Miami (OH) isn't rebuilding so much as reloading. Chuck Martin's program has made 3 straight MAC title games, and while the RedHawks are replacing last year's top 2 quarterbacks, their leading rusher and 2 of 3 primary receivers, the infrastructure around that turnover is what makes Oxford a tough building to win in — an offensive line that could be the league's best, a deep secondary led by Mychal Yharbrough and Kaleb Martin, and added transfer juice on defense in end Mikah Coleman and linebacker Blayne Myrick.
The swing factor for Miami is under center. Sophomore Thomas Gotkowski is battling transfers David McComb and Caleb Heavner for the job, and by the time UConn shows up on Friday, September 25, that competition should be further along — though nothing about it is settled yet. Whoever wins it gets to hand off to a two-back rotation of Rodney Nelson and Cade Yacamelli behind that veteran-heavy line.
UConn's counterpunch is talent, not continuity. Kenji Christian, a Toledo transfer who ran for 528 yards and 4 touchdowns with 17 catches last season, looks like the most reliable option in the backfield early on, and Candle adds size at receiver with Syracuse transfer Emanuel Ross to help replace 101-catch producer Skyler Bell. On defense, the Toledo pipeline continues with linebacker K'Von Sherman pairing with Penn transfer John Lista, who racked up 78 tackles last year. It's a roster full of proven individual production — the question is whether it gels into a team fast enough to steal a road game in Week 4.
Candle has never had a losing season across 10 years at Toledo, which is the best argument for UConn hanging around here longer than the name-brand programs on the projection sheets might suggest. But this is still a first road test for a roster that's barely had time to learn each other's names, against a program that's been to the MAC title game 3 years running. Oxford is a reasonable spot for the RedHawks to keep that streak of program stability rolling.