(06-20-2020 04:50 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote: The great irony is this thread is still churning along LOL. That said, honestly does anyone expect UConn fans to feel any differently about leaving for the Big East? If they're happy and content then good for them. They can shed the perpetual bottom dweller in conference football and play in a top basketball conference. It works better for their financial model and for fan interest. For the rest of us, we need football to remain front and center and to continue the upward trajectory in competitiveness and in brand strength. We end up with a better football conference minus UConn with all due respect. Life is good!
I agree. At the tail end of the day, it isn’t like UConn fans had any say in this decision anyway. The administration decided our fate and we will have to live with it. Some UConn fans that only love basketball are ecstatic to be back to the Big East. Some UConn fans that only love football are bummed out that we lose all that being in a conference brings to the table. Some casual UConn football fans who also love basketball are pumped up that our schedule has a lot of P5 opponents while we reacquaint ourselves with traditional basketball rivals. As for me, I will be honest. If the year were 2024 and we missed out on all chances to join a P5 conference, I would 100% support this move. However, at the moment I would have waited life out in the AAC and tried to improve our football in this conference. I do like our Indy schedule and I do like the Big East hoop slate, but we jumped too soon. We should have given it four more years. I am likely in the minority on it, though.
I kinda think they actually did. The fans were the impetus for this move and I think the vast a majority of UConn fans are probably pretty excited about the move. Now--yes, its true the final decision was made by the UConn administrators (as fans alone could never accomplish such a feat)---but I think the administrators were doing what the majority of UConn fandom preferred. I think the UConn administrators were trying to respond to the fans wishes by giving them what they wanted most---despite the fact it was probably going to cost the athletic department a few million a year in revenue.
Frankly, I think that kind of fan first thinking by an administration is refreshing. We need more of that kind of thinking in college sports.
You make some good points. Personally, I am a basketball and football fan, so leaving the AAC for football makes me a bit sad. Less travel for all sports is cost effective and basketball should get a jolt, but I like having conference mates in football. I will miss tuning in to AAC football games of conference mates against non-conference opponents and feeling like I am a part of those games as well.
Bolded hits the nail on the head for me as well. I'm still going to pull hard for this league, but I know it's not going to feel entirely the same, which is a little depressing. I'm happy I was able to build some camaraderie with some people on this board, as it gives me added incentive to keep pulling for the league and will make watching the games more fun.
Still happy we get to play in the Big East for hoops, but it's bittersweet to an extent.
Unrelated to this post but not this thread, I have no idea about the Title IX stuff lol. Maybe there will be more cuts to women's sports, idk. I looked it up and there does need to be an equal number as we all had presumed, so no idea what the future will hold
I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
(06-29-2020 11:54 AM)chess Wrote: I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
Read the article posted earlier in the thread. Football ain't going anywhere
(06-29-2020 11:54 AM)chess Wrote: I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
Read the article posted earlier in the thread. Football ain't going anywhere
(06-29-2020 11:54 AM)chess Wrote: I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
Read the article posted earlier in the thread. Football ain't going anywhere
That’s fairly obvious. But for how long?
I thought the article made it seem as if dropping to FCS wasn't worth the loss in potential revenue. That would imply either for the foreseeable future, or forever.
We have games scheduled against P5s out through 2027. I know it's still early, but we also currently have the 2nd highest rated Indy class in 2021. There is no intention of dropping football to FCS if we can be even slightly competitive at the FBS level, and with our current scheduling and recruiting we should be able to do just that. The narrative we would drop to FCS or eliminate football has always been nothing more than a narrative.
Granted, when the move was first reported it was understandable such a narrative would form. Football seemed to be totally in limbo, and we were leaving a strong conference with the best bowl tie ins outside of the P5. I can see why people, especially those on this board, thought football was doomed. But everything we've done since leaving shows we are still committed to football.
(06-29-2020 11:54 AM)chess Wrote: I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
Read the article posted earlier in the thread. Football ain't going anywhere
That’s fairly obvious. But for how long?
I thought the article made it seem as if dropping to FCS wasn't worth the loss in potential revenue. That would imply either for the foreseeable future, or forever.
We have games scheduled against P5s out through 2027. I know it's still early, but we also currently have the 2nd highest rated Indy class in 2021. There is no intention of dropping football to FCS if we can be even slightly competitive at the FBS level, and with our current scheduling and recruiting we should be able to do just that. The narrative we would drop to FCS or eliminate football has always been nothing more than a narrative.
Granted, when the move was first reported it was understandable such a narrative would form. Football seemed to be totally in limbo, and we were leaving a strong conference with the best bowl tie ins outside of the P5. I can see why people, especially those on this board, thought football was doomed. But everything we've done since leaving shows we are still committed to football.
While this may be the narrative to sell the program today, Edsall will last until the athletic department fires him. He is coasting. Ultimately, UConn football will be a bodybag program like the Harlem Globetrotters' Washington Generals. The program will coast because buying out the games may be too much. Years of 2 and 3 win seasons will not be kind for fan support.
(06-29-2020 11:54 AM)chess Wrote: I feel for Connecticut. A few football blunders, an unfortunate men's basketball patch, and an administration that may not understand how modern athletics work led to this move.
UConn will eventually shudder football. In a few years, UConn may be the trendsetter as the reality of expensive college athletic departments running extreme deficits may be ending.
Read the article posted earlier in the thread. Football ain't going anywhere
That’s fairly obvious. But for how long?
I thought the article made it seem as if dropping to FCS wasn't worth the loss in potential revenue. That would imply either for the foreseeable future, or forever.
We have games scheduled against P5s out through 2027. I know it's still early, but we also currently have the 2nd highest rated Indy class in 2021. There is no intention of dropping football to FCS if we can be even slightly competitive at the FBS level, and with our current scheduling and recruiting we should be able to do just that. The narrative we would drop to FCS or eliminate football has always been nothing more than a narrative.
Granted, when the move was first reported it was understandable such a narrative would form. Football seemed to be totally in limbo, and we were leaving a strong conference with the best bowl tie ins outside of the P5. I can see why people, especially those on this board, thought football was doomed. But everything we've done since leaving shows we are still committed to football.
While this may be the narrative to sell the program today, Edsall will last until the athletic department fires him. He is coasting. Ultimately, UConn football will be a bodybag program like the Harlem Globetrotters' Washington Generals. The program will coast because buying out the games may be too much. Years of 2 and 3 win seasons will not be kind for fan support.
I'm sorry, I just genuinely don't understand how this is pertinent to the success of our program. If Edsall is such a poor coach only capable of 2-3 win seasons, wouldn't firing him be a good thing? Do you really think we couldn't possibly bring in anyone better?
I also don't buy the whole body bag game thing. Our schedules have a nice mix of lower tier G4s and Indies, but also P6s. Why is it improbable to think we can consistently win 5-7 games? I would argue the schedule we had playing in the AAC was a more difficult schedule than what we'll have most years as an Indy. Yes we only had 2 wins this past season, but we lost 3 more by 1 score. I don't think it's unreasonable to say if last season we played the type of schedule we're going to play as an Indy we could've won 4 games, and that was with a young roster that lacked talent. If we keep getting recruiting classes that are in the top 70-90 as opposed to 125 or whatever we were pulling here, we'll obviously improve as a program. Again, so far all evidence points to us being able to do so.
I'm obviously not saying any of this will happen. That's foolish. However, implying we will inevitably fall out of FBS is equally so. We're committed to football and are taking baby steps to get the program back on track.
(This post was last modified: 06-29-2020 03:51 PM by Nameless.)
David Borges
@DaveBorges
UConn's men's basketball ticket sales are about 2,000 ahead of the pace as the same time last year -- and that's in the midst of a global pandemic where everything (games with fans, games at all) is up in the air.
(06-30-2020 10:43 AM)huskiesnyc Wrote: David Borges
@DaveBorges
UConn's men's basketball ticket sales are about 2,000 ahead of the pace as the same time last year -- and that's in the midst of a global pandemic where everything (games with fans, games at all) is up in the air.
(06-30-2020 10:43 AM)huskiesnyc Wrote: David Borges
@DaveBorges
UConn's men's basketball ticket sales are about 2,000 ahead of the pace as the same time last year -- and that's in the midst of a global pandemic where everything (games with fans, games at all) is up in the air.
$176,000 down...only $39,824,000 to go!
Way to go Huskies!
I jest, of course - you cut sports for another estimated $10,000,000, so UConn only has $29,824,000 deficit for increased BigEast ticket sales to make up.
(06-30-2020 10:43 AM)huskiesnyc Wrote: David Borges
@DaveBorges
UConn's men's basketball ticket sales are about 2,000 ahead of the pace as the same time last year -- and that's in the midst of a global pandemic where everything (games with fans, games at all) is up in the air.