Entering the bye week on a three game winning streak, UConn seems like they have it rolling right now, after beating FIU 51-10. See what some of the pundits, the analytics, and the people are saying about the Huskies.
We start with our usual suspects; FPI and SP+. Each metric from ESPN was impressed with the 41 point victory, resulting in double digit and near double digit increases in the Huskies’ ranking.
Fox Sports 97.9’s Adam Giardino posts this helpful chart each week outlining the FPI odds of winning remaining games.
For his remarkable performance through three quarters (355 yards on 22-28 passing, 4 TDs), Joe Fagnano earned a nomination for Manning Star of the Week, alongside Carson Beck (Miami), Walker Eget (San Jose State), Blake Horvath (Navy), Nico Iamaleava (UCLA), Colton Joseph (ODU), Jaylen Raynor (Arkansas State), and Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati).
It sure makes things a lot easier when your offense has only turned it over once through six games. UConn ranks tied for 3rd among all teams in turnover margin.
The Huskies defense is in a unique position, as you can clearly see they’re an outlier on 3rd down average distance and stops. Ultimately, their opponents are forcing 3rd and short situations, but UConn is getting stops.
KFord ratings from Kelley Ford showed another increase, the fifth highest increase nationally.
If you were curious where UConn may rank among G5 teams, look no further, Kelley Ford has that for you too.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news
Interestingly, despite the 41 point win, Parker Fleming’s “Did We Really Get Beat that Bad?” analytic showed a pretty close game. This rating is based on net success rate, which you can read up on here (link).
Football games are won in the trenches. Despite winning four of the first six, UConn’s trenches on both sides of the ball have not been great, finding themselves in the bad quadrant on the chart.
Bowl Projections:
ESPN:
- Bonagura: Salute to Veterans Bowl (Montgomery, AL) vs Troy
- Schlabach: Jlab Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, AL) vs NC State
Athlon Sports:
- Myrtle Beach Bowl vs Georgia Southern
Projection Sports:
- GameAbove Bowl (Detroit, MI) vs Miami (OH)
College Football News:
- Gasparailla Bowl (Tampa, FL) vs Old Dominion
USA Today:
- Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL) vs App State
CBS Sports:
- Salute to Veterans Bowl vs Jacksonville State
