UConn Board of Trustees Approves Move Back to the Big East
Connecticut's board of trustees approved the university's return to the Big East on Wednesday.
The board voted unanimously to leave the American Athletic Conference and move back to the Big East. The Hartford Courantreports UConn will likely pay a $10 million exit fee to the AAC and a smaller entrance fee to the Big East.
The conference change raises questions about the future of UConn's football program. The Big East does not have football, and it is unlikely the AAC would allow the program to remain in the conference. The Huskies have AAC football games scheduled for this upcoming season and coach Randy Edsall released statement on Wednesday to address the future of the program.
"We have a schedule for 2019 and that is what we have been preparing for," Edsall said. "All my focus has been on getting this program and facilities back to where we all want it regardless of WHERE WE PLAY OR WHO WE PLAY."
UConn was an original member of the Big East, which formed in 1979, and joined the AAC in 2013 during conference realignment. The Huskies have won four national championships in basketball since 1999. They claimed their most recent title in 2014, their first year in the AAC.
