Illinois on the schedule

[uconndennis]

UConn will play @IlliniFootball at home in 2019 and on the road in 2020 #bleedblue #riseuptogether pic.twitter.com/dwvVKjxuXe

 

[thatguyed]

We're announcing upcoming in-conference games? I don't see how that's necessary.

 

[noeynox]

Decen Opponent. Not Tennessee, But A Good Matchup And Winnable Game.

 

[UConn Dan]

Definitely not going B1G anytime soon. This was definitely a gettable game too. It's great to get a P5 school but from the hype I was expecting a little more. I'll take it though

 

[uconndennis]

Decen Opponent. Not Tennessee, But A Good Matchup And Winnable Game.

agreed....reasonable

 

[J187Money]

My dad did his grad degree there. Always wanted to go see the campus (although the area is a train wreck).

 

[freescooter]

This is the type of game we can and should be getting on a regular basis. Then you add an occasional Big name to the schedule. If you win the AAC and have a win over the Illini nobody is going to complain and say you don't "deserve" a ranking. And if you get ranked on a regular basis, getting name opponents is easier.

 

[Durks07]

Definitely not going B1G anytime soon. This was definitely a gettable game too. It's great to get a P5 school but from the hype I was expecting a little more. I'll take it though

Building a relationship with another B1G school is always a good thing. If we can parlay it into a home and home in basketball as well, I will be thrilled. I have always wanted to see a game in here:

 

[UConnDan97]

I think this is a solid add to the schedule, and a good job by Warde. Illinois is a decent name in football, and the game is winnable (as Noeynox mentioned). Hopefully, Warde can continue getting games like this in the near future...

 

[ZooCougar]

Not bad.

 

[Doggie Style]

Sweeeeeeeeeet..... I'll take it! I swear to god, if the replacement was another Buffalo series I would jump off a bridge!!!

 

[Durks07]

Sweeeeeeeeeet..... I'll take it! I swear to god, if the replacement was another Buffalo series I would jump off a bridge!!!

I'd be right there with you.

 

[Jax Husky]

And Winnable Game.

lol, how can anyone know what will be winnable 7 years from now? At least they play here first.

 

[Skiblets]

Champaign could possibly be the toughest place to get to. Fly into Chicago and drive four hours. Fly into Indianapolis and it's three. Flights into Champaign might as well be on crop dusters and they're outrageously priced. Don't expect a huge Husky contingent there.

That being said, love the BIG scheduling

 

[UConn Dan]

Building a relationship with another B1G school is always a good thing. If we can parlay it into a home and home in basketball as well, I will be thrilled. I have always wanted to see a game in here:

Agree. This is not a bad get at all.

 

[Waquoit]

Doesn't suck.

 

[Doggie Style]

Now that I think about it, this series will most likely never be played but at least it calms the storm for the time being....

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Building a relationship with another B1G school is always a good thing. If we can parlay it into a home and home in basketball as well, I will be thrilled. I have always wanted to see a game in here:

We played there in the 90's didn't we? Think we won the game too. The early 90's can be foggy at times.

 

[Doggie Style]

We played there in the 90's didn't we? Think we won the game too. The early 90's can be foggy at times.

We had a home and home with them in the 90's

 

[Carl Spackler]

Warde's first BCS-AQ scheduling arrangement. This is the level of opponent from that era of labeling conference structures, that we can, and should, expect to be able to schedule home and home with. There should be at least one of these kinds of home and home on the schedules every year IMNSHO. Looks like Warde is building it up exactly that way. .

Tennessee would have filled the 2015 an 2016 home and away slots. Going to need to scramble to fill those.

2014 BYU 2015 @ BYU
2015 (Tenn) 2016 @ (Tenn)
2016 Virginia 2017 @ Virginia
2017 2018
2018 2019
2019 Illinois 2020 @ Illinois

If the AAC stays at 8 games, we'll continue to need to do the same thing with three other slots - two more of a Boise St and Army level kind of opponents and then one more of the Villanova/Stony Brook opponents.



Still very curious as to how we fill the holes left by Tennessee.

 

[Stray_Dog]

What about the 2015 and 2016 open slots that need to be filled?

I believe that Ward had these games 2018-2019 in the mix already but it will be telling to see how quick he can fill these openings and with what opponents. I will reserve my judgement based on who UConn plays next year and the year after. Keep this in mind, a schedule in 2015 means a lot more for us as does the tenuous circumstance UConn sees itself in, within the short term. Please don't fill these with Towson or Buffalo or worse an FCS team.
Also, TN was scheduled far out and now that it is upon us they cancel/postpone. A true test for Ward is what can he do for UConn near term? We got a new coach - we needed one, we got one most of us seem to like, but we'll see when the W/L record develops. So now we have an immediate opening - immediate in that 2015 is only two seasons away. Who do we get, who should we expect to play? Any guesses as to the conference we'll go after to fill these games? Will it be a home and home? What team should we try to get on the schedule - more importantly what teams have openings in their schedules for 2015 - 2016?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Nice job Warde.

To me this is a good series, similar to a UVA and UNC. We need games like this.

Would love to play these guys in hoops too.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Champaign could possibly be the toughest place to get to. Fly into Chicago and drive four hours. Fly into Indianapolis and it's three. Flights into Champaign might as well be on crop dusters and they're outrageously priced. Don't expect a huge Husky contingent there.

That being said, love the BIG scheduling

Not that much different than getting to Morgantown via Pittsburgh - 3 hours travel time difference about. (1 in the air, two on the ground)

 

[Skiblets]

Not that much different than getting to Morgantown via Pittsburgh - 3 hours travel time difference about. (1 in the air, two on the ground)

Very different than going to Morgantown. Essentially two days travel to Champaign and back. Morgantown is a half day

 

[Confident Carl]

UConn will play @IlliniFootball at home in 2019 and on the road in 2020 #bleedblue #riseuptogether pic.twitter.com/dwvVKjxuXe

That's a good get. Lord willing I will probably go to the game in 2020 in Champaign-Urbana which is around 150 miles from O'hare airport.

UConn will play @IlliniFootball at home in 2019 and on the road in 2020 #bleedblue #riseuptogether pic.twitter.com/dwvVKjxuXe