HARTFORD, Conn. _ No one knows exactly what happens next for UConn football.
If, as appears likely, the Huskies compete as an independent after exiting the American Athletic Conference, who will they play? How will independence affect the program's financial outlook? Will the change impact recruiting? For now, it's nearly impossible to say.
But despite the uncertainty, there may be one way to peek into UConn football's future: glance up the road at UMass, where the Minutemen football program has been independent since the 2016 season, when it left the Mid-American Conference and began the adventure of life without league affiliation.
To understand how UMass has made independence work, The Courant analyzed the football program's scheduling contracts and financial disclosures and spoke with athletic director Ryan Bamford about the challenges and benefits of being one of six FBS unaffiliateds. Here is what we learned:
