Don't adjust your monitors, you read that right. Tomorrow, at Rentschler Field, the UConn Huskies will be playing as masters of their own destiny. West Virginia beat Pittsburgh today in the Backyard Brawl, so now all the pressure in the world shifts to the Huskies. If they beat Cincinnati tomorrow and South Florida next week, they win the league and it's automatic bid. A loss and the Huskies can kiss that dream goodbye.
One simple plea: This is easily the most important game in Rentschler Field history. It's also Senior Day for a class that lost a member to a senseless murder. Tomorrow the seniors will be joined on the field by the family of Jasper Howard to be recognized before the game. It should be an incredibly powerful and moving moment. So if you have tickets, please, please make sure you are in your seats well before kickoff to give the seniors and Jasper's family the sendoff they deserve.
A final note for the superstitious among you. As I noted the past two weeks, my NCAA 11 season has tracked perfectly with this year's Big East campaign. Losses to Rutgers and Louisville, wins over Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Syracuse. I played Cincinnati this week, and well, it didn't look good. My virtual Huskies were down by 24 going into the fourth quarter. I'd like to say they gave it a valiant effort and mounted a comeback, but that would be a lie. I lost by 34. The virtual UConn secondary is just as terrible as you'd expect and the Bearcat's spread offense sliced me up. So if you believe in the predictive powers of my NCAA ability, brace yourself (and repeat after me, it's just a game, it's just a game, it's just a game.)