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The Big 12 Conference is in the early stages of talks with UConn to bring all Huskies' athletics to the conference, The Athletic reported on Aug. 23. UConn, defending back-to-back national champions in basketball, play as an Independent for football and haven’t been a member of a football conference since 2019 when they were in the American Athletic Conference.
One Big 12 official said, “Talks are premature, there’s a fair distance between conversations and anything that would happen,” according to The Athletic. The 12 of the 16 league presidents would have to vote to accept UConn into the Big 12. So far no date has been set for a vote. However, there is a board meeting that will be scheduled to discuss the matter.
UConn in the FBS
UConn joined the FBS in 2000 and their football team joined the old Big East Conference in 2004. Since 1979 they have been members of the Big East as a basketball school but once the conference disbanded in 2013, UConn jumped conferences to the AAC. A move that was designed to help its efforts to bring the football to the forefront.
Money Talks
The Huskies' football team historically could not hold the proverbial candle up to how well their basketball team has done in the last 25 years after winning five national championships in the same time frame.
Many Big East fans have wondered why UConn has “dissed” its former conference in the past 20 years for the sake of their football team as this will mark the second time the Huskies will leave the Big East (if voted in).
In fact, in 2020 UConn rejoined the Big East when athletic funds were dropping and the Big East welcomed them back, but the football team had to become an Independent. Now, a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2010, and has only played in seven bowl games since 2000, might be playing for a Power Four football conference.
If the Huskies do join the Big 12, the closet conference opponent will be the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va., and the farthest they would travel would be to Tempe, Ariz., to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Many football fans might be wondering if this is a smart move by UConn.
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If they leave the Big East again no coming back!