UConn football will be fine as an independent indeed. UConn vs UMass is a no brainer week 13 match up.

There is also NMSU, Liberty, Army, and BYU out there looking for November scheduling dates. The first two will be annual affairs. The other two may not be an every year guarantee but I would think Army would be amenable to playing late in the season most years.

There's also plenty of other Northeastern schools out there they can get on the schedule. Buffalo and Temple would likely do home and homes. Pitt, BC, Cuse, M'land, Rutgers, and WVU are also out there.

Toss in an FCS school and a buy game or two from a big boy each year and I think you still have an attractive schedule.