UConn projected 2.6 wins, rated 124th in Brad Powers’ 2021 CFB Power Rankings and Preview

[ShakyTheMohel]

What wins do you see other than Holy Cross and Yale?

You said "shocked" if they win more than two games....to me that means you consider every game other than Holy Cross and Yale to be unwinnable.

Again...here is the schedule...

@ Fresno +19
Holy Cross -2
@ Purdue +27
@ Army +22
Wyoming +17
@ Vanderbilt +10
@ UMass -5
Yale +4
MTSU +5
@ Clemson +54
@ UCF +32
Houston +20

Here are the games I would be "shocked" to see them win....Purdue, Clemson, UCF and Houston. Those are the only shocking wins.

Unlikely (or surprised) to beat Army, Vandy and Fresno. They have a legit shot against Wyoming and MTSU at home. They should beat UMass.

I get being pessimistic...but saying you would be "shocked" if they beat UMass (along with Holy Cross and Yale)...or even MTSU...seems a bit extreme.

 

[Guapo]

UMass, MTSU, Vanderbilt is a very winnable game and I fully believe we can beat Army and Wyoming.

ok, fair. I will at least grant you UMass as a winnable game

 

[SubbaBub]

You said "shocked" if they win more than two games....to me that means you consider every game other than Holy Cross and Yale to be unwinnable.

Again...here is the schedule...

@ Fresno +19
Holy Cross -2
@ Purdue +27
@ Army +22
Wyoming +17
@ Vanderbilt +10
@ UMass -5
Yale +4
MTSU +5
@ Clemson +54
@ UCF +32
Houston +20

Here are the games I would be "shocked" to see them win....Purdue, Clemson, UCF and Houston. Those are the only shocking wins.

Unlikely (or surprised) to beat Army, Vandy and Fresno. They have a legit shot against Wyoming and MTSU at home. They should beat UMass.

I get being pessimistic...but saying you would be "shocked" if they beat UMass (along with Holy Cross and Yale)...or even MTSU...seems a bit extreme.

The goal is to be 8-1 and see what happens in the last three games. In terms of tone setting, Frenso may be the biggest game in years.

Do I expect them to be 8-1 after 9 games, no. But an average squad should have a shot in all of them. Winning any of the last three would be a sure sign of progress.

That said I'd rather be 5-4 than 4-5, as the former means every game this season would be meaningful. That in itself would be a huge step. Sitting at 4 or fewer wins would be an early end to the season. Decidedly, not a step forward and would require a long discussion on the state of the program.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

If the FB team wins three games or less in 2021, goodbye to Randy Edsall, his son, and UConn does whatever it can to avoid the likely pressures to bring the team down to FCS. The next coach has to be believe in winning, excellence, and not providing excuses.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

people on here talking about “respect”?

this model is giving UConn too much respect, in my opinion.

I’d be shocked if UConn won more than two games.

as long as we don’t lose to Yale and Holy Cross - and we fire Edsall at some point - I’ll call this season a success and move on

If we beat Holy Cross and Yale do we have a shot at the FCS Playoffs?

 

[CL82]

Yeah, I'm just going to say it. UConn Football just depresses me right now. No games in a over a year. No evidence of material development just a few Randyisms. Don't get me wrong, I'll get my mind right by the start of the season, but I'm just not feeling it right now.

[shrugs]

 

[History Geek]

Seems like expectations can't be fully set until after the HC game. At that point we should know if the team stinks or if they can be competitive in most other games. But seeing as they haven't played a real game in quite a while, no one can really know what to expect of them.

Everyone just needs to relax while we wait and see how things play out.

That is where I am. I'm sure we have improved, just because we will be two years more mature. But are our personnel just more jacked-up versions of mediocre-at-this-level players? My gut tells me no, there was potential there that needed to grow up. However, we won't really know until the first game, not before.

 

[ktuck911]

plain and simple, our players MUST gel into brothers and be willing to go to war in all 12 battles for one another... At this point (with the probably much needed time to grow) that's what this is all about. Ill preparedness, mediocrity, fading at the end of games can't be tolerated....

I think we've truly truly "circled the wagons" and you'll see a much much improved product on the field... I refuse to see/believe it being any worse than where we've been lately... Upward we go...

Here's looking forward to seeing this team shut a whole lot of us up... (Doubt kills)...

 

[BlueandOG]

The guy who made these predictions sniffs glue. I don't see a loss on our schedule!

 

[Redding Husky]

This is so depressing.

Hopefully we can break into the top 100 before I leave this planet.

 

[Greg]

The question is...how long will it take to build a relevant football team? Relevance will be defined individually by folks, of course...but I see relevance as capable of winning 7-8 games, winning a bowl game.

You can win four by scheduling...but ultimately you have to beat FBS and mid level P5 teams.

At this point 4-5 wins would be huge and a bridge to 6 or 7 and a low tier bowl. As long as UCONN tries to play top tier football I think that is the ceiling. Beat UMASS most years, play another old Yankee Conference rival, schedule 2 or 3 games against top 25 programs for exposure, hope for 1-2 upsets. Realistically with no major conference wanting the football program the future is really bleak. Even the best coaching can only do so much with low levels of talent at almost every position. IMO the Huskies should offer 10,000 free tickets to inner city kids every home game (1 child with 1 adult) to bring in some fans and excitement. Make a couple of bucks off concessions and get some excitement in the stadium. Provides a public service and if they do it right may even inspire a few kids to go to Storrs. Wouldn't be bad to offer free tickets to all the youth football teams each game also. Need some life at home games.

 

[mike012]

Lol underdogs to yale. We should try to get into the ivy for football and keep basketball in the Big East .

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Lol underdogs to yale. We should try to get into the ivy for football and keep basketball in the Big East .

It would be wonderful if UConn could make the Ivy League. It would solve UConn's image problem. But it isn't about to happen. They only include private colleges. True, Army, Navy and Northwestern were considered back in the 1980s for the Ivy League. It didn't work out.

Also, UConn is not at the academic level of a Cal, UVA. So the academic snobbery issue would arise, too. If schools like Harvard and Yale and Columbia dropped out of the Ivy League and merged with schools like Buffalo, UConn, UMass, that is a remote possibility. But I do not see any reason why any Ivy League school would drop out.

This is why I push for the ACC. In its older days it was a cross between the Ivy League and the SEC.

 

[Husky68]

If the FB team wins three games or less in 2021, goodbye to Randy Edsall, his son, and UConn does whatever it can to avoid the likely pressures to bring the team down to FCS. The next coach has to be believe in winning, excellence, and not providing excuses.

Why would we wait 'till the "next coach" to get someone who "believe(s) in winning, excellence, and not providing excuses"?

 

[Guapo]

Why would we wait 'till the "next coach" to get someone who "believe(s) in winning, excellence, and not providing excuses"?

because our current coach loses, is bad at coaching and provides a number of excuses for the first two items

 

[JohnFSilver]

That Clemson +54 is wild. What’s a final score of that game? 60-3?
51-10 is my bet on that game.

those lines are out of whack. +4 to Yale? I know there is some strange fascination with Yale by CT Media, but do peole really believe Yale has better football players?
they are +22 against Army? Insane .

 

[JohnFSilver]

Secondly. anyone who knows what to expect from the football team Is full of it.

There is absolutely no analysis that is valid. You can’t skip a year of playing and determine that they have improved or worsened.

Just no basis to have a knowledgeable opinion.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Secondly. anyone who knows what to expect from the football team Is full of it.

There is absolutely no analysis that is valid. You can’t skip a year of playing and determine that they have improved or worsened.

Just no basis to have a knowledgeable opinion.

I get what you are saying....but UConn was in a unique position. They had FCS talent and players were playing without redshirting and were physically underdeveloped. They also didn't have a lot of upperclassmen talent whose leaving would make an impact.

I think it's fair to assume that purely from a physical standpoint they will be much better....from an X's and O's standpoint...who knows.

But physically alone, they have to be better.

 

[Rosebud70]

If those lines stay I’ll be betting on uconn to cover a lot of them I know Clemson is a different league but 54 points come on

 

[Waquoit]

Secondly. anyone who knows what to expect from the football team Is full of it.
There is absolutely no analysis that is valid. You can’t skip a year of playing and determine that they have improved or worsened.
Just no basis to have a knowledgeable opinion.

True, but I am expecting improvement that outsiders aren't. These predictions seem based on a straight-line analysis from where we left off. But I think we have had 3 years of improved recruiting classes that won't really see the field until this season. How is Fresno going to prepare?

 

[BlueDogs]

If those lines stay I’ll be betting on uconn to cover a lot of them I know Clemson is a different league but 54 points come on

The only way UConn covers is if Clemson goes up 30+ in the first half and then shuts it down the second half and plays 2nd and 3rd teams. They would put 70+ on us if they wanted.

 

[Ldandy]

I think UConn has a great chance to cover 54 points against Clemson. Randy’s run, run, pass, punt offense will change field position and force Clemson to have to put a few drives of 50+ yards together to score. He will eat clock every chance he gets.

His philosophy won’t change if it’s two minutes into the game or two minutes remaining. Randy will punt inside the opponent’s 50 down 100 points. If UConn gets gifted some short fields due to turnovers or busted coverages they could cover easily IMO.

As good as Clemson is they are not particularly deep at QB. They will not be looking to expose DJ more than required against a team playing with nothing to lose. If they are up 4-5 scores at half he’s likely out after the first series of the third.

 

[billybud]

I dunno who they have as a back up QB.....Maybe Hunter Helms....Clemson's primary back-up quarterback just tore his Achille's tendon in the spring game.

Clemson did beat GT 73-7 last year with the bench playing the second half...beat VT by 35...PItt by 35

 

[Ldandy]

I dunno who they have as a back up QB.....Maybe Hunter Helms....Clemson's primary back-up quarterback just tore his Achille's tendon in the spring game.

Clemson did beat GT 73-7 last year with the bench playing the second half...beat VT by 35...PItt by 35

GT Game was an avalanche of turnovers and quick 3 and outs. Randy will take all the air out of the ball to try to keep the score somewhat respectable. He’ll have no delusions that he can win the game like some of those other teams may have.

 

[John Greene]

Someone should start an over/under on the number of snaps on the Clemson side of the 50 yard line. Anything over 2 and I would take the under.