| Year: | 1978 |
| Team: | UMass Minutemen |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Yankee Conference |
| Short Conf: | Yankee |
| Aprank: | T–4 |
| Record: | 9–4 |
| Conf Record: | 5–0 |
| Head Coach: | Bob Pickett |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Def Coach: | Jim Reid |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Stadium: | Alumni Stadium |
| Champion: | Yankee Conference champion Lambert Cup winner |
| Bowl: | NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game |
| Bowl Result: | L 28–35 vs. Florida A&M |
The 1978 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1978 season was the first after the NCAA split Division I football into two subdivisions, and the first that featured a postseason playoff for Division I-AA. The Minutemen reached this inaugural championship game, losing to Florida A&M, 35–28. UMass finished the season with a record of 9 - 4 overall and 5 - 0 in conference play.