UConn may be looking to make another run at the American Athletic Conference, this time as a football-only member.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, the Huskies want back into the league they left behind, but only for football so the rest of the athletic department can stay in the Big East. McMurphy also reports that Miami (Ohio) and James Madison are trying to join the AAC as full members, though the conference is not interested in expanding right now.
The idea is a little ironic given the speculation earlier this summer that UConn might be eyeing an even bigger conference move on an all-sports basis. For now, though, the reported plan is much narrower: football in the AAC, everything else staying put.
That would mark a return to familiar ground for UConn. The Huskies were previously in the American from 2013 through 2019 before heading back to independence.
The results were never strong in that stretch. UConn never won more than six games in a season and never finished above .500.
Here’s how that run went:
2013: 3-9
2014: 2-10
2015: 6-7
2016: 3-9
2017: 3-9
2018: 1-11
2019: 2-10
If the league ever does open its doors again, the financial side is part of the lure. McMurphy notes the AAC has a 12-year, $1 billion deal with ESPN that pays each school about $7 million annually. With that contract set to run out around 2030, the money could climb even higher next time around.
That matters in a college sports landscape where schools are scrambling for revenue to support their programs and build NIL resources. A conference home can mean steady cash, and in this era, steady cash is gold.
The current AAC football membership includes South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Tulsa, Memphis, UTSA, Army, Navy, East Carolina, Rice, Temple, Tulane, UAB, North Texas and Charlotte.
UConn is 2-1 this season after blowing past Southern Miss. last weekend, and it gets Miami (Ohio) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Redhawks are 1-2 in 2026, and Huskies head coach Jason Candle knows that program well from his years at Toledo, where he went 3-1 against Miami (Ohio).
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 🡒]