UMass has a very different problem: figuring out what its 4-1 start was worth. The Minutemen opened with a 37-21 win at Rutgers, which is a genuine result. Then they beat Sacred Heart, Stonehill and Sacramento State by a combined 108-30. Eastern Michigan was the first opponent with a real pulse since Rutgers, and the Eagles led 28-7 early before winning 38-14. Noah Kim threw for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Eastern Michigan scored on the ground through Braydon Bennett, Amareon Blue and Joey Mattord.
Holy Cross45-7
Stonehill36-14
Sacred Heart37-10
Miami's season has been all over the place. The RedHawks lost 14-59 at Pittsburgh, beat Holy Cross 45-7, and then played three straight 1-score games: a 31-35 loss at Cincinnati, the 24-21 win over UConn and the 20-24 loss to Bowling Green. That's a team that keeps games close and has lost 2 of the 3, and the Bowling Green loss also put them at 0-1 in MAC play. UMass is 1-1 in the league after the Eastern Michigan loss, so the winner here gets back to .500 in the conference or better.
UMass has its own availability question. Running back J. Washington sat out the Eastern Michigan game with an undisclosed injury, and the Minutemen managed just 14 points without him. On the passing side, William Watson III hit Max Dowling for a 34-yard score right before halftime, but the offense never closed the gap after that. Watch how Washington's status develops this week, because it will shape how the UMass offense looks against a Miami defense that has kept 3 straight games within a score.
The early forecast for Amherst is about as good as October gets: 65 degrees, clear skies and a 7 mph breeze, though that will change before Saturday. Weather shouldn't decide this one. It comes down to whether a Miami offense working through its backup can move the ball on the road, and whether UMass was getting by on its schedule until Eastern Michigan showed up.