UCONN has a 12 game Indy schedule to fill in 2020. Who will they get?
Cuse
Pitt
Indiana
Maine
UMASS
Army
Liberty
Temple
BYU
A MWC team who plays at Hawaii
A MWC team who plays at Hawaii
A MWC team who plays at Hawaii
Done. 12 games. 5 home. 7 away.

I can see BYU, NMSU, Liberty, UMass, Army and a FCS School being annual opponents. The rest will come from the likes of Buffalo, Temple, Marshall, Boston College, etc. I can see UConn playing a body game or two at Penn State and Michigan.

Here is my WAG

09/03 - UMass
09/12 - at Illinois
09/19 - (G5 school ... ULM and USM good targets to host) // Maine/FCS game moved to later in season
09/26 - Indiana
10/03 - (G5 school ... this is the last week you can squeeze one in easily)
10/10 - Army (have only 11 games, need a G5, 10/10 open)
10/17 - (G5 school ... FIU is a good target)
10/24 -
10/31 - (FCS school) // Maine and WCU (see 11/14 Liberty) possibles
11/07 - (at P5 school like Arkansas, Virginia Tech or South Carolina ... this game could also be 11/21, in which case you can add Florida)
11/14 - (at Liberty) // Western Carolina is the 2nd FCS opponent of the year
11/21 -
11/28 - (at/vs NMSU) // NMSU can have a 13th game due to Hawaii rule

I am stuck at 11 here. Most likely UConn will have to purchase a pair of games in October, finding a G5 OOC pairing willing to split, with one of them having another open week.

Emergency would be to schedule a 2nd FCS game.

A November game at Army seems likely and the Black Knights have multiple open dates

(07-26-2019 02:43 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  A November game at Army seems likely and the Black Knights have multiple open dates

No that is not likely, as 11/7 will almost certainly be Air Force, and Army always leaves two open weeks before the Navy game, meaning 11/28 and 12/5 are not available. I believe this is finals week and a study week before that. Old Army tradition.

10/31 is possible for a UConn game, if not 10/10

8/29 @Louisiana
9/5 @Coastal Carolina
9/12 @Illinois
9/19 Maine
9/26 Indiana
10/3 @SMU
10/10 Bye
10/17 @Syracuse
10/24 Bye
10/31 Liberty
11/7 Army
11/14 Bye
11/21 @Florida
11/28 New Mexico St
12/5 UMass

Do you think BC has any interest in playing UConn? Seriously? If they are going to play a traditional opponent, it will be Holy Cross who is already on the schedule.

11/28 @NMSU seems plausible; treat it like a bowl game

10/31 or 12/5 UMass

I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

(07-26-2019 03:45 PM)megadrone Wrote:  Do you think BC has any interest in playing UConn? Seriously? If they are going to play a traditional opponent, it will be Holy Cross who is already on the schedule.

BC will play at UConn in 2022 and UConn plays at BC in 2023.

(07-26-2019 04:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

What’s in your team’s best interest? Have a “better” schedule or compete for a conference title and multiple bowl tie-ins?

(07-26-2019 06:27 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 04:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

What’s in your team’s best interest? Have a “better” schedule or compete for a conference title and multiple bowl tie-ins?

A "better" schedule is one that will energize home fans to show up on game day. The home attendance tanked in 2018. Stitching together a patchwork of unfamiliar opponents won't change that.

If I were an athletic director who was approched by UConn to appear on the 2020 or 2021 schedule I would question whether UConn football would even be in existence by then. If there are other opponents available on my open dates, they would take precedence over a terminally ill team like the Huskies. Scheduling will be a problem.

I have no idea---but dont be surprised if they get a 1-year waiver for 2020 and have 2 or more FCS games. I think they will be fine after 2020.

(07-26-2019 04:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

I've been about 95 percent in agreement with your multitude of posts, Quo. But this one ... not so sure. I guess it's how you define "interesting."

(07-26-2019 03:45 PM)megadrone Wrote:  Do you think BC has any interest in playing UConn? Seriously? If they are going to play a traditional opponent, it will be Holy Cross who is already on the schedule.

Teeeeeechnically, BC and UConn are not traditional football opponents.

(07-26-2019 04:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

I have to agree. Take a look at UMass’ schedule and I think ultimately that’s what UConn will have. A smattering of SEC money games, maybe a middling Big Tenner, some regional foes, a regional FCS, and some teams around their caliber from across this great land.

I’m pulling for the Independent teams to land a few bowl tie-ins. This whole talk of an Independent resurgence gives me a warm tingly feeling of nostalgia. It’s like the music biz getting back to singles.

Wouldn't shock me if they have to do 2 FCS home games. For a struggling program, it might not be bad to get a couple easy victories (most likely).

(07-26-2019 02:49 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 02:43 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  A November game at Army seems likely and the Black Knights have multiple open dates

No that is not likely, as 11/7 will almost certainly be Air Force, and Army always leaves two open weeks before the Navy game, meaning 11/28 and 12/5 are not available. I believe this is finals week and a study week before that. Old Army tradition.

10/31 is possible for a UConn game, if not 10/10

You're correct that the first Saturday in November will always be AirForce. And Army West Point has no interest in scheduling a game on ccg weekend - definitely want the week off before Navy.
However, theyre playing at Hawaii this November 30th, and have Liberty and UMass on that weekend in '21 and '22 - no hard requirement for two bye weeks.

(07-26-2019 07:40 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I have no idea---but dont be surprised if they get a 1-year waiver for 2020 and have 2 or more FCS games.

AFAIU, you don't need a waiver to have 2 FCS games, it's just that one of them won't count toward bowl eligibility. Also, 12 is a ceiling, not a requirement ... AFAIR, 10 FBS games, 5 at home, one FCS game against school with a high enough percentage of maximum scholarship gets to count as FBS ... so 9 actual FBS games, 4 actual ones at home.

They presently have 2 actual FBS games at home, 3 actual FBS games scheduled, as well as their FCS counter, so they need 2 more FBS home games, and beyond that 5 more FBS away or home games.

If they swing a deal where they find a pair of schools who play OOC in late October where one has an open date the week before or after and they can be persuade to have the away school visit CT instead and the home school host CT instead, then that kills two birds with one stone (wrapped in dollars).

(07-26-2019 06:27 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 04:09 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I bet it's better and more interesting than a typical AAC schedule.

What’s in your team’s best interest? Have a “better” schedule or compete for a conference title and multiple bowl tie-ins?

To me? A better schedule crushes a G5 conference title, which is basically an oversized paperweight in the AD's office.

Bowls? If UConn wins 6 or 7 games, a bowl slot will be found for them somewhere.

The only thing that truly hurts is not being able to compete for the NY6 slot. But that's a massive longshot anyway so really a theoretical loss. They can still compete for the CFP playoffs, and if you dismiss that as a laughable possibility might as well laugh at the NY6 thing to.