We All Know What DeFilippo Thinks: But How About the Rest of the ACC?

by RookTakesYou on Oct 28, 2011 10:03 PM EDT

Hey there Husky fans! So I've been spending some time over at BCI lately, inspired by some of their more vocal and less polite members' habit of trolling on the UConn Blog. One of their constant refrains is "No one wants UConn in the ACC!". Now we're all aware that's the position of DeFilippo and the majority of fans at BCI. But ever since the Globe article came out which said that UConn would have been the number two school to receive an offer, but for the lobbying/ranting of DeFilippo, I've been curious what the opinions of the other eleven ACC members (plus Pitt and 'Cuse) really are on the subject of UConn joining the ACC. There's very little out there in terms of the school presidents and ADs. So I figured I'd head over to the blogs, search for "UConn", and see what I could find. Not everyone was for it, some are against it- but the majority of ACC fans, at least in the posts that I found, seem to either support UConn joining the conference, or to feel neutral/ambivalent about expanding further now.

Here's a sampling of some of the better posts I read:

Let's see- here's a VTech fan posting over at BCI:

I suppose I dont have the perspective down here in the mid-Atlantic that you guys have but I think UCONN would be a great addition. As far as the whole they didn’t want us to leave in 03 thing, nobody from the Big East wanted the three original ship jumpers to leave but they would all do so given the chance. I don’t see it as a reason to hold a grudge.

As for the State University of New Jersey I dont see them adding anything Cuse, Pitt, and UCONN don’t already as far fanbases go and they just don’t have a quality product on the field.

by bluecollarhokie on Sep 18, 2011 1:27 PM PDT

Lots of love from Clemson:

However unless the ACC goes to 16, and adds a quality football program, I don't think we renegotiate a substantial TV increase. UConn would've been a better addition in that regard.

y DrB on Sep 18, 2011 11:43 AM EDT

I would rather take UConn than the Cuse

by FIGUREFOUR on Sep 18, 2011 3:04 PM EDT

If UCONN joins

ACC will be a monster of a basketball conference. Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Pitt, UCONN, Maryland, NC State, FSU, Clemson.

by ggggmen08 on Sep 18, 2011 3:21 PM EDT

If we have to do this

I’d want UConn and Louisville, which should strengthen at least basketball, but they’ve also had good years recently in football.

by mdlusk on Sep 19, 2011 8:14 AM EDT

If Swofford says they are not opposed to going to 16 teams, then that probably means they will go to 16.

I think it is safe to say UCONN will be one, but the question is who will be the other? I am for WVU or Louisville, and do not want Rutgers or USF.

by Tigerplowboy on Sep 19, 2011 10:57 AM EDT

Maryland fans fighting for UConn over at BCI:

I also don’t see how a BC fan like yourself can get a big enough dick to say that Maryland should be shipped off to the Big East. Lets not forget that bringing BC and Miami into the conference has been regarded as a failure, and in hindsight bringing in Cuse and UCONN would’ve been the smarter move. Hell, WVU and Pitt would’ve been better (athletically, not academically). If anything, I’d see BC getting the boot back to the Big East before a founding member would.

by testudo13 on Aug 16, 2011 4:16 PM PDT

I'm a Maryland fan

and after some aggressive day drink, I’ve decided that as a founding member of the ACC I’d like to trade BC to the Big East for UConn. To sweeten the Pot. The ACC will further agree to stop stealing NON-football playing schools of the Big East.

Don’t worry, it’s like trading a middle reliever for the end of a season, you’ll come back at the end of the year and bring along your friend Notre Dame.

by RedTurtle

Two shout-outs from Virginia:

As to who is next – seems like UCONN is the most likely – great BB and Big East champ in football last season, plus good geography with proximity to Pitt, Syr, and BC as well as actually being located near the coast

by AtlBirdsFan on Sep 19, 2011 2:48 PM EDT

As for further expansion targets, I'm not at all convinced UConn is out of the picture. If we go to 16 - and I'm leaning toward wanting to because it would actually greatly ease my #1 gripe about football scheduling - UConn is the first school I'd want.

Georgia Tech's got our back:

The pod idea works great with two more Big East teams. If, as rumored (and predicted here on FTRS), UConn and Rutgers are the next two ACC teams, the pods for the ACC are easy to build.

UConn and Rutgers bring the NYC market, which will be very interested in the ACC when there are five schools nearby playing at the highest level. Plus, these schools are right for the ACC on many other levels as well.

Couple of nice ones from NC State:

i understand BC's position, but its too bad BC is blocking UConn from getting into the ACC. with the men’s and women’s basketball teams of UConn, the ACC would be the top conference in both men’s and women’s basketball.
on a similar note, i know some VaTech fans who hold a grudge against both UNC and Duke for trying to block their entry into the ACC.

by sbas2 on Oct 10, 2011 12:13 PM EDT

Why do we care what BC wants? When do the fortunes of 1 school outweight the fortunes of the other 11?

by PACKHOOLIGAN on Oct 10, 2011 12:30 PM EDT

Too bad no one blocked BC

by TVP on Oct 10, 2011 1:13 PM EDT

Syracuse polled their community on who they'd want for a further ACC expansion. The results:

Poll: If the ACC expanded to 16 schools, who would you like to see added?

Rutgers & UConn 247 votes

Notre Dame & Rutgers 107 votes

Notre Dame & UConn 482 votes

Someone else altogether (explain below) 104 votes

940 votes | Poll has closed

I even found a BC fan willing to speak up for UConn

Wow

A lot of empty talk about UConn. I’m a BC alum and can see why people think we’re a bunch of arrogant DBs. BC is comparable with UConn in academics, football (not that says much since we both suck right now), and in our pride in other sports. I’d like to see an annual BC-UConn football game and get back with them on the court. I hope they get into the ACC. In any case, I hope readers see that not all BC alums are condescending jerks.

by Blue and Old Gold

Message received, Blue and Old Gold.

So chin up, everyone. There's a lot of haters out there- but there are also a lot of ACC fans who want to see UConn brought on board. Just a little pick me up on the day we bid adieu to WVU, and a reminder that DeFilippo (despite what he might think) doesn't represent the entire ACC and their fanbase.

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Comments

Good stuff RookTakesYou!

I’ve tried to argue over on BCI the same thing. I never felt that the other ACC schools were against UConn as much as BC is.

BCI folk also tried to reason that Rutgers would be better than UConn in the ACC. I didn’t even try to argue with them because I knew it would be useless. I simply asked why and all they could come up with is something about on campus stadium, tradition, and better facilities…haha yea (tradition of never winning).

I’m cautiously optimistic about our hopes of still joining the ACC, but as of now UConn has had only bad news lately.

by JJSHusky25 on Oct 31, 2011 10:53 AM EDT reply actions

Bad News?

Not Bad…Good, we will be in the mix for another national championship, while BC…well let’s just say, will talk about their history, their academics, their fans, in short, their bullshit. How do you spell NIT? I will tell you how…BC. I’m not a troll over there, I am respectful. But a football team that is rated below any team in the big east and even below Harvard, a fan base that has been rated as the worst tailgate in college football, academically UCONN ranks higher than many of the ACC schools, Uconn brings 5percent of the NY market and a fan base that does not compete with any professional team in CT. BC fans can only point to one thing…History. My response to that is…Yale has many national championships and two Heisman trophy winners, ancient History. The Huskies will get a bid and will continue to win, while BC will be…well let’s just say will have History.

by Milo65 on Oct 31, 2011 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions

No kidding

They’re in the ACC and they have history- and deep down they know that’s all they have over us, or are likely to ever have again. If they believe they’ll ever reach a BCS bowl game again, let alone the national championship, they’re deluding themselves. And their sense of national prominence is laughable- they call themselves “Stanford East” with no sense of irony whatsoever. Fact is, they’re a safety school for both the top academic students AND the top athletic students. They’re terrified of us joining the ACC because they realize that if we’re playing in the same league, we’ll have a huge recruiting advantage- DeFilippo has admiited as much. But hey, they have their past: we have the future.

by RookTakesYou on Oct 31, 2011 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

Yeah, BC has apparently harbored a huge grudge against UConn in particular; which is funny, because one of the common themes at BCI tends to be how UConn holds a grudge against them and really, I never heard any Husky bad-mouthing BEFORE DeFilippo started bragging about blocking UConn like he was the caporegime of the ACC.

There are some legitimate arguments to be made for Rutgers- the larger share of the New York market, the longer tradition. But honestly, in my journeys through the ACC blogs, people were talking about UConn a LOT more than Rutgers. ACC fans on the whole seem to UConn as the natural next target of expansion- if they can ever get past the Notre Dame gambit- and even if they somehow landed Notre Dame, everything seems to indicate that we would be the choice for #16 over Rutgers.

I believe that in the end UConn ends up in the ACC. Might not be for a few more years, depending on a few factors: the resolution of of the 27 months requirement, whether the targeted schools end up joining the BE, whether the BE loses its AQ in 2013, and of course what Notre Dame does. What UConn can do in the meantime is to field the best teams possible (especially in football), make sure our student-athletes are receiving the full education they deserve, and raise the academic profile of UConn- membership in the AAU would be ideal (unless BC blocks us in THAT too- smh).

And if we can push for the removal of Marinatto in the meantime (preferably run out of town in a clown car), I for one would be deeply gratified.

by RookTakesYou on Oct 31, 2011 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions