Big 12 will make significant push for UConn (merged)

[CL82]

UConn did fill the Rent a few times in the first year or 2, but that's as good as can be expected. Is that P5? (We need to start saying P4.)

If by "fill the Rent a few times" you mean that Rentschler stadium sold out 31 times in its first 10 years, you are correct. In fact the maximum attendance for a Rentschler Field game is 42,704 for the Michigan game 10 years ago where they actually brought in extra stands due to the demand for tickets.

So what's the difference between then and now? Three truly awful coaching hires. Playing really bad football eventually eroded fan support, just the same way it would in basketball.

Jim Mora has the team heading in the right direction having gotten us to a bowl game last year, notwithstanding the fact that the team was decimated by injury, particularly in the skilled positions. In fact, Connecticut was led by a true freshman quarterback, Zion Turner, and a true freshman running back, Joey Rosa, the latter of which ran in 11 touchdowns. Coach Moro's has said that Rosa is now the third string back for us given the two now healthy players ahead of him. Although, it hasn't been announced yet, Zion Turner the freshman who heroically jumped in in the first game and lead the team all season is likely to be third string as well.

This year should be exciting year were the team will improve even more. There's no doubt in my mind that attendance will likewise improve with the improved performance on the field. this is an exciting time for Connecticut football. People should hop on board and watch the team. It's going to be a fun run.

Oh, those 31 sellouts? We won 21 of them.

 

[Steelerone]

Yes, and it wasn't easy. I find your posts to be a little cryptic, that's why I had questions.

You said that we are tens of millions of dollars short for UConn to be competitive in football. You have not expressed what you base that on or what you believe those tens of millions of dollars must be paid toward. So that's my question.

( I linked to a facilities video so that you would be informed that we actually have excellent on campus facilities for football. I felt like that would be a time saver.)

A lot of you folks are very youthful and you need to be familar with the history of UConn football and the attitude of the legislature of the State with respect to this University and its sports programs. What you need to do is look at this history going back to the 1950's up to the present time. Yes money seems like it is being spent but not to the point where the University or the State of Connecticut is fully committed to an outstanding college football program. Most P5 conferences, the heads of those conference and the University Presidents and their Boards know that history and that Connecticut is second rate with money. Basketball is king because it really does not drain the State coffers the same way as a first class footall program, a 100,000 capacity stadium placed in a high rent district where the alumni with big bucks can make sizable contributions go to games and have their companies by sky boxes and advertising. Study the last 70 years and you will understand why UConn cannot get through the front door of a P5 conference.

Be upset and angry at what say. Call it an error in observation and be nasty if you wish. But it is what it is and UConn is still in the Big East where it belongs.

VOD, thank you so much for finally expressing what is only the truth. I've been at odds with a few people here who feel that telling them that Uconn has never (and probably never will) truly committed to a dominant football team. They feel that moving into a major conference will somehow allow us to run with the "big dogs". No, if we were in the ACC we would be compatible with a couple of the lower teams and the same would be true in the Big 12. Lastly, these people are not following what is happening to the teams being admitted. They are taking cuts in what the regular conference members will be getting, some for as long as six or seven years and that type of gulf between the haves and have nots in these conferences is only going to widen.

 

[Steelerone]

Yes, and it wasn't easy. I find your posts to be a little cryptic, that's why I had questions.

You said that we are tens of millions of dollars short for UConn to be competitive in football. You have not expressed what you base that on or what you believe those tens of millions of dollars must be paid toward. So that's my question.

( I linked to a facilities video so that you would be informed that we actually have excellent on campus facilities for football. I felt like that would be a time saver.)

CL you and a few other people on here feel that I am degrading Uconn football. Believe me, that is not the case. I've followed this program for over sixty five years, since they were in the Yankee Conference and could not beat Yale. I also grew up in Pittsburgh, played for Ken Hi when we won a State Championship, and played before over 40,000 people and that was high school. A program that wants to be competitive like Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma probably spends more on recruiting than Uconn does on their entire program. As sad as that might be it's also termed reality.

 

[CL82]

CL you and a few other people on here feel that I am degrading Uconn football. Believe me, that is not the case. I've followed this program for over sixty five years, since they were in the Yankee Conference and could not beat Yale. I also grew up in Pittsburgh, played for Ken Hi when we won a State Championship, and played before over 40,000 people and that was high school. A program that wants to be competitive like Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma probably spends more on recruiting than Uconn does on their entire program. As sad as that might be it's also termed reality.

Not at all. I just don't understand what you're trying to say. You seem to think that the university has to invest tens of millions of dollars in football, but seemed reluctant to say where are you actually think that money needs to be spent. I'm curious as to where you think that money needs to go.

Also, I think you may be over estimating attendance for the vast majority of FBS football programs.

(For what it's worth I'm old enough to have seen Connecticut play Yale in the Yale Bowl while I was in school.)

 

[Carnac]

Report: Stanford Willing to Join ACC at Reduced or No Media Payouts for Several Years​

It appears that Stanford is willing to do whatever it takes to remain in a prominent conference. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported that the school had informed the remaining members of the Pac-12 Conference that they had told the ACC that the University was willing to make significant sacrifices in order to move to the conference.

"Leaders from Stanford, California, Oregon State, and Washington State spoke Thursday, and Stanford told its colleagues it had informed the ACC that it would be open to joining the conference at greatly reduced or even no media rights payout for several years," Russo wrote.

Report: Stanford Willing to Join ACC at Reduced or No Media Payouts for Several Years

It appears that Stanford is willing to do whatever it takes to remain in a prominent conference. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported the school…

bleacherreport.com

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Not at all. I just don't understand what you're trying to say. You seem to think that the university has to invest tens of millions of dollars in football, but seemed reluctant to say where are you actually think that money needs to be spent. I'm curious as to where you think that money needs to go.

Also, I think you may be over estimating attendance for the vast majority of FBS football programs.

(For what it's worth I'm old enough to have seen Connecticut play Yale in the Yale Bowl while I was in school.)

I'm not sure I am directly answering you, but I have a sort of answer. Stadium. Possibly new basketball arena.

I was just reading somewhere (I read a bit of a lot so don't remember where the article was) that one of the biggest problems is variously stadiums that are too small (Rutgers got a mention, the Rent would qualify), lack of amenities in stadiums (another Rutgers mention, not sure about your stadium, Arizona has some issues), and basketball arenas that lack the ability to rent suites and all that.

No, you don't need the 100,000 seat mega-stadium, but when average attendance is 41,000 or so (and the SEC / B1G both average over 65000 per game, I'm not sure that 50,000 capacity cuts it.

I don't think the arena issue is a deal breaker for a school like Connecticut that has the Basketball "chops" but I have known for years that the suites are a win/win from articles in past years.

 

[CL82]

I'm not sure I am directly answering you, but I have a sort of answer. Stadium. Possibly new basketball arena.

I was just reading somewhere (I read a bit of a lot so don't remember where the article was) that one of the biggest problems is variously stadiums that are too small (Rutgers got a mention, the Rent would qualify), lack of amenities in stadiums (another Rutgers mention, not sure about your stadium, Arizona has some issues), and basketball arenas that lack the ability to rent suites and all that.

No, you don't need the 100,000 seat mega-stadium, but when average attendance is 41,000 or so (and the SEC / B1G both average over 65000 per game, I'm not sure that 50,000 capacity cuts it.

I don't think the arena issue is a deal breaker for a school like Connecticut that has the Basketball "chops" but I have known for years that the suites are a win/win from articles in past years.

I can see the football stadium argument. Here is the average attendance:

If you draw a trendline it does appear to be going down not up. In any event, Rentschler field, at 40,000 capacity, isn't far off these numbers. When it was built footings were put in place to easily expand it another 10,000 seats. So if a conference were to put a stadium capacity requirement on our membership, it's something we could accommodate relatively easily. In fact, we know that the Rent's without any expansion can accommodate 42,704 since that was the attendance for our game against Michigan for which we added temporary stands. Of course, any stadium expansion would require an increase in attendance to be justified.

That said "average attendance" is an interesting number since every mega stadium, like Michigan at 100,000, is offset by stadiums during less than the 41,000 average.

 

[Skeets]

If by "fill the Rent a few times" you mean that Rentschler stadium sold out 31 times in its first 10 years, you are correct. In fact the maximum attendance for a Rentschler Field game is 42,704 for the Michigan game 10 years ago where they actually brought in extra stands due to the demand for tickets.

So what's the difference between then and now? Three truly awful coaching hires. Playing really bad football eventually eroded fan support, just the same way it would in basketball.

Jim Mora has the team heading in the right direction having gotten us to a bowl game last year, notwithstanding the fact that the team was decimated by injury, particularly in the skilled positions. In fact, Connecticut was led by a true freshman quarterback, Zion Turner, and a true freshman running back, Joey Rosa, the latter of which ran in 11 touchdowns. Coach Moro's has said that Rosa is now the third string back for us given the two now healthy players ahead of him. Although, it hasn't been announced yet, Zion Turner the freshman who heroically jumped in in the first game and lead the team all season is likely to be third string as well.

This year should be exciting year were the team will improve even more. There's no doubt in my mind that attendance will likewise improve with the improved performance on the field. this is an exciting time for Connecticut football. People should hop on board and watch the team. It's going to be a fun run.

Oh, those 31 sellouts? We won 21 of them.

I was at that game. Those extra stands looked to be a waste of time and money. Not a heck of a lot of people in those stands. Did you notice those stands were gone before the next game? Lots of empty bleacher space. If there were 31 sell outs in the first 10 years, I was a season ticket holder during those years. I can only go with what my eyeballs see. A bunch those "31" must have had a good number of no-shows, not unusual late in the season in bad weather, or games that the season ticket holder isn't interested in.

Here's a little more on what probably is part of the problem. CT has what 3+ million people? A good portion of that population lives paycheck to paycheck, or worse. But if you could somehow convince 1% of every man, woman, and child to attend a UConn game you still don't fill up the Rent. (I am discounting the several hundred fans the opposing school brings and other fans who may live out of state.) Will UConn ever expand the Rent and routinely get a P5 (P4?) size of 50,000 to 60,000 fans? I doubt I will see that in my lifetime. Better chance of seeing the Whalers in Hartford before that.

FYI, I am a UConn football fan although I've been picking out single games here and there rather than season tickets. The silver lining is: buy a ticket and sit wherever you want, like those pricey blue seats.

 

[CL82]

I was at that game. Those extra stands looked to be a waste of time and money. Not a heck of a lot of people in those stands. Did you notice those stands were gone before the next game? Lots of empty bleacher space. If there were 31 sell outs in the first 10 years, I was a season ticket holder during those years. I can only go with what my eyeballs see. A bunch those "31" must have had a good number of no-shows, not unusual late in the season in bad weather, or games that the season ticket holder isn't interested in.

Here's a little more on what probably is part of the problem. CT has what 3+ million people? A good portion of that population lives paycheck to paycheck, or worse. But if you could somehow convince 1% of every man, woman, and child to attend a UConn game you still don't fill up the Rent. (I am discounting the several hundred fans the opposing school brings and other fans who may live out of state.) Will UConn ever expand the Rent and routinely get a P5 (P4?) size of 50,000 to 60,000 fans? I doubt I will see that in my lifetime. Better chance of seeing the Whalers in Hartford before that.

FYI, I am a UConn football fan although I've been picking out single games here and there rather than season tickets. The silver lining is: buy a ticket and sit wherever you want, like those pricey blue seats.

Just like every other school in the country our attendance figures are based on tickets sold rather than people walking through the turnstiles, so it's an apples to apples comparison. Here is the list of sellouts:

1/2

 

[CL82]

2/2

There are many more games in the announced 38,000 to 39,000 range. Our football rise was meteoric, and then Pasqualoni/Diaco/HCRE2 happened. I feel like we're heading in the right direction to get our mojo back. In seats seem to be selling well for NC State.