How Will UMass Football Do in Their Return to the MAC?

The UMass Minutemen have been one of the worst programs in the FBS over the last decade.

Since 2019, UMass has had a terrible stretch of seasons. In 2019, they went 1-11, only beating Akron by eight points. In the shortened 2020 season, the Minutemen went 0-4, followed by two straight 1-11 seasons in ‘21 and ‘22. In the last two seasons, they picked it up a bit, but 3-9 and 2-10 is not something to celebrate for any college football fan base.

However, UMass may be on the rise with their new move. Previously as an independent, they played teams from the Big Ten and SEC all the way down to the CUSA, Sun Belt, and even FCS opponents. Clearly, the format was’t working. So, a move to the Mid-American Conference materialized, which (theoretically) provides a path for UMass to the College Football Playoff, along with many other financial positives.

UMass are just a few months from returning to the conference where they spent 2012 to 2015, however unknowns are still in place. Will UMass continue to struggle or will they improve with stability in a new format? Let’s take a look.

Like most programs in college football, the Minutemen changed drastically over the offseason. For starters, new head coach Joe Harasymiak took over the reins. Currently, there are 27 former UMass players that have either committed to new schools or entered their names in the transfer portal. However, 35 new names are coming in via the portal.

Something that's clearly been an emphasis for the Minutemen in that regard is providing new opportunities to players who couldn't break through at other programs. The Minutemen have added players from power five schools Texas A&M, Colorado, Duke, West Virginia, Rutgers, Boise State, UCF, Pitt, Cal, Virginia Tech, and Virginia. They brought players from top tier group of five programs like USF and North Texas. They even added guys from the FCS level, including five from Ivy League programs.

On the high school recruiting side though, the Minutemen are struggling. They brought in just the No. 145 best class in the country per 247Sports, even ranking lower than many FCS schools.

So will UMass actually compete in MAC? In the short term, the Minutemen will likely have more success in the MAC than as an independent. Bringing in competent transfers helps, along with having three pretty easy victories next season on the schedule in Bryant, Kent State, and Akron. If they can build momentum from this frist season, UMass could be in contention for a bowl game in the next couple of seasons.

However, in the long term, the travel distance, tough games, and continued poor recruiting may hurt UMass in the future. Time will tell how well Harasymiak and his staff adjust to those factors.

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