There's no time anymore in sports for look-how-far-they've-come retrospectives because "what have you done for me lately?" gets in the way. That's the just the way it is, as Bruce Hornsby reminded us, some things will never change.

But anyone with a hint of historical perspective would have appreciated Big East media day earlier this week. The UConn Huskies were never a bigger player in the room than they were Tuesday in Newport, R.I., drawing hosannas left and right, even from schools playing Division I-A football for, oh, 50-100 more years.

It's nothing new to remind the fandom that UConn's been at this for what's about to become eight years. Except that some people actually think eight years is a long time.

This just in: Eight years, in the cosmic scheme, isn't even an eyelash on a gnat. Eight years ago, half the people in Connecticut thought "BCS" stood for "Boston College sucks."

Cue Randy Edsall's predecessor, Skip Holtz, the new coach at South Florida. He knows the size of this undertaking. He remembers. Like Tuesday when a writer reminded Holtz that his last win at UConn was also the program's first playoff victory in I-AA. It was Nov. 28, 1998.

"Hampton," Holtz said with a twinkle.

They'd been playing football at UConn right up to that day since 1896. Imagine that. One hundred years of football amounted to nothing more than the program's preamble: "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure a solid secondary ... provide for coach Holtz's defense ... "

It was, to that point, the greatest day in the history of UConn football. Maybe some of the Johnny and Jenny-come-latelys to the program don't remember. But that day, or so we all thought, was UConn football's arrival.

"We had some good players. We had Shane Stafford ... Carl Bond ... but we were a long way away from I-A," Holtz said, adding that they needed more players, better players, players that might have made school history, but still weren't going to make an impact at the highest level.

You know the story. Holtz left to coach with his father at South Carolina. Edsall walked in with a glorified high school stadium, high school facilities, few (if any) players that would make tangible contributions ... and by 2003 had beaten Indiana and Iowa State. Now the Huskies have a spot at the table in college football conversation, able to boast a Donald Brown, a Darius Butler and one of the best coaches in the country.

Holtz loves it.

"When I was there, everybody in New England sat back with their arms crossed and said, 'We'll see.' There's a lot of people who thought it was a bad idea to make the move to I-A," he said.

Then he said something that should make UConn fans chuckle.

"They've brought college football into the New England market," he said.

Holtz may or may not have meant that as a poke at the other I-A New England football institution up the road in Chestnut Hill. But it's great he said it. More people need to say it. And say it. And say it. Say it until it annoys BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo enough to schedule the New England championship game.

UConn would play the game right now. That's because the Huskies have less to lose. And that's fine. Except the BC folks better understand that a win over UConn would be a quality nonconference win.

The idea that BC's home opener is Weber State and UConn opens with Texas Southern is a joke. BC was to play Hofstra. Hofstra's program folded. UConn was to play Northeastern. Northeastern's program folded. Two open dates. Duh. So what do you think should have happened?

I've never made it a secret that I'm a BC guy. So if you think I'm not objective, fine. Maybe I'm not. But as a guy with spies in each camp, I'd suggest Vegas would make it a pick 'em as to which side sounds dumber.

The BC fans act as though UConn is irrelevant. Right. They're also scared to death that the Huskies are becoming an equally identifiable New England program. (Bet the Huskies would be the favorite if the game were played at Rentschler.)

The UConn fans think their program has actually surpassed BC's. Stop it. Methinks you kind of have to beat BC to make such a claim. Once. Of course, to do so, the game has to be played.

Meanwhile, hope those ticket sales for Texas Southern and Weber State are brisk.

And so two schools 80 miles apart, who figure to have good seasons in 2010, with a potentially glorious, venemous rivalry, will continue to ignore each other. UConn fans should still enjoy what's happening. Quite a run into the eighth season. Who knew "BCS" could stand for so much more?

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.