The UConn Huskies are not known for being a college football powerhouse. However, UConn football has had major success in several other big college sports, including college basketball.
However, their football program has not seen nearly the same level of success as their basketball programs. Because of this, the University of Connecticut is having a difficult time finding a spot in a Power 5 conference. Now, one of these conferences has reportedly denied access for the foreseeable future.
Big 12 Conference Denies UConn Football
According to Rob Reinhart of the New York Herald, UConn had made plans to move to the Big 12 conference as part of the major conference realignment that just took place. Now, Reinhart has revealed that those plans have been canceled. Two of the most notable reasons for this are lack of NIL funding and lack of success on the field by the school’s football program.
If that was not enough, it may take another decade for UConn to have a chance at joining the Big 12. Until then, the Huskies will remain an independent in football.
UConn Football’s Poor History
So, how did we get here? Well, the simple truth is the Huskies’ football program has not had the best track record. This is the main reason why UConn’s football program has had a hard time finding a stable home.
The Huskies were a member of the Big East from 2004-2012. Then, once the conference dissolved, Connecticut moved to the AAC from 2013-19.
Unfortunately, the pandemic caused the program to cancel their entire 2020 season. From then on, they were considered an independent team that called no conference home. Connecticut has not taken advantage of this the way Notre Dame has. That is because they are just 10-28 since 2021.
State of the Big 12
It is no secret that the Big 12 recently faced a threat of extinction. This occurred about a year ago after it was revealed that Texas and Oklahoma made plans to move to the SEC. Those plans became a reality in 2024.
Considering those were arguably the two biggest schools in the old Big 12, it was safe to think it was time to hit the panic button. However, the school was able to recruit other schools to replace them very quickly. These schools included Cincinnati, UCF, BYU, Houston, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. Thanks to this quick thinking, the conference seems to believe it does not need UConn football to make itself stronger.
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