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UConn finalizes 2021 football schedule

By Kevin Kelley - February 18, 2021
UConn Huskies

Photo: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

UConn has finalized its 2021 football schedule, the school announced on Thursday.

UConn previously had 11 of their 12 games announced and added the final piece of the puzzle on Thursday. That piece will be the Houston Cougars visiting Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, Nov. 27.

UConn is scheduled to open the 2021 season in Week Zero on Saturday, Aug. 28 on the road against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Their first home contest of the season is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4 against the Holy Cross Crusaders (previously scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4).

Other home opponents for UConn in 2021 include Purdue, Wyoming, Yale, and Middle Tennessee. Road opponents include Army, Vanderbilt, UMass, Clemson, and UCF, in addition to the opener at Fresno State.

UConn’s schedule in 2021 will be unique in that they will have consecutive open dates on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. Playing in Week Zero is a partial reason for that.

Below is UConn’s complete 2021 football schedule, which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as the season approaches:

2021 UConn Football Schedule

UConn did not play during the fall of 2020 due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Huskies are also sitting out the spring football season.

View Comments (23)

Comments (23)

I don’t see how they are any more irrelevant than any other G5 team. Regardless it’s fun to have something to go to on Saturdays in the fall, hopefully they can get back to even a fraction of the success they had just a decade ago.

This is actually a pretty solid schedule and UConn will be able to compete with just about every team outside Clemson and UCF and maybe Army. I can see the Huskies going 6-6 and maybe even 7-5 which would really give the program a boost.

They should beat the two FCS teams and UMass. I agree that I can see them pull off four more between the other 9, but they will have to show some improvement after the last few years.

Haha that would be awesome, but its a long shot. But remember, they did win at Notre Dame back in Randys first stint as head coach.

I get why they did it but I think it was a huge mistake to leave AAC. I know it was for basketball but UConn should be doing whatever it takes to be the next in line for an ACC addition. It may be unlikely and not happen anytime soon but that has to be the goal. Their market area and geography and great men’s and women’s basketball has them set to be next in line but they have ruined football and that’s gonna kill any chance they have.

If UConn does get into the ACC, they can’t join alone, because that creates scheduling issues for football (other sports aren’t as affected because Notre Dame competes in the ACC outside football).

A second school has to join with them. Cincinnati is my pick to be that school. Louisville would probably sponsor the addition of the Bearcats to the conference.

Since UConn has a contract with CBS Sports, they should have The CW air their home games against P5 schools in primetime. The CW would also air an afternoon doubleheader: C-USA at noon, MW at 3:30. Primetime can be used for Army, UConn, or Navy home games against P5 schools. Under this plan, UConn’s game against Purdue on September 11 and Army’s game against Wake Forest on October 23 would be televised by The CW in primetime.

These would be the first times that the CW has aired network-originated programs on Saturday nights. This night is usually programmed by their individual affiliates, as Saturday has come to be too low-rated to air scripted programming on a regular basis anymore.

I’ve always wondered why the CW hasnt aired sports. Could have to do with the fact that they have two owners (ViacomCBS and ATT) which have two different sports divisions. Otherwise there is no reason I see not to promote some of their games on broadcast, including football as you mentioned, as well as NCAA basketball tournament which CBS and Turner share the rights and MLB/NBA which Turner owns the rights. The only other hindrance could be getting that time back from the affiliates, thats usually part of their contracts, however the high rating lead-ins could offset that.

Kyle, what does UConn add to the ACC? They’re a geographic fill-in instead of extension, they’re lousy in football and, notwithstanding great strength in the men’s and women’s programs, they’re not really additive in basketball. The ACC is already plenty strong in basketball. UConn’s best ticket into the ACC is as a replacement if several other programs depart (for whatever reason).

An argument in favor of UConn in the ACC is to rekindle old Big East rivalries from before it was tainted by conference realignment. As it is now, UConn is the only public school in the new Big East. So, kind of a fish out of water situation.

I’m a huge Uconn (basketball) fan. I grew up in CT watching the likes of Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton.

As a basketball school all Uconn fans have been begging the school to get back into the Big East. The football team will always be second to basketball. Everyone knew Uconn wasn’t going to get into a P5 conference due to how bad the football program was/is. Minus well join the Big East which greatly improved the recuits Uconn got in basketball over night. Kids want to play a tournament at MSG and play against teams like Villanova not Tulane.

Uconn’s athletic department has been operating in the red for years. A major reason for Uconn to go back to the big east was the travel expenses in the American. Much cheaper to travel to schools like Providence, St. John’s (NYC), and Seton Hall. All three of school are closer than the closest American school. I also believe (not 100%) they are making much more on TV $ through the Big East than what they were in the American, even without football.

Uconn will never get into the ACC due to BC voting no every time. Uconn sued BC for leaving the Big East to go to the ACC. This is BC’s pay back to Uconn. Uconn should have been in instead of Louisville this last round.

Uconn would offer the ACC some historic rivalries again BC and Syracuse. Old BE rivalries again Pitt and Louisville. The NYC market (even though cuse likes to claim that), best women’s basketball program in history, baseball/field hockey/soccer team that make the tournament pretty much every year.

I still think a P5 conference would be a major pipe dream at this point. Most Uconn fans are super excited to be back in the BE. Most people in CT don’t even pay attention to the football team even when they were winning.

I totally agree that UConn has some excellent programs. They could certainly compete in the ACC in basketball, soccer, field hockey, etc.

But they don’t really enhance the ACC, which is already a year-in, year-out top conference in these sports — and THE top conference not infrequently. There’s no argument that UConn women’s basketball is the greatest program in the history of NCAA women’s basketball and one of the all-time great NCAA dynasties in any sport …. but I don’t see the ACC’s leadership, including the ADs, sitting around saying, “Gee, what we really need to do is add UConn, so we can enhance the conference in women’s basketball.” The ACC is a Top 3-4 women’s basketball conference every year and can periodically claim to be the top one.

And, yes, UConn has some nice historical rivalries from earlier Big East days with current ACC members, but they don’t really move the needle for the ACC. Add another member, so the ACC can “own” the Syracuse-UConn basketball rivalry? I don’t see it happening. I don’t think it comes down to how BC would or would not vote. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Lastly, I don’t really see UConn materially enhancing the ACC’s presence in NYC. There is an enormous presence of Syracuse, Duke, ND, UNC, UVa, BC alumni, among others, already in and around New York.

I agree the that Uconn doesn’t entice the ACC enough to bring them in. I was just making a sales pitch for them since someone else suggested it haha.

I think the last thing the ACC wants to do it bring in another subpar football program. The conference is probably regarded as the 2nd worse P5 football conference and ahead of the PAC. If they even are planning on expanding the only thing that would make sense for ACC football wise would be ND(pipedream) and Cincy.

Watching the Uconn/Nova game as I type this, Uconn is home in the BE and that is where they belong. Any thing the football team can do is gravy. Since they announced they are going back to the BE I haven’t even heard any fans bring up P5. Most people in New England don’t even follow college football.

I do like how the football program is making their schedules. A payday game, a couple other P5 teams, some win able G5 games.

UConn had to make these schedules because Mike Aresco considered them traitors for going to the conference that took the Big East name away from him, and thus wouldn’t even entertain the idea of letting them stay American for football only. Not even as a temporary solution for the COVID-affected 2020 season, he was just too bitter.

With independence thrust suddenly upon UConn football, I do think they have done an impressive job with the 2020 and 2021 football schedules. Those ultimately looked / look vastly better than I anticipated, and it’s an obvious bummer that the 2020 schedule couldn’t actually get played.

That’s funny Mike was mad about the Big East name even though there are more BE teams in the current BE than the American. Plus the BE is known to have their tournament at MSG.

The American wouldn’t want Uconn for football only since the prize money of Uconn is the basketball programs. I remember being at the American tournament in Hartford and they had a commercial saying home to 5 national basketball championships. While 4 of those were Uconn’s (3 of which were in the BE) 😂.

Staying in the American for football only doesn’t help the travel costs either. Looking at this years schedule they only have to fly for 4 games.

The nice thing about being independent is seeing teams you normally wouldn’t like Wyoming and Fresno State this year.

UConn plays three Power 5 Teams and probably three teams that will be ranked this year, however the possible ranked teams I predict are Clemson, Army and UCF. U-Conn also plays two FCS teams and seems to be a total Group of five team in schedule and probably performance.