Two programs mid-reset meet on a Friday night — UConn trying to prove its 9-win run wasn't a fluke without the QB who built it, Temple trying to prove last year's 5-7 finish was the floor, not the ceiling.
Bush’s Picks
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OverUnder
Best BetUConn
UConn's program continuity — two straight 9-win years, a roster Candle didn't have to rebuild — makes the Huskies the more trustworthy side even mid-QB-competition. Temple is starting over at the position after a 5-7 season that ended in a blowout loss, and that's a tougher spot to win from. Back UConn to get the outright win here.
UConn
+Back-to-back 9-win seasons, first time in program history
+Two power-conference transfer QBs competing for the job
−Lost Joe Fagnano, program's best QB in decades
−Brand-new head coach in Jason Candle's first year
Temple
+9 offensive starters return including All-Conference TE Clarke
+80% of starting O-line returns intact
−Finished 5-7, closed 2025 with 52-25 loss to North Texas
−Replacing Evan Simon's 25-TD, 2-INT season with unproven duo
Friday, October 9 finds UConn a few months into the Jason Candle era, and the Huskies arrive with real credibility — back-to-back 9-win seasons is a first in program history. The catch is they're doing it without Joe Fagnano, the QB who ran that offense and is now in the NFL. Candle's brought in traffic at the position — Toledo transfer Kalieb Osborne and Tennessee transfer Jake Merklinger both in the mix — but whoever wins that job will still be finding his footing by Week 6.
Temple's rebuild looks different. KC Keeler's first season ended ugly, a 52-25 no-show at North Texas to close out a 5-7 year, and now the Owls are replacing Evan Simon, who threw 25 touchdowns against just 2 picks. Penn State transfer Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard are dueling for the job, with Smolik the reported slight favorite, but Keeler hasn't ruled out letting it play out into the season. What buys Temple time is the machinery around whoever starts: 9 offensive starters return, including receivers JoJo Bermudez and Colin Chase and All-Conference tight end Peter Clarke.
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CONN UConn
TEM Temple
That supporting cast is the real swing factor here. A shaky new UConn QB walking into a Temple defense that gets to load up on stopping the run, behind an offense that already knows its skill guys, is a different problem than facing a set unit. Neither side has clarity on QB1 yet — this is very much a summer projection, not a settled depth chart — but the pieces around the position tell two different stories about how forgiving each offense will be early.
UConn Huskies
Oct 3?vs Syracuse—
Sep 25?@ Miami (OH)—
Sep 19?@ Southern Miss—
Sep 12?vs Maryland—
Sep 5?vs Lafayette—
Temple Owls
Oct 2?@ South Florida—
Sep 25?vs Army—
Sep 19?@ Toledo—
Sep 12?vs Penn State—
Sep 5?vs Rhode Island—
Recent form.
UConn's not walking in with a finished product either, but the program's trajectory carries more weight — Candle inherited a roster that's proven it can win 9 games in back-to-back years, and history like that doesn't just evaporate because the QB changed. Temple's got the receiving corps and O-line continuity to keep this from getting away from them, but a team that just got run off the field 52-25 to end last season needs its new quarterback to be good fast, not just serviceable.
