FROM OUT OF THE ASHES A GREAT PHOENIX WILL RISE

[ZooMass84]

I’m a hell no to the MAC.

We need to be in a conference. The Indy days don't work anymore unless you are Notre Dame or Army.

[Quann]

Playing a bunch of midwestern mid major schools we have zero connection to for the majority of the schedule doesn’t work either. Unless UConn joins on as a football only member as well, I don’t want the MAC. It would be mutually beneficial for both UMass and UConn if we stick together and land in the same football conference.

[Berkman]

The problem I have about the MAC is that everyone on the board is talking about the men FB & BB. They are forgetting that we have a pretty good women's BB team. Just stay out of the MAC and find some other place that will accept us as FB only.

[jjmc85]

^ Right now the MAC has a better ranked women’s basketball conference than the A-10 according to RPI.

https://www.warrennolan.com/basketballw ... ferencerpi

Also I like the direction the women’s basketball team is going, but it’s hard to say a team is pretty good if it hasn’t made the tournament since what, 1998?

No one wants UMass football only. At the end of the day, the decision is whether or not the A-10 affiliation is better for the long term success and bottom line of the entire athletic department than a potential all sports FBS conference affiliation.. Based on the payouts and media deals offered by the MAC vs the A-10 now and how those are trending, UMass should be pursuing an all sports invite.

[ZooMass84]

The problem I have about the MAC is that everyone on the board is talking about the men FB & BB. They are forgetting that we have a pretty good women's BB team. Just stay out of the MAC and find some other place that will accept us as FB only.

You don’t get it. There is no advantage to being an Indy. No conference $$$$, ease of scheduling, etc. schools are desperately trying to get into a conference, any conference. You don’t want to wind up like Idaho.

[Steve81]

Agree with all those responding to Quann. Love can be blind, so choice to call those people 2 bid A10 lovers until the A10 has a few years of back to back 3 bids seasons.

The last time we had 3 bids was 2018. While the Bonnies won the play in game, no team made it to the field of 32.

Except for the good but slightly less weaker Men's basketball, almost every other MAC sport is equal or better than the A10. For example the MAC placed 5 teams in the NCAA soccer tournament. Lovers only care about basketball and throw out other things as other sports and rivals. URI is a true rival, but Thorr Bjorn was our acting AD and will always schedule us when, not if, we move on. You can see all the teams that have left and the only other continuous founding member left is GW. Time for us to move on!

2018 last year of 3 bids and they went nowhere, hence just 2 bids since then.

3 bids – Atlantic 10
7. Rhode Island
11. St. Bonaventure (play-in game)
12. Davidson
Note: This looked like a one-bid league until Davidson upset Rhode Island in the conference tournament title game. Luckily for Rams coach Dan Hurley’s holiday gatherings, it didn’t cost his brother an NCAA tournament spot.

https://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com ... on-sunday/

This is not yesterdays conference and Loyola was added as protection from the next raid. Those rumor universities are Dayton, St Louis and VCU.
20th Century
Villanova
Pittsburgh
Penn State
Rutgers
West Virginia

21 Century
Temple
Virginia Tech
Xavier
Charlotte
Butler

[Sheck]

The problem I have about the MAC is that everyone on the board is talking about the men FB & BB. They are forgetting that we have a pretty good women's BB team. Just stay out of the MAC and find some other place that will accept us as FB only.

You don’t get it. There is no advantage to being an Indy. No conference $$$$, ease of scheduling, etc. schools are desperately trying to get into a conference, any conference. You don’t want to wind up like Idaho.

Yeah it's going to suck. But I've been thinking about this and can definitely understand why C-USA, MAC, etc doesn't want us as a FB only. So why not try to work out a scheduling agreement instead? C-USA might be receptive to that. They'll have 9 members so we can agree to play a set # of football games against them (between 4-6) which helps us fill out or schedule and helps the conference fill out theirs. We can also agree to play some basketball games against their members. Maybe we can even be part of their next TV contract where our home games are televised under whatever broadcast arrangement they have, and might be able to actually get some revenue out of the deal. Plus the agreement would hopefully allow us to be considered for one of the conference's bowl games. I think this is a way to get our foot in the door and I think this approach might actually get considered where a FB only is probably getting rejected out of hand.

[Steve81]

The A10 and MAC received the SAME number of NCAA credits in the last two NCAA brackets.

2019
The A10 had 2 bids and both teams where not in the field of 32, as in 2018.
The MAC had 1 bid and Buffalo won their opening round and received 2 credits.
2021
The A10 had 2 bids and both teams where not in the field of 32, like 2019 and 2018.
The MAC 1 bid and again that team advanced, Ohio and received 2 credits.

[McKinney]

But I've been thinking about this and can definitely understand why C-USA, MAC, etc doesn't want us as a FB only. So why not try to work out a scheduling agreement instead? C-USA might be receptive to that.

If they can sign a football-only deal or the deal you propose, great! Or if UMass can solve bowl ties with ESPN Events and streaming with ESPN+, independence becomes much more viable. This would be my preferred solution.

As you say, the biggest outstanding issues are not having bowl ties and conference standings/championship to sell recruits. Nothing to play for. Not having a national TV/streaming deal for opponent fans, recruits, and fans outside of New England to watch.

But we're 8 years since the decision was made not to join the MAC, 6 seasons into independence. Neither of these issues have been solved. So if they don't have the means to sign these deals on their own, they must join a conference.

[vanmeter]

I was previously against joining the MAC, now all for it. A stable league.
CUSA everchanging with teams all over the country.

If we can get MAC all sports, we should take it.

[TheInsider]

You realize The University of Arizona is in Tucson and not Phoenix right??

[69MG]

The levels of revisionist history and delusion in this thread are simply epic.

I thought this thread was about VOR posting. Glad to have you back, seems like it's been a while.

[ZooMass84]

But I've been thinking about this and can definitely understand why C-USA, MAC, etc doesn't want us as a FB only. So why not try to work out a scheduling agreement instead? C-USA might be receptive to that.

If they can sign a football-only deal or the deal you propose, great! Or if UMass can solve bowl ties with ESPN Events and streaming with ESPN+, independence becomes much more viable. This would be my preferred solution.

As you say, the biggest outstanding issues are not having bowl ties and conference standings/championship to sell recruits. Nothing to play for. Not having a national TV/streaming deal for opponent fans, recruits, and fans outside of New England to watch.

But we're 8 years since the decision was made not to join the MAC, 6 seasons into independence. Neither of these issues have been solved. So if they don't have the means to sign these deals on their own, they must join a conference.

Excellent point: I forgot the bowl ties and TV $$$/visibility. NESN carried some if not all the games but FLO football was the only available outlet for at least one game. Don't want to pay 7 bucks a month to watch a game on my laptop or chrome book.

[econalum]

The name "Flo Sports" reminds me of colonoscopy preparation. 4th tier offering. Just looked tonight - a key feature is covering Pop Warner playoffs!!!! Really?

[McKinney]

I'd rather UMass stream it on YouTube or Twitch than collect whatever peanuts they get from Flo for such a terrible consumer experience. I'm dead serious.