RE: Anyone catch Jim Calhoun on the Gottlieb radio show today?
If UConn's priority is in football, which I and many believe it to be so, and the goal is to make it a winning and successful program, I believe there are serious doubts that can occur in the American.
Firstly, I don't see UConn leaping over programs like UCF, USF, Houston, Memphis and others in the AAC. Those programs have utilized their new conference affiliation and elevated their football programs considerably. While each has had their head coaches poached, they have maintained their investment towards a top football program in the conference. Secondly, the football recruiting area of the AAC is entrenched in the South. UConn will not get many skilled players from Florida and Texas because the big names will likely stay in those areas (and not head to the Northeast). In this regard, the deck is stacked against UConn ever getting to the top of the American. Additionally, football recruiting in the Northeast is just not strong. Finally, look at Rhett Lashlee - last year's UConn OC. He voluntarily left his position at UConn for the same role at SMU. UConn had to hire a coach that left them in Edsall.
UConn Football, ever since the establishment of the American, was set up to fail. Having zero regional rivals make it impossible to get strong local recruits, since their are no big rivalry games to sell recruits on. Playing against against a majority of new programs that were "called-up" put them in the lose/lose situation where, if they won, results would be diminished because they are games they were supposed to win anyway. If they lost, the perception to losing to "inferior" programs was very strong, and it also grave rise to the perception and appeal to programs that are now beating a former Big East Football program.
In summary, I don't FBS Independence is a death-sentence that many make it out to be. UConn would be able to control its own schedule much better, cut down on the national travel, and get more wins in the process. There can easily be a small rotation of Northeast programs between Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Rutgers, and Temple, along with other area programs in Buffalo, UMass and Army, in order to recreate local regional interest. There can also be games scheduled against weaker FBS programs like Kent State and Liberty and closer C-USA schools like Marshall, UNC-Charlotte, and Old Dominion. Toss in an annual FCS game against Stony Brook, Albany, Delaware or New Hampshire, and UConn has a much more advantageous schedule. Even in losses, at least there are more local games with built-in interest (not fabricated interest like the ConFLict).
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