Preseason Polls

[eldonabe]

ESPN has their Preseason 2024 Football Power Index available.


Umass is #125 actually ahead of 3 MAC schools - their projected record is 4-7 and a 0.0% chance of making a bowl game

11 of 1 MAC schools are #100 or worse
Miami Cracked the top 100 at #90

Did they say which game was getting cancelled?

Technically I think they stated it at 4.6-7.4 .... not sure how you win 6 10ths of a game, but it is not my math equation.

[Steve81]

ESPN has their Preseason 2024 Football Power Index available.


Umass is #125 actually ahead of 3 MAC schools - their projected record is 4-7 and a 0.0% chance of making a bowl game

11 of 1 MAC schools are #100 or worse
Miami Cracked the top 100 at #90

Did they say which game was getting cancelled?

Technically I think they stated it at 4.6-7.4 .... not sure how you win 6 10ths of a game, but it is not my math equation.

Regarding polls, expectations and the future will post the following. You should always expect the majority of the MAC to be over 100. While not looking good in the FBS pool, there is such a huge difference in CFP and media contract money available to those 80 teams in power conferences. Would expect the MAC to compete for the 3rd spot out of 5 G5 conferences. It will take a bit being in a conference for football starting to shine amongst it's peers. The MAC is about greater revenue for the athletic department funding programs and NIL. Will state the following for those most familiar with basketball. Preseason pools have UMass football and basketball in the same range as #125 in FB and #118 in BB. Hope both programs will both consistently crack the Top 100.

[Miami (Oh) Yeah !]

CBS Sports Football Poll:
https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... -rankings/

Miami the Top-ranked team in the MAC at #69. Above 11 P4 schools and #9 in G5

Others of note (based on Miami's schedule):

8 Notre Dame
58 Northwestern
69 Miami O
72 Toledo
73 Cincinnati
90 Ohio
130 UMass

Beating Northwestern and Cindy will have Miami and the MAC in position for the College Football Playoff auto-bid.

Joining the MAC gives UMass a very tough, but clear path to the CFP auto-bid.

[eldonabe]

Did they say which game was getting cancelled?

Technically I think they stated it at 4.6-7.4 .... not sure how you win 6 10ths of a game, but it is not my math equation.

Regarding polls, expectations and the future will post the following. You should always expect the majority of the MAC to be over 100. While not looking good in the FBS pool, there is such a huge difference in CFP and media contract money available to those 80 teams in power conferences. Would expect the MAC to compete for the 3rd spot out of 5 G5 conferences. It will take a bit being in a conference for football starting to shine amongst it's peers. The MAC is about greater revenue for the athletic department funding programs and NIL. Will state the following for those most familiar with basketball. Preseason pools have UMass football and basketball in the same range as #125 in FB and #118 in BB. Hope both programs will both consistently crack the Top 100.

Ok I will use CBS Rankings (the CF News that I used to start this thread is far, far worse than this)

Conference - # Teams - Number of #100 or worse - Avg Rank - Highest ranked team (#)

AAC - 14 teams - (5 +100) - AVG Rank 87.7 - #28
CUSA - 10 teams (7 +100) Avg Rank 106.5 - #36
MAC 12 teams (8 +100) Avg Rank 105.58 - #69
MW 12 teams (5 +100) Avg Rank 90.33 - #30
SunBelt 14 teams (6 +100) Avg Rank 91.50 - #43

Using your top 80 Team reference... Only Conf USA has less 80 or better rated teams than the MAC..

The "best MAC team" is ranked 26 spots higher than the worst best team in all the other G5 Conferences.



Umass is going to be a bad team in a bad conference.

[Steve81]

The MAC has is ahead slightly ahead of CUSA. Imagine how bad CUSA would be without Liberty. Becoming the 3rd best G5 conference is a good goal.

We can always count of a few primary basketball fans to come to the football board to piss on football. It's what they do, especial during basketball's offseason.

Football drives revenue and raises all sports. Basketball budgets go up, track and Field budgets go up.

Paraphrasing above, Coach Frank Martin, who is a great coach and one of the reasons that I joined the Massachusetts Collective. Wondering if Eldonabe will join the Gridiron Club before hell freezes over.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

The MAC has is ahead slightly ahead of CUSA. Imagine how bad CUSA would be without Liberty. Becoming the 3rd best G5 conference is a good goal.

We can always count of a few primary basketball fans to come to the football board to piss on football. It's what they do, especial during basketball's offseason.

There is nothing here that is "pissing" on football. It's pretty accurate analysis based on preseason rankings for this upcoming football season.

Once again, you're trying to pit the UMass basketball fans vs the UMass football fans... I thought we were done with that bullshit now that the conference move finally happened... guess not.

[Steve81]

The MAC has is ahead slightly ahead of CUSA. Imagine how bad CUSA would be without Liberty. Becoming the 3rd best G5 conference is a good goal.

We can always count of a few primary basketball fans to come to the football board to piss on football. It's what they do, especial during basketball's offseason.

There is nothing here that is "pissing" on football. It's pretty accurate analysis based on preseason rankings for this upcoming football season.

Once again, you're trying to pit the UMass basketball fans vs the UMass football fans... I thought we were done with that bullshit now that the conference move finally happened... guess not.

You certainly can have that view, but do not consider that accurate.

Umass is going to be a bad team in a bad conference.

[eldonabe]

The MAC has is ahead slightly ahead of CUSA. Imagine how bad CUSA would be without Liberty. Becoming the 3rd best G5 conference is a good goal.

We can always count of a few primary basketball fans to come to the football board to piss on football. It's what they do, especial during basketball's offseason.

There is nothing here that is "pissing" on football. It's pretty accurate analysis based on preseason rankings for this upcoming football season.

Once again, you're trying to pit the UMass basketball fans vs the UMass football fans... I thought we were done with that bullshit now that the conference move finally happened... guess not.

You certainly can have that view, but do not consider that accurate.

Umass is going to be a bad team in a bad conference.

I am not pissing on football as a jaded basketball fan, I am pissing on football because it is bad all by itself. I am not pitting one sport against the other, I don't need to.

MAC Football sucks dude... And UMass is not in any way, shape, or form improving it. Their rankings suck before Umass is added and Umass's ranking weighs it down even more. Those are not my numbers, I am reporting them as they are provided by outlets that know a whole lot more about CFB than we all do.

You seem to think we are going to be0come the Liberty of the MAC.... Liberty is spending the money needed to do that, UMass is spending a fraction of that. IDGAF what the administration and AD say, their wallets do not back up their words....

[Steve81]

While I don't feel the same way, you have every right to have your opinion on the MAC. Really don't like rehashing history but every founding members that left the A10 are all in a power conference of sorts, including Villanova. We waited to long. The MAC is not satisfactory to you, it will provide over 3 million additional dollars to the athletic department every year. With the way things are going, that significant additional money is going to help UMass as paying NIL deals and coaches salaries. This will help all UMass athletics. Hang in there Eldonabe.

[Quann]

MAC football is an improvement over wandering as an independent for the last few years. I’ll take any incremental improvement I can with our football program. Eldon sure seems mad about leaving A10 basketball where we have done next to nothing for the last 2 decades.

[ZooMass84]

There is nothing here that is "pissing" on football. It's pretty accurate analysis based on preseason rankings for this upcoming football season.

Once again, you're trying to pit the UMass basketball fans vs the UMass football fans... I thought we were done with that bullshit now that the conference move finally happened... guess not.

You certainly can have that view, but do not consider that accurate.

Umass is going to be a bad team in a bad conference.

I am not pissing on football as a jaded basketball fan, I am pissing on football because it is bad all by itself. I am not pitting one sport against the other, I don't need to.

MAC Football sucks dude... And UMass is not in any way, shape, or form improving it. Their rankings suck before Umass is added and Umass's ranking weighs it down even more. Those are not my numbers, I am reporting them as they are provided by outlets that know a whole lot more about CFB than we all do.

You seem to think we are going to be0come the Liberty of the MAC.... Liberty is spending the money needed to do that, UMass is spending a fraction of that. IDGAF what the administration and AD say, their wallets do not back up their words....

MAC Football sucks??!!?? huh??? It's a G5 conference not the SEC or ACC or whatever. What's the difference between that the Sun Belt or CUSA??? You know we HAD to join a conference or we were going back down to 1AA.

[TheInsider]

I don't know if the MAC sucks or doesn't... what I do know is, it's 1000% better than indy football.

[ZooMass84]

I don't know if the MAC sucks or doesn't... what I do know is, it's 1000% better than indy football.

there's a reason why there are only 2 indys left: UConn and Notre Dame...............it's not viable. Notre Dame is a blue blood and actually in the ACC and UConn whose football sucks is in the Big East and a basketball elite program since 1999.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

The MAC has is ahead slightly ahead of CUSA. Imagine how bad CUSA would be without Liberty. Becoming the 3rd best G5 conference is a good goal.

We can always count of a few primary basketball fans to come to the football board to piss on football. It's what they do, especial during basketball's offseason.

There is nothing here that is "pissing" on football. It's pretty accurate analysis based on preseason rankings for this upcoming football season.

Once again, you're trying to pit the UMass basketball fans vs the UMass football fans... I thought we were done with that bullshit now that the conference move finally happened... guess not.

You certainly can have that view, but do not consider that accurate.

Umass is going to be a bad team in a bad conference.

That is legitimately an accurate analysis based on the preseason rankings for this upcoming football season. You don't have to like it. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?

[eldonabe]

You certainly can have that view, but do not consider that accurate.

I am not pissing on football as a jaded basketball fan, I am pissing on football because it is bad all by itself. I am not pitting one sport against the other, I don't need to.

MAC Football sucks dude... And UMass is not in any way, shape, or form improving it. Their rankings suck before Umass is added and Umass's ranking weighs it down even more. Those are not my numbers, I am reporting them as they are provided by outlets that know a whole lot more about CFB than we all do.

You seem to think we are going to be0come the Liberty of the MAC.... Liberty is spending the money needed to do that, UMass is spending a fraction of that. IDGAF what the administration and AD say, their wallets do not back up their words....

MAC Football sucks??!!?? huh??? It's a G5 conference not the SEC or ACC or whatever. What's the difference between that the Sun Belt or CUSA??? You know we HAD to join a conference or we were going back down to 1AA.

I understand all of that, this whole thing is just disappointing. MAC brings basically zero regional ties for rivals (maybe you can consider Buffalo), it is arguably 9th or 10th in football conferences (out of 10), and it is a huge drop in Basketball exposure.

The part that pisses me off is that Umass should be 3 or 4 steps farther along in this process at this point. They said no to joining MAC all sports however many years ago (8 or 9 I think?), and ended up there anyways. Does that not frustrate any of you?

You know who is not as crazy as he sounds? Stevemaz.

His predictions are only crazy because the school continues to make dumb decision, after dumb decision. Everything is about cutting corners to save $5 bucks, and they are too fucking blind to understand that by saving that $5 bucks, they lost millions in conference affiliation revenues. I blame administration, I blame the state for their lack of proper support, I blame the fair weather fans (sort of). With a half competent administration, some of Steve's predictions would actually be bearing fruit by now.


Again, Umass spokespeople say all the right things, but their actions DO NOT back up their words. They have 5 years to make football truly relevant (I will leave the definition of relevant to each of you) or this is yet another failure on the part of these fucking people. The MAC should be in our rear view mirror at this point, but instead, it is our future as we are not even there yet......


I am sorry to continue to beat on this dead horse, but I am frustrated by all of this.