Pathway to a Bowl Game
Expectations are high for the football Huskies after hitting the transfer portal hard. I’ve seen some of the more optimistic fans in the social media landscape call for up to nine wins. I certainly will not call for that, but on paper, this should be an improved team. After making a bowl in a surprise turnaround in Jim Mora’s first year in 2022, the Huskies dipped to 3-9 last season. Despite last year’s disappointment, the expectation for this program should be a bowl game each season, especially with the schedules they have in upcoming years. UConn has not had a winning record since 2010, but getting to seven isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Below is a potential pathway to at least six.
Gotta Haves:
Merrimack
Buffalo
Temple
UMass
Pretty self-explanatory, I think. These are the four worst teams on the schedule, and as I’ve stated several times throughout these previews, if there’s any progress being made in this program, beating all of these teams, preferably without much difficulty is required. Merrimack is not a good FCS team, and as discussed in our opponent preview series, Buffalo and Temple struggled greatly in 2023 and return little. Doesn't have to be a blowout, although that would be nice, but beating these teams by 10-20 would be a nice departure from the past (Merrimack excluded, need a big win there).
Need Two:
Florida Atlantic
Wake Forest
Rice
Georgia State
UAB
Some of these may end up being in the must win column, but depends. For example, FAU isn't a must win game, but if UConn loses to FAU, Wake and Rice, Georgia State and UAB become must wins. FAU, Rice, and Georgia State are the most likely of wins here since they are at home against non-overpowering G5 opponents. These are also teams that have rebuilt through the portal. Are they going to be any good? Time will tell, but just because these are not big brand teams doesn’t mean they should be overlooked.
Unlikely, but a Win Would be Awesome:
Maryland
Duke
Syracuse
These teams are by no means on the level of Tennessee from last year, or even JMU for that matter, but still out of UConn’s league. I know that’s not what fans want to hear, especially since UConn does still hold a series lead over the Orange and even Duke, although they’ve only played three times. Each of these teams have lost a lot, but have playmakers returning, and in Syracuse’s case, have probably improved greatly at QB in Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord. With that said, I don’t expect these games to be like the 59-3 or 44-6 scores we saw last season. I would expect closer margins, but I don’t expect wins.
Post Practice Media Availability (8/13)
The UConn QB room has improved each year under Mora
Subscribe to Storrs Central Premium TODAY!
Never miss the latest from Storrs Central! Join our free email list!