Kevin Ollie is gone

[Xudash]

Conference affiliation.

You hit the nail on the head Bill. UCONN is in a terrible place.

I have visited the Boneyard from time to time and did so again last night. It's one of those jaw dropping visit experiences. UCONN FOOTBALL is possibly one of the biggest oxymorons going.

If the base argument is that "we have put too much money into it, so we have to keep going" or "we have to keep going, because our peer institutions have football and we have to keep pace" or it's both those reasons and more, it still doesn't matter: UCONN is so totally inconsequential in football that truly is in a hopeless situation.

And it is burning its basketball program to the ground.

[Bill Marsh]

Conference affiliation.

You hit the nail on the head Bill. UCONN is in a terrible place.

I have visited the Boneyard from time to time and did so again last night. It's one of those jaw dropping visit experiences. UCONN FOOTBALL is possibly one of the biggest oxymorons going.

If the base argument is that "we have put too much money into it, so we have to keep going" or "we have to keep going, because our peer institutions have football and we have to keep pace" or it's both those reasons and more, it still doesn't matter: UCONN is so totally inconsequential in football that truly is in a hopeless situation.

And it is burning its basketball program to the ground.

No doubt, Dash.

Regardless of Boneyard chatter, I think that for the decision makers at UConn (president, BOT), it’s not about athletics. The dream they're chasing is research dollars and association with top tier research universities. When they’ve looked at other public research universities for a model, it seems to include big time sports, including football. Things have not gone as they would have liked in recent years, attendance is way down, dollars from BE exit fees are running out, the state budget has developed chronic problems, and a new round of TV contracts with accompanying realignment possibilities is 5 years away.

The decision makers have some tough choices facing them. I don’t know how they’ll respond, but they sure could use a sugar daddy, or a few sugar daddies, to prop up the Athletic Dept so they can hang on for a few more years to give realignment one last shot.

[EMT]

So the question is...does the big east consider even toying with the idea of taking them in? What if there are some sanctions in place like scholarships or tourney eligibility for a year or two? Also, is that coaching position even highly coveted like it once was? I say no. They made their bed now they need to lay in it. They also got to enjoy those millions the past few years after the Big East divorce settlement.

Not until something changes. Football stops pretending they're relevant, we get otherwise forced to go to a 20 game conference season, or Dayton fans stop being, well, themselves.

I don't have time to look, but who does the boneyard think they'll get as a coach? Are they deluding themselves in any amusing way?

Most of them think Hurley from URI is a foregone conclusion.

Hurley will have to turn down Pitt first.

[GoldenWarrior11]

What has always been fascinating, and to an extent - puzzling, to me is this notion that UConn is deserving and entitled to a spot in a P5 conference - most notably the B1G or ACC. Every single move in realignment has been about football, plain and simple. UConn is essentially a new-born baby in comparison to these established programs. They only went to FBS full-time in 2002 - so UConn Football is not even 20 years old in that regard. I know many like to point to Rutgers as a critique of why UConn should be in, but Rutgers is AAU, has a huge football stadium and is an academic peer to many of the B1G members - UConn is not. Rutgers has over double the students, and nearly three times the endowment and twice the size in operating budget.

Granted, UConn has had an elite men's and women's basketball programs (men's - today - not so much). However, any belief that UConn Football will - in the next five years - somehow overtake programs like Houston, UCF, USF, Memphis and even Navy in football, is a fool's pursuit. UConn is not in a strong recruiting area. Their new conference has a strong football recruiting area, but is being dominated by Southern programs. There is no way UConn will be able to snatch strong Texas and Florida prospects to play up North.

Having said all of that, it is sad what has happened to UConn. We can all say that UConn was late to the party in elevating football, or foolish altogether, but it doesn't change the fact that a once elite basketball program has been regulated to a lower level of collegiate athletics, and its effects are now in full force. It's even more disappointing that so many were adamant that this is where UConn would end up if it continued to push football and relegate basketball as secondary. Unfortunately, the endless pumping of money into an already lost cause appears to be a foregone conclusion at this point.

[EMT]

What has always been fascinating, and to an extent - puzzling, to me is this notion that UConn is deserving and entitled to a spot in a P5 conference - most notably the B1G or ACC. Every single move in realignment has been about football, plain and simple. UConn is essentially a new-born baby in comparison to these established programs. They only went to FBS full-time in 2002 - so UConn Football is not even 20 years old in that regard. I know many like to point to Rutgers as a critique of why UConn should be in, but Rutgers is AAU, has a huge football stadium and is an academic peer to many of the B1G members - UConn is not. Rutgers has over double the students, and nearly three times the endowment and twice the size in operating budget.

Granted, UConn has had an elite men's and women's basketball programs (men's - today - not so much). However, any belief that UConn Football will - in the next five years - somehow overtake programs like Houston, UCF, USF, Memphis and even Navy in football, is a fool's pursuit. UConn is not in a strong recruiting area. Their new conference has a strong football recruiting area, but is being dominated by Southern programs. There is no way UConn will be able to snatch strong Texas and Florida prospects to play up North.

Having said all of that, it is sad what has happened to UConn. We can all say that UConn was late to the party in elevating football, or foolish altogether, but it doesn't change the fact that a once elite basketball program has been regulated to a lower level of collegiate athletics, and its effects are now in full force. It's even more disappointing that so many were adamant that this is where UConn would end up if it continued to push football and relegate basketball as secondary. Unfortunately, the endless pumping of money into an already lost cause appears to be a foregone conclusion at this point.

UConn assistant football coaches take lateral positions within the conference.