State of the Progam

[eldonabe]

When you suck as bad as we have sucked, 5 wins is 5 wins. The quality of the opponents is irrelevant. This is how a winning culture begins...and yes it needs to begin. The thought that we have to be competitive with Missouri or the 5 wins are less than, is stupid for a team that has 5 wins total over the last 3 years. Steps in the right direction gets you better recruits which leads to more wins and more competitive football against the P4s

Agreed - but the clock is ticking A LOT faster than you all realize. Umass needs to get up to speed fast.

The ACC is imploding and that is going to cause a shift in conference affiliations that UMass cannot afford to be left on the outside looking in. Maz is constantly putting up his Umass Cosplay scenarios and while I think he is Crazy - he is also correct in the conference shifting that is not too far away now.

Until proven otherwise - Umass is one of the worst teams in the worst conference in FBS football. Those schools are not on anyone's wish list for conference additions.

[Quann]

When you suck as bad as we have sucked, 5 wins is 5 wins. The quality of the opponents is irrelevant. This is how a winning culture begins...and yes it needs to begin. The thought that we have to be competitive with Missouri or the 5 wins are less than, is stupid for a team that has 5 wins total over the last 3 years. Steps in the right direction gets you better recruits which leads to more wins and more competitive football against the P4s

Agreed - but the clock is ticking A LOT faster than you all realize. Umass needs to get up to speed fast.

The ACC is imploding and that is going to cause a shift in conference affiliations that UMass cannot afford to be left on the outside looking in. Maz is constantly putting up his Umass Cosplay scenarios and while I think he is Crazy - he is also correct in the conference shifting that is not too far away now.

Until proven otherwise - Umass is one of the worst teams in the worst conference in FBS football. Those schools are not on anyone's wish list for conference additions.

MAC was not the worst conference last year. Just saying

[LS71]

Found this on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/a2U2Iq_9frM

[stevemaz]

a new era dawns..

[m626t]

The Slavic dating site might be worth a look

[TruBluMaroon]

Day 3 of the NFL draft starts with Victor Cruz and Brandon London announcing the Giants pick from Germany……maybe as the program grows, every team will have UM guys announcing their picks on Day 2 and then Day 1!!

[m626t]

How come from Germany? some Euro NFL situation?

[minutefanjsf]

How come from Germany? some Euro NFL situation?

NFL playing games there this year.

[Juice Stand]

Can UMass sell hope? Why college football’s losingest program believes it can win by Matt Baker, The Athletic/NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/635432 ... nil-coach/

[LS71]

^ Three of the top ten in losses are in the MAC...UMass, Akron and Kent State.

I don't know why but this time around I feel a positive vibe about the coach and the program.

[eldonabe]

Can UMass sell hope? Why college football’s losingest program believes it can win by Matt Baker, The Athletic/NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/635432 ... nil-coach/

I have highlighted some of the stats noted in that article on this board (specifically the win totals) and some of the other stats are just as atrocious.

I am a little disappointed they lumped Whip in with ALL the other "failed" coaches. He had a 3rd of all the wins and more than all the rest combined versus other FBS teams.


I am not gonna lie, I am a little bit encouraged that they are going to spend some money finally, but they have to push a really big rock up a really tall hill. They have to win some games and not just against FCS teams. If they can get 2 or 3 in MAC this year plus the FCS game, I might even call that positive momentum.

[econalum]

That Athletic article justifiably emphasizes the UMass position of straddling having mediocre FCS funding while wading into the FBS Independent wilderness. IMO, UMass lost a generation of potential football fans in the dorms and frats with all of this losing - will it be able to regain them? Count me dubious.

As with basketball, too many attendees are 50+ OR <12 YEARS old.

Only hockey energizes the current student/young alum base.

How Bamford has kept his job should be counted as a miracle, with all the losses and coach turnover.

Finally, we are now in a conference, but one that is essentially an FBS afterthought, with mid-week TV exposure, as the Power 4 will continue to scoop up TV $$'s and mindshare. Will we be better off, or just rowing to board the Titanic?

We'll see.

[MikeUMA]

UMass lost a generation of potential football fans in the dorms and frats with all of this losing - will it be able to regain them?

Winning cures a lot of ills. It'll take more than a few MAC wins to build any kind of sustainable momentum, but anything more than the near zero we've had lately is a start.

The good thing with college is that every year you have a whole new group of kids who want to tap into the experience, including cheering on their team. Show 'em some wins and they'll come, and more importantly, come back. With that you can start to build a new fanbase. You might not get back the ones you turned off with a crap product on the field, but you can start anew.

[MikeUMA]

Can UMass sell hope? Why college football’s losingest program believes it can win by Matt Baker, The Athletic/NY Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/635432 ... nil-coach/

Interesting additional context in his X thread
https://x.com/MattBakerCFB/status/1922655425268236758

[ZooMass84]

Hope springs eternal!!!!! Go ZOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!