https://www.theday.com/sports-columns/20...onn-in-aac


How much more of this are we going to take?

How much more time is UConn going to spend in the American Athletic Conference before realizing that, even with well-meaning people and successful teams, the American’s wheels spin furiously but with no traction?

How long till we have earnest conversations with each other questioning the long term viability of football and whether there’s a legitimate chance of rejoining the Big East to save basketball?

They played for the national championship in college football Monday night. Georgia vs. Alabama, two teams that lost to Auburn. Except that War … Damn … Eagle (Auburn) lost to Central Florida in the Peach Bowl last week. That’s undefeated UCF of the American. That didn’t get a sniff of the playoffs.

So when, exactly, do you think the American will get a seat at the table if an undefeated team that beat the team that beat The Teams is still an afterthought?

We can lament the unfairness of it all and unburden ourselves with rhetoric till we hyperventilate. All moot. Because why would the Power Five want to share anything with anybody else? They seem to be doing just fine, no?

Heck, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby all but mocked UCF the other day when he was quoted as saying beating Auburn once isn’t the same as preparing to play the likes of Auburn every week. And there it is. Poof. The American’s undefeated team? Dismissed like a caller to Mike Francesa.

So is there anyone out there who can provide some evidence this is going to change?

Meanwhile, UConn sports, through bad leadership and some external circumstances, are suffering. Clearly, UConn poohbahs have made bad decisions. Bob Diaco was a disaster. Kevin Ollie needs an offensive coordinator. We get that. And the AAC is making it worse.

No one’s saying the AAC isn’t respectable in football and men’s basketball. Two things, though: The Power Five doesn’t care and doesn’t need to; and quality competition doesn’t move the needle in Connecticut as much as sex appeal.

The AAC has some good basketball teams in Wichita State, Cincinnati and SMU. But when you grow up on The Big East — whose geography and rivalries resonate with fans from Stamford to Stonington — it’s hard to get even the most ardent UConn fans excited about Tulane and East Carolina.

That’s kind of the deal. AAC people get irritated at the criticism. It’s no reflection on them or their teams. It’s just that nobody in Connecticut has any frame of reference whatsoever to what the league’s selling. Come see the Huskies play … Tulsa?

Look at it this way: The three biggest names in New England college basketball — UConn, Providence and Boston College — played home games this past Saturday afternoon. When’s the last time UConn played the least desirable game to watch? Providence played nationally ranked Xavier and BC played Wake Forest. Meanwhile, UConn played East Carolina before more than 8,000 empty seats at the XL Center.

There is no joy in these words. The AAC has some nice people. The mere suggestion that UConn drop football is disrespectful to Randy Edsall, a good man for whom my son would play any day. And I have no idea about exit fees, bad blood or whether the Big East would take UConn back in the first place.

This much I do know, however: I’ve talked to a few donors in recent weeks who can’t take much more of this. They see the same thing as I do, the power structure failing to take the AAC seriously. UConn’s bad hires affecting the current product. And the need to begin some uncomfortable conversations.

UCONN has probably the best recruits and raw talent, out of anyone in the AAC in basketball .. and are a bottom half team. I'm not sure how you place that blame on the AAC. Would playing "tougher" teams every week really make them better? No. Focus on dominating the AAC then you can complain about the AAC holding you back (I.E. WSU and the MVC)

Right now they aren't good at hoops or football. If UConn and Memphis played like they did in the recent past, we could be a top 3 hoops league. I get that it sucks for UConn coming from the old big east, but I lot of teams got shafted too. Can't blame the AAC at this point when you're not competing.

I took it more as a knock on the administration for making bad hires and fans' disinterest in playing in a conference without regional/historical rivals.

How can this be fixed?

Hire better and schedule teams OOC that the fans want to see (ie old Big East schools).

(01-09-2018 10:38 AM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  Right now they aren't good at hoops or football. If UConn and Memphis played like they did in the recent past, we could be a top 3 hoops league. I get that it sucks for UConn coming from the old big east, but I lot of teams got shafted too. Can't blame the AAC at this point when you're not competing.

I agree, its a difficult coaching situation that Our AD as to deal with. While I like Ollie as person he needs to go. But UConn is tight with money Right Now and Ollie’s buy out isn’t cheap. Also it’s not easy to fire a former player, alum, and national championship coach (even if he won that title with Calhoun's players) without looking like an ass.

UConn is free to leave then! No one playing football will care or notice.

Cincinnati hasn't skipped a beat in hoops since having the Big East leave us. The coaching staff made an adjustment in the type of guys they recruited to play this league. Moreover, they had to look in different corners to find them (in the BE UC recruited heavily in NY/NJ; now we are recruiting less in those markets and starting to pick up guys in TX, LA, NC, GA).

Of course, one could argue that the fact we have some history with the schools in the AAC and UConn doesn't; but trust me our fans were not happy and would rather be somewhere else still as well. We are still packing the same kind of crowds we did five years ago in hoops (football is a different story but that is more due to a bad coaching hire than anything else-- we will turn that around too).

Bottom line: stop whining UConn and get your house in order.

If I am a current UConn football player, I am looking to transfer today. I'd rather sit out a year and know my scholarship is going to be there in the future.

It is not a conference problem. The Big East and the American are equal in my opinion on playing level. UConn's problem is coaching. Quit blaming the conference. You have a bad coach. You actually have good players..

If UConn seriously wants to drop football to save basketball, all I can say is, "Bye bye."

I think UConn should drop football. But stay in the American. Win-Win-Win-Win-Win.

I hope most knowledgeable UConn faithful aren't of the same opinion that this columnist represents, blaming the league they are in for the decline of their on the field/court performance.

This dude obviously got done watching the championship game last night , thinks UCF got screwed and applied that to UConn's current situation ..saying hey we got screwed too!

Although this isnt the first time we've heard UConn keeping one eye on the Big East as a way out.

(01-09-2018 11:04 AM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  I hope most knowledgeable UConn faithful aren't of the same opinion that this columnist represents, blaming the league they are in for the decline of their on the field/court performance.

This dude obviously got done watching the championship game last night , thinks UCF got screwed and applied that to UConn's current situation ..saying hey we got screwed too!

Although this isnt the first time we've heard UConn keeping one eye on the Big East as a way out.

They can put bball in the Big East.

Good luck to their football program going independent. Those 3 wins per year will become 1-2 wins per year.

(01-09-2018 11:04 AM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  I hope most knowledgeable UConn faithful aren't of the same opinion that this columnist represents, blaming the league they are in for the decline of their on the field performance.

This dude obviously got done watching the championship game last night , thinks UCF got screwed and applied that the UConn's current situation ..saying hey we got screwed too!

Although this isnt the first time we've heard UConn keeping one eye on the Big East as a way out.

I've never even heard of The Day before today. Apparently it's a Southeastern CT newspaper. The columnist didn't even mention the need to fire Ollie, only that he needs an "offensive coordinator." That says it all. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

I can understand UConn wanting back into the big east. The problem is that the church league doesn't want them so there's no point in continuing to whine about it.

They're just going to have to play the hand they've been dealt and try to make the best of it.

(01-09-2018 11:04 AM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  I hope most knowledgeable UConn faithful aren't of the same opinion that this columnist represents, blaming the league they are in for the decline of their on the field/court performance.

This dude obviously got done watching the championship game last night , thinks UCF got screwed and applied that to UConn's current situation ..saying hey we got screwed too!

Although this isnt the first time we've heard UConn keeping one eye on the Big East as a way out.

A lot of the comment section seems to support leaving the AAC.

"UCinn is stuck unless they can drop football to the FCS level and get the other sports into a primarily basketball conference. There are a lot of good sports teams at UConn but basketball drives the bus."

"Keep football in the AAC or have it go to the Independents, but basketball MUST find its way back to the Big East - pay whatever the financial penalty is now, because they will end up paying for it many times over in lost revenues in the coming years."

"The Big East will not have UConn back if they continue to have D-1 football. It's really that simple."

Just saw that the columnist goes by BCgenius on Twitter. He's a BC grad/fan. Quality hands-free trolling by getting all of you do his dirty work for him.

(01-09-2018 11:12 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(01-09-2018 11:04 AM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  I hope most knowledgeable UConn faithful aren't of the same opinion that this columnist represents, blaming the league they are in for the decline of their on the field performance.

This dude obviously got done watching the championship game last night , thinks UCF got screwed and applied that the UConn's current situation ..saying hey we got screwed too!

Although this isnt the first time we've heard UConn keeping one eye on the Big East as a way out.

I've never even heard of The Day before today. Apparently it's a Southeastern CT newspaper. The columnist didn't even mention the need to fire Ollie, only that he needs an "offensive coordinator." That says it all. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

In addition, UConn would take a huge hit financially with exiting. They would have to pay the following:

$10M exit fee
$$$ Entrance Fee into New Conference
Lose Revenue from College Football Playoff (assuming you can't go MAC)
Lose Revenue shared from bowl revenues (assuming you can't go MAC)

I realize the Big East money is set to expire on UConn (and UC and USF for that matter); but right now UConn is making ~$10M from the AAC media deal and from the money left over from the BE.

Now-- once the current media deal expires and if the Fanhoods of the world are right and the AAC gets peanuts, then it might be time to explore other options. Frankly, if the conference gets the money the haters predict UConn won't be the only team looking for other options.

UCONN is in 9th place in the AAC. The problem is not the AAC if they can't win in their own conference. Its time for a coaching change not a conference change. UConn can play old BE teams out of conference instead of pansies if it wants too. Rotate H&H's on the schedule with BC, Syracuse, Villanova, Providence, G'town, Pitt, Seton Hall, St Johns, and even Rutgers in the NE Corridor during the BB season if it wants to play old BE members and help with attendance since a major portion of the AAC schools are spread out across the country cutting into home attendance numbers.

(01-09-2018 11:18 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  Just saw that the columnist goes by BCgenius on Twitter. He's a BC grad/fan. Quality hands-free trolling by getting all of you do his dirty work for him.

True, but how many of your fans agree with him? A LOT.