Conference Realignment

[Quann]

I would guess lax could just go back to the CAA. Delaware is there and I'm guessing will stay there once they jump to CUSA in most sports.

[Steve81]

Teams that are not supported in CUSA:
Field Hockey
Men’s Soccer
Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Tennis
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women’s Rowing
If the A 10 isn’t interested in UM as an affiliate member, what conferences make sense?
Can we save any money in transportation costs by joining “bus ride” conferences ?
If there is any way to make it work, would definitely want to add D1 Women’s Hockey.
Will we be need to drop any sports?

We'd have 2 years to figure it out. Of course, the A10 looks like it's at the minimum for an auto bid for men's soccer and lacrosse. Delaware did not hold up their decisions and pretty much know their other programs are not welcomed in the CAA. Perhaps Delaware moves some of those sports to the A10 as their lacrosse team is ranked.

CUSA will be adding some of those teams in the near future as the NCAA rules for FBS changed with a minimum of 210 scholarships and 90% must be full scholarships. CUSA has women's tennis and will be adding teams as men's and women's swimming & diving, and possibly men's soccer. Don't sweat the details.For example, Akron has a ranked men's soccer team and the Big East pick them up. Associate teams in non revenue sports are easy adds, especially when you are ranked. Would it be horrible if we needed to move a few teams to the Big East as Akron when the MAC dropped men's soccer.

Last years NCAA ratings.
Lacrosse


Soccer

[Sheck]

We should be looking at America East for a lot of these sports. Bus rides + familiar opponents. They sponsor Men's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Mens & Womens Lax, and Field Hockey.

[Uminuteman]

Why are we making pretend that we are actually going to pull the trigger and join CUSA? We've fucked this up for over a decade and they have the convenient excuse of "We can't join CUSA because there is no home for field hockey" or some other BS.

All I can say is that it better happen.

[ZooMass84]

Why are we making pretend that we are actually going to pull the trigger and join CUSA? We've fucked this up for over a decade and they have the convenient excuse of "We can't join CUSA because there is no home for field hockey" or some other BS.

All I can say is that it better happen.

I think it more or less HAS to happen because if you look at our future schedules, we still have Army and Liberty scheduled for the next 4 seasons. The Army games will 100% be cancelled after 2024 and probably Liberty also. Only 10 games scheduled in 2025 and way less than that in 2026 and beyond. So only 8 games in 2025 and next year 2024 12 games scheduled and it looks like Army will be played but that's it. If Delaware gives C-USA an odd number then we have a shot of membership. UCant on the other hand has 12 games scheduled thru 2026.
Funny thing is, UCant could survive as an Indy forever because of the Big East $$$$ and TV $$$.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Twitter was fun over the holiday with everyone at each other's throat over this. Brutal.

[ZooMass84]

You never know what is going on behind the scenes with C-USA and MAC realignment. Last year was great but unfortunately we played Auburn #2 game and Puma got hurt. We honest to God if we didn't play a P5 until later in the season could have beaten New Mex. and Ark State and Miami (OH). If you look at next season, we actually have a shot at 6-0. DON'T LAUGH. If Puma or KLA or Billy Wooden or other good players are on the roster, we can definitely be competitive. EMU will get a win at home. Back half of the season forget about it. If we can beat NMSU, then we can beat some of these MAC schools.
Don Brown is no kid, I get it. He'll be 69 by the start of next season, but I think the kids like him and he's got the grandfatherly thing going.

[minutefanjsf]

You never know what is going on behind the scenes with C-USA and MAC realignment. Last year was great but unfortunately we played Auburn #2 game and Puma got hurt. We honest to God if we didn't play a P5 until later in the season could have beaten New Mex. and Ark State and Miami (OH). If you look at next season, we actually have a shot at 6-0. DON'T LAUGH. If Puma or KLA or Billy Wooden or other good players are on the roster, we can definitely be competitive. EMU will get a win at home. Back half of the season forget about it. If we can beat NMSU, then we can beat some of these MAC schools.
Don Brown is no kid, I get it. He'll be 69 by the start of next season, but I think the kids like him and he's got the grandfatherly thing going.

KLA is in the portal and Billy Wooden is out of eligibility/graduated. But, I am on the 6-0 train.

[stevemaz]

You never know what is going on behind the scenes with C-USA and MAC realignment. Last year was great but unfortunately we played Auburn #2 game and Puma got hurt. We honest to God if we didn't play a P5 until later in the season could have beaten New Mex. and Ark State and Miami (OH). If you look at next season, we actually have a shot at 6-0. DON'T LAUGH. If Puma or KLA or Billy Wooden or other good players are on the roster, we can definitely be competitive. EMU will get a win at home. Back half of the season forget about it. If we can beat NMSU, then we can beat some of these MAC schools.
Don Brown is no kid, I get it. He'll be 69 by the start of next season, but I think the kids like him and he's got the grandfatherly thing going.

Welcome to the 6-0 start train.. I have been on these tracks for almost two years.. it is going to happen and Super Bowl Saturday in Amherst is Oct 12 vs Mizzou.

[ZooMass84]

You never know what is going on behind the scenes with C-USA and MAC realignment. Last year was great but unfortunately we played Auburn #2 game and Puma got hurt. We honest to God if we didn't play a P5 until later in the season could have beaten New Mex. and Ark State and Miami (OH). If you look at next season, we actually have a shot at 6-0. DON'T LAUGH. If Puma or KLA or Billy Wooden or other good players are on the roster, we can definitely be competitive. EMU will get a win at home. Back half of the season forget about it. If we can beat NMSU, then we can beat some of these MAC schools.
Don Brown is no kid, I get it. He'll be 69 by the start of next season, but I think the kids like him and he's got the grandfatherly thing going.

Welcome to the 6-0 start train.. I have been on these tracks for almost two years.. it is going to happen and Super Bowl Saturday in Amherst is Oct 12 vs Mizzou.

Choo Choo!!!! except the second half of the season could be 0-6 3 SEC teams are you shitting me???

[ZooMass84]

Looking back at this whole FBS "big boy" football thing: McCutcheon didn't give a shit (he was retiring anyway) and hired Molnar. If he only hired Neal Brown instead, things could have been a lot better. I won't even get into the Coach Bell Gomer Pyle thing...........still pisses me off that on the other board I called him Coach Gomer etc. after the SIU loss and got a lot of shit about it. turns out I called it right. Bell was without a doubt the WORST coach even worse than Molnar. I'll give Molnar this: we went 1-11 & 1-11 and were competitive in a couple more of those games with basically 1AA players.

[ZooMass84]

Army is off our 2024 (and beyond) schedule. Liberty soon to follow. We only have 10 games now for next year.

[rsox1221]

The remainder of the Army deal will be cancelled but Army is going to honor two trips to Amherst between now and 2028 in order to even out the games played for the two sides. That could include next season, we don't yet know.

UMass, so long as they are an FBS Indy, are not letting Liberty out of the remainder of that contract. If it were up to Liberty they would have broken the contract already. The fact that the games are still being played indicates that UMass is the one continuing the series. Liberty isn't going anywhere in 2024 from UMass schedule

[Quann]

Looking back at this whole FBS "big boy" football thing: McCutcheon didn't give a shit (he was retiring anyway) and hired Molnar. If he only hired Neal Brown instead, things could have been a lot better. I won't even get into the Coach Bell Gomer Pyle thing...........still pisses me off that on the other board I called him Coach Gomer etc. after the SIU loss and got a lot of shit about it. turns out I called it right. Bell was without a doubt the WORST coach even worse than Molnar. I'll give Molnar this: we went 1-11 & 1-11 and were competitive in a couple more of those games with basically 1AA players.

Unless Doc Brown gave you the keys to the Delorian it's time to move on Zoo. We're in 2024 and as SteveMaz says we're onward and upward.

[Camby4Life]

Looking back at this whole FBS "big boy" football thing: McCutcheon didn't give a shit (he was retiring anyway) and hired Molnar. If he only hired Neal Brown instead, things could have been a lot better. I won't even get into the Coach Bell Gomer Pyle thing...........still pisses me off that on the other board I called him Coach Gomer etc. after the SIU loss and got a lot of shit about it. turns out I called it right. Bell was without a doubt the WORST coach even worse than Molnar. I'll give Molnar this: we went 1-11 & 1-11 and were competitive in a couple more of those games with basically 1AA players.

Unless Doc Brown gave you the keys to the Delorian it's time to move on Zoo. We're in 2024 and as SteveMaz says we're onward and upward.

I picture Zoomass just working Umass football discussions into everyday conversation. He’s out there telling random people if Puma doesn’t get hurt against an SEC team Umass would have gone to a bowl last year. Pretty sure he’s made that point hundreds of times here.