Yes, We Know That Most of You Don't Want UConn.

lame really hilarious post. You didn't not overplay the strikeout. FAIL

Nice post. Reading that Connecticut has a former ND qb, who left presumably because Clausen was going to be ahead of him, and the bullying of Connecticut that ND did, I really want to see ND get its ass kicked in that game. I do think UConn is a decent opponent, but I have to agree with those who think it's similar to playing App State in that winning doesn't mean much to observers and losing looks worse than usual.

Thanks for compiling all the links and general info.

But why are comparisons to the Vanderbilt game not fair? If it's about quality of opponent I think it's totally fair. Trade conferences and I think you'd see Vandy perform as well as UConn in the Big East. But maybe you meant something different.

I'm cool with Uconn as the season opener. I believe most fans had some pie-in-the-sky hopes of who the opponent might be. (myself included)

The general unrest seems not to be because Uconn is such a bad choice but because they are not Texas or USC or -insert top ten opponent-.

I have seen a few arguments that aim to hype the matchup. Claiming Uconn will be a GREAT game, hotly contested, and exciting. This is true. But App State was a difficult matchup. It was a bitter contest. I was tense and emotional the entire game. But no one would say that App State would make for a special season opener.

I guess what I am saying is that EVERY game is great. I get excited for all of Michigans games. But no two opponents elicit the same pregame hype as another. Wisconsin is a great game to get excited about but it does not compare to the butterflies I get for the week of MSU. MSU is an awesome game to get excited about but it does not compare to the anxiety I feel for the week of the Buckeye game. So while Uconn is a great game to get excited about it does not compare to how I would feel if we were playing a school from the SEC or the PAC10. So it is not that Uconn is such a BAD game (it is not) it's that Uconn is not Georgia or Cal or Arkansas.

Some posters who are grounded in reality have blasted others for saying "what if..."
They seem genuinely angry that a person can not squelch their imagination. Attacking anyone who would still dare to dream about what might have been. I say let it go. Nobody is going to make a run on AA torch and pitchfork. People will come to grips with this decision for Uconn. It is only when your ship of broken dreams crashes back to reality that one can judge with objectivity the merits and worthiness of playing Uconn. It will happen. It happened to me.

Seriously very well written and I 100% see why UConn is a great choice for Michigan as a 2010 season opener despite my crazy ramblings yesterday.

I live on the east coast now and and pumped to see the boys play one more time outside of my yearly pilgrimage to AA and the Penn State game every other year.

In good fun: I appreciate you posting that youtube clip. I'm not sure how I missed this game the first time around seeing as I always DVR those instant classic UConn vs. UVA games on ESPN U every year ;-)

In one of the links you argued that UCONN would be a terrible choice for an opponent. Why the sudden change of heart?

Bill Martin is not "reaching out to a huge alumni base", our other options simply fell through, and he took what he could get. I don't like it, but it is what it is.

Very well done. I would give a +1 if I could but I am on some sort of evil probation.

Very well done. I would give a +1 if I could but I am on some sort of evil probation.

Maybe I am on probation because I duplicate post stuff.

Nice post. You make solid points. I will say that it kind of sucks vis-a-vis ND that we only get a 1:1 deal when they totally ripped them off, but oh well. I wonder if UConn will expand its stadium in the coming years. A big-time program really needs to be able to seat at least 50K.

Solid work my friend. You have me sold!

Here, and I think someone else mentioned it (and maybe it was the OP in his diary), is to schedule a BCS opponent that you are pretty sure you can beat in the first game at the newly renovated stadium. Not much else to say. I'm on board with UConn and look forward to the game and the unveiling of the new Big House.

Now that I finished whining about it, I will root for UConn to do well this year and build some anticipation for next year.

Great, somewhat calming, post overall.

The only thing I take issue with is the very last sentence. Bill Martin shoulda been on this years ago. I guess I have no way of knowing he wasn't.... but given some of the other matchups that our rivals have managed to schedule, it looks an awful lot like BM dropped the ball.

I'm ultimately OK with the matchup. Just don't ask me to give Martin a pat on the back for this one.

It's refreshing to have real content these days.

Four years is a long time in politics, so I'm still hoping an alternate and larger venue can be found.

Texas scheduled a home-and-home with Wyoming? wtf?

Great reasoning. Now if Mr. Martin would apply the same 'reach out to the alumni' logic and schedule something with Washington or Washington State.

I was just suprised to see it was a home and home, we don't do that alot

If that is in fact what it was - a choice. Heck, maybe there just weren't any other options out there at this stage. Tough to tell what other schools like UVa, Pitt, etc. were saying, if they were indeed contacted.

All that notwithstanding, you've only managed to solidify my reasons for disliking it.

A) Yes, CFB world, UConn is a very solid program. Those who didn't know need to educate themselves. This is a very loseable game, whether in 2010 or 2013.

B) There's no real recruiting base out there. If you're heading east, ya don't go to New Englend to find recruits and get nat'l exposure, ya go to Va, Pitt, NJ, etc.

C) There's no substantial payoff there with the return game, as ticket sales (for New Englanders like me) will be hard to come by.

Put all that together, and you have nary a "Win" in the situation to speak of - not much positives if we win, and a whole lot of grief if we lose (even to a very solid team) Still hard to see the silver lining in this one....

That was the same weekend as the ND game last year. Never have I been so happy to have a wedding deprive me of my football.

Well written, but I still disagree. I'll let these speak for me:

UConn is a doormat. They're a poor man's MSU. With a stout defense, and an offensive playbook roughly consisting of three different off-tackle runs, it's best to just think of this as that mythical ninth Big Ten conference game.

I'm OK with UConn as next seasons opener. It's difficult to negotiate an addition to your schedule only 13 months from when the game is scheduled and it seems like we had few options. We played Virginia in 1995 and this could be Al Groh's last year in Charlottesville, so they do not want that again if they have to bring in a new coach. I think a home and home with North Carolina would be great to schedule. Butch Davis has that team improving and the UNC campus is great to visit. We've also played UCLA several times in the past and that has always been a good match up.

If ND had been a true power along the lines of a USC or a Florida the last few years (i.e, if Weis really did bring a schematic advantage), then I think a lot of fans like me would have had far weaker urges to schedule another strong team. ND is the supposed marquee team in our OOC sked, but they really haven't played like it much.

I still am unenthusiastic about UConn because I don't think playing them has much upside at this point in time, but if they win the Big East title this year and/or have an excellent season and win a bowl game of some note, then by opening day a year from now the matchup will look considerably better.