Re: Conference realignment thread v. 2016
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UConn lost to Boston College in football yesterday 30-0.
Bob Diaco is doing his best to try and take the heat off of Kevin Ollie. One month ago, UConn was beating UCF 16-7 in the 2nd quarter - since then, the Huskies have been outscored 106-3. With a $72 million athletic budget, and $1.7 million coming from ESPN, UConn Football has gone 24-48 since 2011. Despite losing a power conference designation from the Big East in football, UConn Football was supposed to be a top program in the AAC - easily capable of competing and being successful against Memphis, Tulane, UCF, Tulsa, SMU, East Carolina and Temple. Instead, the AAC has seen the rise of the football programs of USF, Houston, Navy, Memphis, UCF, Tulsa, and East Carolina - lowering the football program at UConn. Paul Pasqualoni was supposed to be the worst football coach in UConn history, but now that spot has seemingly been taken by Diaco.
I am not advocating for UConn to rejoin the Big East, but as a basketball fan, at some point (which I thought occurred a few years ago), you can no longer mortgage your football aspirations (which will have become mid-AAC football budget with one of the weakest football programs in the conference), by risking your basketball program long-term. If UConn cannot pump in even more resources just to be somewhat competitive, then there is absolutely no reason to keep it going.
I just can't see how UConn Football will be able to recover from Pasqualoni and Diaco. The Northeast is not strong for recruiting purposes, and you aren't winning recruiting battles against UCF/USF in Florida, and you certainly aren't winning them against Houston/SMU in Texas. Pennsylvania is locked up with Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. New Jersey is locked up with other programs.
It also doesn't help that Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia are all making 10x what UConn is. What they will have lost to those schools in TV money will never be recovered. They started a race where their opponents had a substantial head start - and they don't have the speed to catch up.
The Big 12 already decided that they aren't calling. The B1G doesn't need to water down their bottom-half of their football conference even further. The ACC can't afford to add weaker football programs when they are fighting with the Big 12 for superiority. The SEC and PAC-12 certainly aren't calling - ever. UConn Football is on its deathbed.
Bob Diaco is doing his best to try and take the heat off of Kevin Ollie. One month ago, UConn was beating UCF 16-7 in the 2nd quarter - since then, the Huskies have been outscored 106-3. With a $72 million athletic budget, and $1.7 million coming from ESPN, UConn Football has gone 24-48 since 2011. Despite losing a power conference designation from the Big East in football, UConn Football was supposed to be a top program in the AAC - easily capable of competing and being successful against Memphis, Tulane, UCF, Tulsa, SMU, East Carolina and Temple. Instead, the AAC has seen the rise of the football programs of USF, Houston, Navy, Memphis, UCF, Tulsa, and East Carolina - lowering the football program at UConn. Paul Pasqualoni was supposed to be the worst football coach in UConn history, but now that spot has seemingly been taken by Diaco.
I am not advocating for UConn to rejoin the Big East, but as a basketball fan, at some point (which I thought occurred a few years ago), you can no longer mortgage your football aspirations (which will have become mid-AAC football budget with one of the weakest football programs in the conference), by risking your basketball program long-term. If UConn cannot pump in even more resources just to be somewhat competitive, then there is absolutely no reason to keep it going.
I just can't see how UConn Football will be able to recover from Pasqualoni and Diaco. The Northeast is not strong for recruiting purposes, and you aren't winning recruiting battles against UCF/USF in Florida, and you certainly aren't winning them against Houston/SMU in Texas. Pennsylvania is locked up with Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. New Jersey is locked up with other programs.
It also doesn't help that Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia are all making 10x what UConn is. What they will have lost to those schools in TV money will never be recovered. They started a race where their opponents had a substantial head start - and they don't have the speed to catch up.
The Big 12 already decided that they aren't calling. The B1G doesn't need to water down their bottom-half of their football conference even further. The ACC can't afford to add weaker football programs when they are fighting with the Big 12 for superiority. The SEC and PAC-12 certainly aren't calling - ever. UConn Football is on its deathbed.