UConn took a significant step to bolster its football program as it moves to independent status.

CBS Sports Network has agreed to televise four home games during the 2020 season and all home games through 2023, the school announced on Monday.

Husky fans will be able to tune in from their living rooms to watch home games against Indiana, Liberty, Middle Tennessee and Army. All four games will be played on Saturdays with starting times expected to be either noon or 3:30 p.m.

Athletic director David Benedict expects to announce date television plans for the remaining three home games this season at a later date.

"We knew from the outset that both our schedule and partnering with someone from a TV standpoint would be significant in our ability to be successful in this endeavor," Benedict said during a conference call with the media. "So today I'm very pleased and very excited and couldn't be happier about this announcement.

"This coupled with the schedule that we've put together is going to put us in a terrific situation moving forward and provide coach (Randy) Edsall with a foundation as well as something to be able to communicate to both our current team as well as future prospects."

Edsall is thrilled with the news.

"I would like just to thank David for all his hard work that he's put in to get us in this situation," Edsall said. "This is something that is a little bit unprecedented in terms of what we did and where we're going to go. To have this kind of agreement with CBS Sports Network, to have our games televised nationally on linear TV is big from a recruiting standpoint and something that will aid us as we head into independence in football."

When UConn announced last year it was leaving the American Athletic Conference after the 2019-20 academic year for the Big East, it decided to go the independent route with football.

This is Edsall's second time coaching a UConn football program in transition.

In his first stint, Edsall guided the Huskies from Division I-AA to Division I status. They played an independent schedule from 2000-2003.

"There's a couple of things that have to happen for our program to be able to obtain success," Edsall said. "One component is the television package, which we have and which is going to be better for us than most definitely from where we were before.

"Then it's the scheduling. When you take a look at the scheduling that we've been able to do over the next five years, it's a schedule that will put us at least in position to go out and recruit the student-athletes that we're going to need to compete against that schedule."

UConn's future schedules include games against national programs like Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan and Tennessee. The Huskies will be facing more Power Five teams now than they would have if they stayed in the AAC, according to Edsall. And they plan to play one guarantee game a year, something that they typically haven't done before.

Edsall can sell recruits on competing against those powerhouse teams as well as the new television deal. He's already received some positive feedback.

"All in all, it's a really good day for us and one that came at the right time because we're in the middle of recruiting kids for the 2021 cycle," Edsall said.

The Saturday afternoon starting times for the CBS Sports Network games are also plus as far as Edsall is concerned. It is something Edsall and Benedict talked about before securing a television deal.

"I really think that's important for the fan base because then they can plan," Edsall said. "If we're playing really well and there's a prime time game at 7:30 and we have to do that, that's not an issue."

Benedict is finalizing lining up a television deal for the three home football games not covered by the CBS Sports Network agreement. Those games are versus UMass, Old Dominion and Maine.

"Those are committed and they'll be announced," Benedict said. "We're just trying to finish up the contract process."

Whether the college football season starts on schedule is still up in the air due to the coronavirus crisis.

Edsall said his players would have to be back on campus training by July 1 to properly prepare and be ready for season to kick off on time. UConn opens at home against UMass on Sept. 3.

"It would give us four weeks of training and basically four weeks of practice," Edsall said. "That's our time frame. ... That's what we feel would put our kids in the best situation to go out and play from a health and safety standpoint, not counting the virus."

g.keefe@theday.com