UConn Huskies at Air Force Falcons

UConn beat Air Force by 10 last November in Connecticut. Now the Falcons get their shot at altitude, against a Huskies team that's been almost completely rebuilt since then.

Bush’s Picks

CONNAF

CONNAF

OverUnder

Best BetAir Force

Air Force at home, at altitude, against a UConn team that's replaced almost its entire roster is the more predictable side here. The Falcons know their identity even in a down year; the Huskies are still figuring theirs out under a new staff. Backing the host in a first-time road environment for the visitor is the safer read until UConn proves its overhaul works away from Connecticut.

UConn

• +Hired proven winner Jason Candle (81-44 at Toledo)
• +Historic transfer haul, 21 players from Power 4 programs
• +Won last year's meeting 26-16 on the road
• −Entirely new coaching staff and most of the roster
• −SP+ projects UConn outside the top 100 nationally
• −First-ever road trip to Air Force's altitude

Air Force

• +Home at 6,621 feet, second-highest in the FBS
• +Triple option historically tough on unfamiliar defenses
• +Top-3 nationally in rushing offense in 2025
• −Coming off rare 4-8 season under Calhoun
• −Passing game was 0-8 when throwing over 10 times
• −Defense was the clear weak link in 2025

Neither program looks like the one that played last November. UConn fired up the transfer portal after Jim Mora left for Colorado State, hiring Toledo's Jason Candle and bringing in dozens of new faces, including a three-man QB competition. Air Force, meanwhile, is trying to bounce back from a 4-8 season under Troy Calhoun, who's now in his 19th year running the option attack in Colorado Springs. Neither team's 2026 depth chart is settled this far out, so don't expect a confirmed starter breakdown yet -- just know both sidelines are dealing with real turnover heading into the Saturday, October 31 date.

The trip to Falcon Stadium is its own obstacle regardless of who's under center. Sitting at 6,621 feet, it's the second-highest elevation in the FBS behind only Wyoming, and it's paired with a triple-option scheme that visiting defenses rarely see live-reps against. Air Force leaned on the run in 2025 -- their offense ranked top-3 nationally on the ground -- while the passing game was a genuine liability, going 0-8 when they threw more than 10 times a game. UConn's defense will be seeing almost all new faces of its own after last year's roster turned over.

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CONN UConn

AF Air Force

The two programs have only played once, so there's no real history to lean on beyond that 26-16 UConn win, which ran Cam Edwards for 165 yards and 2 scores. This year's meeting exists because Sam Houston State backed out of a scheduled trip to Colorado Springs, leaving Air Force and UConn to arrange a home-and-home instead. It's a low-stakes, first-impression kind of game for both staffs.

UConn Huskies

Oct 23?vs Massachusetts—

Oct 9?@ Temple—

Oct 3?vs Syracuse—

Sep 25?@ Miami (OH)—

Sep 19?@ Southern Miss—

Sep 12?vs Maryland—

Sep 5?vs Lafayette—

Air Force Falcons

Oct 23?@ Wyoming—

Oct 17?vs UNLV—

Oct 10?@ Northern Illinois—

Oct 3?vs Navy—

Sep 25?@ Nevada—

Sep 12?vs North Dakota State—

Sep 5?vs Duquesne—

UConn's 2026 outlook is genuinely split depending on who you ask -- College Football News pegs them for 6 wins, while ESPN's SP+ has them projected outside the top 100 nationally given how much of the roster is brand new. Air Force's win total actually climbed to 6.5 this offseason despite the down year, with the reasoning being that several of last year's losses came against teams that have since left the Mountain West. Both projections lean on programs nobody's fully seen yet.

UConn Huskies

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Air Force Falcons

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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Whichever team figures out its passing game first probably wins this one. Air Force's defense was the clear weak link in 2025, and if UConn's transfer-heavy offense finds any rhythm through the air, that's the matchup to watch. But this is Air Force's building, at Air Force's altitude, against an opponent making its first-ever road trip to Colorado Springs -- that's not nothing in late October.