UConn–UMass rivalry
The UConn–UMass rivalry is a growing sports rivalry between the UConn Huskies of the University of Connecticut and the UMass Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts.
| [University of Connecticut|] | [University of UMass Minutemen football|Massachusetts Amherst|] | |
| Founded | 1881 | 1863 |
| Type | Public | Public |
| Conference | Big East Conference | MAC |
| Students | 24,371 | 32,045 |
| School colors | ||
| Nickname | Huskies | [UMass UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen|Minutemen and Minutewomen|Minutemen] |
Football
The UConn–UMass football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Huskies football team of the University of Connecticut and the UMass Minutemen football team of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.The rivalry was dormant from the 2000 season, when UConn moved to FBS, until 2012, when UMass traveled to Rentschler Field to play the Huskies in the season opener.
History
The first game played between the two schools took place on November 6, 1897, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Massachusetts won 36–0. At the time, UMass was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College and Connecticut was officially Storrs Agricultural College. They had formed a loose association with other public colleges in New England such as present day New Hampshire and Rhode Island for the purpose of scheduling football matchups between the schools.The colleges continued to schedule matches intermittently until after World War I, when they began to play on an almost-yearly basis through the mid-1920s. The series was discontinued until 1932, when the schools again met each year until World War II saw both universities disband their football teams. The schools would not match up again on the gridiron until UConn joined Massachusetts in the Yankee Conference in 1952. UConn and UMass played every season from that point on until UConn began their transition to what was then Division I-A in 2000.
The all-time series is tied 38–38–2. Massachusetts dominated the rivalry early, winning the first eight and 13 of the first 15 meetings between the two universities. Connecticut went on a streak of their own after that, winning 14 of the next 16 games. The 1960s again belonged to the then-Redmen of Massachusetts, as they lost only two games that decade. In the remaining years of the rivalry, the series was much more even, with neither team able to put together a winning streak of more than four games.
In April 2011, UMass announced plans to join the Mid-American Conference and move up to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football in the country. Prior to this decision, the two schools had scheduled a game for August 30, 2012. UMass later became a FBS Independent school starting in 2016.
The Huskies won the latest matchup against the Minutemen during the 2024 season in Amherst, MA.
On October 31, 2022, UConn and UMass extended the rivalry games through 2027. In 2025 UMass accepted full membership in the Mid-American Conference. The 2025 game was canceled due to UMass needing to make room for eight conference games. No future games are scheduled after 2027.