UConn Football Reportedly Trying to Join Conference it Left Behind
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According to a report from Brett McMurphy of On3, the UConn Huskies are trying to join the American Athletic Conference as a football-only member.
McMurphy also reports that Miami (Ohio) and James Madison are trying to become full-fledged members of the league. At this time, however, the league is not interested in expanding.
UConn only wants to be a football-playing member of the conference so that it can keep the rest of its programs in the Big East, which makes sense. It is interesting to hear this though, considering this summer we heard speculation that the Huskies could want to join an even bigger conference on an all-sport basis.
Ironically enough, UConn and Miami of Ohio football play each other this Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET).
Here's more of what you need to know.
A past history
UConn has been in the American once before, having played in the league from 2013-19 before going back to the independent route. It did not go particularly well, as the Huskies never won more than six games in the AAC-era and never finished over .500.
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 3-9 |
| 2014 | 2-10 |
| 2015 | 6-7 |
| 2016 | 3-9 |
| 2017 | 3-9 |
| 2018 | 1-11 |
| 2019 | 2-10 |
Who are the current members of the AAC in football?
South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Tulsa, Memphis, UTSA, Army, Navy, East Carolina, Rice, Temple, Tulane, UAB, North Texas and Charlotte.
What is the appeal of the league?
Like all things these days, the main appeal is more money. As McMurphy notes, the conference has a 12-year, $1 billion deal with ESPN that helps provide revenue annually to each school of $7 million. That deal could obviously grow more lucrative once it expires around 2030 or so.
As schools race to generate money to fund programs and help build NIL reservoirs, they are looking for all possible ways to create revenue. While you can always go to your alumni and donors and ask for more money, joining a football league seems like the best way to bring in quick – and consistent – cash that can help the entirety of the athletic department.
As for the current football team?
The Huskies are 2-1 on the season after throttling Southern Miss. last weekend, and they'll take on a Miami team that is 1-2 so far in 2026 on Saturday.
It's a program that Huskies head coach Jason Candle has familiarity with, as he coached against them multiple times during his decade-long tenure at Toledo. He's 3-1 against the Redhawks in his career.
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