2026 Season

[JoleonLescottsHair]

^ understood. I get that some don’t really follow basketball. That’s cool. Luckily you have a historically bad FBS program to make sure your MAC misery is complete.

[TheInsider]

Been following basketball at UMass since the late 80's.. the A10 was great for a long time. Many of those teams have left. More will leave.. I'm under no illusion that the MAC is better than the A10.. it's not. But the A10 is nowhere near what it used to be. If.. and it's a big if.. UMass can win and compete for a MAC championship year in and year out, I'll take that over being 8th on the A10 every year. People will show up when you win no matter what league you happen to be in.

[mew3782]

If UConn can do it, then UMass can do it 2x. Schools were equal(ly bad) as recently as three years ago. Anything else is excuses and overanalysis.

[kd68]

I will admit that they were both terrible in football, but definitely not basketball.

[Steve81]

I’m sure there will be a 2026 season but am hopeful there will not be many after that.

16 years ago the Board of Regents approved the UMass “upgrade” to FBS under the pretext that UMass FBS would become “self-sufficient” in 5 years. That is, cash flow from football operations would be positive and NO SUBSIDIES would ever be required from the state and cash strained students after the first 5 years. 16 years and 6 coaching staffs later-some sources claim $250m has been spent on annual operating costs and capital investments during this time-the state and students are annually funneling millions to the UMass Athletic department to keep this debacle financially solvent. The UMass admin’s antidote to this fiasco? Let’s implement an “overspend” solution to get us out of this insanity. As if the last 10 years hasn’t been an “overspend” scenario of precious public funds given the fact that the board approved this initiative under the assumption that it would be self-sufficient in 5 years.

It’s time for Beacon Hill to step up and cut off the subsidies to UMass football. Time to shift the financial burden away from taxpayers to the UMass community and the boosters and alumnae groups who claim this non sense will be beneficial to UMass the brand and UMass the institution.

After 14 years of humiliating on-field defeats, massive infusion of subsidies and 6 coaching staffs, UMass Football is nothing more than a punchline to a national joke-a very expensive, damaging one at that. If the UMass community wants to continue this untenable situation then the “overspend” and all related operating and capital costs needs to be on your dime.

That is total BS, the line was we would lose the same as FCS football with a much better upside.

[minutefanjsf]

I’m sure there will be a 2026 season but am hopeful there will not be many after that.

16 years ago the Board of Regents approved the UMass “upgrade” to FBS under the pretext that UMass FBS would become “self-sufficient” in 5 years. That is, cash flow from football operations would be positive and NO SUBSIDIES would ever be required from the state and cash strained students after the first 5 years. 16 years and 6 coaching staffs later-some sources claim $250m has been spent on annual operating costs and capital investments during this time-the state and students are annually funneling millions to the UMass Athletic department to keep this debacle financially solvent. The UMass admin’s antidote to this fiasco? Let’s implement an “overspend” solution to get us out of this insanity. As if the last 10 years hasn’t been an “overspend” scenario of precious public funds given the fact that the board approved this initiative under the assumption that it would be self-sufficient in 5 years.

It’s time for Beacon Hill to step up and cut off the subsidies to UMass football. Time to shift the financial burden away from taxpayers to the UMass community and the boosters and alumnae groups who claim this non sense will be beneficial to UMass the brand and UMass the institution.

After 14 years of humiliating on-field defeats, massive infusion of subsidies and 6 coaching staffs, UMass Football is nothing more than a punchline to a national joke-a very expensive, damaging one at that. If the UMass community wants to continue this untenable situation then the “overspend” and all related operating and capital costs needs to be on your dime.

That idea that football would have no subsidy is not accurate. The subsidy would be reduced and it has been.

[doubledribble]

I’m sure there will be a 2026 season but am hopeful there will not be many after that.

16 years ago the Board of Regents approved the UMass “upgrade” to FBS under the pretext that UMass FBS would become “self-sufficient” in 5 years. That is, cash flow from football operations would be positive and NO SUBSIDIES would ever be required from the state and cash strained students after the first 5 years. 16 years and 6 coaching staffs later-some sources claim $250m has been spent on annual operating costs and capital investments during this time-the state and students are annually funneling millions to the UMass Athletic department to keep this debacle financially solvent. The UMass admin’s antidote to this fiasco? Let’s implement an “overspend” solution to get us out of this insanity. As if the last 10 years hasn’t been an “overspend” scenario of precious public funds given the fact that the board approved this initiative under the assumption that it would be self-sufficient in 5 years.

It’s time for Beacon Hill to step up and cut off the subsidies to UMass football. Time to shift the financial burden away from taxpayers to the UMass community and the boosters and alumnae groups who claim this non sense will be beneficial to UMass the brand and UMass the institution.

After 14 years of humiliating on-field defeats, massive infusion of subsidies and 6 coaching staffs, UMass Football is nothing more than a punchline to a national joke-a very expensive, damaging one at that. If the UMass community wants to continue this untenable situation then the “overspend” and all related operating and capital costs needs to be on your dime.

That is total BS, the line was we would lose the same as FCS football with a much better upside.

Sorry Steve but what is total BS is the FB program. Have some more Koolaide.
I’ve known Thorr since he was an asst ticket manager, great guy & wonderful hire. I wish him the best but…..

[Steve81]

That is total BS, the line was we would lose the same as FCS football with a much better upside.

Sorry Steve but what is total BS is the FB program. Have some more Koolaide.
I’ve known Thorr since he was an asst ticket manager, great guy & wonderful hire. I wish him the best but…..

DD, understand your love of basketball and great disappointment with football. Yes, I’ve been optimistic to a fault. But posting BS about football’s FBS move dollar goal of not losing money is totally false.

We are all embarrassed about football FBS performance, but UMass has made a commitment to football and will continue to do so. Glad you like Thorr’s hire as well and do like we have a senior AD dedicated to football and it is seriously needed.

The money separation has occurred between the Power Conferences and even within the Power conferences. What a UMass needs to do now is learn better on identifying talent in our lane. Both basketball and football have had major NIL misses. When you can’t compete for the top talent or the edge of talent best 10%, the focus needs to be more on team chemistry. That is where we can win, but have failed this season and last season’s basketball team. Your post goes against the grain of building football team chemistry.

I don’t understand why people, who love basketball, come on the Football forum to say things about dropping football and implying basketball will have more $$. The state does not say, let’s support UMass budget of 50M. It is let’s support football because it brings the most alumni support and connections. If we did not have football, the Athletic budget would not be supported at 50M, so the narrative basketball would receive major new money is false.

The golden era of 30 years ago, when basketball could and did earn money is GONE! I don’t like to be negative and don’t post on the basketball forum to bring down the program. But to get us out of the A10. Basketball has 3-5 buy games a year costing us half or more of NCAA credits we received. The attendance last year of 2.7k would not pay half Frank’s salary. Last time I checked, could not find the A10 net rankings but looked at the early coaches and AP polls and not a single A10 team even received a vote.

My belief is the A10 lost most of it’s benefits as the Power Conferenced successfully limited money to other conferences and the creation of the Big East, that is so far ahead of any other non-football conference and on par with the American in media contract.

What I focus on was first getting out of the A10 into a conference that we can be successful in all sports. Then, once we have cemented the winning culture back can think about improving to a conference like the American during the big wave that will hit in the early 2030’s. So instead of focusing on the negative, choice to limit the negativity and look for actions to support that goal. With the football commitment we can improve. If you like the prospects of being in the American and in future generation, perhaps better, please moderate your negativity in general about UMass Football.

[stevemaz]

I like 6-6 next year

[Steve81]

The Globe article is out. Decide to pay the $1 for 26 weeks but when doing so, they said I had an account and had to pay$$.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/ ... newsletter

UMass insists resources are on the way for its football program, but after years of losing, is that just another excuse?
Most institutions and companies would not put up with nearly two decades of results ranging from poor to embarrassing.

UMass Amherst has.

Its shipwrecked football program is nearing the end of its 15th consecutive losing season, its 0-11 start leaving it ranked last among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the country.

It looks as if the ineptitude has caught the attention of school leaders, who say a salvage plan is on the way. The catch is it’s going to take a few more years for the plan to take root and bear wins. Supporters find the lack of urgency to field even a respectable team as disconcerting as the annual dismal results.

Read more at Globe.com/Sports

[doubledribble]

The Globe article is out but refused to pay for the Globe.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/ ... newsletter

UMass insists resources are on the way for its football program, but after years of losing, is that just another excuse?
Most institutions and companies would not put up with nearly two decades of results ranging from poor to embarrassing.

UMass Amherst has.

Its shipwrecked football program is nearing the end of its 15th consecutive losing season, its 0-11 start leaving it ranked last among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the country.

It looks as if the ineptitude has caught the attention of school leaders, who say a salvage plan is on the way. The catch is it’s going to take a few more years for the plan to take root and bear wins. Supporters find the lack of urgency to field even a respectable team as disconcerting as the annual dismal results.

Read more at Globe.com/Sports

More bad publicity for the program.
Article contains many interesting stats about schools that have gone from FCS TO FBS.

Rene Ingoglia, a former All-American running back at UMass and current college football analyst at ESPN, questions the degree of commitment to the football program from university and state leadership, especially at a moment when southern colleges are luring students from the Northeast.

See reader comments at end of article.

[ZooMass84]

Time will tell if moving to the MAC for basketball was a good deal.

It wasn’t.

…Cue Innervisions writing “it was the correct move.”

Cue @D_U_N with his "logic" #Dumb_User_Name

[eldonabe]

The Globe article is out. Decide to pay the $1 for 26 weeks but when doing so, they said I had an account and had to pay$$.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/ ... newsletter

UMass insists resources are on the way for its football program, but after years of losing, is that just another excuse?
Most institutions and companies would not put up with nearly two decades of results ranging from poor to embarrassing.

UMass Amherst has.

Its shipwrecked football program is nearing the end of its 15th consecutive losing season, its 0-11 start leaving it ranked last among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the country.

It looks as if the ineptitude has caught the attention of school leaders, who say a salvage plan is on the way. The catch is it’s going to take a few more years for the plan to take root and bear wins. Supporters find the lack of urgency to field even a respectable team as disconcerting as the annual dismal results.

Read more at Globe.com/Sports

I swear I am not a Globe Writer.... but that sure looks like a sampling of my work here.

[doubledribble]

The Globe article is out. Decide to pay the $1 for 26 weeks but when doing so, they said I had an account and had to pay$$.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/ ... newsletter

UMass insists resources are on the way for its football program, but after years of losing, is that just another excuse?
Most institutions and companies would not put up with nearly two decades of results ranging from poor to embarrassing.

UMass Amherst has.

Its shipwrecked football program is nearing the end of its 15th consecutive losing season, its 0-11 start leaving it ranked last among the 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the country.

It looks as if the ineptitude has caught the attention of school leaders, who say a salvage plan is on the way. The catch is it’s going to take a few more years for the plan to take root and bear wins. Supporters find the lack of urgency to field even a respectable team as disconcerting as the annual dismal results.

Read more at Globe.com/Sports

I swear I am not a Globe Writer.... but that sure looks like a sampling of my work here.

Make sure to See reader comments at end of article.

[Camby4Life]

The Globe article is out. Decide to pay the $1 for 26 weeks but when doing so, they said I had an account and had to pay$$.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/ ... newsletter

I swear I am not a Globe Writer.... but that sure looks like a sampling of my work here.

Make sure to See reader comments at end of article.

The first place I go for reasonable, unbiased opinions is the comment section of globe articles. C’mon man.