The UMass Minutemen rejoined the Mid-American Conference in 2025 after nine seasons as an FBS independent. Their return to the fiercely competitive MAC tested the mettle of new coach Joe Harasymiak and his squad.
Week after week, UMass fought to find its footing, but on Tuesday, the final whistle sounded on a grueling season as Bowling Green dealt a 45-14 defeat. The Minutemen walked away as the 19th team in history to finish a season winless, at 0-12.
UMass Ends First Season of MAC Re-Entry With a Historic ‘0-Fer’
UMass competed as an associate member of the MAC from 2013 to 2015. After going independent from 2016 to 2024, it re-entered the MAC. The program received and accepted a full-time MAC membership invitation in February 2024.
The 2024 season was tumultuous for the Minutemen. They fired coach Don Brown after 10 games. Shane Montgomery replaced him as interim coach for the next two games. Building on a 2-10 record and excitement to rejoin the MAC, the program hired former Maine head coach Harasymiak. He most recently spent three seasons at Rutgers as defensive coordinator.
But the season was harsh for UMass from the get-go; it had two chances to avoid the 0-12 mark, but the program couldn’t capitalize on its opportunities, and a couple of lapses sealed its fate.
0-12 teams:
1981 Colorado State
1998 Hawaii
2003 Army (0-13)
2003 SMU
2005 New Mexico State
2006 Duke
2006 FIU
2008 Washington
2009 Eastern Michigan
2009 WKU
2012 Southern Miss
2013 Georgia State
2013 Miami OH
2015 Kansas
2015 UCF
2017 UTEP
2019 Akron
2024 Kent State
2025 UMass— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) November 26, 2025
UMass started the season ominously, losing to Temple 42-10. The Minutemen could have won their second game against FCS program Bryant, leading by as many as 17 points before succumbing to a 27-26 loss. The next four games were complete blowouts, with losses to Iowa (47-7), Missouri (42-6), Western Michigan (21-3), and last year’s “MAC wooden spoon” recipient, Kent State, 42-6.
They had their second chance of gaining the elusive victory, leading 21-20 over Buffalo with a minute left in regulation. However, they were penalized and forced to punt, paving the way for the last-second Bulls touchdown and a 28-21 result.
UMass danced with disaster in the next four games, losing by at least 25 points to Central Michigan (38-13), Akron (44-10), Northern Illinois (45-3), and Ohio (42-14). This made their final home game of the season against Bowling Green all the more important. At stake in this game was their pride and avoiding the date with infamy.
UMass Fails To Halt Bowling Green Train, Falls to 0–12
With the 0-12 record on the line at the McGuirk Alumni Stadium, UMass stepped onto the field with a mission to win its first game of the season and avoid the infamous mark. However, the Minutemen allowed the Falcons to score 28 straight points in the first 20 minutes.
It took them 26 minutes and 30 seconds to score after Grant Jordan threw a 28-yarder to Reece Adkins, reducing the deficit to 28-7. UMass forced a punt, paving the way for another touchdown drive, highlighted by Jordan’s two-yard TD pass to Max Dowling to cut Bowling Green’s lead to 14 at the half.
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The second half was more of the Minutemen failing to make their plays count, as their first two plays ended up with a three-and-out and a turnover. The possession allowed Bowling Green to capitalize, scoring on a 24-yard run on a 4th-and-1. UMass continued its run of misfortune in the fourth, as their defense allowed a field goal and a rushing touchdown to complete the rout 45-14.
Counting on the previous season’s four straight losses, it was the Minutemen’s 16th straight setback, and the offseason will be an opportunity for them to retool their roster. It has the No. 105-ranked 2026 recruiting class in the 247Sports rankings with 16 commitments.
