1998 UMass Minutemen football team
| 1998 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings |
| | Conf | | | Overall |
| Team | | W | | L | | | | | W | | L | |
| New England |
| #8 Connecticut x^
| | 6
| – | 2
| | | | | 10
| – | 3
| |
| #12 UMass x^
| | 6
| – | 2
| | | | | 12
| – | 3
| |
| Maine
| | 3
| – | 5
| | | | | 6
| – | 5
| |
| New Hampshire
| | 3
| – | 5
| | | | | 4
| – | 7
| |
| Rhode Island
| | 2
| – | 6
| | | | | 3
| – | 8
| |
| Mid–Atlantic |
| #5 Richmond x†^
| | 7
| – | 1
| | | | | 9
| – | 3
| |
| #22 Delaware
| | 4
| – | 4
| | | | | 7
| – | 4
| |
| Villanova
| | 4
| – | 4
| | | | | 6
| – | 5
| |
| #16 William & Mary
| | 4
| – | 4
| | | | | 7
| – | 4
| |
| Northeastern
| | 3
| – | 5
| | | | | 5
| – | 6
| |
| James Madison
| | 2
| – | 6
| | | | | 3
| – | 8
| |
| |
† – Conference champion
x – Division champion/co-champions
^ – Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network I–AA Poll |
The 1998 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts. 1998 was the most successful season in Minutemen history, as UMass won their first National Championship in the NCAA DI-AA playoffs in Whipple's first year with the team. UMass entered the postseason as champions of the A-10, but were not expected to make a serious run for the title. They reached the final game ranked 12th in the nation, and were matched up with perennial powerhouse Georgia Southern, the top ranked team in the country. The Minutemen rushed out of the gates, scoring three touchdowns in the opening quarter, and won the shootout by a final score of 55–43. UMass finished the season with a record of 12–3 overall and 6–2 in conference play.
Schedule
| Date |
Time |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
|---|
| September 3, 1998 |
7:00 PM |
at #3 Delaware |
|
Delaware Stadium • Newark, DE |
|
L 30–33 |
20,744 |
| September 12, 1998 |
1:00 PM |
at Richmond |
|
UR Stadium • Richmond, VA |
|
W 22–17 |
10,219 |
| September 26, 1998 |
1:00 PM |
Buffalo* |
|
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA |
|
W 51–27 |
11,672 |
| October 3, 1998 |
12:00 PM |
at #5 Hofstra* |
|
Hofstra Stadium • Hempstead, NY |
|
W 40–35 |
5,308 |
| October 10, 1998 |
1:00 PM |
James Madison |
#24 |
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA |
|
W 28–26 |
14,202 |
| October 17, 1998 |
1:30 PM |
at Connecticut |
#18 |
Memorial Stadium • Storrs, CT |
|
L 41–44 |
8,581 |
| October 24, 1998 |
1:00 PM |
Villanova |
#19 |
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA |
|
W 36–26 |
12,135 |
| October 31, 1998 |
12:30 PM |
at New Hampshire |
#16 |
Cowell Stadium • Durham, NH |
|
W 27–26 |
3,578 |
| November 7, 1998 |
12:00 PM |
at Rhode Island |
#12 |
Meade Stadium • Kingston, RI |
|
W 23–13 |
5,036 |
| November 14, 1998 |
12:30 PM |
Maine |
#10 |
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA |
|
W 55–34 |
10,355 |
| November 21, 1998 |
12:30 PM |
Connecticut* |
#7 |
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA |
|
L 27–28 |
16,392 |
| November 28, 1998 |
7:00 PM |
at McNeese State* |
#12 |
Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round) |
|
W 21–19 |
11,349 |
| December 5, 1998 |
12:00 PM |
Lehigh* |
#12 |
McGuirk Stadium • Amherst, MA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinals) |
|
W 27–21 |
12,108 |
| December 12, 1998 |
2:00 PM |
at Northwestern State* |
#12 |
Turpin Stadium • Natchitoches, LA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinals) |
|
W 41–31 |
10,424 |
| December 19, 1998 |
2:00 PM |
vs. #1 Georgia Southern* |
#12 |
Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game) |
ESPN |
W 55–43 |
17,501 |
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from the FCS Sports Network Poll,[1] unless otherwise noted. All times are in Eastern Time. |
References
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| | Seasons | |
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| National championship seasons in bold |
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| | | Champion – Massachusetts Minutemen |
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