IMO the only way UCONN ever considers something so drastic is if the Big 12 were to take the combo of Cincinnati and Memphis. With those two gone, the strength of the AAC MBB would take a serious hit. Even then it's a serious stretch, but I'll add a few things:

Something that UCONN isn't currently benefiting from in the AAC (which they had in the old Big East) is Tier 3 rights. UCONN was making $1.5 - 2 million per year for just its WBB.

In terms of scheduling an independent football schedule, UCONN could get a yearly game with BYU, Army, and UMass. Play those games near the end of the season. Also add in a Northeastern FCS opponent. If the Big Ten continues to allow UCONN to count as a P5 opponent, then you could see 2-3 Big Ten opponents per year - perhaps use hockey, MBB, and WBB scheduling agreements in order to increase that number. That's at least half the schedule right there.