For nearly 20 years , UMass had intermittently considered moving its football program from the second-tier Division I FCS to the top-level Division I FBS ( the subdivisions were respectively known as Divisions I-AA and I-A before 2006 ) . The issue of an FBS move became more pressing to the UMass administration in the late 2000s due to significant changes in the CAA . Two full CAA members and natural football rivals for UMass , Northeastern ( located in Boston ) and Hofstra ( on Long Island ) , dropped football after the 2009 season . Another New England school with football-only membership in the CAA , Rhode Island , was soon to announce that it would leave the CAA for the Northeast Conference in the near future . In addition , Villlanova , a longtime member of the Big East Conference but a CAA football member , had long been rumored to be contemplating a move to Big East football . According to UMass athletic director James McCutcheon , these changes would have greatly impacted UMass football had it stayed in the CAA — most significantly in increased travel costs due to the CAA apparently becoming a more Southern-based league
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2010–13 Colonial Athletic Association realignment