UMass Announces Intention To Play Football in Fall 2020

[Steve1981]

It was a very bad decision and the lack of recognizing and correcting the mistake made it worse.
Our Athletic Dept is losing tens of millions of dollars this year and playing no football. You are are worried about losing $60k on a road game actually playing football.

It's about priorities. Yes, the University is projected to lose 170M due to Covid. The athletic department will be cut by 20% or 8 Million. So 57 people have been furloughed, BB and football head coaches took a 10% pay cut along with the AD and every one else took a 2% pay cut with 10 days off, no pay.

That said the donors have stepped up and 200k* or less to play 4 games will mostly be accounted for. *Which is a wild guess, as two games will be almost no cost if it's Liberty and Army is just about a done deal. The athletic department did an additional Covid fund raiser and football specific donations where 130,485 or most of the cost.

UMass Athletics Flagship Forward | Flagship Forward

minutefund.umass.edu

We are at rock bottom and last year started with 56 scholarship players, with sever personal shortages on defense and both lines where 4 walk ons where starters. UMass is extremely young as well as the coaching staff. They all need game time experience and it is the appropriate decision to play and give those that needed experience.

Optically it is a positive to others as in the past (hopefully) said UMass was never serious about football. We have spent over 50M on football facilities on campus (dig) with the IPF, Performance Center, Press and Skybox, video boards and other improvements.

 

[Adios]

It was a very bad decision and the lack of recognizing and correcting the mistake made it worse.
Our Athletic Dept is losing tens of millions of dollars this year and playing no football. You are are worried about losing $60k on a road game actually playing football.

I am not the one worried, try again.

 

[Steve1981]

Good luck, but Sept 04th is a long way off. Will look forward to Oct 9th.

Your last two games look the toughest and still looking for 2 games, really. Your schedule looks softer except we are playing 2 other former Yankee Conference foes, plus you guys. Guess it's all good.

• 08/28 - at Fresno State
• 09/02 - Holy Cross
• 09/11 - Purdue
• 09/18 - at Army
• 09/25 - Wyoming
• 10/02 - at Vanderbilt
• 10/09 - at UMass
• 10/23 - Middle Tennessee
• 11/13 - at Clemson
• 11/20 - at UCF

Ours is more front loaded with Pitt, BC, and Toledo

• 09/04 - at Pitt
• 09/11 - Boston College
• 09/18 - Eastern Michigan
• 09/25 - at Coastal Carolina
• 10/02 - Toledo
• 10/09 - UConn
• 10/23 - at Florida State
• 10/30 - at Liberty
• 11/06 - Rhode Island
• 11/13 - Maine
• 11/20 - at Army
• 11/27 - at New Mexico State
  
  
  

 

[uconnric]

It was a very bad decision and the lack of recognizing and correcting the mistake made it worse.
Our Athletic Dept is losing tens of millions of dollars this year and playing no football. You are are worried about losing $60k on a road game actually playing football.

So in your logic we should play against whatever crappy team has an opening and lose more money while doing it? Brilliant.

 

[Slick]

So in your logic we should play against whatever crappy team has an opening and lose more money while doing it? Brilliant.

Chief not thinking clearly.

 

[Chief00]

So in your logic we should play against whatever crappy team has an opening and lose more money while doing it? Brilliant.

We needed to play, even if not the perfect opponent and paycheck. We have made bad coaching hiring decisions and can theoretically recover from them. However, it’s going to be very difficult to recover from a decision that at its heart questions our commitment to football.

 

[Madmannsucks]

We needed to play, even if not the perfect opponent and paycheck. We have made bad coaching hiring decisions and can theoretically recover from them. However, it’s going to be very difficult to recover from a decision that at its heart questions our commitment to football.

Frankly, I questioned that when they left the AAC.

 

[Adios]

Naaa, they don't take football seriously. I mean, they spent over $100 mil on facilities, including a stadium in a very accessible location, even looks decent, with skyline views of Hartford from some upper deck seats, has good food, with a large parking lot for tailgates people rave about.

They most definitely take it as seriously as the UConn Quidditch team. What a shame.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Naaa, they don't take football seriously. I mean, they spent over $100 mil on facilities, including a stadium in a very accessible location, even looks decent, with skyline views of Hartford from some upper deck seats, has good food, with a large parking lot for tailgates people rave about.

They most definitely take it as seriously as the UConn Quidditch team. What a shame.

How about investing in 2019 $1M in locker room improvements for practice? No commitment.

 

[uconnbill]

Naaa, they don't take football seriously. I mean, they spent over $100 mil on facilities, including a stadium in a very accessible location, even looks decent, with skyline views of Hartford from some upper deck seats, has good food, with a large parking lot for tailgates people rave about.

They most definitely take it as seriously as the UConn Quidditch team. What a shame.

Still not sure why you don't follow Wesleyan and other D-3 schools. That is more your speed

 

[Hoophound]

Still not sure why you don't follow Wesleyan and other D-3 schools. That is more your speed

He does.

 

[Adios]

Still not sure why you don't follow Wesleyan and other D-3 schools. That is more your speed

You clearly can't read into sarcasm directed at those who say UConn is not commited to football. When did I really ever say UConn is not committed to the football program?

Speaking of speed...

 

[Adios]

He does.

Still would like to check out Bowdoin, but probably not going to happen.

Oh, forgot to mention, NESCAC football season has been cancelled!

 

[Hoophound]

Still would like to check out Bowdoin, but probably not going to happen.

What is happening with your health? You’ve made a couple of references that concerned me. I know you liked to get around to various games when possible and it sounds like you don’t expect to be doing that anymore.

 

[HuskyV]

Would there be any downside to a UConn-UMass game Thanksgiving weekend?

Give the kids a reward for fall practice.

Limited capacity - charge a premium - split with schools and charities.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Would there be any downside to a UConn-UMass game Thanksgiving weekend?

Give the kids a reward for fall practice.

Limited capacity - charge a premium - split with schools and charities.

Would there be any upside? There is only downside

 

[Drew]

Would there be any upside? There is only downside

The student athletes get to play the sport they train year round for? Or do we not care about what's in their best interest?

 

[hardcorehusky]

The student athletes get to play the sport they train year round for? Or do we not care about what's in their best interest?

Ask the governor for clearance, see what he says. We can't do high school football and no other college team is playing in the state. But he'll change his mind for this.

 

[HuskyV]

Would there be any upside? There is only downside

Life is about doing things.......taking risks and being rewarded.

Team gets much needed game experience & reward for practicing.
Fans, if allowed to attend, could raise $$$ for athletic programs & Charites
New Englander's get a positive start to the holiday season.

Or we can continue the 8th month debating and discussing exciting trends in C19 infections heading into Winter.

I gave you 3. What is the downside?

 

[CTBballfan243]

I haven't been following college football (or any sports) that closely. So based on this topic I see UMass has decided to play football this fall. How have they been doing? What is their record? Have they played any Power 5 teams? Are fans allowed to watch?

 

[BlueDogs]

Would there be any downside to a UConn-UMass game Thanksgiving weekend?

Give the kids a reward for fall practice.

Limited capacity - charge a premium - split with schools and charities.

Great idea. But, that requires big bruised egos to concede their error. Not going to happen, even if it makes all the sense in the world.

 

[HuskyV]

They are playing at Georgia Southern on the 17th filling in for a C19 effected team. Not sure if anything else is in the works.

 

[DoctorWho85]

I haven't been following college football (or any sports) that closely. So based on this topic I see UMass has decided to play football this fall. How have they been doing? What is their record? Have they played any Power 5 teams? Are fans allowed to watch?

They have won less games than uconn recently and that should be telling

 

[gioff2323]

They are playing at Georgia Southern on the 17th filling in for a C19 effected team. Not sure if anything else is in the works.

i am sure there AD is calling around to future opponents of Baylor

 

[Steve1981]

Should hear something this week or next. Army is almost a done deal as well as a few others. Also on call for fill ins like Georgia Southern.

Shocking how young the team is and why we need to play, more so than UConn.
UMass First Depth Chart of the 2020 Season