If Temple and UMass were playing in college basketball, I would be very excited about it. Instead those two programs will compete in Week 1 of the college football season on Saturday afternoon. Neither of these teams carry the weight of expectations heading into this season but one of them will start their season with a win after this game. Before the action begins from UMass, continue reading to get my Temple vs UMass prediction.
Our Temple vs UMass Pick
- Pick: UMass Moneyline
- Confidence: 1/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Temple Owls vs UMass Minutemen
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 3:30 PM ET
- Venue: Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, MA
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Temple vs UMass Odds
| Type | Line |
|---|---|
| Spread | Temple −1.5 |
| Moneyline | Temple −125 | UMass +105 |
| Total | 47.5 |
Key Storylines
The biggest storyline going into this game is that one of these teams is going to have a win after Week 1. Temple had a total of three wins last season. UMass went 2-10 as an independent. But one of them will take a significant step toward getting to last year’s win total in this contest.
Temple enters the season with fresh leadership under head coach K.C. Keeler and a revamped staff around him. UMass will also start the year with a new coach after Joe Harasymiak took the job after last season. Both teams may lean on the run to establish a new identity for programs that could really use a new identity.
Quarterback Play
Temple has not named one singular starting quarterback for this matchup. They could end up going with a combination of Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy but nothing is set in stone on that front for the Owls. UMass has named junior Brandon Rose as their starting quarterback for this season opener. Rose saw very limited action at Utah last season and he will aim to prove himself in a starting role this season.
Betting Trends & H2H
Temple and UMass have played three times in their history. Temple won all three of those matchups between the years of 2015 and 2022. Temple won the most recent game between these programs by a score of 28-0 in 2022 and they will look for a similar result in this matchup.
Temple vs UMass Model Projection
- Score Projection: Temple 24 – UMass 27
- Win Probability: Temple 50%, UMass 50%
Final Thoughts
I find it pretty difficult to trust either of these teams to sustain a high level of play for 60 minutes on the football field. But I do think that UMass is the better choice from a betting perspective in this game. A home underdog is the way to go here if for no other reason than I wouldn’t lay juice to bet on either of these teams as a road favorite. I’ll take UMass here and hope for the best.
