What UConn football coach Jim Mora said about the latest round of conference realignment

Aug. 8, 2023
STORRS — UConn football coach Jim Mora has known the conference as the Pac-8 when his father was an assistant coach at Stanford, as the Pac-10 when he played at Washington, and as the Pac-12 when he was the head coach at UCLA.
So as much as he was concerned about UConn's place in conference realignment, Friday's moves were tough to take as the Pac-12 was left with four schools after Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State joined the Big 12 and Oregon and Washington left for the Big Ten. In July, Colorado announced its move to the Big 12.
UCLA and USC announced its decision to go to the Big Ten a year ago.
"When that amazing day happened I kind of shut it down in terms of paying attention to it," Mora said. "My dad coached in the Pac-8. I played in the Pac-10 and coached in the Pac-10 and Pac-12. I played at Washington. I coached at UCLA. My dad coached at Colorado and my son goes to Colorado. My dad coached at Stanford. I've always had an affinity for the Pac-12. To see it dissolve the way it has is sad. I don't like it.
"I'm sad about what happened to the Pac-12 because it matters to me. It's like how the Big East matters to us here because of our history."
Mora noted the recent comments of Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz and Colorado coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
"I'm saying as a collective group, have we asked ourselves what's it going to cost the student-athletes?" Drinkwitz said at a press conference.
Said Sanders at another press conference: "All this is about money. Everyone's trying to catch a bag!"
Mora, though, is still hopeful the Huskies will be part of conference realignment soon and be part of what for now is the Power Five.
"I want us to be in a Power Five conference because it helps our athletic department, it helps every student-athlete, it helps the football program and I think we're building something that is earning the right to be in a Power Five," Mora said. "This team will compete with Power Five football teams. We have the facilities, we have the people, we do more with less than any athletic department in the country in my opinion when you look at all sports.
"If we're able to increase our revenue stream where we can provide more for our football team, more resources ... I read we don't have the facilities. Yes we do. This program was a proud strong program years ago. We're getting back to that. I hate to use the word deserve, but I think we're earning the right to be in a Power Five. Are we going to beat them? We'll see. In terms of competing, we'll compete with anyone."