The Duke Blue Devils and the UConn Huskies have scheduled a four game, home-and-home football series beginning in 2025, it was announced on Monday.
In the first game of the series, Duke will travel to take on UConn at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. The Blue Devils will return to East Hartford four seasons later on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2029.
Duke will host UConn twice at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., with the first game set for Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. The Blue Devils will then host the Huskies four seasons later on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2030, which will wrap up the four-game series.
Duke, a member of the ACC, and UConn, a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Independent, met earlier this season in East Hartford, which resulted in a 41-7 win for the Blue Devils. The game was the first of a home-and-home series that concludes when the Blue Devils host the Huskies in Durham on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
In their only other previous matchups on the gridiron, the Huskies defeated the Blue Devils 22-20 in 2004 in East Hartford and 45-14 in 2007 in Durham.
With the addition of UConn, Duke has tentatively completed its non-conference schedule in 2025. The Blue Devils are scheduled to open the season on the road at Middle Tennessee on Aug. 30 before hosting Illinois on Sept. 6 and then traveling to face Tulane on Sept. 13.
UConn now has 11 games scheduled for the 2025 season. In other action, the Huskies are slated to host Central Connecticut, Ball State, FIU, UAB, and UMass and travel to play Syracuse, Purdue, Buffalo, Army, and Ohio State.
Football Schedules
That Duke-Middle Tennessee game in 2025 is probably going to be canceled or rescheduled. There is no-way they are playing 3 non-conf road games in the same season. Middle Tennessee already has 5 games scheduled for that season too.
Yeah, I’ll see what I can find out. I forgot that MTSU was overscheduled by a game.
I assume UConn is dropping one of the G5 road games in 2026 as they have 7 road games and 5 home games that year. By contract, UConn has to play 6 home games.
By what contract?
UConn’s contract with Rentschler field stipulates a minimum of six home games per year.
Got it, thanks. I didn’t know the state of Connecticut owned the stadium.
They can easily flip the location of the Temple series. Play Temple at home in 26 and road in 27. Gives them 6 home games both years.
UConn got a 4 game home and home with a Power 5 (4?) team. Good for them, I hope they can keep it up but it looks from the outside to be difficult.
As I wrote, I think it might time to UConn and UMass to drop to FCS. I know it will never happen, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. Would love to see an old Yankee Conference revival. UConn, UMass, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire. You could throw in more schools from the Northeast, too. I did write about this.
http://www.johnny228.wordpress.com.
I just don’t see how admins at UMass can see 59-14 (Auburn) and 63-0 (Penn State) and see that as nothing more as funding opps. I get the allure of FBS football, but why would anybody buy tickets for UConn and UMass? Every year, you’re rooting for a team that basically starts at 0-2 in July. I think UMass would drop football before dropping to FCS, but each year, I get the UMass email and think about buying tickets for a Toledo or Miami (OH). Then, I see that 41-14 final score and am glad I didn’t.
I have been to several Marist football games. Yes, these are low-level FCS games. They play in a league that doesn’t allow athletic scholarships, but guess what? Most of the Pioneer Football League games that Marist plays are competitive ones. You buy your $15 ticket and chances are the games will be close going into the fourth quarter.
Marist has three conference wins: 36-30 in OT, 34-24, and 30-16. They are 0-2 in nonconference games thus far (the norm) and they did get blown out by league rival Davidson.
You can’t expect every football game to be 35-31, but 63-0? I just don’t get it.
If I’m UMass, I’m calling Temple and Connecticut and begging them to come to FCS with me and get things going.
Pipe dream? Yes, but a dream nonetheless.
I think Uconn can still have some success at FBS level. They need to be successful at FBS level if they ever want to get to a P5 league, which comes with huge financial gains.
Hell they went 6-6 last year beating BC etc.
Transfer portal helps/hurts them. Most of their good players from last year left to go to bigger/better schools. It helps because they can get kids that were 2/3rd string at big schools to come and start.
I think you need to give Mora a few years before dropping down. If he can’t fix them I don’t know if anyone else can.
They are putting together good interesting schedules ie 4-5 P5 teams every year.
I’m from CT so I follow the program a lot (especially basketball). They are in a tricky spot, the stadium needs upgrades but is it worth throwing millions for a stadium that holds 40k people but never fills it. If they drop down to FCS they should build something on campus but then knock down a stadium that opened in 2003? The state of CT (who paid for the stadium) would not be a fan of that but also don’t want to invest in a failing program.
With Bryant now in the America East, that gives them four FCS teams (Albany, Bryant, Manie, UNH) that play in CAA Football. If they could shake Holy Cross loose from the Patriot League (unlikely) or add Merrimack and/or Sacred Heart from the NEC (more likely), that would give them six full members which could allow them to sponsor football and split the way too big and sprawled out CAA. They could then add Fordham and Stony Brook as affiliate members and have a solid 8-9 team league with minimal travel. Maybe UMass follows Idaho’s path and returns to FCS and joins that league which would allow them to keep their other sports in the A-10. UConn is in FBS to stay.
I forgot Stony Brook is in the CAA for all sports, so no chance they could join, especially after their messy exit from the AE. Villanova would be an option as a football only affiliate.
I don’t think UConn and UMass are in the same situation. UConn has a terrific FBS schedule the next few years with a bunch of P5 teams at home. They sold 37k tickets to one game this year and sold above 20k tickets for their other 3 home games so you’re argument that no one is buying tickets simply isnt true. UConn also has a national tv deal for football only that they would lose if they went FCS and has a history of success at FBS level with a new years six bowl appearance. Reguardless, since the state built them a stadium and owns it, theres no way the state would allow them to move to FCS or drop football anytime soon, even if they wanted to.