The University of Massachusetts has announced it will join the Mid-America Conference to play football only beginning in 2012.

The Minutemen, currently a member of the Colonial Athletic Association in the Football Championship Sub-Division, will officially make the announcements at 3:30 pm on Wednesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. While UMass will begin MAC football play in 2012, it will not be eligible for a MAC title or bowl opportunities until 2013. UMass was 6-5 last season. As part of the NCAA requirements for moving up a level, UMass will have to increase its scholarship limit from 63 to 85 and average a minimum of 15,000 fans the first two seasons, or go under review by the NCAA.
The Minutemen won a national title at the FCS level in 1998; they lost to Appalachian State in the national finals in 2006. And with the addition of UMass, the MAC has increased its membership to 14 teams.