STORRS — A few years ago, appearing in a bowl game, any bowl game, was like an oasis after UConn had wandered the college football desert for nearly a decade.

Now the Huskies are looking for something more satisfying. We’re not talking playoffs or the New Year’s Six here, but now that UConn has secured a winning season, its first in 12 years, coach Jim Mora’s preseason goal of a “good bowl game” is within reach . The Huskies (7-4) finish the regular season at noon Saturday at UMass.

What would be a “good bowl game” for UConn in 2024? A good playdate? A brand opponent? Mild weather?

“That’s a really tough question because the bowls are so different than when I was growing up,” Mora said. “We all knew the pecking order of the bowls. Now they have all these different names. I don’t even know where they are besides the big five. I would like to play against a prominent opponent that we can compete with. That would be great.”

Dom Amore: UConn’s Dan Hurley has to make it, for his and his team’s sake

There are scheduled to be 44 bowl games, not including the 12-team playoffs. So UConn can’t guarantee anything, but they’re pretty sure they’ll be invited somewhere. UConn has been to bowl games twice since the 2010 season, facing Marshall of the Sun Belt Conference both times and losing in St. Petersburg in 2015 and Myrtle Beach in 2022.

The Huskies, then the Big East champions, have not played a power conference opponent in a postseason game since the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011, when they lost to Oklahoma. Last season they defeated South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

If UConn, which is heavily favored, can beat the Minutemen and finish 8-4, it will increase their chances of meeting a Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or ACC opponent in a bowl game in mid-to-late December. A fluid exercise, some of the most recent predictions have UConn competing against the likes of Kansas, Florida, Rutgers, TCU and Vanderbilt.

“I hope it’s warm somewhere,” linebacker Jayden McDonald said. “(But) any time you can play an extra game and compete, that’s always a bonus. I am very competitive and want to play against the best team possible. That’s why I think the conduct of business (Saturday) will prepare us for a challenge like that, but we have to take it week by week.”

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One thing that isn’t expected is an avalanche of opt-outs, which has occurred in some programs, or an unenthusiastic response to a bowl challenge. UConn is still a hungry group that is hoping for every chance to prove itself and has a strong desire to extend their time together.

“I get a chance to go out one last time with the team we have here,” receiver Skyler Bell said. “We have a lot of guys on this team who might be playing their last game in a UConn jersey, their last game in a football jersey, period. You can feel it with the guys in the locker room, we care about each other, we put ourselves on the line for each other, I don’t think there will be too many guys dropping out. We’ve done a lot of work together, so making it to the end will be hugely important for this group.”

They have lost to Maryland (Big Ten), Syracuse, Duke and Wake Forest (all ACC) during the season, the ACC games all coming within a touchdown. A husky longs for a rematch.

“In my opinion, the best chance would be to suffer another one of those losses we played against, against one of those teams in the bowl game,” defensive back Jordan Wright said. “So we can go back and show how much better we are. But beyond that, we are ready to go anywhere, do anything and play against anyone.”

The best-case scenario for an independent program looking to make strides toward national credibility would be to face an opponent who draws an audience. UConn is 6-0 against a group of five schools. Bowl invitations will be sent out next week after the corresponding conference championship games are played.

“I’ve talked about it since I’ve been here,” said offensive lineman Chase Lundt, in his sixth and final season. “I wanted to leave it better than I found it and that’s part of the legacy I want to leave behind; Being able to play in this bowl game and be there for my boys. I’m really excited for the opportunity and know every single person on this team is too.”

UMass hasn’t had a winning season since 2010, when it played in the Colonial Athletic Associations as an FCS or I-AA program. Ending eight years as an independent program, the program returns to the MAC (in all sports) and is about to make another attempt at rebuilding. Two weeks ago, UMass fired coach Don Brown (6-28) and named Shane Montgomery interim coach. Last week, the Minutemen lost at No. 7 Georgia 59-21.

The Huskies lost 31-24 at Syracuse last Saturday and stayed close despite allowing 470 yards. Mora will keep the identity of his starting quarterback, Nick Evers or Joe Fagnano, secret until kickoff.

What you should know

Website: McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, Mass.

Line: UConn until May 10th

Time of day: Saturday, noon.

TV: ESPN+ Jay Burnham, Andy Gresh

Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9. Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino. Affiliates – WAVZ 1300 AM (New Haven), WGCH 1490 AM (Greenwich), WILI 1400 AM/95.3FM, (Willimantic); WICH 1310 AM/94.5 FM (Norwich)

On-line: The Varsity Network App.

Record 2024: UConn: 7-4, UMass, 2-9

Series: UMass, 38-37-2. (As FBS opponent UConn, 4-2)

Last meeting: November 25, 2023 – UConn 31, UMass 18 in Amherst, Mass.

Reading before the game:

How UConn dealt with the tragedy of Jasper Howard and celebrated football’s greatest triumph at Notre Dame. An oral history

Dom Amore: Tough loss at Syracuse, but UConn football finds its niche

UConn football notes: Huskies look to take home a trophy from UMass

Originally published: November 29, 2024 at 2:53 pm EST