Minutemen were hand-picked, self-trained members of an elite militia force ready to respond to threats at a minute’s notice. Presently in college football, there isn’t a less appropriate nickname than the UMass Minutemen.
Ranked 130th in the HERO Sports Preseason College Football Rankings, UMass has one victory since November 2018 and 19 total wins in eight seasons since returning to the FBS in 2012, the second-fewest among all full-time FBS members over that time. Their lone win last season was an eight-point triumph over lowly Akron, and their 11 losses came by an average of 37 points. (All 11 losses came by at least 21 points, including seven losses by at least 34 points). Even with a depleted roster and low expectations, it was a nightmare season for first-year head coach Walt Bell.
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The bad news: UMass had zero spring practices and will enter the season with another mid-level FCS roster filled with inexperience and minimal mid- or high-level talent. They lost cornerback (and return man) Isaiah Rodgers and don’t return any receivers who had more than 400 yards last season.
The not-awful news: It can’t get worse in several areas (the defense ranked dead last in many categories, including points per play, yards per play, and yards per rush), and the roster is marginally better thanks to a few early enrollees, namely true freshman running back Jared Cole, and transfers, including Notre Dame cornerback Noah Boykin and JUCO running back Ellis Meriweather.
Even with one of the nation’s easiest schedules, it’s hard to see UMass avoiding a fourth one-win season in nine years (or avoiding their first-ever winless season). They lost to lowly UConn by three touchdowns last year, and struggled to beat an atrocious Akron team, both of whom are on the road schedule this year. And this year’s FCS opponent (Albany) is arguably better than last year’s (Southern Illinois), who pounded the Minutemen.
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | at UConn | Loss (0-1) |
| Sept. 12 | vs. Troy | Loss (0-2) |
| Sept. 19 | vs. Albany | Loss (0-3) |
| Sept. 26 | at App State | Loss (0-4) |
| Oct. 3 | at New Mexico | Loss (0-5) |
| Oct. 10 | vs. Temple | Loss (0-6) |
| Oct. 17 | at Akron | Loss (0-7) |
| Oct. 24 | vs. FIU | Loss (0-8) |
| Nov. 7 | vs. New Mexico State | Win (1-8) |
| Nov. 14 | at Auburn | Loss (1-9) |
| Nov. 21 | vs. Army | Loss (1-10) |
| Nov. 28 | at Liberty | Loss (1-11) |
