The Wyoming Cowboys will play at the UConn Huskies in 2021, according to a report by Tracy Ringolsby of SI.com.
Wyoming will travel to take on UConn at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Sept. 25, 2021. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
Per the SI report, the Wyoming-UConn matchup was arranged with help from the Clemson Tigers. Clemson was scheduled to host Wyoming in 2021, but canceled the matchup in order to schedule a game against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Wyoming will reportedly receive $1 million for playing at UConn, although they will receive that payment from Clemson as a part of the cancellation agreement.
The addition of UConn completes Wyoming’s non-conference schedule for the 2021 season. The Cowboys are slated to open the season at home against Montana State on Sept. 4, play at Northern Illinois on Sept. 11, and host Ball State on Sept. 18 before traveling to face UConn.
In Mountain West action in 2021, Wyoming is scheduled to host Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, and New Mexico and play at Air Force, Boise State, San Jose State, and Utah State.
UConn, which begins playing as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Independent this season, now has nine of their 12 opponents lined up for 2021. In addition to Wyoming, the Huskies are scheduled to host Holy Cross (Sept. 2), Purdue (Sept. 11), and Middle Tennessee (Oct. 23).
Road contests for UConn in 2021 include Fresno State (Week Zero; Aug. 28), Army (Sept. 18), UMass (Oct. 9), Clemson (Nov. 13), and UCF (Nov. 20).
Football Schedules
The 2021 pickins is slim for UConn, needing two home and one road FBS OOC games.
UNLV and UTSA are the only FBS programs in need of a FBS OOC opponent. However, UTSA already has two OOC road games scheduled.
So if UConn adds a home game versus UNLV, and a road game versus UTSA, UConn will still need one more FBS opponent in 2021.
FBS programs yet to announce a 2021 game versus a FCS opponent:
P5: Tenn, Maryland, BC, TCU.
G5: Houston, UNLV, USM, UAB, MTU, FIU, ODU, ULM.
(UCF also yet to schedule a FCS opponent, is already scheduled to play UConn in 2021).
So which FBS program will choose to schedule a road game at UConn versus a home game against a FCS program?
Rather, it appears UConn may have to add an additional FCS opponent (already have Holy Cross scheduled).
Or, as in 2020, UConn AD may still have some scheduling tricks up his sleeve.
There are also 4 teams that can and have yet to schedule an extra game due to the Hawaii exemption: New Mexico St, Colorado, San Diego St, San Jose St
Given the current state of CFB related to Covid, expect the restrictions of how many home games, how many FCS games and minimum attendance requirements to be relaxed if not completely lifted for the next few years.
Does anybody have perspective on why Wyoming didn’t negotiate this as a straight home-and-home with UConn with the Laramie game sometime after 2021. Presumably they could still cash the check from Clemson. And, as an Independent, UConn will be looking hard for FBS games for as far as the eye can see.
Contract probably stated that Clemson had the option of finding them another game instead of an out right cash payment. But that’s just a guess without seeing the contract.
I have a copy of the contract, it didn’t state that. But that doesn’t prevent teams from helping to fill the void.