🗣 UMass to the MAC: Dedicated Thread

[e_parade]

Note. the MAC is not interested in UMass alone. We need help to even get a MAC all-sports invitation these days.

And it’s really only Delaware that is an option in the east. The rest are UAC and MVFC schools in the Midwest. Missouri St. will be the next upgrade, but they are focused on the Sun Belt. In theory, they might take wheat they can get with a CUSA invitation.

The MAC however is focused on WKU and MTSU leaving CUSA to join the MAC.


This is the same CUSA they are trying to flee, that UMass couldn’t get in invitation for when they expanded by 5 with (3) FCS schools and (2) FBS independents.

UMass couldn't get into CUSA because we were applying as football only, which wouldn't count toward the minimum membership requirement to stay a conference.

Our best actual option at this point would be with Delaware to the MAC all sports. Unless something crazy happens overall to the AAC and for some reason they want us, the MAC is the only one with a chance right now.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

It was a given that joining the MAC meant a better chance of basketball tourney auto-bids.

I'm still curious how that was a given. I've heard that argument over and over and over again. Maybe, MAYBE, with DK's recruiting ability, it was possible... and that's a stretch because we all know how his coaching ability turned out. Our recruiting level would have dropped significantly going from the A10 to the MAC. Thinking we'd join and automatically be in contention for the Auto Bid in the MAC was, and is, a foolish thought.


Going to the MAC was a singular move to give Football stability, that's it.

[Quinn]

It was a given that joining the MAC meant a better chance of basketball tourney auto-bids.

I'm still curious how that was a given. I've heard that argument over and over and over again. Maybe, MAYBE, with DK's recruiting ability, it was possible... and that's a stretch because we all know how his coaching ability turned out. Our recruiting level would have dropped significantly going from the A10 to the MAC. Thinking we'd join and automatically be in contention for the Auto Bid in the MAC was, and is, a foolish thought.


Going to the MAC was a singular move to give Football stability, that's it.

So why upgrade to FBS?

[ZooMass84]

There was no one who thought ten years ago wow the mac for everything will be amazing. It is a flawed plan then and a flawed plan now.

Fine football gets a conference home, what does that mean for revenues? How many pay days can we have year

Let's look at this solely on a basketball front. Who is excited to have Ball State and directional Michigan in town for a Wednesday night game? No one. How expensive is it to get into Central Michigan or Muncie Indiana or whatever other out posts there are? The level of basketball outside of like three teams is a major major step down. Last time the league got multiple bids? 1998-99. How are we going to recruit? Does Frank have interst in being a coach in the 20th best league?

Bottom line UMass for 40 years has been too passive in terms of conference movement. Bamford has tried with his Campus Copy and Print Shop Flyers but that dude cannot close an open can. Bamford should be fired today for how we are STILL without a chair in this important game of musical chairs.

Those of us who understood that football was the future of college sports, knew. It was a given that joining the MAC meant a better chance of basketball tourney auto-bids. And a steady football conference to prove value and earn an upgrade, given the overall lackluster fan support for UMass outside of this forum.

For perspective, I fly up from Chile to attend a hockey game and football game each year. Of the 20 closest classmates I’ve known since 1993, only 1 has any remote interest in going to Homecoming, a weekend game, etc. Maybe those Gillette Stadium games got them to go, but a Boston to Amherst drive? Not a chance.



UMass needs a conference. A home. A place to prove value. We are going to lose NMSU and Liberty are annual games as they were invited/joined CUSA.

The PAC 12 has disintegrated into the Big 10 and Big12. There is no more Pac12 and UConn wasn't invited to the Big 12 so that leaves us, UConn, ND and Army as indys. Something may open up and the MAC might take us and UConn as football only.

[PreecherJenkins]

It was a given that joining the MAC meant a better chance of basketball tourney auto-bids.

I'm still curious how that was a given. I've heard that argument over and over and over again. Maybe, MAYBE, with DK's recruiting ability, it was possible... and that's a stretch because we all know how his coaching ability turned out. Our recruiting level would have dropped significantly going from the A10 to the MAC. Thinking we'd join and automatically be in contention for the Auto Bid in the MAC was, and is, a foolish thought.


Going to the MAC was a singular move to give Football stability, that's it.

You are making a large assumption, that dk stays if this is a MAC program. Maybe the 2014-15 team wins the MAC with Cady, T Davis, and Maxie but after that you would have seen a ton of drop off because we would not have been getting recruits. MAC still makes zero sense from a basketball standpoint as our coach would be making 1m more than the next highest coach.

[Quann]

I’ll take another football only invite to the MAC. Not interested beyond that.

[ZooMass84]

It was a given that joining the MAC meant a better chance of basketball tourney auto-bids.

I'm still curious how that was a given. I've heard that argument over and over and over again. Maybe, MAYBE, with DK's recruiting ability, it was possible... and that's a stretch because we all know how his coaching ability turned out. Our recruiting level would have dropped significantly going from the A10 to the MAC. Thinking we'd join and automatically be in contention for the Auto Bid in the MAC was, and is, a foolish thought.


Going to the MAC was a singular move to give Football stability, that's it.

So why upgrade to FBS?

OK I think I can reiterate this: it's been beaten to death but one more time:
The move to upgrade to FBS was made because we had outgrown 1AA and the groundwork had been laiden. We are too big of a state, a state university flagship and because it was the right thing to do. Along with FBS comes increased exposure and increased name recognition. As the flagship of a state with over 7 million people, it was just natural. The only states with 1AA as their flagships all have under or around 1 million people. Our applications have more than doubled since 2012 to over 44,000 applications.

[PreecherJenkins]

I'm still curious how that was a given. I've heard that argument over and over and over again. Maybe, MAYBE, with DK's recruiting ability, it was possible... and that's a stretch because we all know how his coaching ability turned out. Our recruiting level would have dropped significantly going from the A10 to the MAC. Thinking we'd join and automatically be in contention for the Auto Bid in the MAC was, and is, a foolish thought.


Going to the MAC was a singular move to give Football stability, that's it.

So why upgrade to FBS?

OK I think I can reiterate this: it's been beaten to death but one more time:
The move to upgrade to FBS was made because we had outgrown 1AA and the groundwork had been laiden. We are too big of a state, a state university flagship and because it was the right thing to do. Along with FBS comes increased exposure and increased name recognition. As the flagship of a state with over 7 million people, it was just natural. The only states with 1AA as their flagships all have under or around 1 million people. Our applications have more than doubled since 2012 to over 44,000 applications.

You making a huge assumption that big boy football has led to the number of applications. If this assumption was right, wouldn't there be a greater student attendance for football and then for basketball?

[minutefanjsf]

So why upgrade to FBS?

OK I think I can reiterate this: it's been beaten to death but one more time:
The move to upgrade to FBS was made because we had outgrown 1AA and the groundwork had been laiden. We are too big of a state, a state university flagship and because it was the right thing to do. Along with FBS comes increased exposure and increased name recognition. As the flagship of a state with over 7 million people, it was just natural. The only states with 1AA as their flagships all have under or around 1 million people. Our applications have more than doubled since 2012 to over 44,000 applications.

You making a huge assumption that big boy football has led to the number of applications. If this assumption was right, wouldn't there be a greater student attendance for football and then for basketball?

You’re making an assumption that people apply to attend sporting events. That is not the argument being made. Sports are advertisements for universities. Being in FBS has increased the reach of UMass. Just like Flutie’s pass increased BC’s reach, going FBS has for UMass.

[wmmmfan]

The Atlantic 10 is irrelevant and becoming more so everyday, the problem is the MAC is doing nothing either. I think we would be just trading one set of problems for another. I don’t know who said it but the Sun Belt has been very proactive and aggressive.

[Steve81]

The Atlantic 10 is irrelevant and becoming more so everyday, the problem is the MAC is doing nothing either. I think we would be just trading one set of problems for another. I don’t know who said it but the Sun Belt has been very proactive and aggressive.

the A10 was fine while being a high mid major and having multiple rivals as Temple, St. Joes and URI. The issue is public universities have moved on for better situations for their athletic departments. With a one sport centric basketball focus, once basketball falls off a cliff, their is little to sustain rivalries, sans St. joes. St Joes had the Bruiser connection and of coaches personalities. That seems to faded to nothing as the conference and UMass became less successful. The A10 was a hoag pod of teams with no real connection after the other founding public universities left. Do believe if the
choices are the MAC or the A10, both give NCAA and w/NIT bids. There are positives and negatives as it's Ohio concentrated, but pairing with Delaware helps the east coast and mid-atlantic connection. Also multiple football and basketball helps to sustain rivalries for us, the fans. Preacher and others like to focus on the football western division teams names as directional but leaves out Toledo a team that is very good in both sports and I respect. Like the east facing MAC teams as Ohio and other very respectable teams in basketball as Kent State and Akron. OF course with Pro sports in both Buffalo and New England, it will also be so easy to have a hate rivalry with Buffalo.

The negatives is that the MAC will not be as deep as the A10 and is more west than south.

My wish is the MAC could be creative and offer Army a membership without crossover games and us. Think we will all miss a team on the east coast that Delaware provides.

[PreecherJenkins]

OK I think I can reiterate this: it's been beaten to death but one more time:
The move to upgrade to FBS was made because we had outgrown 1AA and the groundwork had been laiden. We are too big of a state, a state university flagship and because it was the right thing to do. Along with FBS comes increased exposure and increased name recognition. As the flagship of a state with over 7 million people, it was just natural. The only states with 1AA as their flagships all have under or around 1 million people. Our applications have more than doubled since 2012 to over 44,000 applications.

You making a huge assumption that big boy football has led to the number of applications. If this assumption was right, wouldn't there be a greater student attendance for football and then for basketball?

You’re making an assumption that people apply to attend sporting events. That is not the argument being made. Sports are advertisements for universities. Being in FBS has increased the reach of UMass. Just like Flutie’s pass increased BC’s reach, going FBS has for UMass.

prove how fbs has done anything to improve reach? All the research shows after winning how admissions applicants grow.

[Bob1975]

My question is since we rejected the MAC for all sports already, why would they want us now? I'm not trying to be negative, just curious to hear the opinions of others on the board.

[NDR18]

Umass does not fit in the MAC. These are all schools centered around Michigan and Ohio. We had a couple years in the MAC and it didn’t seem like a good fit then, why would we consider it again. Also our time in the MAC was not stellar, if I remember correctly, we were in the bottom of the standings.

[Steve81]

Umass does not fit in the MAC. These are all schools centered around Michigan and Ohio. We had a couple years in the MAC and it didn’t seem like a good fit then, why would we consider it again. Also our time in the MAC was not stellar, if I remember correctly, we were in the bottom of the standings.

First of all 75% of college sports revenue is thru football. The A10 earned 13 NCAA credits in the past 6 years or say 6.5 million split 15 ways. The A10 with primary media and NCAA credits earns 11.5M or 766.7 thousand for each team if split equally, which for the NCAA credits overwhelming favors teams with a earned NCAA credit in the last 6 years. So UMass earns 700k from the A10. That is chump change compare to MAC teams with football. They will not expand, without a increased media payout and the expanded CFP next year will increase their 2.5M per team current revenue. It will be well over 3M each when we could join. The issue is not when we join the MAC but when do we leave a hoag podge A10 conference that earns on average just a few NCAA credits and is split 15 ways.

There can be other opportunists depending on the next month or two, idk and will be watching. We are a public universities with 25-30k enrollment like most MAC universities. Buffalo is AAU. They are around the Great Lakes like the BigTen was before expansion. If the MAC wants to expand east with us and to the mid atlantic with Delaware, that would be good. As we have seen conference movement happens as with the A10 with 7 members leaving and more joining since 1995. There were others earlier. See no current attachment to Philly as in the past and just URI, which will miss a little. It's time to get the heck out of the A10. The MAC is not perfect and neither is the A10, but it offers almost 100% more potential revenue in a few years and is stable enough to build rivalries for us fans.