UConn looking for new opponents

Big Ten’s move to conference-only games takes Indiana, Illinois off Huskies’ schedule

UConn will need to look in another direction to fill its football schedule for the 2020 season.

The Big Ten Conference announced Thursday it will move to a conference-only schedule this fall because of concerns over COVID-19. The decision effectively eliminates two games on UConn’s slate: a trip to Illinois on Sept. 12 and a date with Indiana on Sept. 26 at Rentschler Field.

“The decision made by the Big Ten Conference to reduce football schedules this fall to a conference only format will obviously have an impact on our 2020 football schedule,” UConn athletic director Dave Benedict said in a statement.

“Many other FBS programs across the country have been affected by the Big Ten decision and we will be working diligently to ensure that we can fill the open weeks on our schedule, should conditions allow us to play a full complement of games.”

The Big Ten is the first Power Five conference to make a significant alteration to its schedule due to the pandemic. The Ivy League previously postponed all sports until at least Jan. 1.

Additionally, the Big Ten said that summer athletic activities will continue as planned, but athletes who choose not to participate now or in the upcoming school year over concerns about the coronavirus will continue to have their scholarship honored and will remain in good standing with their team.

This comes one day after Ohio State shut down its voluntary workouts after an unspecified number of

athletes tested positive. North Carolina did the same on its campus after 37 of the 429 tests initiated over the last month came back positive.

It’s unclear how other Division I conferences will proceed, but the ACC and Pac-12 may follow the Big Ten’s lead in adopting a conference-only schedule, according to multiple reports. Under that scenario, the Huskies, in their first year as an independent, would then lose two more games: Sept. 19 at Virginia and Nov. 7 at UNC.

UConn began allowing football players back on campus July 1 as a pilot program to re-open campus to the rest of the student body in mid-August. Coaches are allowed to be present for on-field activities starting Saturday.

UConn will kick off its season Sept. 3 against UMass at home. The Huskies are also slated to host Old Dominion (Oct. 3), Maine (Oct. 10), Liberty (Oct. 31) Middle Tennessee (Nov. 21) and Army (Nov. 28) and visit Mississippi (Oct. 24) and San Jose State (Nov. 14).

Jessica Hill / Associated Press UConn’s Kevin Mensah (34) is pursued by Illinois’ Tony Adams on Sept. 7. The Big Ten’s decision to play only conference games this season means the teams won’t meet again in 2020.

Stephen Dunn / Associated Press UConn team lost two games on its schedule when the Big Ten announced it would play conference games only.