All the reporting that came out since the bombshell reports saying Connecticut is looking to leave the American Athletic Conference to rejoin the non-football Big East have confirmed that, yes, this is really happening, likely in time for the 2020-21 athletic year. The reporting has also said that UConn’s soon-to-be-homeless football program will not drop down to FCS, but instead join a different conference or try to make it as an FBS independent.
On Saturday, Stadium’s Brett McMurphy tweeted that UConn has determined it will not return to FCS, where the program competed for most of its history before joining the then-power conference Big East in 2004.
With UConn’s Olympic sports leaving American for Big East in 2020, sources told @Stadium UConn will not drop football program or drop down to FCS. It will remain in FBS. Where - as a football-only member in AAC, MAC or C-USA or FBS independent - is to be determined, sources said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 22, 2019
On Sunday morning, NCAA.com’s Andy Katz followed with a note saying it looked like the Huskies will try to make a go of it as an independent, writing that UConn will attempt to schedule neighbors like UMass (a fellow independent), Boston College, Syracuse and Rutgers while honoring existing contracts for home-and-homes with Duke, Illinois, NC State and others.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) June 23, 2019
For a check in with someone who might actually know something, let’s see what Huskies head coach Randy Edsall has to say.
Oh, well.
Either way, it sounds like the train is moving and we could hear something official sooner rather than later.