FROM OUT OF THE ASHES A GREAT PHOENIX WILL RISE

[stevemaz]

I am throwing this comment under this subject. It looks like the Big Ten is going to expand again with 2-4 more Pac12 teams. I remain 100% right about my UMass to Big ten premise. Our adminstration/state should have put 50M, 100M, or whatever it took to make UMass football a strong brand back in 2011 as it would have been an excellent investment. Cut useless academic programs if you had to..

[eldonabe]

I am throwing this comment under this subject. It looks like the Big Ten is going to expand again with 2-4 more Pac12 teams. I remain 100% right about my UMass to Big ten premise. Our adminstration/state should have put 50M, 100M, or whatever it took to make UMass football a strong brand back in 2011 as it would have been an excellent investment. Cut useless academic programs if you had to..

Jesus H Steve - stop.

1 - They DID NOT invest when they should have, and were 15 -20 years too late moving to full D1 in the first place
2 - How are you 100% right about would've, could've, should've? UMass is not and will not be in the B1G. UConn is way farther ahead of us in timing and investment and they could not get a P5 invite either - I hate those arrogant fuckers.... I really do, and I relish in their failure to achieve that P5 goal.
3 - The "useless" programs are the ones that truly pay the bills at all of these Universities. Without those, half the kids that go to college would not go in the first place. They need those classes for the kids that are just not ready to get a full time job and be an adult yet but can't cut it in the real majors.

[stevemaz]

I am throwing this comment under this subject. It looks like the Big Ten is going to expand again with 2-4 more Pac12 teams. I remain 100% right about my UMass to Big ten premise. Our adminstration/state should have put 50M, 100M, or whatever it took to make UMass football a strong brand back in 2011 as it would have been an excellent investment. Cut useless academic programs if you had to..

Jesus H Steve - stop.

1 - They DID NOT invest when they should have, and were 15 -20 years too late moving to full D1 in the first place
2 - How are you 100% right about would've, could've, should've? UMass is not and will not be in the B1G. UConn is way farther ahead of us in timing and investment and they could not get a P5 invite either - I hate those arrogant fuckers.... I really do, and I relish in their failure to achieve that P5 goal.
3 - The "useless" programs are the ones that truly pay the bills at all of these Universities. Without those, half the kids that go to college would not go in the first place. They need those classes for the kids that are just not ready to get a full time job and be an adult yet but can't cut it in the real majors.

OMG... I was right.. the point all along was to invest in the program, not to get an invite to the B1G (i used that a talking pt to get the masses to understand what we needed to do).. why dont you get that.. If they invested and failed then at least we could say they gave it a shot.

[eldonabe]

Steve this state could not previously and cannot now afford a "Build it and they will come" crapshoot. Again, Uconn took the hit for us in that respect. They bring a lot more to the table with regard to athletic success (not to mention closer to NYC) and they could not get it done. What makes you think Umass could have done any better?

Umass is a great school, engineering and economics are top notch... but they do not attract eyeballs to TV sets or make ESPN bid up a conference deal any more than Uconn's presence does (in fact even less). They bring nothing to the table.


If Umass was going to have any shot as a legit FBS level, they needed to lay that ground work when they were playing at Foxboro and they did not - they killed any chance of legitimacy 15 minutes after Molnar's "Big Boy football" presser.

[69MG]

Just my opinion, but you can't compare CT to Mass. when it comes to college sports. UConn is the big dog (no pun intended) in CT. That's all they have. Mass. is a professional sports state, and it would take a run like we had in Cal's era to garner statewide attention.

I worked in CT for 5 years, and in my office just about everyone was a UConn fan whether they went there or not. That's not likely to happen here.

[Sheck]

If Umass was going to have any shot as a legit FBS level, they needed to lay that ground work when they were playing at Foxboro and they did not - they killed any chance of legitimacy 15 minutes after Molnar's "Big Boy football" presser.

Buy in now cause the price is gonna skyrocket!

[classof62-64]

San Diego State is a sort of high end mid-major. Pretty much the only show in town (good sized town at that). I think it is safe to say that if we were where they are right now, in FB and BB, we'd be pretty happy. Here's what FB Coach Brady Hoke had to say about the current recruiting/transfer world: “We’re not paying them a whole lot, I’ll be honest with you. So they’ve gotten better jobs ... financially.”

It's a steep hill and seems to be getting steeper.

[pacman327]

I am throwing this comment under this subject. It looks like the Big Ten is going to expand again with 2-4 more Pac12 teams. I remain 100% right about my UMass to Big ten premise. Our adminstration/state should have put 50M, 100M, or whatever it took to make UMass football a strong brand back in 2011 as it would have been an excellent investment. Cut useless academic programs if you had to..

ROFL we are not going to the Big Ten. I don't know what you're smoking.

[harbo]

^ Agree that the Big10 does not have us on their radar, but I have long felt that they should be the conference we should strive for. Mostly state schools in the northern tier of the country. We were on-par with them for basketball and our current ladies hoops would hold their own. Lacrosse, hockey, and perhaps soccer and basebaĺl and most of the women's teams would be competitive, especially with the associated upgrade in recruiting. The downside remains the football team, but recruitment opportunities would greatly increase, as would the television money. And that money would benefit all sports and facilities. Wishful thinking.

[minutefanjsf]

^ Agree that the Big10 does not have us on their radar, but I have long felt that they should be the conference we should strive for. Mostly state schools in the northern tier of the country. We were on-par with them for basketball and our current ladies hoops would hold their own. Lacrosse, hockey, and perhaps soccer and basebaĺl and most of the women's teams would be competitive, especially with the associated upgrade in recruiting. The downside remains the football team, but recruitment opportunities would greatly increase, as would the television money. And that money would benefit all sports and facilities. Wishful thinking.

Way back when UMass was in the MAC, a MAC blog-Hustle Belt, predicted UMass to the Big 10. It was around the time Rutgers made the transition. UMass had barely played in the MAC, yet. The argument was UMass was just as reasonable as adding Maryland and Rutgers. Flagship State school, Massachusetts (hoping for Boston)Media market, etc.

[stevemaz]

^ Agree that the Big10 does not have us on their radar, but I have long felt that they should be the conference we should strive for. Mostly state schools in the northern tier of the country. We were on-par with them for basketball and our current ladies hoops would hold their own. Lacrosse, hockey, and perhaps soccer and basebaĺl and most of the women's teams would be competitive, especially with the associated upgrade in recruiting. The downside remains the football team, but recruitment opportunities would greatly increase, as would the television money. And that money would benefit all sports and facilities. Wishful thinking.

Way back when UMass was in the MAC, a MAC blog-Hustle Belt, predicted UMass to the Big 10. It was around the time Rutgers made the transition. UMass had barely played in the MAC, yet. The argument was UMass was just as reasonable as adding Maryland and Rutgers. Flagship State school, Massachusetts (hoping for Boston)Media market, etc.

Exactly... If we go back to late 90s, we had top 5 hoop program and then 1AA football champs. This is when the state should of had forward thinking and pumped millions into the sports programs as an investment that would have paid off ridiculously. Now, the real problem as it turns out was the poor decision in the 1860's of placing the land grant college in Amherst instead of say Natick, Sudbury, Waltham, Newton, or Framingham. UMass being located in the 51st state (Western Massachusetts) never got the 100% support it deserved from the politicians in Boston. Is it too late? The answer is NO. In Football's case, i think Don Brown is on his way to making the team competitive in the G5 realm and I expect a coming out party year in the near future (I joke around with the 6-0 start in 2024 because the schedule doesnt have any top 50 programs on it so why not 2024). Once a decent baseline is set than the state needs to get the funding pumped up.. Pay the next coach the most of any G5 program, Renovate the stadium, and act like we belong. In Basketball's case, once the FM era is over just find the best coach possible offering the highest salary in the country (Brad Stevens maybe..we will even let him play his own son who i think is a Junior at Wellesley High).

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Exactly... If we go back to late 90s, we had top 5 hoop program and then 1AA football champs. This is when the state should of had forward thinking and pumped millions into the sports programs as an investment that would have paid off ridiculously. Now, the real problem as it turns out was the poor decision in the 1860's of placing the land grant college in Amherst instead of say Natick, Sudbury, Waltham, Newton, or Framingham. UMass being located in the 51st state (Western Massachusetts) never got the 100% support it deserved from the politicians in Boston. Is it too late? The answer is NO. In Football's case, i think Don Brown is on his way to making the team competitive in the G5 realm and I expect a coming out party year in the near future (I joke around with the 6-0 start in 2024 because the schedule doesnt have any top 50 programs on it so why not 2024). Once a decent baseline is set than the state needs to get the funding pumped up.. Pay the next coach the most of any G5 program, Renovate the stadium, and act like we belong. In Basketball's case, once the FM era is over just find the best coach possible offering the highest salary in the country (Brad Stevens maybe..we will even let him play his own son who i think is a Junior at Wellesley High).

Milford would have been the ideal spot. Just sayin....

[harbo]

So, what should be the mascot of UMass-Milford?

[InnervisionsUMASS]

So, what should be the mascot of UMass-Milford?

The Minutemen... I'll accept nothing less than the Flagship being fully relocated here. And no UMass-Milford... just The University of Massachusetts.

[SignMan]

In honor of IV,
The ICUs.