Good article written in the Washington Post about Jim Calhoun, the former coach of
U-Conn.

Sounds like he has finally accepted where U-Conn has landed in realignment. Even Calhoun agrees that U-Conn's place (not being a power school) is fair.

“The landscape has kind of, I don’t think it’s treated us unfairly, but somehow or another, we didn’t catch the [proverbial] last train to Tucson,” Calhoun said. “And so we aren’t necessarily, well, I can’t say we’re not where we want to be, because in 2011 we won a national championship and in 2014 we won a national championship, and so therefore, I have concerns like everybody here and everybody anyplace. And that’s why I say, the only thing we can control is us. ”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/col...story.html

UConn is a more significant school than much of the P5 when you consider academics, markets, and past athletic success. But we're definitely G5 as of now.

(03-09-2015 04:58 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  UConn is a more significant school than much of the P5 when you consider academics, markets, and past athletic success. But we're definitely G5 as of now.

Develop a football brand and support it. That's what realignment is about.

Don't feed the



Thanks Mods.

(03-09-2015 09:40 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  Don't feed the

troll.

Thanks Mods.

Look, like it or not, a legendary UConn personage's opinion on UConn's position in realignment IS a relevant thing to post on this forum.

(03-09-2015 10:01 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 09:40 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  Don't feed the

troll.

Thanks Mods.

Look, like it or not, a legendary UConn personage's opinion on UConn's position in realignment IS a relevant thing to post on this forum.

The OP's paraphrasing and interpretation of Calhoun's quotes was the trolling.

(03-09-2015 09:28 PM)murrdcu Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 04:58 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  UConn is a more significant school than much of the P5 when you consider academics, markets, and past athletic success. But we're definitely G5 as of now.

Develop a football brand and support it. That's what realignment is about.

Thank you. That is the most logical, impartial post I've ever seen on UConn. Most posts are just filled with hate: "You guys suck!".

Yes, we're trying to improve the football brand. It's not easy.

I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

(03-10-2015 07:51 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 10:01 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 09:40 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  Don't feed the

troll.

Thanks Mods.

Look, like it or not, a legendary UConn personage's opinion on UConn's position in realignment IS a relevant thing to post on this forum.

The OP's paraphrasing and interpretation of Calhoun's quotes was the trolling.

You're really stretching things. The OP said that Calhoun says that UConn has been treated fairly by realignment (a reasonable inference from Calhoun's actual words saying the process hasn't treated you unfairly) and that he has accepted where UConn is (a fair inference from his statement that he "can't say we're not where we want to be"). Plus, he immediately provides the direct quote from Calhoun so anyone can determine if he is spinning the words unfairly.

Obviously, Calhoun regrets that realignment passed UConn by (we didn't catch the last train to ...). What UConn fan doesn't?

(03-10-2015 09:02 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

If we are going to evaluate BC's invite to the ACC as evidence that football doesn't matter, we have to look at what their football brand was in 2003 when they were invited, not its sorry state right now.

Beyond that, realignment DOES have a strong element of history and tradition to it, because college football, moreso than any other major sport save arguably major league baseball, is saturated with history and tradition. That helps build a brand.

But, it is NOT all about the past. It is only about the past to the extent that the past translated into likely future revenues. Just look at schools like FSU and Miami. As of the early 1980s, they were nothing as football brands. Within 10 years, they were invited to major football conferences and were charter members of the Bowl Coalition.

You can build up a brand quickly, but you need to win really big, like FSU and Miami did.

(03-09-2015 09:28 PM)murrdcu Wrote:  

(03-09-2015 04:58 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  UConn is a more significant school than much of the P5 when you consider academics, markets, and past athletic success. But we're definitely G5 as of now.

Develop a football brand and support it. That's what realignment is about.

TELL THAT TO BOISESTATE FANS

(03-10-2015 09:02 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

Correct. The good ol' boys built a clubhouse and posted a "go away" sign on the door, even though some guys on the outside could kick butt on some guys inside.

They'll still use the "football brand" issue successfully until a G5 school does well consistently for many years. The game is rigged, but the conference membership lists are not set in stone.

(03-10-2015 09:25 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 09:02 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

Correct. The good ol' boys built a clubhouse and posted a "go away" sign on the door, even though some guys on the outside could kick butt on some guys inside.

They'll still use the "football brand" issue successfully until a G5 school does well consistently for many years. The game is rigged, but the conference membership lists are not set in stone.

No they won't...Boise has done it consistently and they aren't in it. It has nothing to do with your product, stadium, whatever...it has everything to do with the past. Why is Wake Forest in the ACC? Why is Vandy in the SEC? Because of their TV market value? Fan base? Tradition? C'mon....it's who you knew and when.

The Grandpa's are running college football and deciding who gets to play and who doesn't...because they want to watch what they grew up watching. They don't want to watch Boise play UCF...they say they built the foundation for Boise and UCF to play...which is a bunch of hogwash. Boise and UCF built their own thing, irregardless of what Purdue did in 1962...or BC did in 1982.

UConn doesn't fit...because BC and Syracuse and Pitt has to fit. They are part of the "club" that created the BCS...they "made" UConn in their eyes...

I thought that train went to Clarksville... not Tuscon. ;-)

(03-10-2015 09:25 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Correct. The good ol' boys built a clubhouse and posted a "go away" sign on the door, even though some guys on the outside could kick butt on some guys inside.

Are there schools in conferences below the AAC in the pecking order that could kick butt on AAC teams? Yes there are. Is the AAC is letting them in? I don't think so.

As Jim realizes, UConn is now small potatoes.

(03-10-2015 10:30 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 09:25 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 09:02 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

Correct. The good ol' boys built a clubhouse and posted a "go away" sign on the door, even though some guys on the outside could kick butt on some guys inside.

They'll still use the "football brand" issue successfully until a G5 school does well consistently for many years. The game is rigged, but the conference membership lists are not set in stone.

No they won't...Boise has done it consistently and they aren't in it. It has nothing to do with your product, stadium, whatever...it has everything to do with the past.

Usually, but not always. E.g., when the Big 12 was raided in 2010-2011, the schools they lost took away a significant amount of their perceived on-field football strength.

So it certainly helped TCU and WVU that they had experienced very recent success in BCS bowl games. That was an important factor, above and beyond the usually most important one, enduring brand value. That's an example when winning at the right time can boost your chances of getting a P5 bid.

(03-10-2015 10:37 AM)Bull Wrote:  I thought that train went to Clarksville... not Tuscon. ;-)

That was my first thought.

(03-10-2015 10:30 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 09:25 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  

(03-10-2015 09:02 AM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I think the football brand thing is a bunch of crap....

How good is Boston College's football brand. How much better is it right now over UConn?

I know they have more history and tradition, but IMO that's it. UConn has as much support, is a State flagship, a nice enough stadium...

Has Pitt been that much more relevant than UConn in football over the past 10 years? Seems about even to me.

Has Syracuse?

Bottom line....realignment is about the "good old boys" network. The past. That is the easiest way to describe UConn's lack of entry into the P5. It has nothing to do with what they have, what they are...now. It has everything to do with what happened in 1960 or whatever...legends of Tony Dorsett or a Hail Mary by Doug Flutie...

The P5 is a "club"...invitation only. Matters nothing about who or what you are....matters more who your father is or who you know...

Correct. The good ol' boys built a clubhouse and posted a "go away" sign on the door, even though some guys on the outside could kick butt on some guys inside.

They'll still use the "football brand" issue successfully until a G5 school does well consistently for many years. The game is rigged, but the conference membership lists are not set in stone.

No they won't...Boise has done it consistently and they aren't in it. It has nothing to do with your product, stadium, whatever...it has everything to do with the past. Why is Wake Forest in the ACC? Why is Vandy in the SEC? Because of their TV market value? Fan base? Tradition? C'mon....it's who you knew and when.

The Grandpa's are running college football and deciding who gets to play and who doesn't...because they want to watch what they grew up watching. They don't want to watch Boise play UCF...they say they built the foundation for Boise and UCF to play...which is a bunch of hogwash. Boise and UCF built their own thing, irregardless of what Purdue did in 1962...or BC did in 1982.

UConn doesn't fit...because BC and Syracuse and Pitt has to fit. They are part of the "club" that created the BCS...they "made" UConn in their eyes...

Boise has football success, and not much else. UConn has everything except a successful football program - academics, market, and a complete athletic program (quality soccer, baseball, hockey, and men's & women's BB).

If you just transferred the Boise FB program to UConn, you'd have a no-brainer P5 school.