B1G

[UConn9604]

11. Realignment is dead

Or extremely sleepy. The ACC's grant of rights essentially put the brakes on realignmentfor the near term.

I love it when writers post their own columns as support for a position.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The other 5 states have FB teams?

You realize that any kid in New England gets in state tuition at UConn, if he takes a course not offered by his state school. There is a strong New England bond. Since UConn is the only New England State School with any hope of getting into a P5, than the reality is UConn will be the team representative for New England on the National Stage.
Private schools like BC lack that degree of identity. But when Flutie threw that pass an overwhelming majority of New England felt like it was a win for them.
These things can happen while you still love your state school.

 

[SubbaBub]

You realize that any kid in New England gets in state tuition at UConn, if he takes a course not offered by his state school. There is a strong New England bond. Since UConn is the only New England State School with any hope of getting into a P5, than the reality is UConn will be the team representative for New England on the National Stage.
Private schools like BC lack that degree of identity. But when Flutie threw that pass an overwhelming majority of New England felt like it was a win for them.
These things can happen while you still love your state school.

I was taking a gratuitous shot at BCU. That you missed it, is an even bigger shot at BCU.

 

[babysheep]

The entire conference must be ROFLTAO at our football team right now

 

[Adios]

We can forget the B1G for a while now. Thanks PP. He should have done his own state a favor and resigned after last season.

 

[CTMike]

At this point the Colonial Athletic would probably say "ehhhh... Thanks but we'll pass."

 

[pj]

We might be raiding the Colonial Athletic for our next coach.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The entire conference must be ROFLTAO at our football team right now

Not as much as Jeff Hathaway is right now or our friends up in the Heights.

I am ticked that the UConn OL looked horrible, wasn’t this the reason we kept DeLeone because the OL is his specialty? Also, everyone knows that Towson was going to run at UConn as West is a good back. And UConn still could not stop them with FBS versus FCS skill? That reeks of poor prep work.

I think our only chance right now is beating Maryland and at least being competitive with U Michigan. That will allow us to survive a 6 and 6 season (yes, I am already drunk) and then find a real coach who knows something about football in the 21st century.

 

[B1GALUM]

We can forget the B1G for a while now.

This is not absolutely the case. Yes, this loss does hurt the perception of UConn football among the B1G rank and file. However, UConn to the B1G would never be about football anyway. UConn would be invited to the B1G if the B1G presidents and Delany believe UConn would be an academic fit, provide additional opportunity for B1G exposure in NYC and the NE region, and see UConn basketball as an asset to the B1G and BTN. I think the perception of UConn football is salvageable with a strong performance against Michigan and wins over Maryland and Rutgers and you have to beat Buffalo.

 

[babysheep]

Yeah but this dumpster-fire-turned-train-wreck of a football team is only going to start losing its fans in the state it owns if this continues. We barely got 30k in our stadium for our home opener against a cupcake. And it's only going to be harder from here on out. If pass interference wasn't waved off and that INT never happened, it very well could have turned out to be a 42-11 game. Against an FCS school. I don't think a single one of us here is holding our breath hoping to beat RU, Buffalo or even Maryland. I am dreading what the point spread for the Michigan game is going to be. Nobody in NY or Boston is going to watch or care about a team this awful. Exposure only matters if it sticks and builds the fan base and resulting income. At this point they may very well be better off offering Buffalo.

I really really really hope this game was some horrific fluke.

 

[Adios]

This is not absolutely the case. Yes, this loss does hurt the perception of UConn football among the B1G rank and file. However, UConn to the B1G would never be about football anyway. UConn would be invited to the B1G if the B1G presidents and Delany believe UConn would be an academic fit, provide additional opportunity for B1G exposure in NYC and the NE region, and see UConn basketball as an asset to the B1G and BTN. I think the perception of UConn football is salvageable with a strong performance against Michigan and wins over Maryland and Rutgers and you have to beat Buffalo.

The way things looked last night, we might be in for a nightmare season. Our team used to play with a swagger under Edsall. We were great in the trenches. That swagger is gone, evaporated.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The way things looked last night, we might be in for a nightmare season. Our team used to play with a swagger under Edsall. We were great in the trenches. That swagger is gone, evaporated.

Which is not going to come back when the head Coach is throwing the QB under the bus for ‘not being able to see over the O-Line.’ He is right, the QB could not see over the O-Line because there was no O-Line and he spent most of his time on his backside. The HC of course put no blame at the feet of the team’s s O-Line coaching expert, who happens to be the HC’s best friend for the last 20+ years.

 

[itgoeslike]

The way things looked last night, we might be in for a nightmare season. Our team used to play with a swagger under Edsall. We were great in the trenches. That swagger is gone, evaporated.

There were moments of being energized (a precursor to swagger), i.e., the long TD pass, McCombs running down to the 1 yard line, etc., but those moments were negated by not being able to convert, i.e., 1st and goal on the 1 yard line, 3rd and short, etc.

 

[CTGoonie]

I like this quote from Delany from this morning's Detroit News.

He also discussed expansion and was asked specifically how many teams he saw in the Big Ten in the future.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think it’s pretty stable; we’re not active. But if you asked me four years ago I would have said 12. Circumstances change. If circumstances stay about where they are I think 14. Where we’re at now is we have a lot of comfort, we’ve got divisions, got a schedule, we’ve got television negotiations, the college football playoff, a new slate of bowl games. There’s plenty to do and the thought of expansion is pretty far down, but you never know.”

 

[HuskyDogArt]

The other 5 states have FB teams?

When did UVM re-started Football??? When will the UVM-Maine FB game be held? URI, UNH, UMaine are FCS, UMass is FBS and UVM hasn't lost in FB since 72...

 

[Dooley]

Posting this in all CR boards too (sorry for the repetition)...

If last night didn't give Jim Delany a taste of what UCONN can deliver to the B1G, I don't know what will. A competitive game with a rowdy crowd littered with celebrities. An opportunity for northeast B1G alum to easily get to our stadium...I heard lots of "Michigan usually doesn't come out this far east so I HAD to come" talk from Michigan fans last night. The same will surely apply to fanbases like OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc. I like how Warde (or whoever) used the opportunity to make sure all of the former Huskies in attendance were shown on cam and/or interviewed to reinforce the UCONN family concept. You couple all of this with strong TV ratings in a year that UCONN is 0 and friggin' 3 with a lousy coaching staff and you would be blind NOT to see the potential in UCONN.

 

[woomba]

Posting this in all CR boards too (sorry for the repetition)...

If last night didn't give Jim Delany a taste of what UCONN can deliver to the B1G, I don't know what will. A competitive game with a rowdy crowd littered with celebrities. An opportunity for northeast B1G alum to easily get to our stadium...I heard lots of "Michigan usually doesn't come out this far east so I HAD to come" talk from Michigan fans last night. The same will surely apply to fanbases like OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc. I like how Warde (or whoever) used the opportunity to make sure all of the former Huskies in attendance were shown on cam and/or interviewed to reinforce the UCONN family concept. You couple all of this with strong TV ratings in a year that UCONN is 0 and friggin' 3 with a lousy coaching staff and you would be blind NOT to see the potential in UCONN.

Well...this is the logic behind Rutger's addition. Starting next year Michigan/Penn State/Ohio State will be playing an hour away from NYC every other year.

 

[Dooley]

Well...this is the logic behind Rutger's addition. Starting next year Michigan/Penn State/Ohio State will be playing an hour away from NYC every other year.

I understand. But why not double down on the area? If Delany is really looking to move into a heavy presence in the northeast, a UCONN/RU combo play would do the trick. Just look at the atmosphere at the Rent last night in a lost season. Now picture UCONN being 2-0 and with buzz about us instead of billing the game as "hey fans, come see Michigan at the Rent".

 

[UConnDan97]

I understand. But why not double down on the area? If Delany is really looking to move into a heavy presence in the northeast, a UCONN/RU combo play would do the trick. Just look at the atmosphere at the Rent last night in a lost season. Now picture UCONN being 2-0 and with buzz about us instead of billing the game as "hey fans, come see Michigan at the Rent".

I'll go one step further; what if the B1G doubles down with Rutgers and UConn, and then the UConn / Rutgers game becomes the biggest draw in NYC instead of RU/Mich. or UConn/Mich.? With a few years in the B1G, the UConn / Rutgers rivalry might actually become what it was IMHO always destined to become; the greatest college football draw in the northeast. The Big Apple Trophy has a nice ring to it...

 

[whaler11]

I'll go one step further; what if the B1G doubles down with Rutgers and UConn, and then the UConn / Rutgers game becomes the biggest draw in NYC instead of RU/Mich. or UConn/Mich.? With a few years in the B1G, the UConn / Rutgers rivalry might actually become what it was IMHO always destined to become; the greatest college football draw in the northeast. The Big Apple Trophy has a nice ring to it...

It's plausible.

I still think UConn fits better in the ACC than the Big 10. (As the leagues are currently constructed).

 

[UConnDan97]

It's plausible.

I still think UConn fits better in the ACC than the Big 10. (As the leagues are currently constructed).

I could see both sides of that argument, but I think for different sports.

In basketball (both men and women), I think that there is no doubt that we fit better in the ACC. The Syracuse and Pitt rivalries would be restored, along with our ability to pick on BC 23 games in a row, and additionally some big-time matchups again with Duke.

In football, however, I think that we've had a much better rivalry with Rutgers than we did with Syracuse, Pitt, or BC (although admittedly, the BC rivalry has great potential). If you add in the fact that the Maryland battle could turn into something more, due to the last two years and the fact that Randy is still their coach, and I think the B1G makes more sense from a football perspective. It almost certainly makes more sense from a cultural perspective, since I doubt that we'll ever truly fit in with Clemson, Fla St, Miami (yeah, I know they were in our league before), Georgia Tech, Wake, UNC, NCState, or Duke...

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I could see both sides of that argument, but I think for different sports.

In basketball (both men and women), I think that there is no doubt that we fit better in the ACC. The Syracuse and Pitt rivalries would be restored, along with our ability to pick on BC 23 games in a row, and additionally some big-time matchups again with Duke.

In football, however, I think that we've had a much better rivalry with Rutgers than we did with Syracuse, Pitt, or BC (although admittedly, the BC rivalry has great potential). If you add in the fact that the Maryland battle could turn into something more, due to the last two years and the fact that Randy is still their coach, and I think the B1G makes more sense from a football perspective. It almost certainly makes more sense from a cultural perspective, since I doubt that we'll ever truly fit in with Clemson, Fla St, Miami (yeah, I know they were in our league before), Georgia Tech, Wake, UNC, NCState, or Duke...

I agree only in basketball does the ACC have a slight edge.
Football in the ACC is Big East Redux. A bunch of dissimilar schools thrown together.
The former Big East schools are really disconnected from the other schools.
UConn would help the ACC disconnect problem but for some reason they view us as an enemy rather than a necessary piece of the puzzle. That kind of shortsightness shouldn't be rewarded.
I'm a genologist so I understand the connection between Connecticut and the Midwest better than most. There is zero cultural commonality with the ACC except south Fla and parts of the North Carolina in the last 30 years.

 

[whaler11]

I could see both sides of that argument, but I think for different sports.

In basketball (both men and women), I think that there is no doubt that we fit better in the ACC. The Syracuse and Pitt rivalries would be restored, along with our ability to pick on BC 23 games in a row, and additionally some big-time matchups again with Duke.

In football, however, I think that we've had a much better rivalry with Rutgers than we did with Syracuse, Pitt, or BC (although admittedly, the BC rivalry has great potential). If you add in the fact that the Maryland battle could turn into something more, due to the last two years and the fact that Randy is still their coach, and I think the B1G makes more sense from a football perspective. It almost certainly makes more sense from a cultural perspective, since I doubt that we'll ever truly fit in with Clemson, Fla St, Miami (yeah, I know they were in our league before), Georgia Tech, Wake, UNC, NCState, or Duke...

I think for UConn to compete in football at a high level they have to recruit the Southeast. I can't see how they do that well in the Big 10.

I also see the ACC as a place where UConn could get to the top half of the league in a reasonable amount of time.

As for Rutgers vs. BC. Seems to me everyone already forgot Rutgers, yet many still obsess over BC. I think they are much more viable 'rival'.

The new ACC basketball league is pretty impressive. That would be a lot of fun to partake in.

While not as stark - UConn in the Big 10 smells like WVU in the Big 12. Just out on an island so far away from Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota etc.

 

[pj]

I could see both sides of that argument, but I think for different sports.

In basketball (both men and women), I think that there is no doubt that we fit better in the ACC. The Syracuse and Pitt rivalries would be restored, along with our ability to pick on BC 23 games in a row, and additionally some big-time matchups again with Duke.

In football, however, I think that we've had a much better rivalry with Rutgers than we did with Syracuse, Pitt, or BC (although admittedly, the BC rivalry has great potential). If you add in the fact that the Maryland battle could turn into something more, due to the last two years and the fact that Randy is still their coach, and I think the B1G makes more sense from a football perspective. It almost certainly makes more sense from a cultural perspective, since I doubt that we'll ever truly fit in with Clemson, Fla St, Miami (yeah, I know they were in our league before), Georgia Tech, Wake, UNC, NCState, or Duke...

Also Penn State along with Maryland would be a rival. We recruit the same territories and they are roughly the same distance as Syracuse. If the B1G went to pods with an eastern pod of PSU, Md, Rutgers, UConn, that would be a fun group. What would the comparable arrangement with the ACC be? If Va and Va Tech insist on southern neighbors, we'd be with BC, Syracuse, and Louisville. Not nearly as interesting.

The concern about recruiting the south with no southern opponents is valid, but I think we need to develop New England and New York for football and can do that, and I think the ACC would fade away in the northeast, we could eat BC's and Cuse's lunch. There are athletes up here and they can be taught football.

Basketball, I'm not too worried which conference we're in. They're both great conferences and we can schedule out of conference. With 25-30 games, there is more scheduling leeway than in football. Football needs a quality conference.

 

[whaler11]

I'm 40. By the time NY and New England start throwing off enough player to compete nationally I'll be long dead.

Honestly I think it's a pipedream anyway because unless the concussion issue is solved fewer kids will participate in football in the NE versus other parts of the country.

In the south and Texas it's acceptable to have your life reach it's apex playing high school football.