UConn AD David Benedict immediately shoots down latest football conference report
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A report that UConn had contacted the American Athletic Conference about a football-only reunion was immediately shot down by both the league and Huskies AD David Benedict.
“Would be nice to be contacted about these kind of reports,” Benedict said via social media. “Wasn’t aware of this.”
Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos reported for On3.com that UConn, Miami of Ohio, its next football opponent, and James Madison had contacted The American about expansion. UConn was a full member of the AAC from 2013-19, after the breakup of the original Big East, then in 2020 rejoined the new Big East most sports and became an FBS independent in football. UConn and Notre Dame are the only independents in FBS.
Meanwhile, the AAC, which lost a number of schools to other conferences, signed a 12-year, $1 billion rights deal with ESPN in 2019, the largest among schools outside power conferences, with each member getting about $7 million per year. Miami, now in the MAC, and James Madison which made the playoffs last year out of the SunBelt, were interested in becoming full AAC members, according to the report. UConn was interested in football only. Remaining in football only was an idea floated, but not seriously considered when UConn left The American.
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In a statement released almost simultaneously with the report, the American said it was not expanding at this time.
“As the landscape of college sports continues to evolve competitively, legislatively and legally, the American Conference remains focused on driving innovation and helping shape key decisions and opportunities for our member institutions, student-athletes and the industry,” the conference’s statement read. “The American is not proactively seeking additional members. We will continue to evaluate the changing landscape and opportunities that strengthen the conference and support our collective mission.”
UConn had had some discussions with the evolving new Pac 12 conference in recent years, but there again it would be football only, where the conference would have wanted UConn to join in all sports. Putting its football program in one of the Group of Six conferences could get UConn more revenue in the short run, make scheduling easier going forward, provided a path, though it would be a long shot, to a playoff spot. However, since UConn’s long-held and oft-stated goal is to join a power conference, any such football-only move would be considered temporary, which might not be acceptable for a conference.
So UConn, by all indications, is staying the course for now. The Huskies (1-1) play at Miami on Saturday at 3:30 p.m..
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