UConn football announces five future opponents

After completing its 2020 schedule just a few weeks ago, UConn football’s 2021 and 2022 schedules are beginning to round into form. On Monday, the school announced it will play Army, Ball State, Fresno State, Middle Tennessee and UCF in the next two seasons and beyond. Army and UCF were previously reported but Ball State, Fresno State and Middle Tennessee are all new additions.

As a fellow independent in the northeast, Army will be a staple on the Huskies’ schedule for years to come. The agreement includes a total of eight games from 2020-2029 with the exception of 2026. UConn will travel to West Point in 2021 and 2022, though the locations beyond that were not disclosed.

During the Huskies’ temporary days of independence from 2000-2003, the Ball State Cardinals were a frequent opponent. Now with UConn back in independence, that series is set to resume. The two schools will play in 2021 and 2025 with the Mid-American Conference squad hosting on Oct. 15, 2021 before making the return trip to East Hartford on Sep. 20, 2025.

Former UConn Athletics COO Beth Goetz is the Cardinals’ athletic director, so it probably won’t be the last time the programs see each other. All-time, UConn is 0-3 against Ball State.

The Huskies will also play a home-and-home with Fresno State. UConn will travel to Fresno, California on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021 ending the school’s tradition of opening the season with a Thursday night game at the Rent ahead of Labor Day. The Bulldogs will make the cross-country trek on Oct. 1, 2022.

After adding Middle Tennessee to its 2020 schedule, UConn will welcome the Blue Raiders back to East Hartford on Oct. 23. The Huskies also officially announced the game against UCF, which was previously revealed in a Board of Trustees agenda.

UConn also moved its 2021 game from UMass one week back from Oct. 2 to Oct. 9. The Huskies also had a game with Holy Cross scheduled for Sep. 2, 2021 but the two schools are in discussions to move that to another date, according to a UConn spokesperson.

With all that, here’s how the 2021 and 2022 schedules are coming along:

2021

Aug. 28: at Fresno State
Sep. 11: Purdue
Sep. 18: at Army
Oct. 9: at UMass
Oct. 23: Middle Tennessee
Nov. 13: at Clemson
Nov. 20: at UCF

2022

Sep. 3: CCSU
Sep. 24: at NC State
Oct. 1: Fresno State
Oct. 15: at Ball State
Oct. 29: Boston College
Nov. 19: at Army

UConn’s full slate of future opponents can be found here.

While none of these opponents are Power Five schools, they still represent a nice mix for an independent schedule. There are winnable games (Ball State, Fresno State, Middle Tennessee), a buy game against UCF and a quality regional opponent in Army that fans can travel to for road games.

With non-conference games typically scheduled out years in advance, 2021 and 2022 won’t be perfect but with roughly half the docket filled, both seasons are in good shape to be interesting enough. The biggest concern with 2021 will be the number of home games. Currently, only two of the seven are set to be at the Rent — three if Holy Cross stays on.

One of the draws to independence was playing a more relevant and interesting schedule, so it will be a challenge for David Benedict and his staff to find a handful of opponents that are willing to come to East Hartford and at the same time excite the fanbase.