2026 Season

[eldonabe]

Steve, it looks like my follow up rant got bounced off the page... Ok fine. Let me see if I can clean up what I said as follows:

- UMass football has been really bad since FBS inclusion (it is embarrassing). That is a fact that cannot be disputed.
- The reasons for FACT 1 vary, but most filter down to the FACT that the school has never fully bought in. Anyone arguing otherwise probably also needs help tying their own shoes
- UMass hired Bamford in 2015 and he has had to navigate the lack of institutional support his entire time here.
- UMass football has been abysmal (at best) in that time since Bamford arrived.
- Bamford was hired to get Umass into a better football conference than MAC. To be fair, they pulled out of MAC because they did not want to go MAC All sports. I think most can agree with that decision at that time

99.98% of the above is not disputable. So, I ask a simple question: What has Bamford done right since 2015 regarding football or basketball for that matter? The answer is basically nothing. UMass's "front port" sports have been floundering since 2015.

While acknowledging that the university has tied his hands to a large degree, why has he not been able to figure out something / anything to improve something / anything given those known restrictions? For the record - rejoining MAC is not the "anything" you think it is. They left MAC because they did not want to go all in.... the geography did not change in 12 years which was an original deterrent, and the MAC overall conference stature (rating) diminished considerably since we turned them down. Yet here we are, back again.

Again, acknowledging the lack of support.... he has not managed to do anything to instill any confidence that he (given some additional resources) can get things moving positively. So you (Steve) think the average UMass fan has no problem, and should be, paying more for "stuff" [to fund someone who has proven exactly nothing] is acceptable in your book? I would argue that he has more than enough money/support to at least not have the fucking mess he has with basketball - so in that regard, he has proven his ineptitude for improving anything, even if he has enough support in place.


Charging more only makes things cost more with nothing to show for it. You noted Econ 101 - well ROI is Econ 101. Paying more and getting nothing (or less) is the antithesis of your argument.

That is like giving a beggar on the street corner money to buy some food, but they take that money and go buy more drugs instead.


Your overall position is right with one glaring hole. Football desperately needs more support in terms of money - DESPERATELY. Nobody can argue against that. The problem is (the glaring hole) is that anyone with an ounce of pragmatic thought also knows that Bamford doesn't know what the fuck he is doing.... Thorr may be in charge of football but Thorr has a boss and his boss is an idiot. Until the idiot is out of the picture, there is ZERO evidence that giving this situation more money will fix a single fucking thing.

Very few people want to give Bamford more money just to watch him blow it on more drugs.

[Steve81]

Eldon you are correct with some of your points, but blame McCutcheon and support above far more than Bamford personally. Really don't want to go in why except McCutchen's scheduling so heavily with P5 conferences and there were years we were playing half a regular season worth of SEC teams got him asked to look for another job. Think this cost Whipple dearly.

But recent support has improved and where I differ. The Football HC salary has increase by 50%, we now have a separate Special Teams coach, instead of 1 recruiter position 4 and hired Thorr for 395K, who has a chunk of his responsibilities with football. There are other things including NIL support and IPF.

[vanmeter]

Steve,

To try to blame McCutcheon for the total failure of Bamford the past 11 years is ridiculous. With regards to Whipple it was Bamford who fired him simply because a very large donor told him to.

[eldonabe]

Eldon you are correct with some of your points, but blame McCutcheon and support above far more than Bamford personally. Really don't want to go in why expect McCutchen's scheduling so heavily with P5 conferences and there were years we were playing half a regular season worth of SEC teams. Think this cost Whipple dearly.

But recent support has improved and where I differ. The Football HC salary has increase by 50%, we now have a separate Special Teams coach, instead of 1 recruiter position 4 and hired Thorr for 395K, who has a chunk of his responsibilities with football. There are other things including NIL support and IPF.

Steve - stop... just stop. I didn't know McCutcheon controlled the schedule until this past year when we rejoined the MAC? And for the record, Whipple has 16 of the 28 total Wins in UMass FBS Era. Whipple also has TWICE AS MANY FBS wins as all their other FBS coaches COMBINED.

Since Bamford's arrival:
- UMass has won exactly 21 Games
- only 8 since Whipple left
- only half of those 8 wins above were against FBS competition.

But oh no... we had to play a tough schedule with Whip. Except for the fact they they had more wins with Whip that anyone else.

AND Nobody cares if we are paying the coach more - see Martin, Frank.... highest paid MA state employee (and highest paid MAC Hoops coach) who finishing 8th in an overall mediocre conference.

I (and a lot more people here and associated with this mess) do not trust Bamford to navigate his own driveway to get his mail let alone be a part of fixing UMass athletics.


Are you Steve Bamford - father of Ryan Bamford? It is about the only possible explanation for you carrying this morons water?

[inthescoop]

Blaming McCutcheon and not Bamford for what has happened with UMass athletics from 2015-2026.

Steve, to put it lightly, you are the clown of the message board.

[Steve81]

I was responding to Eldon's first item in the post of the top of the page, bad since FBS, and the immediately following items with dashes agree. I do blame McCutcheon for the lack of early traction and his scheduling hampered us through Whips years, but independent scheduling and no FBS media money played a role. Getting into a down spiral hole was on McCutcheon, getting us out is Bamford's challenge. So was getting us in a conference and Ryan had a 200k incentive for years but needed approval from above. 2021 was a case in point. (To be clear in assigning blame put leaders above the AD as #1 and #3 Ryan Bamford, not first like most of you posters on this page.)

Bamford has his share of blame, but so do the leaders above him. With the Chancellor change, Bamford has the support and has increased funding. Disappointing that last year was very bad, but see good signs and cautiously optimistic about this season, the topic of the thread. Not the past 14 years, not the last 10 or 4 years, this season.

Love hearing about the intensity of workouts, love of fellow players and coaching staff. Looking forward to the spring game.

[eldonabe]

Steve - hiring competent coaches and navigating the program through the overall landscape is Bamford's fucking job!!!!!

The guy started here making $500K and his pay has increase more than 80% all while achieving NOTHING during that time frame. The guy has the best job on the planet.... he is held to zero accountability and gets healthy annual raises while fucking up everything from a parking plan on a busy weekend in October to overpaying a past his prime D1 basketball coach (and fucking extending him even though he did NOTHING to earn an extension).

You all think Pat Kelsey was a dick... the guy was a fucking genius... He knew this was a shit show run by an in over his head AD and ran away before he committed suicide on his career.

Not one single coach hired by this moron has moved up after leaving UMass NOT 1. You can argue Verdi moved up, but he has sucked since leaving here and every other coach took a lesser job. UMass would have ended Kelsey's career too!



Back to original point - WHO IN FUCK wants to further fund a Bamford led athletic program?


Time for a break again............

[Steve81]

I think coach H will be successful in the end and know why you post so much now. When football is successful, you'll have zero chance getting rid of Bamford. Most sports are successful at UMass, but not the one you care most about. Let's see how both do next season. You can't stop or influence much here, the train is rolling, the coaches and players are working hard and wish them success and good health all year.

[minutefanjsf]

I think coach H will be successful in the end and know why you post so much now. When football is successful, you'll have zero chance getting rid of Bamford. Most sports are successful at UMass, but not the one you care most about. Let's see how both do next season. You can't stop or influence much here, the train is rolling, the coaches and players are working hard and wish them success and good health all year.

If football starts winning, Bamford will be gone. The losing is what is keeping him here.

[Scott O]

Eldon you are correct with some of your points, but blame McCutcheon and support above far more than Bamford personally. Really don't want to go in why expect McCutchen's scheduling so heavily with P5 conferences and there were years we were playing half a regular season worth of SEC teams. Think this cost Whipple dearly.

But recent support has improved and where I differ. The Football HC salary has increase by 50%, we now have a separate Special Teams coach, instead of 1 recruiter position 4 and hired Thorr for 395K, who has a chunk of his responsibilities with football. There are other things including NIL support and IPF.

Steve - stop... just stop. I didn't know McCutcheon controlled the schedule until this past year when we rejoined the MAC? And for the record, Whipple has 16 of the 28 total Wins in UMass FBS Era. Whipple also has TWICE AS MANY FBS wins as all their other FBS coaches COMBINED.

Since Bamford's arrival:
- UMass has won exactly 21 Games
- only 8 since Whipple left
- only half of those 8 wins above were against FBS competition.

But oh no... we had to play a tough schedule with Whip. Except for the fact they they had more wins with Whip that anyone else.

AND Nobody cares if we are paying the coach more - see Martin, Frank.... highest paid MA state employee (and highest paid MAC Hoops coach) who finishing 8th in an overall mediocre conference.

I (and a lot more people here and associated with this mess) do not trust Bamford to navigate his own driveway to get his mail let alone be a part of fixing UMass athletics.


Are you Steve Bamford - father of Ryan Bamford? It is about the only possible explanation for you carrying this morons water?

Preach

[Juice Stand]

I think coach H will be successful in the end and know why you post so much now. When football is successful, you'll have zero chance getting rid of Bamford

This is an insulting statement about a diehard UMass fan. We all know that Eldon is outspoken in his opinions, often with the use of loud words, but it's an insult to say that he's on this board just because he hates the AD. He was here long before Bamford, and I hope he's still here long after Bamford. Whether you like him or not, he is a longtime diehard UMass fan and I can guarantee you with absolute certainty that if football and men's basketball were rolling, making bowl games and tournaments, fillings McGuirk and Mullins, and Bamford somehow got us into a better conference, Eldon would be totally happy.

You can't stop or influence much here, the train is rolling, the coaches and players are working hard and wish them success and good health all year.

Wait, I thought the negative posting here was detrimental to recruiting and future success? Now it doesn't matter anymore? Post away fellas!

[Jack]

This is an insulting statement about a diehard UMass fan. We all know that Eldon is outspoken in his opinions, often with the use of loud words, but it's an insult to say that he's on this board just because he hates the AD.

I'm relieved to know that Juice is so vigilant and concerned about anybody possibly hurting poor defenseless Eldon's feelings. Since Eldon is so notoriously considerate of other's feelings....

[eldonabe]

This is an insulting statement about a diehard UMass fan. We all know that Eldon is outspoken in his opinions, often with the use of loud words, but it's an insult to say that he's on this board just because he hates the AD.

I'm relieved to know that Juice is so vigilant and concerned about anybody possibly hurting poor defenseless Eldon's feelings. Since Eldon is so notoriously considerate of other's feelings....

Sure Jan......

[ZooMass84]

I think coach H will be successful in the end and know why you post so much now. When football is successful, you'll have zero chance getting rid of Bamford. Most sports are successful at UMass, but not the one you care most about. Let's see how both do next season. You can't stop or influence much here, the train is rolling, the coaches and players are working hard and wish them success and good health all year.

If football starts winning, Bamford will be gone. The losing is what is keeping him here.

what is keeping him here is his connections...............how in God's name does he make a million $$$ a year for doing a shitty job? Let's be serious: UMass athletics has become mediocre AT BEST. The football team has descended into lower level 1AA/D2.

[Juice Stand]

This is an insulting statement about a diehard UMass fan. We all know that Eldon is outspoken in his opinions, often with the use of loud words, but it's an insult to say that he's on this board just because he hates the AD.

I'm relieved to know that Juice is so vigilant and concerned about anybody possibly hurting poor defenseless Eldon's feelings. Since Eldon is so notoriously considerate of other's feelings....

My pleasure, Jack!

For real though, this is just a place for us to come talk about UMass sports, good or bad, whether celebrating or letting off steam. I try not to sling mud unless someone attacks me personally, and I think what Steve said about Eldon is a load of BS, so I called it out. I think Eldon's a pretty decent guy that makes reasonable points, he's just very passionate about UMass and drops some F bombs more than occasionally.