College football is back, and on Thursday night, fans had a whole slate of games to tune in for.
However, there was one game in particular that stood out among the rest as the UMass Minutemen took on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights out of the Big Ten, who entered the game as 29.5-point favorites.
UMass Upsets Rutgers
While many were backing Rutgers for obvious reasons, it was the Minutemen who pulled off the shocking upset and dominated the game from start to finish, winning 37-21.
They led 24-7 at halftime and never gave up the lead, thanks in large part to a stellar performance from quarterback William Watson. He finished 19-for-22 for 197 yards and three touchdowns while adding 40 rushing yards on six carries.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Rutgers paid UMass $1.55 million to come to Piscataway and play the Scarlet Knights in Week 1.
MASS CHAOS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!
The 29.5-point underdog Minutemen beat the Big Ten’s Rutgers by 16 on the road‼️ pic.twitter.com/eu6Eo2CcO3
— ESPN (@espn) September 4, 2026
Minutemen Snap 677-Day Losing Streak
However, while the win was obviously massive, the bigger story coming out of it is that this victory was UMass’ first in 677 days. Yes, you read that right.
The Minutemen went nearly two years without winning a single game, and they broke that streak by beating a team from one of the best conferences in all of college football.
UMass went 0-12 in 2025 and entered the season with the longest active losing streak in the FBS at 16 straight games. The victory also marked its first win against an FBS opponent since 2023 and its first win against a current power conference school since 1978.
It was the biggest FBS upset since the Texas Longhorns lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in 2021 as 31-point favorites.
College Football Team Pulls Off Shocking Upset to End 677-Day Losing Streak