UConn’s name is back in the realignment mix, but this time the talk points toward a return to familiar ground.
On Friday morning, Brett McMurphy reported that UConn has reached out to the American Conference seeking membership. The Huskies were part of the league, then known as the American Athletic Conference, from 2013 to 2020 before moving on. McMurphy also reported that UConn is interested in football-only membership.
UConn is the lone independent left in FBS besides Notre Dame, which doesn’t really count. And according to the report, the Huskies aren’t the only school making calls.
Miami of Ohio, which plays UConn this Saturday, and JMU out of the Sun Belt have also reportedly reached out to the American. McMurphy added that Miami offered between $30 million and $40 million to join.
The American, though, quickly pushed back. The conference released a statement saying it is not looking to add new members at this time. UConn athletic director David Benedict also denied the reports.
For UConn, independence was never the ideal setup. The move to the Big East was necessary to keep basketball thriving, and that part worked.
But football has been a different story, and the case for a conference home is obvious enough. Most leagues are moving to a nine-game schedule, and the Huskies have already lost or rescheduled games.
That matters because UConn has to build a full 12-game schedule every year from scratch. Other schools used to have eight conference games locked in and only four nonconference openings to manage. Now that number is down to three, which leaves fewer available slots for UConn to fill.
There’s also the simple competitive pull of being attached to a league. Conference titles, division titles and all-conference recognition would give the Huskies something concrete to chase at the end of the season, something they don’t really have right now. A conference home would also bring bowl ties and, if things ever reached that level, a clearer path to the College Football Playoff.
The bigger picture has kept UConn in the realignment conversation for years. When the school left the AAC, there were reports that it tried to stay as a football-only member and was turned away.
UConn has also been tied to the Big 12 on multiple occasions, only to watch that league add Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and BYU in 2023, then Arizona, Arizona State and Utah in 2024. The ACC had been another target in the past, but that league added Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville in 2013 and 2014, and later Cal, Stanford and SMU.
In 2024, reports surfaced that UConn was planning to join the Big 12 in 2031. The conference has not ruled out more expansion, but that discussion appears to have quieted. Benedict has also denied that UConn had an offer from the newly re-formed Pac 12.
In Other News...
Jason Candles Ohio Return Gives UConn An Early Road Test
Jason Candles first road trip back into familiar Mid-American Conference territory comes with a little extra edge, and UConn will get a useful early read on where it stands under its first-year head coach. Candle spent a decade leading Toledo, so a matchup with Miami (Ohio) brings him back to a league and a setting he knows well, even if the Huskies are the ones now absorbing the lessons of an early-season test away from home.
Miami, too, offers a clean measuring stick because the RedHawks have been part of the MAC backdrop Candle lived in for years. UConn will be looking to see how it handles the pace, physicality and game-day environment on the road, and Candles own history against this conference adds another layer to a game that already carries some intrigue for a program trying to establish its identity. [Read more 🡒]
UConns Conference Future Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Reports surfaced this week that UConn football is being tied to a football-only return to the American Athletic Conference, a development that would reshape the programs long-running independence without touching the Huskies other sports. The idea comes with Miami of Ohio and James Madison also pursuing full membership, adding another layer to a conference picture that has been anything but static.
But the UConn side of the story is still murky. Athletic director David Benedict said he was never contacted about the report and was unaware of any such plans, leaving the Huskies with no clear indication that a move is actually in motion. For now, football remains independent while the rest of UConns programs continue in the Big East, and the gap between speculation and reality is still wide. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away Late
UConn had a road game in reach before it slipped away late in a 24-21 loss to Miami (Ohio), a result that will sting because the Huskies had enough offense to make it a very playable afternoon. Kalieb Osborne did his part, throwing for 215 yards and a touchdown while adding 68 rushing yards and another score, giving UConn a balanced enough attack to stay in it against a Miami team that kept answering.
The RedHawks leaned on David McComb, who was sharp while he was in the game, completing 19 of 29 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns before leaving injured. Even with that setback, UConn could not finish the job when it mattered most, and the late sequence will linger as the kind of missed chance that can define an early-season road trip. [Read more 🡒]