REPORT: UMass Rejoining The MAC in 2025

Huge news is developing in the Mid-American Conference. Monday afternoon, The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach reported that the UMass Minutemen will join the MAC as

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Huge news is developing in the Mid-American Conference.

Monday afternoon, The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach reported that the UMass Minutemen will join the MAC as a full member in all sports, including football, for the 2025 fall season. 

SOURCE: The Mid-American Conference board today voted to add UMass as a full member, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

UMass will join the MAC in all sports (including football), source tells @TheAthletic. They've been an FBS independent.

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) February 26, 2024

The Minutemen's football program competed in the MAC from 2012 to 2015, their first four seasons in FBS. They compiled a record of 8-40 in that time. They have played as an FBS Independent since.

The College Football Playoff recently expanded their format from four teams to 12, giving the four highest seeds, and a first round bye, to the four highest-ranked conference champions. An independent would not be eligible for this.

UMass' addition would bring the MAC to 13 teams in football. The conference recently made the decision to do away with divisions beginning in 2024, giving the two spots in the MAC title game to the two teams with the best records.

With UMass shedding their status as an independent, Notre Dame and the University of Connecticut would be the only two FBS Independents remaining in 2025.

In 2024, Don Brown enters his third consecutive year as the head coach of the Minutemen. Brown was also the UMass head coach at the FCS level from 2004 to 2008.