UConn, Army cancel four future football games, reschedule two other contests (FBS Schedules)

[UConnJim]

We are on a leaking ship and can’t bail fast enough. Why the PAC 2 isn’t on our schedule is friggin malpractice with at least one home or away every year for the next 4 years. Same goes for ND on a 1 away and one NY or Boston game. I can’t stand our AD. Delaware. Eph Delaware. I haven’t bought season tickets at FBS prices for the last 25 years to watch glorified FCS level football. They better start stepping up. Tired of this nonsense.

Why no Notre Dame in NY or Boston? In 2024, ND plays Navy at Giants Stadium and Army at Yankees Stadium. In 2025, they play at BC. And, Syracuse is on the rotation as well. As for the Pac 2, they are still figuring out what conference they are going to play in in 2025. If MWC, then they won't have room for games. If Independent, then they will have lots of room.

 

[UConnJim]

For all of those concerned about future scheduling, I checked ACC, B10, MAC, and SBC game openings in '25, '26, and '27. Openings by year:

ACC:
2025: 10
2026: 17
2027: 26

Big 10:
2025: 5
2026: 2
2027: 9

MAC:
2025: 5
2026: 13
2027: 15

SBC:
2025: 9
2026: 12
2027: 21

I know, it's hard to get dates to line up especially in November and not all teams will play UConn or play UConn H/H, but there are plenty of potential games out there.

This will probably get some pushback, but I think UConn will be slated for a conference by 2027, especially since UConn has finally invested in football. Every time the pundits say realignment is over, it heats up again. Be patient.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Wazzu & OSU: analyzing best alternative(s), but likely in relatively better scheduling position in next season or so out west. Or closer nationally, as needed. From their perspectives, avoiding high cost country travel & equipment truck shipping makes sense.

UMess: Stranger things have happened, but will be surprised if they do not continue games with the nearest FBS program. Fair likelihood, especially in Nov, of higher visitor ticket sales in Amherst than for games with most if not all MAC opponents.

Ole Miss: who knows for early season game at The Rent (9/11/27), but few years to work out alternatives. If not UConn (now 11/18/28 in Oxford), they’ll still need an opponent the week before their 11/25/28 Egg Bowl rivalry game with Miss State. Same same applies with other SEC schools before their rivalry games. UMess has been the bag opponent for Auburn and other SEC schools.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Another nail in the proverbial coffin.

My sons' football team in Mass just had UMass visit 2 of his teammates and one of their leads was how now they are in a conference and now have stability and a shot at the CFP (as crazy as that is). Good luck Coach Mora.

Absolutely. There's a long history of the MAC champion competing to be the top G5 team and a potential candidate for a playoff spot or a significant bowl (tone of voice dripping with sarcasm). If their recruits respond to that with anything other than "Mental note: these guys are delusional" then they are too stupid for anyone else to want them.

 

[CL82]

This was well known that we wouldn't be able to keep all four Army games on the schedule. We were able to schedule a home and home with Delaware with our home game in November, which is a huge boost and the Army game in 2027 will also be of November.

We are in good shape schedule wise going forward. As an independent November home games are always a little tough to come by. Army in Delaware have helped us out nicely.

Yep. Still, games at Michie are fun. I'm disappointed that we are losing them.

 

[uconnyankee]

Last year Mora was banging the drum about NIL. I can guarantee he'll be banging on about conference affiliation this season with the new CFP and once they start losing out to UMass on recruits.

People should realize that just joining a conference isn’t as easy as UConn saying ‘we choose you’…

Conferences aren’t so eager to take just football, and UConn isn’t parking their BB programs into Sunbelt conference (or any other G5 league).

UConn is gonna have to dangle something as a carrot to entice a league to take FB only.

And maybe they get BE to subsidize it too. Without UConn BB, big East is not a power conference. It’s decent, but they lose a huge piece of their media value.

I think once the playoff model is determined, the ACC is raided and final P4 slots are set, UConn will push for some finality to its conference alignment. With so many unknown variables likely to be solved in next couple years that will impact UConn, best option is probably independent FB and BE for everything else until it isn’t.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I heard on the radio that there is talk about changes to the NCAA tournament with expansion, eliminating conference tournaments and more bids for power conferences? That’d be a tough blow to the Big East.

 

[UConnJim]

I heard on the radio that there is talk about changes to the NCAA tournament with expansion, eliminating conference tournaments and more bids for power conferences? That’d be a tough blow to the Big East.

I'm skeptical about eliminating conference tournaments as they bring in revenues from TV media rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales. Do you think a basketball media contract would remain flat without a conference tournament? Then again, this is the NCAA so who knows.

 

[BugsyCT]

Conferences aren’t so eager to take just football, and UConn isn’t parking their BB programs into Sunbelt conference (or any other G5 league).

UConn is gonna have to dangle something as a carrot to entice a league to take FB only.

The only carrot we have to dangle for a FB-only invite to any G5 would be to schedule a bunch of MBB & WBB games with that conference, but I don't think the hoops side would want to do anything to hurt their stock again, so I dunno.

 

[Patman]

I will admit my UMass comment was dumb. But the idea of losing a recruit because we aren't in a conference is a reality and one Mora has mentioned. That was where I was trying to go with my comment. Just used the wrong way to say it.

We were all kids. We didn't know much about the world.

I don't forgive kids thinking it's cool to torture people and stuff... you know that's wrong... but some coach selling championship dreams. You don't know that's wrong... despite it being very wrong in umass's world.

 

[Patman]

The only carrot we have to dangle for a FB-only invite to any G5 would be to schedule a bunch of MBB & WBB games with that conference, but I don't think the hoops side would want to do anything to hurt their stock again, so I dunno.

We were doing it under randy 1.0. I have no problem with such dangles because basketball always has quota fill games. Also when you look at non-conf so many are one for one swappable