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NCAA Football Betting Online: The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. You can ask the football folks at Massachusetts about that. The Minutemen made the move from the lower level FCS in time for the 2012 season and they haven’t won more than three games in any of the five seasons since. In its first season as an independent after four years in the Mid-American Conference, UMass limped to a 2-10 record in 2016. It wasn’t so bad at the FCS level. UMass appeared in three National Championship games and won a title in 1998.
2017 Massachusetts Minutemen at a Glance
Minutemen National Championship Odds: +50000
Minutemen Odds To Win Conference: Independent
Minutemen Regular Season Win Total: 3.5
UMass was headed in the right direction under Mark Whipple, who guided the Minutemen to 46 victories and a Division 1-AA national title in 1998. The team went into a tailspin following his departure, but UMass turned back to one of the most successful coaches in program history when Whipple returned after 11 years.
It’s been a tough go for UMass since moving up to the FBS level, producing just 10 wins over five seasons. But UMass is determined to let Whipple turn things around and he has a plan in place. The recruiting has been good considering the team’s lack of success and Whipple has had luck with transfers. The team was young last season and we’ll find out if they’ve turned a corner in 2017.
UMass isn’t going to be a threat and bowl eligibility is likely out of the question. But it’s time for the Minutemen to show some signs of improvement. Getting to five wins would be a plus and reaching six wins would have Amherst in a delirious state. For that to happen, the defense has to be better. Ed Pinkham takes over as coordinator of the group after doing a respectable job at Western Michigan.
The defense actually got worse towards the end of last season and Pinkham has work to do. But the unit returns a bunch of starters who gained valuable experience in 2016. Linebacker Steve Casali is a building block and likely the most important player on that side of the football. If UMass can be more effective creating turnovers, the offense has enough pop to get UMass above the three-win barrier, which has been their threshold since joining FBS.
2017 Massachusetts Minutemen Schedule
Week 1: UMass vs. Hawai’i, Saturday, August 26
Week 2: UMass at Coastal Carolina, Saturday, September 2
Week 3: UMass vs. Old Dominion, Saturday, September 9
Week 4: UMass at Temple, Saturday, September 15
Week 5: UMass at Tennessee, Saturday, September 23
Week 6: UMass vs. Ohio, Saturday, September 30
Week 7: OFF
Week 8: UMass at USF, Saturday October 14
Week 9: UMass vs. Georgia Southern, Saturday, October 21
Week 10: UMass vs. Appalachian State, Saturday, October 28
Week 11: UMass at Mississippi State, Saturday, November 4
Week 12: UMass vs. Maine, Saturday, November 11 (in Boston)
Week 13: UMass at BYU, Saturday, November 18
Week 14: OFF
List of Massachusetts Minutemen Seasons
| Year |
Record |
Bowl Game |
| 2016 |
2-10 |
|
| 2015 |
3-9 |
|
| 2014 |
3-9 |
|
| 2013 |
1-11 |
|
| 2012 |
1-11 |
|
| 2011 |
5-6 |
|
| 2010 |
6-5 |
|
| 2009 |
5-6 |
|
| 2008 |
7-5 |
|
| 2007 |
10-3 |
L – FCS Quarterfinal |
| 2006 |
13-2 |
L – FCS Championship |
| 2005 |
7-4 |
|
| 2004 |
6-5 |
|
| 2003 |
10-3 |
L – FCS First Round |
| 2002 |
8-4 |
|
| 2001 |
3-8 |
|
| 2000 |
7-4 |
|
| 1999 |
9-4 |
L – FCS Quarterfinal |
| 1998 |
12-3 |
W – FCS Championship |
| 1997 |
2-9 |
|
| 1996 |
6-5 |
|
| 1995 |
6-5 |
|
| 1994 |
5-6 |
|
| 1993 |
9-2 |
|
| 1992 |
7-3 |
|
| 1991 |
4-7 |
|
| 1990 |
8-2-1 |
L – FCS First Round |
| 1989 |
5-5-1 |
|
| 1988 |
8-4 |
L – FCS First Round |
| 1987 |
3-8 |
|
| 1986 |
8-3 |
|
| 1985 |
7-4 |
|
| 1984 |
3-8 |
|
| 1983 |
3-8 |
|
| 1982 |
5-6 |
|
| 1981 |
6-3 |
|
| 1980 |
7-3 |
|
| 1979 |
6-4 |
|
| 1978 |
9-4 |
L – FCS Championship |
| 1977 |
8-3 |
|
| 1976 |
5-5 |
|
| 1975 |
8-2 |
|
| 1974 |
5-6 |
|
| 1973 |
6-5 |
|
| 1972 |
9-2 |
W – Boardwalk Bowl |
| 1971 |
4-4-1 |
|
| 1970 |
4-5-1 |
|
| 1969 |
6-3 |
|
| 1968 |
2-8 |
|
| 1967 |
7-2 |
|
| 1966 |
6-3 |
|
| 1965 |
7-2 |
|
| 1964 |
8-2 |
L – Tangerine Bowl |
| 1963 |
8-0-1 |
|
| 1962 |
6-3 |
|
| 1961 |
5-4 |
|
| 1960 |
7-2 |
|
| 1959 |
3-5-1 |
|
| 1958 |
2-6 |
|
| 1957 |
1-5-1 |
|
| 1956 |
2-5-1 |
|
| 1955 |
4-4 |
|
| 1954 |
4-4 |
|
| 1953 |
1-7 |
|
| 1952 |
4-3-1 |
|
| 1951 |
3-4-1 |
|
| 1950 |
3-5 |
|
| 1949 |
3-5 |
|
| 1948 |
3-4-1 |
|
| 1947 |
3-4-1 |
|
| 1946 |
6-2 |
|
| 1945 |
2-1-1 |
|
| 1942 |
2-5 |
|
| 1941 |
3-4-1 |
|
| 1940 |
1-8 |
|
| 1939 |
2-5-2 |
|
| 1938 |
3-6 |
|
| 1937 |
1-7-1 |
|
| 1936 |
2-6 |
|
| 1935 |
5-4 |
|
| 1934 |
5-3-1 |
|
| 1933 |
5-3 |
|
| 1932 |
7-2 |
|
| 1931 |
7-1-1 |
|
| 1930 |
1-8 |
|
UMass was a charter member of the Yankee Conference, which began athletic competition in the 1947-48 school year and is pretty much today’s Colonial Athletic Association, though the CAA is under a different charter. The Minutemen won outright or shared a Yankee Conference title 17 times, the most of any member. The conference was classified as Division 1-AA in 1978 and the newly formed entity held its own playoff tournament while D-1 competed in bowl games.
The Minutemen were one of four teams to compete in the first D 1-AA playoff after winning the Yankee Conference. They would lose the title game 35-28 to Florida AM and finish the year with a 9-4 record. UMass would make eight visits to the FCS playoffs and win the National Championship in 1998 with a 55-43 win over Georgia Southern. UMass made its third title game appearance and lost for the second time in 2006, dropping a 28-17 decision to Appalachian State.
Following the 2011 season, UMass made the transition to the highest level of collegiate football, joining the FBS and the Mid-American Conference. The Minutemen win just one game in each of their first two years as an FBS team and the school was forced out of the MAC following the 2015 campaign after it declined to become a full member. Whipple, who coached UMass to an FCS championship in 1998, was brought back in 2014 to lead the team back to relevance. It has yet to happen as the program has just eight victories in the last three years.
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