UConn at Another Crossroads
The Story: UMass is planning to give up football independence and join the MAC in all sports in time for the 2025-26 season, making UConn and Notre Dame the answer to a football trivia question. We don't think that's a good thing as the college sports landscape undergoes a massive transformation.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We usually don't follow UMass athletics. We still harbor animosity from the John Calipari and Marcus Camby days, and we especially hate losing to the Minutemen in football and hockey. One thing that has helped bridge the gap and made UMass a football rival again was independence. Both schools have been New England independents that have sought to fill a gap in college football in the Northeast.
THE LAST ONES STANDING: Notice a trend here? Independence is becoming a thing of the past as there are only two independents left in the FBS: UConn and Notre Dame. And, Notre Dame is not really an independent as it has an agreement with the ACC and access to the College Football Playoff.
• When UConn joined the Big East and went independent in football, it was all the rage. Liberty, BYU, UMass and Army made the venture viable. That has changed with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next season, guaranteeing a spot for the top-ranked Group of Five conference champion, and amid the sea change in the college landscape with the collapse of the Pac-12.
WHERE DOES UCONN FIT? We have no idea. As we've said, UConn is a power athletic department and deserves consideration from a power conference. UConn isn't going to the MAC unless it's a football-only invite.
• The situation is further complicated by the fact that the basketball teams are two of the most storied programs in all of college sports. The men's basketball team is the favorite to win the national championship again and the Big East is the perfect place for it from recruiting and marketing standpoints. UConn can't put its basketball team in the MAC, C-USA or AAC. It doesn't make sense.
• As far as the Big 12 or ACC, well, the Big 12 pondered UConn but went to 16 teams and appears done as the Northeast basketball dream didn't come to fruition. The ACC is a mess. No longer a basketball power conference, it took Stanford, California and SMU before choosing UConn. That's nuts to us, but that's conference realignment. It doesn't matter where you sit on the life raft It's just a matter of getting on that boat that matters.
OUR TAKE: None of the scenarios look good for UConn. With NIL, lawsuits, the transfer portal, conference realignment and an expanded playoff, we are at DEFCON-2 for college athletics. UConn is too good to be in the Group of Five (the AAC, C-USA, Sun Belt, MAC, and the Mountain West).
• The football program, however, has not shown an ability to compete at the same level as UConn's other sports. Should the Huskies give up football? Anyone who thinks the Big East is going to be a part of the New World Order, when it comes, is not paying attention. College football's chase for the almighty dollar has done the following:
• Ruined the ACC for basketball and made North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson want to leave.
• Forced Texas and Oklahoma to leave the legacy Big Eight for the SEC.
• Expand the Big Ten to 20 teams from California to New Jersey, and only 16 teams will compete in the conference basketball tournament.
• Destroyed the Pac-12, the Conference of Champions, one of the great brands in college athletics for more than 100 years.
• Do we really think the Big East is going to exist long-term? We don't have confidence it can survive.
• We here at The Daily were on the frontlines of this over the last 20 years. We've had a million ideas and believe in the UConn brand. But as UMass heads into a conference to secure the potential of College Football Playoff access and a guaranteed payday, and UConn remains the last remaining true independent (with a conference or a bowl affiliation), it's a sobering reminder that the current situation isn't a long-term solution. We have no idea what college sports will look like five years from now.
• But fear not, Huskies fans: The future may be cloudy, but this week begins the month of March. It is well known that UConn owns this month and there's joy to be had. Enjoy the present, because the future is not guaranteed.
— John Silver
Morning Reads
• The UConn men dropped from the top spot to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll yesterday afternoon. We get Houston as No. 1, but there's a weird obsession among the media about Purdue being ahead of UConn despite the Huskies remaining the betting favorites to win the NCAA title. UConn still received five first-place votes after dropping from No. 1 after six weeks.
• The UConn women, meanwhile, rose five spots to No. 10 after several teams ranked ahead of them lost last week. UConn will face Villanova at the XL Center tomorrow and wrap up the regular season at Providence this weekend.
• Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart finally re-signed with the Liberty yesterday as she agreed to a one-year deal that's below the maximum salary so her team can continue to pursue other players. That's a true champion mindset.
• Former UConn standout Nick Ahmed has found a home as he joined the Giants on a minor-league contract. Ahmed is expected to compete to be the Giants' everyday shortstop, and he reportedly signed with San Francisco after 10 seasons with the Diamondbacks so he could face them often. Nice.
Top photo: Jim Mora takes notes during UConn’s win over Central Connecticut State in 2022. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
