Every week on the blog this football season, I'll project each UMass game based on expectations and how it affects the Minutemen's chances of reaching the postseason.

* A projected win (W) means - based on rankings, venue etc. The Minutemen should be considered the favorite.

* A projected loss (L) means the Minutemen would be considered the underdog in the game, that a UMass win would be considered an upset.

* A (?) means the game is too close to call right now.

I'll adjust the projections based on UMass' performance and the performance of the opponent as the season progresses.

Currently: 0-1

Date - Opponent - (Expected result on paper)

Sept. 5 at Kansas State  LOSS  - The Minutemen played well, but lost.

Sept. 12 vs. Albany (W) - Albany nearly upset Georgia Southern. Does that mean Albany is very good or that GSU is down. Still UMass is the favorite.

Sept. 19 vs. Rhode Island (W) - Rhody smoked Fordham. But there are still questions in Kingston.

Sept. 26 vs. Stony Brook (W) - The Sea Wolves fell at Hofstra and hasn't shown anything that would make an upset seem likely.

Oct. 10 at Delaware (?) - After beating Division II West Chester, the questions about the Blue Hens have yet to be answered.

Oct. 17 vs. New Hampshire (?) - New Hampshire didn't exactly shine in beating St. Francis. This is a home game.
Oct. 24 at Richmond (L) - After Richmond beat Duke, the Spiders look that much tougher to beat.

Oct. 31 at Maine (?) - Maine barely beat St. Cloud State, with some key players injured. Still a toss-up.

Nov. 7 vs. Northeastern (W) - The Huskies continue to run in quicksand.

Nov. 14 vs. James Madison (L) -  Are the Minutemen good enough to beat a top 10 team?

Nov. 21 at Hofstra (?) -  Beating Stony Brook is a good start, but hardly proves anything. 

Prognosis: The Minutemen are 0-1. That leaves UMass with four projected wins, two projected losses, and four toss-ups. To make the postseason the
Minutemen would need to win all four maybes to finish 8-3 and assure
itself a playoff spot.

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