The UMass Minutemen have finalized their 2012 non-conference football schedule, the school announced today.
2012 will be the first season for UMass in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Minutemen announced in April that they were leaving the Colonial Athletic Association in the FCS to join the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
UMass will play a full MAC schedule in 2012 and will be eligible for the MAC Championship Game and bowls beginning with the 2013 season.
The Minutemen open the 2012 season on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the UConn Huskies. UMass will then host Indiana on Sept. 8, travel to Michigan on Sept. 15 and to Vanderbilt on Oct. 27.
UMass will play their 2012-13 home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
“We feel this is a tremendous non-conference schedule to secure for our first season at the FBS level,” said University of Massachusetts Athletics Director John McCutcheon. “This will be a challenge to be sure, but we believe it sends a clear message about our commitment to building a competitive FBS football program.”
“This schedule certainly legitimizes the announcement that we are going to the next level,” said head coach Kevin Morris. “With Gillette Stadium as our home field, the citizens of Massachusetts will have a premier football venue to watch their team compete at college football’s highest level. There is no better time to be a student-athlete, alumnus or fan of UMass football.”
Football Schedules:
Any word on what the new MAC divisions will look like? I’m assuming since they have 4 non-conference opponents that it’s an 8-game schedule, so 6 games within the division and 2 in the other division.
Nothing on that yet.