Connecticut has come a long way in five years.

The UConn football team was playing 1-AA football in 1999. This year, they are a serious contender in the Big East for a BCS bid. That’s no joke. Of course, UConn has always been considered a “basketball school” and rightly so. Believe me, we haven’t forgotten about the 2004 National Championship game. However, another sport is quickly catching on in Husky athletics.

Last year UConn won the Motor City Bowl to win the first-ever bowl for their school. The football program has already moved into a brand-spanking new facility, Rentschler Field, and now they are looking to start playing against bigger name teams. Randy Edsall is the head coach of Connecticut. Many Tech fans will remember Edsall fondly. He was the defensive coordinator of the 1998 Georgia Tech that won the Gator Bowl over Notre Dame. I know I root for him and UConn in every game except for this one.

Georgia Tech has played Connecticut twice. In Storrs in 2002, Tony Hollings had a breakout day, running for 144 yards, all in the first half. Tech’s first string was done by halftime as they cruised to a 30-14 win. I was at the 2004 game and the game was a little closer, but Tech’s special teams made life difficult for UConn, blocking a pair of punts and Tech won 30-10.

I’m guessing this weekend’s game will not be a runaway victory like 2002 and 2004. UConn has outscored Liberty and Buffalo 97-0. Tech isn’t Liberty or Buffalo, but those numbers are hard to ignore. Tech’s defense has been prone to give up big plays, but they have shut down two rushing units. UConn’s bread-and-butter is the run game with well-timed passes, so we’ll see how Tech stacks up against UConn’s offense. I have to believe Tech’s offense will have the upper hand on the Connecticut defense, but I’m uncertain that having this game become a track meet is a good thing.

I may be rooting against UConn this week, but I’m curious to see how they fare in the Big East this year.