Lastly, games against MAC schools are going to probably experience an uptick. The teams are about an hour apart, both independent and for now, both among the worst teams in the country, providing a balanced and simple matchup. The series has been contested each year since 2018 and is on the schedule until at least 2025, according to FBSchedules. UMass is the closest FBS school to UConn. Army will likely have a similar experience as a service academy, though UConn will face the Black Knights in all but one year from 2024-2029. Notre Dame, with its ability to potentially join the Big Ten and also with its many annual rivalry games and blue blood status, is not going to have an issue finding games. As these Power 5, or whatever the successor term is, opportunities become less common, the independent schools will have to rely more on each other, in addition to leaning on the current Group of 5 leagues, which are only as stable as the ones above them on the pecking order.Īs of 2024, there will be four FBS independents: Army, Notre Dame, UConn, and UMass. However, there are only eight games scheduled in 2026, including two each against current ACC and Big Ten members, and fewer contests under contract in later years. As there is no FCS school on the schedule in 2024, it’s likely that the Huskies will add one FBS school to the slate in each year. Additionally, the Huskies have just two open games in 2024 and one open date in 2025. According to FBSchedules, the Huskies are full in 2023, as they have reported that the one game that has yet to be announced by the school will be filled with UMass. Where this hits UConn the most is in 2026 and beyond. That scenario would be extremely complex legally, as the ACC’s grant of rights ties its 14 full members together through its TV deal with ESPN, which ends in 2036, while UConn has a high exit fee from the Big East. The interest would most likely be mutual. It’s more likely that Hell freezes over before the Big Ten or SEC come calling, but if the ACC loses some of its larger football brands, including Clemson, Florida State, and Miami, it would need to back-fill those schools’ slots and may reach out to gauge UConn’s interest. While there is no reporting suggesting this could potentially come to pass, UConn’s independence could even come to an end. This will not be an issue in the short term, as the movement between leagues will not start in earnest until 2024, but the game of musical chairs has begun. Whether that happens, or the great-at-football portion of the ACC moves on to the SEC, or Notre Dame joins a conference, or some combination of the above, what’s clear is that this is not settled and movement will continue.Īs conferences consolidate, the number of league games they play will have to increase, limiting the number of slots available for independent schools like UConn. The bigger, more recent news is UCLA and USC’s departure from the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in time for the 2024 season.Īs a result, the Big Ten and SEC will each be at 16 members, while the Big 12 is making overtures to the unstable parts of the Pac-12, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah, though these are just rumors. The SEC is adding Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 for the 2025 season, while the Big 12 is going to back-fill the Sooners and Longhorns with BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston starting in 2023. In contrast, the seven independent programs must find 12 games, while the remainder must schedule three or four on their own.Īthletic Director David Benedict has done a solid job getting attractive games on the schedule for the newly independent program, but a paradigm shift in college football is likely to make that job much harder. UConn and the other FBS independents are in a unique situation when it comes to scheduling.įor the 2022 season, the ACC, American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, SEC, and Sun Belt have eight conference games, while the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 will play nine league contests.
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