UConn basketball moving back to Big East, but football program in limbo

UConn is headed back home to the Big East but the football program could be without a conference after the 2020 season and could go independent.

Maybe you can go back home again.

UConn is going back to the Big East for all sports the conference sponsors. That means the basketball programs will once again compete in the conference they once dominated. UConn has been a member of the American Athletic Conference since the dissolution of the Big East earlier this decade but will join the new Big East, beginning as early as 2020. The news was first reported by Digital Sports Desk.

This move will see UConn join Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Saint John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier. It won’t be the same old Big East when the conference was the best in college basketball after conference realignment changed everything, but it’ll provide long-term stability for the university.

However, the sticking point with this move is what do to with the football program. The Huskies program has fallen on hard times in recent years, but disbanding the program isn’t an option for now.

UConn will remain a member of the AAC for the 2019 season because the schedule is set and the logistics of pulling out would be a nightmare. That said, it might be a nightmare for UConn football moving forward regardless.

After failing to join the ACC or Big Ten in the last round of conference realignment, UConn had to settle for the AAC, but without football in the Big East, they could be a team without a conference.

One option is UConn playing as a FBS Independent like Notre Dame, Army, Liberty, New Mexico State and BYU.

It’s not an ideal option when it comes to finances for a public university. The TV contracts will be a fraction of their deal with ESPN in the AAC. Other options may include the MAC and Conference USA but the AAC will not take UConn as a football-only member.

With an official announcement coming on Thursday, according to CBS, the athletic department at UConn is taking the high road.

UConn said in a statement: “It is our responsibility to always be mindful of what is in the best interest of our student-athletes, our fans and our future. With that being said we have been and remain proud members of the American Athletic Conference.”

A spot opens in the AAC to add a new member as early as the 2020 season. Army, Air Force, BYU and to a lesser extent, Boise State are all possible targets, but I wouldn’t bet on any joining the ACC. That could lead to UAB, among others from C-USA and the Sun Belt get consideration.