UConn Football Building on Past Success Heading into 2010

College football is unique because each and every game has that much importance from start to finish.  Whether it is the first week of the season or the conference title, in college football, it is all about winning.

This UConn program has gradually started to use this concept as a way to motivate and be determined to play week in and week out.  Head Coach Randy Edsall will become the all-time wins leaders at the University of Connecticut after his first win this season.

Imagine if that win could come against his friend and former rival Rich Rodriguez in the Big House?  UConn went into South Bend last season and opened viewers eyes on national television.  They went in losers of three straight heartbreaking defeats.

After a double-overtime win the joy and emotions were overwhelming.  It is exactly what makes college football so special.  Whether it is a prime-time night game or a Saturday afternoon game, college football is the one sport that with a couple of big upsets everything can change in the blink of an eye.

UConn ended the season on a four game winning streak with a bowl game win over South Carolina. It was the way this football team finished the season that has brought a lot of attention and hype heading into this season.

The Big East is wide open and many analysts think that as many as four or five teams could win this conference.  Randy Edsall, who is entering his 12th year at Storrs, thinks his team is more ready then ever to perform on the big stage.

Yes, the Huskies are young and inexperienced in the secondary and at wide receiver, but both those positions have talent.  There are also other guys on both sides of the ball that can lead by example.

Zach Frazer, who injured his knee early on last season, came back stronger than ever when Cody Endres went down with a shoulder injury.

Even when Scott Lutrus was knocked out with a neck stinger, his teammates picked up the slack.  Lawrence Wilson had a spectacular season and Greg Lloyd was playing stronger than ever before he went down with a knee injury against Syracuse.

There are still a lot of critics out there that don't believe UConn is a legitimate football program.  They lack respect in the polls and there is just a common feeling that the Big East is not the type of football conference it used to be.

People are entitled to their opinions, but Randy Edsall has built a state-of-art football facility and competitive program from literally nothing.  UConn's football program in 1998 was a hole in the wall.

Now look at where this UConn team is twelve short years later.

There's no substitute for winning.  The job that Edsall and his staff have done recruiting, teaching, and mentoring is a 24/7 process.  It all takes center stage three weeks from today, when the UConn Huskies invade Ann Arbor.

UConn will look to build on its past successes as it enters its most anticipated season opener since it has been a Division I program.