UConn football announces new series with North Carolina, buy game with Michigan

Things might be trending up for UConn football, at least for this week. While that’s easier to say when there is no actual football being played, it does seem that the program is doing everything it can to try and be successful as an independent.

After securing five commitments earlier this week — including one that became the second-highest ranked player in the class — the Huskies have locked in three games against two quality Power Five opponents.

UConn announced it has agreed to play Michigan at the Big House on Saturday, Sept. 17 in 2022. Instead of having the Wolverines return to Rentschler Field, Michigan — led by former UConn athletic director Warde Manuel — will pay the Huskies $1.8 million sometime before February 1, 2023.

While having Michigan come to the Rent once again would be a major draw and surely boost UConn’s lagging attendance, getting nearly $2 million is by far a better scenario, especially for an athletic department that posted a deficit of more than $42 million in 2019. It also serves as a great opportunity for UConn fans to travel and visit one of college football’s most historic stadiums and programs.

UConn also announced a home-and-home series with a burgeoning North Carolina squad that begins in 2026. UConn will head to Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Sept. 19, 2026. The Tar Heels will return the favor and visit Rentschler Field one year later in 2027 with a matchup on Sept. 18.

The two programs will meet for the first time in over a decade in 2020 as the Huskies will take on Mack Brown and North Carolina on the road on Nov. 7. While it’s almost certain that neither Brown nor Randy Edsall will be at the helm by the end of this home-and-home series, it marks another solid Power Five opponent and a potentially winnable game towards the end of the decade.

Like Edsall, Brown returned to the school he once coached at, serving as the Tar Heels head coach from 1988-1997. In his first season back, he led UNC to a 7-6 record, beating American Athletic Conference member Temple 55-13 in the Military Bowl.