UMass is back in the MAC

[69MG]

This seems to be legit:

Nicole Auerbach
@NicoleAuerbach
4m
SOURCE: The Mid-American Conference board today voted to add UMass as a full member, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

UMass will join the MAC in all sports (including football), source tells @TheAthletic. They've been an FBS independent.

[PreecherJenkins]

congrats to steve83, he can finally shut up

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Pete Thamel is reporting, I'd say pretty legit source.

[Old Cage]

Will we be bumped from the A-10 hoops tourney this year and next? Has happened to other teams, I believe.

[bunkerhill87]

whoopie!!! Mediocre football and irrelevant basketball. This will all implode anyway when the super conference forms.

[jjmc85]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!

[vanmeter]

Great News!

[NDR18]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why we would re enter a conference we’ve already been a member of and how this is good for us?

[Steve81]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why we would re enter a conference we’ve already been a member of and how this is good for us?

CFP and the revenue trend from 50-50 basketball - football to 80% football and 20% basketball.
Very happy we final moved out of the A10, it is the ceiling and do worry that Dayton could get poached.

[dkmsoxfan88]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why we would re enter a conference we’ve already been a member of and how this is good for us?

Because we’re currently in no conference at all

[Miami (Oh) Yeah !]

I know the usual suspects is WKU joining as #14 or perhaps Delaware. UConnFB/Duquesne combo makes a ton of sense. Stony Brook is also a possibility but further down the list.

[Miami (Oh) Yeah !]

Once Florida State blows up the ACC and UNC and others bolt, then the ACC picks apart the AAC and Temple comes back to the MAC?

[Berkman]

Good and not so good in my opinion.

Good for FB because we need to be in a conference especially one that we are familiar with. Not that long to travel to.

So so for BB. They have only got 1 team into the playoffs usually. However if we have a strong out of conference schedule it will help us.

Probably be able to get into a bowl game the first year we are in the league.

[stevemaz]

I think the MAC will move up the rankings of hoops conferences over the next few years in large part due to the substantial revenue increase in FBS football. I

[NE Cat]

MAC recently went to three team scheduling pods, so my money is on two additional schools coming in.

I posted a few months back that I thought UNH and URI would be great academic additions to the MAC if they wanted to move their FB up...so I hope that plays out. A lot of MAC folks want to see WKU and MTSU, but they are big downgrades academically.

I'd rather the MAC be aspirational academically, and I believe those two schools have the financial resources to make a step change in athletics.

Welcome, gents, and I hope you all can grow to like the idea now that the deal is done. And Steve, I'm looking forward to tequila shots in a fall TBD.