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CL82

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I hover around anger and depression, but I am almost committed to acceptance. No program got a bigger kick to the juevos than UCONN, so it's reasonable to accept that greed and stupidity could leave us out in the cold.
I've posted this a lot over this years but...

The Seven Stages of Conference Realignment

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-
You will probably react to learning that the "Big 5" is leaving the rest of the football schools behind with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Belief in a secret plan that will bring UConn to the Big 10 is typical in this stage. This may last for weeks.

2. PAIN & GUILT-
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, college sport scheduling seems chaotic and scary during this phase. Expect very little productivity during this stage as reading the Boneyard replaces normal functions such as work, talking with your spouse and bathing.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay blame for the lack of a decent conference on someone else. Many choose Warde Manual or Jeff Hathaway, others "UConn's friend Mark Emmert." This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion. You may rail against fate, questioning "Why UConn ?" You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair ("I will not complain about Syracuse’s cupcake basketball schedule anymore, if you will just get us admission to the AAU.")

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, and talk of “going independent in football” becomes the norm.

5. THE UPWARD TURN-
As you start to adjust to life without a meaningful conference affiliation, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your "depression" begins to lift slightly. You actually start working at work again and your boss decides that he doesn’t need to fire you or upgrade the internet firewall.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again, and you will find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by life without a decent conference. You will start to work on practical and financial problems and reconstructing your program, such as stadium expansion and focusing on third tier TV rights.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
During this, the last of the seven stages of conference realignment, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, untroubled YOU that existed before this tragedy. But you will find a way forward, unfortunately that may involve trips to Tulsa, Okahoma and Greenville, North Carolina, but you will survive.
 
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The difference between death an injustice is one is unavoidable, in fact one might even say necessary.
Injustice on the other hand should never be accepted , tolerated temporarily perhaps but never accepted.
Aren't you guys American , we were founded on the principal that injustice is wrong and in some cases evil and our mission is to see it defeated.
Good points Bluto. :eek:
 
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I've posted this a lot over this years but...

The Seven Stages of Conference Realignment

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-
You will probably react to learning that the "Big 5" is leaving the rest of the football schools behind with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Belief in a secret plan that will bring UConn to the Big 10 is typical in this stage. This may last for weeks.

2. PAIN & GUILT-
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, college sport scheduling seems chaotic and scary during this phase. Expect very little productivity during this stage as reading the Boneyard replaces normal functions such as work, talking with your spouse and bathing.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay blame for the lack of a decent conference on someone else. Many choose Warde Manual or Jeff Hathaway, others "UConn's friend Mark Emmert." This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion. You may rail against fate, questioning "Why UConn ?" You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair ("I will not complain about Syracuse’s cupcake basketball schedule anymore, if you will just get us admission to the AAU.")

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, and talk of “going independent in football” becomes the norm.

5. THE UPWARD TURN-
As you start to adjust to life without a meaningful conference affiliation, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your "depression" begins to lift slightly. You actually start working at work again and your boss decides that he doesn’t need to fire you or upgrade the internet firewall.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again, and you will find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by life without a decent conference. You will start to work on practical and financial problems and reconstructing your program, such as stadium expansion and focusing on third tier TV rights.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
During this, the last of the seven stages of conference realignment, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you can never return to the carefree, untroubled YOU that existed before this tragedy. But you will find a way forward, unfortunately that may involve trips to Tulsa, Okahoma and Greenville, North Carolina, but you will survive.
And the fact that BC, Cuse, Pitt, Rutgers, L-ville, ND, WVU all found a P5 home with lesser success in the Big East? They were thrown life jackets before anyone knew life jackets were needed. They did not have to experience ANY of the BS that we fans are suffering. After months and months of this crap, I can only imagine the parties that will take place should UCONN get an invite. Probably bigger than UCONN-Duke 77-74.
 

MattMang23

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And the fact that BC, Cuse, Pitt, Rutgers, L-ville, ND, WVU all found a P5 home with lesser success in the Big East? They were thrown life jackets before anyone knew life jackets were needed. They did not have to experience ANY of the BS that we fans are suffering. After months and months of this crap, I can only imagine the parties that will take place should UCONN get an invite. Probably bigger than UCONN-Duke 77-74.

Spoken like a true bball fan. The problem is we didn't achieve more than any of those teams in football, save Rutgers, and it's football that matters.

Us having success in basketball gets us a pat on the head and a "that's nice, son."
 
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Spoken like a true bball fan. The problem is we didn't achieve more than any of those teams in football, save Rutgers, and it's football that matters.

Us having success in basketball gets us a pat on the head and a "that's nice, son."
Didn't we have winning or at leat break-even in FB against , Cuse, Pitt,, and even Louisville
 
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Spoken like a true bball fan. The problem is we didn't achieve more than any of those teams in football, save Rutgers, and it's football that matters.

Us having success in basketball gets us a pat on the head and a "that's nice, son."
Taking the entire athletic departments into account, yes UCONN did achieve much more. If you want to talk just football, then I could argue again, UCONN did achieve more. UCONN improved tremendously from making the jump to 1-A to making a BCS bowl game. This is all old news to everyone here. But if you don't think UCONN achieved more than the likes of Pitt, Syracuse,Rutgers...well I am simply not taking the time to debate.
 
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UConn had trouble hitting the Final AP Top 25 Poll...

Since 2000...even in the good years...no Top 25 finish


Louisville...2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013

Pitt....2002, 2004, 2009

Syracuse...2001

Not saying that finishing Top 25 in AP is the end all-be all, but finishing Top 25 lends to the football brand.
 
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UConn had trouble hitting the Final AP Top 25 Poll...

Since 2000...even in the good years...no Top 25 finish


Louisville...2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013

Pitt....2002, 2004, 2009

Syracuse...2001

Not saying that finishing Top 25 in AP is the end all-be all, but finishing Top 25 lends to the football brand.


When the ACC made its move in 2011 for Syracuse we had beaten them 5 straight. They were pitiful. They had a football brand like Princeton had a football brand. Both Princeton and Syracuse last won a National title in the same decade - the fifties!

And please no references to Louisville - it is a joke of an academic institution. You and the rest of the ACC can live with that. Maybe the folks at FSU don't give a about that though. Right?
 
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In a sports conference, I really don't care that much about academics, you are right. Duke or Louisville...it is the teams that they field that make an athletic conference.

Would I rather play a football game against Duke or against Louisville? I guess there is some tension there when FSU plays Duke...could this be the year that the Dookies will finally win a game against FSU? But the game with Louisville interests me more. In a Brain Bowl...give me Duke.

Academics get played up a lot when a program wants to beat their chest but the football isn't what they can brag about. I understand that. Play up your attributes..play down the negatives. That the SEC doesn't have many top 25 academic institutions is not something to worry about in competitions between sports conferences. Their SEC..SEC..SEC chant isn't about academics.

You run with what you have...academics, basketball, market, etc.

And I think those are positive things to emphasize.

But..when the ACC added Louisville (and Pitt)...it was like a pee wee football try out. The coach is looking at a line of guys standing there in pads and helmets, and the guy on the end is in baggy shorts, high tops, and holding a basketball.

Just my opinion...and I don't expect much agreement.
 
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billybud said:
In a sports conference, I really don't care that much about academics, you are right. Duke or Louisville...it is the teams that they field that make an athletic conference.

Would I rather play a football game against Duke or against Louisville? I guess there is some tension there when FSU plays Duke...could this be the year that the Dookies will finally win a game against FSU? But the game with Louisville interests me more. In a Brain Bowl...give me Duke.

Academics get played up a lot when a program wants to beat their chest but the football isn't what they can brag about. I understand that. Play up your attributes..play down the negatives. That the SEC doesn't have many top 25 academic institutions is not something to worry about in competitions between sports conferences. Their SEC..SEC..SEC chant isn't about academics.

You run with what you have...academics, basketball, market, etc.

And I think those are positive things to emphasize.

But..when the ACC added Louisville (and Pitt)...it was like a pee wee football try out. The coach is looking at a line of guys standing there in pads and helmets, and the guy on the end is in baggy shorts, high tops, and holding a basketball.

Just my opinion...and I don't expect much agreement.

I guess coach wasn't there when the baggy shorts basketball guy on the end also beat Louisville in football three days prior to final cuts.

I still hate everything so much in conference realignment.
 

MattMang23

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Taking the entire athletic departments into account, yes UCONN did achieve much more. If you want to talk just football, then I could argue again, UCONN did achieve more. UCONN improved tremendously from making the jump to 1-A to making a BCS bowl game. This is all old news to everyone here. But if you don't think UCONN achieved more than the likes of Pitt, Syracuse,Rutgers...well I am simply not taking the time to debate.

Well that's good. Because there's nothing to debate. If you really think we accomplished more in our 9 years in the Big East in football than Syracuse or Pitt (I said in my first post we did more than Rutgers) did while playing in the conference for the entire time the conference was in existence, I can't help you.

Yes, we had a great rise from 1AA and made a BCS bowl, but everyone else you named also made the BCS (again, not counting Rutgers) and had a number of seasons better than our best season.
 
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I think that's it...

Louisville finished Top 25 in six seasons 2000-2013 and Pitt finished in three seasons. If you are attempting to improve the football brand, these finishes catch your eye more than a program that has not finished ranked.

A conference's relative strength is often judged by the number of teams ranked, something the ACC sorely needs.

Regarding Syracuse's addition. The Cuse were the "bride price" for getting Miami to move to the ACC. Miami asked for BC and Cuse as part of their package (Miami has a northeastern orientation in alumni and student recruiting). Shalala was a Cuse alum.

The Virginia fandango with VT entering sidelined that plan, but Miami held IOU's.
 
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In a sports conference, I really don't care that much about academics, you are right. Duke or Louisville...it is the teams that they field that make an athletic conference.

Would I rather play a football game against Duke or against Louisville? I guess there is some tension there when FSU plays Duke...could this be the year that the Dookies will finally win a game against FSU? But the game with Louisville interests me more. In a Brain Bowl...give me Duke.-

Academics get played up a lot when a program wants to beat their chest but the football isn't what they can brag about. I understand that. Play up your attributes..play down the negatives. That the SEC doesn't have many top 25 academic institutions is not something to worry about in competitions between sports conferences. Their SEC..SEC..SEC chant isn't about academics.

You run with what you have...academics, basketball, market, etc.

And I think those are positive things to emphasize.

But..when the ACC added Louisville (and Pitt)...it was like a pee wee football try out. The coach is looking at a line of guys standing there in pads and helmets, and the guy on the end is in baggy shorts, high tops, and holding a basketball.

Just my opinion...and I don't expect much agreement.


Don't worry I won't let you down. BTW, take your patronizing crap about academics and football elsewhere. Don't try to convince us that the Pitt, Syra.... or LV add made any more sense to the ACC than UConn. Don't piss away whatever cred you think you have with that BS argument. We'll end up elsewhere and the ACC will ultimately rot from within. Perhaps years from now (if someone wants to waste the time) the ashes of the ACC will sifted through. Then it will know it was an effed up confederation like the HRE or Austria-Hungary. Don't parry with me BB - I will run you through. I have neither the time nor temperament to deal with your arcane BS.
 

pj

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I think billybud is telling a mostly accurate history lesson. Miami wanted northeast schools and Shalala had personal affection for Cuse and BC and dislike for UConn, and the ACC let her personal prejudices control their northeast adds. BC had irrational fear and loathing for UConn and the ACC let BC pick Pitt over UConn. Somebody had prejudice against WVU so they let WVU go to B12, losing the WVU-Pitt rivalry, and ended up with Louisville in its place, forcing them even farther west with worse academics. FSU had a short-term desire for a southern-oriented football school and a desire to show it could triumph over Tobacco Road and the perceived "basketball schools," and they got Louisville over UConn.

Overall, what billybud is telling us is that the ACC is an institution with no strategic goals that lets petty politics and personal prejudices control its most crucial decisions. He is painting a compelling portrait of an organization that has failed strategically.
 

MASSconn

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Unbelievable how many times during the Women's game tonight they mentioned how UCONN does not belong in the American. So embarrassing. Even sadder that this BY FAR our biggest national exposure game of the basketball season so far with the performance of our mens team. Throw us a bone Big 10.
 
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I think billybud is telling a mostly accurate history lesson. Miami wanted northeast schools and Shalala had personal affection for Cuse and BC and dislike for UConn, and the ACC let her personal prejudices control their northeast adds. BC had irrational fear and loathing for UConn and the ACC let BC pick Pitt over UConn. Somebody had prejudice against WVU so they let WVU go to B12, losing the WVU-Pitt rivalry, and ended up with Louisville in its place, forcing them even farther west with worse academics. FSU had a short-term desire for a southern-oriented football school and a desire to show it could triumph over Tobacco Road and the perceived "basketball schools," and they got Louisville over UConn.

Overall, what billybud is telling us is that the ACC is an institution with no strategic goals that lets petty politics and personal prejudices control its most crucial decisions. He is painting a compelling portrait of an organization that has failed strategically.

Well put - I suppose I could have had a softer tone...
 
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Unbelievable how many times during the Women's game tonight they mentioned how UCONN does not belong in the American. So embarrassing. Even sadder that this BY FAR our biggest national exposure game of the basketball season so far with the performance of our mens team. Throw us a bone Big 10.

Yes, BIG help us out - it doesn't hurt to keep having our name brought up in a discussion like this. Keep pounding the message home.
 
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Don't worry I won't let you down. BTW, take your patronizing crap about academics and football elsewhere. Don't try to convince us that the Pitt, Syra.... or LV add made any more sense to the ACC than UConn. Don't piss away whatever cred you think you have with that BS argument. We'll end up elsewhere and the ACC will ultimately rot from within. Perhaps years from now (if someone wants to waste the time) the ashes of the ACC will sifted through. Then it will know it was an effed up confederation like the HRE or Austria-Hungary. Don't parry with me BB - I will run you through. I have neither the time nor temperament to deal with your arcane BS.

One can't parry with anger. I have no personal angst regarding the ACC nor UConn and thus lack that motivator. I am rational but understand the anger. And "run me through". Ye gads!

I don't think that you can really fault me much for much of my thinking...it is fairly logical, but you may not like my expository style.
 
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I think billybud is telling a mostly accurate history lesson. Miami wanted northeast schools and Shalala had personal affection for Cuse and BC and dislike for UConn, and the ACC let her personal prejudices control their northeast adds. BC had irrational fear and loathing for UConn and the ACC let BC pick Pitt over UConn. Somebody had prejudice against WVU so they let WVU go to B12, losing the WVU-Pitt rivalry, and ended up with Louisville in its place, forcing them even farther west with worse academics. FSU had a short-term desire for a southern-oriented football school and a desire to show it could triumph over Tobacco Road and the perceived "basketball schools," and they got Louisville over UConn.

Overall, what billybud is telling us is that the ACC is an institution with no strategic goals that lets petty politics and personal prejudices control its most crucial decisions. He is painting a compelling portrait of an organization that has failed strategically.

If a conference gets picked apart to feed the B1G and/or SEC, your post might be interpreted to suggest it will be a mismanaged ACC…prior to the mismanaged BXII. Hell of a race to win.
 
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The ACC is not a great football conference..it is adequate. Most eastern conferences have been disadvantaged against the SEC and Big 10 when it comes to football. That won't change.

FSU, Clemson, NC State, VT would all love an SEC invite and I could see some AAU ACC schools jumping at a B1G invite (and thus the GOR-$50 million Exit fee).

Of the eastern powers, the SEC and B1G have more "biggies" than the ACC.

Because of that disparity, the ACC will lag in actual strength and public perception. Sometimes the perception is worse than reality, sometimes not.

That dynamic of the strong SEC/B1G was part of the whole ACC/BE death dance. The two lesser conferences in the east were tied at the wrist and locked into a Mexican knife fight. Only one could survive.

If there is ever a move to four 16 member conferences, it will be the Big 12 and ACC in the knife fight...and only one can survive.

I haven't a clue who will carry on...and don't have any skin in the game. My team will play somewhere...I'd rather be Indy as we were. but that is not feasible.
 
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All great posts and I think we all are on the same level in this matter. Now what gets me fired up is the fact that our leaders Warde or Sue show no sign care in the world where we are in conference realignment. Warde says just win and things will work themselves out. Sue I think does not really care about sports in general and is fine right where are we at.

Now either they know we are next inline in joining B1G or they know that there is no new conference for UConn in the future and have excepted our faith.

As UConn fans we have not excepted the fact we are in a mid major. We deserve better, you know it and I know it. It would nice to hear Warde or Sue address to us fans the plans they have to get us out of this Mid Major Hell.
 
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All great posts and I think we all are on the same level in this matter. Now what gets me fired up is the fact that our leaders Warde or Sue show no sign care in the world where we are in conference realignment. Warde says just win and things will work themselves out. Sue I think does not really care about sports in general and is fine right where are we at.

Now either they know we are next inline in joining B1G or they know that there is no new conference for UConn in the future and have excepted our faith.

As UConn fans we have not excepted the fact we are in a mid major. We deserve better, you know it and I know it. It would nice to hear Warde or Sue address to us fans the plans they have to get us out of this Mid Major Hell.
Pete, not that my post will give you any comfort or ease your concerns, but I know for certain that Susan and Warde not only realize how important this topic is, but they are both working - very smartly and discreetly - to remedy it. They're just not doing it through the media or public channels (no selfies of them giving duck face while standing with the Prez of OU). There is no guarentee it will all play out the way we all want (although I am confident it will), but I know they are working the hell out of it. It just sucks sitting in the position we are in today.
 

storrsroars

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The B1G should want an east coast hoops rivalry to compete with the ACC. If we can get Jim Calhoun and Gary Williams to work together on this, I think we could have a shot.

Like they got together on Rudy Gay?
 
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