(08-23-2016 01:29 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  I think the issue is simply a matter of how far in advance non-conf games are scheduled for Big Ten teams. Rather than make then buy out UConn to schedule a P5, they simply said "good enough, we'll waive you through that year".

I think the same applies for BYU and Army.

If it was only a means of counting "grandfathered" games...

Then why did the Big Ten include Navy, who currently has ZERO Big Ten teams on their future schedules?

(08-23-2016 01:14 PM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 12:58 PM)bigeastern55 Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 12:04 PM)HuskyHawk Wrote:  I agree it would be very difficult as things stand. However, the Big Ten already counts UConn as a P5. Not sure about the ACC, but we have 3 ACC teams on the schedule this year.

How is the B10 counting Uconn as a P5

FWIW the Big Ten "counted" UConn as a P5 for the purposes of teams who already had them on the schedule, because I think two teams did. Not sure if that will be the same going forward. It may, I just don't know. It appeared by the wording that the teams that already had scheduled UConn where just grandfathered in so to speak.

Cincinnati is counted as one as well. Dang ain't it great to be anointed a P5-worthy opponent by the B10? Even though they blocked UC from joining their club (as did Penn State to Pitt) at least to$u's Urban Meyer is speaking out for UC being P5 member. Mighty refreshing.

Don't get me wrong Husky, I don't think UConn would have much problem getting a couple Big Ten teams each year as an Indy. Probably ACC too.

(08-23-2016 02:21 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Don't get me wrong Husky, I don't think UConn would have much problem getting a couple Bug Ten teams each year as an Indy. Probably ACC too.

The problem as an independent is scheduling -- there are only a few schools with openings in October/November to do so. It'll be tough for UConn if they go down that road.

(08-23-2016 08:18 PM)megadrone Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 02:21 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Don't get me wrong Husky, I don't think UConn would have much problem getting a couple Bug Ten teams each year as an Indy. Probably ACC too.

The problem as an independent is scheduling -- there are only a few schools with openings in October/November to do so. It'll be tough for UConn if they go down that road.

Army, BYU, UMass, NMSU, UConn could all schedule each other the back end of the year. That would cover 4 wks of Nov.

(08-23-2016 12:58 PM)bigeastern55 Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 12:04 PM)HuskyHawk Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 11:47 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 10:59 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  Again, I'm not talking about a MAC or CUSA schedule. Yes, that would be a downgrade.

But an AAC schedule that just lost two P5 quality teams is also a downgrade. Just like the MWC schedule without Utah and TCU was a downgrade for BYU.

Indy is not impossible. I'm not saying UConn should do that, I'm just saying it's not impossible. And would keep UConn alive for future P5 consideration, while getting back with Big East teams and more money in bball.

GW, well said!

The problem is a quick look at the most likely schedule make up for an indy schedule is probably a downgrade from even a diminished AAC schedule. BYU is a bigger football brand and has been working to hammer out schedules for several year now. This is how many P5's they have played or have scheduled each year since 2014---

2014--3
2015--4
2016--6
2017--4
2018--4

It should be noted that some of these are a result of 2-for-1 deals that means BYU has to buy a game to maintain a balanced 6 home-6 away schedule. This was also accomplished prior to most conferences switching to 9-game conference schedule and requiring at least one OOC P5 game. The universe of potential P5 scheduling options has declined since BYU began its scheduling quest. Plus, BYU has another "official" advantage over UConn. A game vs BYU is considered a "P5 OOC game" by several power conferences---not sure if UConn will receive that same status.

Point being, UConn would likely NOT match the schedule quality of BYU---and BYU is only averaging 4 P5 games a year. If UConn wants 4 P5 games a year, they can do that within a G5 conference and still maintain their access to the G5 CFP access bowl slot. Operating from a G5 conference, UConn would also maintain better bowl options, a higher CFP payout, easier late season scheduling, and the ability to maintain fan interest after the first couple of OOC losses with a conference championship race.

Yes, not only will the AAC be less of a football power----its also likely the AAC will be severely diminished as a basketball power. Yet, the remaining AAC schools like Temple and SMU (plus the potential addition of Wichita), would still provide a much stronger conference than Memphis had during its CUSA years. Memphis did just fine during that time. No reason UConn couldn't do just as well with a better supporting cast and better media platform than Memphis had.

I agree it would be very difficult as things stand. However, the Big Ten already counts UConn as a P5. Not sure about the ACC, but we have 3 ACC teams on the schedule this year.

Honestly, the AAC is weaker as a basketball league than it is for football at present. If it gets even worse, that's a problem. As for fan interest, I think you are wrong. No Independent team aside from Notre Dame is playing for a NC. So losing a game won't hurt fan interest. Playing schools we don't care about will, and that sums up most of the AAC, even more so if Cinci is gone. Going Independent would possibly improve fan interest. If, as GW suggested, the networks help, then it would be an upgrade for football. Who knows if that is possible.

How is the B10 counting Uconn as a P5

As a team they can beat the shite out of and still make it count towards their requirement of playing a occ p5 team. Like army. Its a farce.

The SEC has designated all of the Big 10 and Notre Dame non p5 excluding Ohio state and michigan for manhood purposes.

(08-23-2016 01:14 PM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 12:58 PM)bigeastern55 Wrote:  How is the B10 counting Uconn as a P5

FWIW the Big Ten "counted" UConn as a P5 for the purposes of teams who already had them on the schedule, because I think two teams did. Not sure if that will be the same going forward. It may, I just don't know. It appeared by the wording that the teams that already had scheduled UConn where just grandfathered in so to speak.

The point of the P5 requirement was to bolster the value of the tv contract. But for the Indiana's and Purdue's, there are only so many Kentucky / Vanderbilt / Wake Forest / Wazzou P5 schools to schedule, so they allowed a slice of the top of the AAC, and also Navy & Army for their brand name recognition.

Since it's a case by case process, a school is in the group because some Big Ten school asked if they could count, but it's not a pure grandfather clause.

Indeed, a pure grandfather clause would not be needed, since the rule is about future scheduling ... a school is not "breaking" the rule if previously scheduled contracts did not satisfy the rule. Same w/FCS contracts already signed before the AD agreement to not schedule FCS games.

What has to be disconcerting to Uconn fans is that President Herbst's letter to Bowlsby and the Big 12 was on July 25, 2016.

UConn's letter to the Big 12 dated July 25, 2016

Three weeks later, Blaudschun gets a source from within UConn about what Uconn is prepared to do if snubbed by the Big 12.

(08-24-2016 06:13 AM)shere khan Wrote:  As a team they can beat the shite out of and still make it count towards their requirement of playing a occ p5 team. Like army. Its a farce.

The SEC has designated all of the Big 10 and Notre Dame non p5 excluding Ohio state and michigan for manhood purposes.

Better tell Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers that.

34-10 over Indiana
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/232420041

40-22 over Rutgers
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/313300041

24-21 over Maryland
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/322590120

Michigan only won in the final seconds, 24-21:
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/332640041

(08-24-2016 02:19 AM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 08:18 PM)megadrone Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 02:21 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Don't get me wrong Husky, I don't think UConn would have much problem getting a couple Bug Ten teams each year as an Indy. Probably ACC too.

The problem as an independent is scheduling -- there are only a few schools with openings in October/November to do so. It'll be tough for UConn if they go down that road.

Army, BYU, UMass, NMSU, UConn could all schedule each other the back end of the year. That would cover 4 wks of Nov.

Throw in a FCS game and you have the last week in October covered but what do you do once conference play starts after the first four weeks of the season or first 3 weeks of the season as conferences go to 9 conference games like the PAC 12, B-10, and B-12. The ACC is currently discussing a 9 game conference schedule too with their new network and for the most part the big name SEC teams are not traveling north either.

(08-24-2016 08:28 PM)upstater1 Wrote:  

(08-24-2016 06:13 AM)shere khan Wrote:  As a team they can beat the shite out of and still make it count towards their requirement of playing a occ p5 team. Like army. Its a farce.

The SEC has designated all of the Big 10 and Notre Dame non p5 excluding Ohio state and michigan for manhood purposes.

Better tell Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers that.

34-10 over Indiana
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/232420041

40-22 over Rutgers
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/313300041

24-21 over Maryland
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/322590120

Michigan only won in the final seconds, 24-21:
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/332640041

Well we definitely had some interesting games, but from 2001 it was an even series (we had our worst teams in history 2001-2003) and while we were conference mates the series is 6-4 in Rutgers favor. All time we beat you 2 out of every 3.

That being said, if we were in the same conference it could have evolved into a trophy game of some sort. The Big East didn't do what it needed to do to promote rivalries.

(08-24-2016 09:43 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 01:14 PM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(08-23-2016 12:58 PM)bigeastern55 Wrote:  How is the B10 counting Uconn as a P5

FWIW the Big Ten "counted" UConn as a P5 for the purposes of teams who already had them on the schedule, because I think two teams did. Not sure if that will be the same going forward. It may, I just don't know. It appeared by the wording that the teams that already had scheduled UConn where just grandfathered in so to speak.

The point of the P5 requirement was to bolster the value of the tv contract. But for the Indiana's and Purdue's, there are only so many Kentucky / Vanderbilt / Wake Forest / Wazzou P5 schools to schedule, so they allowed a slice of the top of the AAC, and also Navy & Army for their brand name recognition.

Personally, I think anyone you are willing to play straight up home and home, is one that is worthy of such designation. Or at the very least, the road game should be, even if you don't count the home game (yes I realize that is the opposite of how TV contracts work, but I feel if you play a team on the road, it should count as toward the SOS component, no matter who it is).

Regarding Big East Football rivalries, there were some strong games held each year. Pittsburgh/Cincinnati (River City Rivalry), Cincinnati/Louisville (Keg of Nails), Pittsburgh/West Virginia (Backyard Brawl), Syracuse/West Virginia, and Louisville/West Virginia all were exciting matchups to look forward towards. I don't think it was necessarily that the Big East didn't build up these rivalries so much as the round-robin football schedule forced each team to play everyone once during the season - thus, not emphasizing or highlighting these games on a given weekend.

(08-25-2016 09:38 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Regarding Big East Football rivalries, there were some strong games held each year. Pittsburgh/Cincinnati (River City Rivalry), Cincinnati/Louisville (Keg of Nails), Pittsburgh/West Virginia (Backyard Brawl), Syracuse/West Virginia (Schwartzwalter), and Louisville/West Virginia all were exciting matchups to look forward towards. I don't think it was necessarily that the Big East didn't build up these rivalries so much as the round-robin football schedule forced each team to play everyone once during the season - thus, not emphasizing or highlighting these games on a given weekend.

FIFY

Also, SU-Pitt was always the game that could/should have turned into something good, but neither team can find a way to get good while the other team is good. It's frustrating.

SU-BC was also a great game, but that's before the time that you're talking about.

(08-25-2016 09:06 AM)megadrone Wrote:  

(08-24-2016 08:28 PM)upstater1 Wrote:  

(08-24-2016 06:13 AM)shere khan Wrote:  As a team they can beat the shite out of and still make it count towards their requirement of playing a occ p5 team. Like army. Its a farce.

The SEC has designated all of the Big 10 and Notre Dame non p5 excluding Ohio state and michigan for manhood purposes.

Better tell Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers that.

34-10 over Indiana
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/232420041

40-22 over Rutgers
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/313300041

24-21 over Maryland
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/322590120

Michigan only won in the final seconds, 24-21:
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/332640041

Well we definitely had some interesting games, but from 2001 it was an even series (we had our worst teams in history 2001-2003) and while we were conference mates the series is 6-4 in Rutgers favor. All time we beat you 2 out of every 3.

That being said, if we were in the same conference it could have evolved into a trophy game of some sort. The Big East didn't do what it needed to do to promote rivalries.

Yes I know Rutgers and UConn were even up over that decade or so, but I was just responding to the idea that all the B1G teams want UConn as a P5 designee so that they can mop the floor with them. Certainly, it wasn't true of ANY of the 4 B1G schools that UConn played in the last decade. And UConn played 12 ACC schools + Notre Dame. UConn was blown out by Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami (this was back when Miami was good), but won or lost by 3 points to everyone else, with several blowouts in its favor, also beat ND. UConn hasn't been a basket case against any of the conferences so far. No doubt, it couldn't compete against the top programs. But it did find against almost all of the ACC, beat south Carolina in a bowl, Vandy a few times in its only SEC games, lost by 3 with 3 missed FGs to a putrid Mizzou last year, beat Baylor twice when it had Robert Griffin, destroyed Iowa State at Iowa State, lost to Oklahoma.