Independent Scheduling

[Dooooooomed]

Would be nice. IMO BYU (and Army) are more attractive opponents than anyone in the AAC, even if said AAC teams are ranked.

 

[uconnyankee]

Would be nice. IMO BYU (and Army) are more attractive opponents than anyone in the AAC, even if said AAC teams are ranked.

I wouldn't mind Navy, Temple, and Cincy on our schedule....

 

[Dooooooomed]

I wouldn't mind Navy, Temple, and Cincy on our schedule....

I wouldn't either, but I'd still prefer BYU & Army at the Rent. I also think announcing a long term deal with BYU/Army would be a bigger boost for our TV contract.

 

[Exit 4]

Gang, I’m not anti BYU or anti Liberty. I’m just a skeptic that pols and admins in this state will want us playing more than a one off game.

I’m happy to be wrong. I’m fine playing both on a regular basis.

And catholic schools comparison doesn’t work- no need to delve further in the obvious reasons why here in this thread however.

 

[Pudge]

A realistic goal is 1 SEC game per year.
And 3 from the pool of the ACC & B1G.
Maybe we will find a way to get 1 B12 or P12 game every other year.

So to box this in, a min of 3 P5 games a year, a middle road of 4 to 5 P5 games a year and a ceiling of 6 P5 games a year. I think that is the realistic range. I wouldn't turn down more than 6 P5 games a year, but I doubt that is realistic.

2020 and 2021 maybe thin. 2022 is the real start date when AD David Benedict will have no excuses.

I could see a 2023 schedule that pencils out as:

1 B1G / 2 ACC / 1 SEC

• 09/03 - Central Connecticut (scheduled)
• 09/10 - at Penn State (or BIG) - pay day game
• 09/17 - Temple (or AAC)
• 09/24 - at NC State (scheduled)
• 10/01 - Coastal Carolina (or Sunbelt)
• 10/08 - Army
• 10/15 - Buffalo (or MAC)
• 10/22 - at FAU (or CUSA)
• 10/30 - UMass
• 11/12 - at South Carolina (or Sec)
• 11/19 - Boston College (scheduled)
• 11/26 - at Liberty or New Mex or BYU

I’d be very happy with that.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Read the book Educated and you’ll never look at BYU the same way again

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Read the book Educated and you’ll never look at BYU the same way again

Can you give some highlights?

 

[freescooter]

Gang, I’m not anti BYU or anti Liberty. I’m just a skeptic that pols and admins in this state will want us playing more than a one off game.

I’m happy to be wrong. I’m fine playing both on a regular basis.

And catholic schools comparison doesn’t work- no need to delve further in the obvious reasons why here in this thread however.

On what actual basis are you raising this? I mean given that we have played all.

 

[Adios]

If we took that series with ND, we'd probably be in the ACC, too.

 

[FroginCT]

The dude really has an axe to grind with UConn

Maybe, but the 2020 schedule is going to be awful.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I just looked at Army's schedule for the next two years. Both have two week gaps between early/mid-October and early/mid-November games. No coach wants to go two consecutive weeks without playing, much less doing it in consecutive years. If we can fill both those gaps that would have to be very attractive to the Black Knights. They've got games with Tulane, Bucknell and some MAC schools that they potentially could reschedule if it balanced their overall slate.

 

[Exit 4]

I just looked at Army's schedule for the next two years. Both have two week gaps between early/mid-October and early/mid-November games. No coach wants to go two consecutive weeks without playing, much less doing it in consecutive years. If we can fill both those gaps that would have to be very attractive to the Black Knights. They've got games with Tulane, Bucknell and some MAC schools that they potentially could reschedule if it balanced their overall slate.

I think its almost guaranteed we are filling those gaps. Army and UConn working collaboratively as independents to fill the schedule in October or November is pretty much a lock.

 

[CL82]

I think its almost guaranteed we are filling those gaps. Army and UConn working collaboratively as independents to fill the schedule in October or November is pretty much a lock.

Speculation? It's a reasonable assumption. Anything more?

 

[Exit 4]

Speculation? It's a reasonable assumption. Anything more?

Rumor and logic.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Rumor and logic.

Reasonable, common sense logic, albeit each rules out a few too many people.

 

[uconnell]

I wouldn't either, but I'd still prefer BYU & Army at the Rent. I also think announcing a long term deal with BYU/Army would be a bigger boost for our TV contract.

I thought some of BYU players played dirty.

 

[Exit 4]

Periodic update on the 2020 scheduling watch:

Well - at least there has been no news posted on since last week's SEC scheduling announcement to further erode from this list: Still fourteen teams below with open 2020 dates. We only need eight fish to bite!

Florida State (1) <--yes please
Virginia Tech (1) <--yes please
TCU (2) <--yes please now that Arkansas is dead
Arkansas (2)
South Carolina (1)
Florida International (2) (1) <--ok
Louisiana Tech (1) <--hi Bob
Old Dominion (1) <--I like, but they havent scheduled their FCS game yet.
Southern Miss (1) <--whatever
UAB (1) <--okay I guess.
Army (1) <--I think this will happen.
Air Force (1) <--didn't want to go there, but might not have a choice.
Coastal Carolina (1) <--yes please for a series
Louisiana (1) <--beggars cant be choosers.
Louisiana-Monroe (2) (1) <--ugh, okay.

And AAC teams:
UCF (1) <--give them the basketball deal and make this a 2 or 4 game series
SMU (1) <--give them the basketball deal and make this a 2 game series.

 

[Exit 4]

Hypothetical 2020 schedule update using actual date info
five home games / seven road games:

Upon further review of the 14 schools with open 2020 dates, all but TCU have not booked their obligatory FCS opponent. So we have a serious uphill challenge to convinced perhaps as many as eight ADs to skip their FCS cupcake game.

Also, I decided to build a schedule assuming UCF and SMU wont play us in 2020.

1. 09/03 - UMass
2. 09/12 - at Illinois
3. 09/19 - at TCU (proposed reschedule of Maine - to October). TCU has two open dates. They typically schedule their OOC in Sept.
4. 09/26 - Indiana
5. 10/3 - at FIU - has three OOC road games with at Liberty on 9/26, at UMass on 10/24 and a TBD (Sept) at UCF. FIU needs a good home game.
6. 10/10 - bye week
7. 10/17 - at Coastal Carolina - they play at SC on 9/5, at Eastern Mich on 9/12, Kansas at home on 9/26.
8. 10/24 - Maine at home - proposed reschedule
9. 10/31 - Virginia Tech at home - VT has regularly scheduled OOC games in Oct and Nov in the past. Return game wouldn't be until 2025. Probably a big stretch to get them to the Rent.
10. 11/7 - Old Dominion at home- This game in Nov is a stretch for two reasons, OD has historically played its OOC in Sept and because while they have an open date in 2020, their schedule has Wake on 9/5, at NC on 9/26 and Virginia at home on 11/21.
11. 11/14 - at Liberty - Liberty has two FCS games with at WKU on 9/19 and home vs Western Carolina on 11/4. Liberty dumps WC.
12. 11/21 - at Florida State - Has not scheduled an FCS opponent to end their season, typically they play two OOC in November. Has Florida at home on 11/28.
13. 11/28 - at Army - This date is open for Army. Start of a new series. Army also has 11/7 open. They have only five home games scheduled. I'd like to make this a home game, but...

Alt game #1: at Southern Miss - they play South Alabama on 9/5 at home, at Auburn on 9/26 and at Liberty at 10/24
Alt game #2: - Make a deal with one of the Independents to make a trade. For example, offer to replace Louisiana as New Mexico State's home game on 10/24 and offer Louisiana to play at UConn at a different date that season.

 

[shizzle787]

I think the key to scheduling long term is building series that continue year after year. In my opinion, there are four schools that we need to have running home and home series with: BYU, BC, Umass, and Army. If we can schedule these four every year for the last 4 weeks of the season it will be much easier to make up a schedule. It won't be easy but I think the ability to get this scheduling alliance is life or death for the program.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Upon further review of the 14 schools with open 2020 dates, all but TCU have not booked their obligatory FCS opponent. So we have a serious uphill challenge to convinced perhaps as many as eight ADs to skip their FCS cupcake game. Also, I decided to build a schedule assuming UCF and SMU wont play us in 2020.
10/10 - bye week

Great hypothesizing Exit 4. Thanks for the on-topic message. One observation: To enable scheduling flexibility, a bye week will switch dates in a NY second.

 

[noeynox]

I think the key to scheduling long term is building series that continue year after year. In my opinion, there are four schools that we need to have running home and home series with: BYU, BC, Umass, and Army. If we can schedule these four every year for the last 4 weeks of the season it will be much easier to make up a schedule. It won't be easy but I think the ability to get this scheduling alliance is life or death for the program.

I was thinking find a way to play the other independents while teams are usually playing conference games.

 

[HartfordHank]

I think the key to scheduling long term is building series that continue year after year. In my opinion, there are four schools that we need to have running home and home series with: BYU, BC, Umass, and Army. If we can schedule these four every year for the last 4 weeks of the season it will be much easier to make up a schedule. It won't be easy but I think the ability to get this scheduling alliance is life or death for the program.

BC will not be playing UConn every year. And especially not a home and home.

 

[Waquoit]

BC will not be playing UConn every year. And especially not a home and home.

Good

 

[Hoophound]

Good

The BC thing has lost its vigor. Time ruins the rivalries. I’d love to have a competitive series with
them that had some drama and hatred but honestly, it’s over. They have nothing to gain from playing us beyond an easy drive and we just seem like we are getting over it as a fan base. There has been nothing to fuel the rivalry in years.

On top of all that, the rivalry isn’t even fueled in part by basketball like it used to be. Other than playing them in hockey, which seems like it has nothing to do with rivalries in other sports, we just don’t see enough of them for playing them to matter. Young UConn fans give no thought to BC. They haven’t grown up watching them. It is becoming a wildly irrelevant matchup to people under 35-40 years old.

 

[Waquoit]

What an ignorant statement!

Ignorant is someone with a degree from Liberty.