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UMass latest program to consider dropping out of the FBS (Updated)

*** Updated story ***

UMass is staying in the FBS for now.

Thursday morning the UMass Faculty Senate, a body that advises the chancellor, put forth a motion to either drop football from the FBS or eliminate it altogether. After the Faculty Senate stated its case, the senators voted on the matter.

The most outspoken defender of keeping the football program was chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who made a passionate plea to the senators to keep the football program. In the end, however, the decision whether or not to drop football, would have rested with the chancelor, president and athletic director.

*** Original story ***

The arms race in college football continues to create a chasm between the Power Five teams and the Group of Five teams.

That has become evident in the past week as at least two athletic departments — Idaho and Eastern Michigan — have come under fire to re-evaluate their athletic priorities.

Idaho announced Thursday plans to drop down from the FBS to the FCS, an unprecedented move, by 2018. Faculty and students have called for Eastern Michigan, whose football program hasn’t had a winning season since 1995, to move from the FBS to Division II in all sports.

And now, UMass might be contemplating a similar type of step backward.

On Thursday, the university’s Faculty Senate discussed a motion to "urge Chancellor Subbaswamy, President Meehan, and the Board of Trustees of the University to end Division I football (Football Bowl Subdivision) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and either move to a different division or discontinue NCAA football altogether."

This isn’t the first time this subject has surfaced in the Faculty Senate. UMass’ time in the FBS was on a sort of experimental basis, which was supposed to be reassessed in three years. Now that that trial period has run its course and the Minutemen are embarking on Year Five, the Faculty Senate wants to broach whether the move to the FBS has been worthwhile and whether its sustainable in the future.

While past attempts to do away with college football have failed, the Faculty Senate might have some momentum on its side considering Idaho’s predicament. Like the Vandals, the Minutemen are without a conference after being pushed out of the MAC. UMass schedule to play as an independent for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. UMass has won just eight games during its four FBS years and has spent nearly $9 million to keep the program afloat.

Those costs will increase without the excess money that comes from a conference backing. Also, the team will struggle to find enough opponents to not only fill the schedule but also to come to Massachusetts to provide in-house revenue.

Idaho’s move to the FCS and ultimately the Big Sky Conference was out of necessity and sustainability. UMass will be facing a similar situation in the coming years if not already.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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