In some news that has ramifications for UMass, it has been reported that the NEC champion will soon receive an auto-bid to the FCS-I-AA playoffs.
The Northeast Conference may be playoff eligible as soon as 2008.
As FCS/I-AA football fans know, NEC teams racked up two major upsets last year when Albany beat Delaware and CCSU stunned GSU. Both Albany and Stony Brook have committed to full scholarships and want to increase their football standing.
Since the FCS/I-AA playoff match ups are selected by region, not by seeding, UMass could be seeing a lot of NEC teams in the future first rounds of the playoffs.