConn, EVERYONE in the AAC wants out and into their local p5 conference of choice. They are just the most likely to actually have the opportunity any time soon.

Why would UConn most likely be chosen. The ACC- not unless ND joins. The BIG- if that was the case Conn would already be there. The Big 12-2- UT wants them? Fox willing to pay to have them join?

If any AAC school were to be chosen, UC would have a better chance

If there is a problem with a network contract, unless UConn is going to the NBE, it was the networks way of paying less.

(04-19-2014 10:10 PM)texasorange Wrote:  Who are UConn's historical rivals? Universities they played from 1990 on when they became relevant? Or their true historical rivals from the Yankee Conference that they belonged to from 1949 to 1989 in football? In that regard their true historic rivals are UMass and Rhode Island. If UConn is destined to be in a so called P5 conference it should have happened already or should happen soon. I wish them the best but their fate may have already been decided.

Not specific to this post, but the earlier post about Uconn having to travel to Marquette, Notre Dane, etc. misses the point. Those trips were offset by a bus trips to Providence, St. John's, Syracus, Seton Hall, Rutgers, etc. You can't compare the two. Merely stating they traveled before doesn't negate the horrible travel they will have to endure.

Again, others may have decided that maybe Uconn belongs with Univ of Rhode Island, Umass, New hampshire, etc. That's why they aren't in a top league. Getting as many sports as they can into a local league, ir cutting sports, seems to be the only answer.

In the meantime, Uconn is in the AAC. The Power schools look at Uconn like a Umass or a New Hampshire. Boston College is looking to be the giant of New England. They are the top dog because of the indredible conference that they are.

Syracuse and Rutgers battle for the New York area. Uconn will have to accept that they are an off broadway program. Under the bright lights are the Orange and Knights.

Power schools are the major league teams. AAC, maybe MWC, etc. are like the triple A baseball teams. They have very local interest but we like to see the best, so that's why 3 million people will go see a major league team play, and they get billion in tv revenue. The minor league team is seen by hundreds of thousands and is on radio.

Uconn has to accept where they are and maximize that niche following that minor league teams have. Market, market market.

The AAC tournament deal is evidence that they haven't accepted it. So that hurts the conference. Many Uconn posters love the AAC, so maybe it will take time.

You new poster from CUSA (etc) have to realize that a year ago UConn, Cincinnati and South Florida were BCS schools, but are now G5 schools. That is a tough pill to swallow, B4 the ACC invite Louisville fans were in the same boat.

As has been said, UConn has nowhere to go.

(04-19-2014 12:04 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  Actually you do want to sound like a complainer. It's your MO.

You simply want to ignore what a disaster the AAC is for UConn. They have lost virtually all of their historic rivals. Rutgers was the last of those to go and the response of the AAC was to add Tulsa instead of UMass.

Man, talk about pot ~ kettle ~ black.

UConn is getting a dose what Houston got when the SWC broke up, welcome to the club. It hurts doesn't it?

(04-20-2014 06:20 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  UConn is getting dose what Houston got when the SWC broke up, welcome to the club. It hurts doesn't it?

UConn will eventually be in the ACC or the B1G - its a matter of time.

The AAC is basically a rerun of C-USA.

(04-20-2014 06:35 PM)jgkojak Wrote:  

(04-20-2014 06:20 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  UConn is getting dose what Houston got when the SWC broke up, welcome to the club. It hurts doesn't it?

UConn will eventually be in the ACC or the B1G - its a matter of time.

The AAC is basically a rerun of C-USA.

The if you can't beat them make fun of them tactic huh? I'm sorry but how many BCS games did a CUSA team go to in it's entire existence? And how many times has a CUSA team won the basketball national championship?

They are playing at a much higher level than CUSA regardless of how many teams were in CUSA.

(04-20-2014 06:53 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(04-20-2014 06:35 PM)jgkojak Wrote:  

(04-20-2014 06:20 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  UConn is getting dose what Houston got when the SWC broke up, welcome to the club. It hurts doesn't it?

UConn will eventually be in the ACC or the B1G - its a matter of time.

The AAC is basically a rerun of C-USA.

The if you can't beat them make fun of them tactic huh? I'm sorry but how many BCS games did a CUSA team go to in it's entire existence? And how many times has a CUSA team won the basketball national championship?

They are playing at a much higher level than CUSA regardless of how many teams were in CUSA.

It's more like how CUSA was in hoops especially back about 10 years ago. Except UConn has done more at this point than Louisville had done at that point. And it's really a lot stronger overall than CUSA was back 10 years ago quite frankly. And really now when you look at it- better coaches. Houston getting Sampson was just a huge get- not to mention Tulsa getting Haith. It's a pretty darn good coaches league now.

Bottom line for UConn- they may eventually go to the ACC/Big Ten- but until then- this isn't a bad situation for them. Attendance in basketball wasn't impacted much at all this year despite what Melky wants you to believe. Football yes- but that's more a by-product of being a pathetic 3-9 team over anything else(and having a Dec 7 home game which never is going to be good for UConn).

(04-20-2014 06:20 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  UConn is getting a dose what Houston got when the SWC broke up, welcome to the club. It hurts doesn't it?

I guess there are some similarities. Except when Houston was left behind they disappeared in virtually all sports for a decade or more. UConn has pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and won a couple National Championships in men's and women's bball.

Plus UConn has been and still is a highly ranked and nationally recognized university. Houston has done well for itself and is a good school, but it's not a flagship state school like UConn.

(04-19-2014 09:21 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  I think that schools generally have to either play in their home conference or go indy if the sport is sponsored by their home conference (i.e. where men's bball plays). Otherwise, they can do whatever they want.

The question at hand is not what schools generally have to do, but what UConn specifically has to do. First and foremost, if being a voting all-sports member of the American requires that their teams in sports sponsored by the American must play in conference, that's the end of it, irrespective of what the NCAA regulations say.

(04-20-2014 06:35 PM)jgkojak Wrote:  UConn will eventually be in the ACC or the B1G - its a matter of time.

The AAC is basically a rerun of C-USA.

That boils down to a prediction that UConn will eventually be in the ACC, since there's no criteria for the Big Ten taking UConn that are not better served by staying at 14.

If the AAC is a reboot of C-USA version 1.0, then its a reboot in an era where the best "non AQ conference", or in modern lingo the best Go5 conference, gets an automatic spot at a big bowl game, and where college FB at every spot in the FBS totem pole gets substantially more money than it did when CUSA version 1.0 was formed.

(04-20-2014 11:06 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-19-2014 09:21 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  I think that schools generally have to either play in their home conference or go indy if the sport is sponsored by their home conference (i.e. where men's bball plays). Otherwise, they can do whatever they want.

The question at hand is not what schools generally have to do, but what UConn specifically has to do. First and foremost, if being a voting all-sports member of the American requires that their teams in sports sponsored by the American must play in conference, that's the end of it, irrespective of what the NCAA regulations say.

(04-20-2014 06:35 PM)jgkojak Wrote:  UConn will eventually be in the ACC or the B1G - its a matter of time.

The AAC is basically a rerun of C-USA.

That boils down to a prediction that UConn will eventually be in the ACC, since there's no criteria for the Big Ten taking UConn that are not better served by staying at 14.

If the AAC is a reboot of C-USA version 1.0, then its a reboot in an era where the best "non AQ conference", or in modern lingo the best Go5 conference, gets an automatic spot at a big bowl game, and where college FB at every spot in the FBS totem pole gets substantially more money than it did when CUSA version 1.0 was formed.

"First and foremost, if being a voting all-sports member of the American requires that their teams in sports sponsored by the American must play in conference, that's the end of it, irrespective of what the NCAA regulations say."

But does the American in fact say that?

(04-20-2014 11:28 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  "First and foremost, if being a voting all-sports member of the American requires that their teams in sports sponsored by the American must play in conference, that's the end of it, irrespective of what the NCAA regulations say."

But does the American in fact say that?

It would be possible to find out if some version of the bylaws said that, since there were several that came out as a result of court discovery in various court cases, so are part of the public record.

I know that for the MAC, for instance, in the version of the bylaws that are in the public record, the bylaw is that a full conference member must participate in football, men and women's basketball, women's volleyball, baseball and softball, the MAC must sponsor at least 11 men's and 12 women's sports, and to be added as a sport, a majority of MAC members must play the sport.

For the America / Old Big East, most of the amendments of the by laws will have been about exit fees and similar issues, so its likely that whatever bylaw is in the most recent example in the public record still applies.