https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

With the new NIT format somewhat cementing the Big East as a power conference in basketball, UConn is fine.

We are scheduling P4 H/H all over the place in football and have at least 4 P4 opponents in each of the 2024-27 seasons.
I actually expect that number to go up to 5-6 (see 2026 with 5 P4 H/H scheduled).

Just need to invest a little more and not blow games (Utah State, FIU, USF, etc.).

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

UConn won an NCAA title out of the AAC in 2014, and Cincinnati and Houston both were members of the AAC last year.

(10-29-2023 04:18 PM)tf8693 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

UConn won an NCAA title out of the AAC in 2014, and Cincinnati and Houston both were members of the AAC last year.

That AAC had Louisville and Rutgers and did not have Tulane, Tulsa, or ECU. That wasn’t the same league. That was a legit power league in basketball that year.

UConn basketball thrives in the Big East.

UCONN basketball belongs in the BE but I really don't think the AAC ever held them back. They were in a conference with some legit basketball schools, who was to bottom as good as the BE. I can understand them not wanting to be associated with the current AAC.

The question I have is would the current AAC ever consider them for a FO add, especially with an all sport UMASS. I know UMASS sucks and UCONN football is lousy, but it would create a nice NE wing for the American with Army, Temple, Navy, UCONN, and UMASS.

(10-29-2023 04:26 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 04:18 PM)tf8693 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

UConn won an NCAA title out of the AAC in 2014, and Cincinnati and Houston both were members of the AAC last year.

That AAC had Louisville and Rutgers and did not have Tulane, Tulsa, or ECU. That wasn’t the same league. That was a legit power league in basketball that year.

Was having Rutgers really an advantage in any way?

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

Another delusional take

(10-29-2023 05:00 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  UCONN basketball belongs in the BE but I really don't think the AAC ever held them back. They were in a conference with some legit basketball schools, who was to bottom as good as the BE. I can understand them not wanting to be associated with the current AAC.

The question I have is would the current AAC ever consider them for a FO add, especially with an all sport UMASS. I know UMASS sucks and UCONN football is lousy, but it would create a nice NE wing for the American with Army, Temple, Navy, UCONN, and UMASS.

They don’t want it. The AAC is a southern league for the most part.

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

It took Hurley a couple of years to get things figured out. Perhaps joining the BE was a huge jolt of energy, perhaps not, but I'd wager that now they could be in any league and do just fine in basketball. Regarding football, UConn has made it abundantly clear that they do in fact want to play FBS football, and they have the resources to be consistently competitive, so I don't have a problem with them working on it. And with the amount of money at stake in football, combined with the likely future openings in the ACC and/or Big 12...it seems like a reasonable goal to get into the P4.

(10-29-2023 05:10 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 04:26 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 04:18 PM)tf8693 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

UConn won an NCAA title out of the AAC in 2014, and Cincinnati and Houston both were members of the AAC last year.

That AAC had Louisville and Rutgers and did not have Tulane, Tulsa, or ECU. That wasn’t the same league. That was a legit power league in basketball that year.

Was having Rutgers really an advantage in any way?

The B1G seems to think so.

(10-29-2023 05:19 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

Another delusional take

What's delusional about it?

1. They did have an all sports situation in the old Big East, until the Basketball schools left.
2. They abandoned the old Big East (aka AAC now) for the new Big East. The new Big East didn't offer FBS football, and UConn did in fact move the program into the ranks of the independents.
3. Do you think they made that move for the good of the football program, or for the good of the basketball program? Please explain.

UConn should be in the ACC. Why ESPN didn't want... That's the answer.

(10-29-2023 05:30 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 05:00 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  UCONN basketball belongs in the BE but I really don't think the AAC ever held them back. They were in a conference with some legit basketball schools, who was to bottom as good as the BE. I can understand them not wanting to be associated with the current AAC.

The question I have is would the current AAC ever consider them for a FO add, especially with an all sport UMASS. I know UMASS sucks and UCONN football is lousy, but it would create a nice NE wing for the American with Army, Temple, Navy, UCONN, and UMASS.

They don’t want it. The AAC is a southern league for the most part.

UConn actually thought (or hoped) they could keep FB in the AAC when they pulled their BB back to the Big East. Aresco quickly vetoed that notion.

It could happen in the future but not likely as long as Aresco is commish.

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Moving the NBE probably helped UConn's basketball resurgence but the real reason for their turn around is Danny Hurley. He had already begun turning things around in 2020. Had they stayed in the American they would have still gotten back to being a tourney fixture. Definitely still the right move to leave the league but lets not the secondary and primary causes for their turnaround.

(10-29-2023 05:34 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 03:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:43 PM)whittx Wrote:  

(10-29-2023 12:32 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/s...52750.php#

Key quote:

"What we could do is stop worrying about UConn football as the school’s only way forward. That’s a recipe for being disappointed year after year. College football doesn’t want UConn. And the school's athletics future shouldn’t have to depend on it."

You had an all sports situation and y'all abandoned it to walk the football program into the desert as an independent. Don't say College Football didn't want you when you chose to put yourself in the current situation for the good of your basketball program. Heck, you could have made the decision 25 years ago when you chose to upgrade to FBS instead of staying in the CAA

You can't tell me UConn men's basketball would be better off in the AAC right now than the Big East, especially after Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF left. The only way it was a bad decision would have been if the Big 12 had taken UConn instead of Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, or BYU and yeah right. No way an AAC UConn wins the national championship last year. UConn wasn't an NCAA team in 2017, 2018, or 2019 out of the AAC and was an NCAA team out of the Big East in 2021, 2022, and 2023. I don't think that's a coincidence.

It took Hurley a couple of years to get things figured out. Perhaps joining the BE was a huge jolt of energy, perhaps not, but I'd wager that now they could be in any league and do just fine in basketball. Regarding football, UConn has made it abundantly clear that they do in fact want to play FBS football, and they have the resources to be consistently competitive, so I don't have a problem with them working on it. And with the amount of money at stake in football, combined with the likely future openings in the ACC and/or Big 12...it seems like a reasonable goal to get into the P4.

Our conference match up in 2020 was against UConn. We split with them winning at home by four and losing on the road by 6. Hurley 100% would've had them back in the NCAAT the next year regardless of whether they were playing in the American or the NBE.

No matter how many NCAA basketball championships UConn wins, there will always be a contingent redirecting the spotlight by asking "But what about football?"

UConn is a basketball driven athletic department. They are in a basketball driven conference. They temporarily abandoned that stance and it was nearly catastrophic. The harsh reality is that UConn Football will never be as successful as UConn Basketball (Men or Women). UConn Basketball is the elite brand and every decision for UConn should continue to be driven by it.

(10-29-2023 08:16 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  No matter how many NCAA basketball championships UConn wins, there will always be a contingent redirecting the spotlight by asking "But what about football?"

UConn is a basketball driven athletic department. They are in a basketball driven conference. They temporarily abandoned that stance and it was nearly catastrophic. The harsh reality is that UConn Football will never be as successful as UConn Basketball (Men or Women). UConn Basketball is the elite brand and every decision for UConn should continue to be driven by it.

You can say the same thing about Duke and North Carolina being basketball driven athletic driven athletic departments. But they don't have to choose between basketball and football, they're in a conference that allows them to compete in the highest level in both sports. Same with Kansas and Kentucky. I'm sure there are others. Connecticut is the only school that had to choose between a lesser basketball conference or sacrificing football. Villanova and Georgetown have FCS football teams and compete in the Big East, they're in different boats.