I’m guessing the MAC might consider UMass now as a full member if UB leaves. It’s not that much more of a travel issue than UB - easiest airport is Hartford - just an hour from campus. UMass already has 13 football games scheduled against MAC teams in the next four seasons. I don’t think UConn would come to the MAC, primarily because of the prestige of their hoops programs.
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UMass can sit at Walden Pond with the dolphins in the Berkshires for all I care. Screw ‘em. UConn too. They’re only in to look attractive to someone else.
The MAC needs to stop being the rebound for shitty football programs who got bounced from their conferences for sucking. I’m looking at you too Temple. Friend zone these schools before they have a chance to sound attractive and try to jump in the sack with the MAC.
You want MAC football? You play the other sports. You’re not Notre Dame.
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I think both of us mentioned UMass potential coming back as a full member only.
The A-10 is a better basketball conference and better geographic fit for UMass. The only benefit would be going from FBS independent to the MAC in football, which I’m not sure would justify a move for them. Even if they were interested, I think I’d take UNI before I’d take UMass.
With all the focus on football rather than basketball and other sports, I wonder if it might make sense to zag while everyone else is zigging and go after someone like Murray St.
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There’s no way UMass would join as a full member IMO. They’d drop back to 1-AA football first.
Because when you think of the Atlantic coast, be sure to think of Stanford & Cal.
/hits bong
“Hey man, it’s all one big ocean when you think about it”
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What? Most sports at most MAC schools can easily bus to UB, it’s just a long ride. I think just football and maybe basketball fly to UB for Miami. Majority of teams would need to fly to UMass.
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They’re both already in America East for Field Hockey! Furthest west full member in AE is in Baltimore
Should Stanford land in the B12, I am all in on their band’s first performance in Clifton. It should be epic.
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Especially if it occurs the week following a Bearcat loss to Miami!
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Miami should call the PAC-12 and see if they’re taking any applications…
Actually the MAC should change their name to the PAC-12!!
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Add four teams and call us the MACPAC-16
Seriously, we A: aren’t geographically aligned, and B: do not fit the profile of the conference. I mean, those are the two primary attributes of the latest round of re-alignment…gotta catch the fire while its burning!
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Will not be on campus till the Miami game, but the tone on the UMasshoops board has changed and has been positive on Fight Massachusetts 247Sports board. Personally been fighting the long fight and would hurt if Buffalo left. They are the one program all UMass fans can hate, since of existing feels towards Buffalo pro teamss. Personally think rivalries with Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo would be my favorites along with some other face easting MAC schools.
There is even a “UMass to the MAC: Dedicated Thread”. There are always those from the basketball mafia posting but tend to answer them with the current state of the A10 and the men’s basketball program.
UMass to the MAC thread on UMassHoops
This is my response why we should leave the A10 for the MAC on the bottom of page 2 in above linked thread. On page 6 with the Delaware article from July 17th, Quan changed his tuned and still sparing with PreecherJenkins. No come back from him yet.
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.
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Steve 1981- I will be traveling in the East the week of the Miami- UMass game ( I will be at my law school alma mater Cornell and at my DC office ) - I plan to attend the game. Drive time from Bradley/ Hartford and where are your seats- I will buy a ticket on line or at the gate
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I’d allow 2.5 hours but the actual drive time is around 1.5 Note, only did it 20 plus years ago as generally fly out of Providence… There will be game day traffic. My seats are Section 6 row D 14-15. But will be up in the Performance Center terrace and Hunt Hospitality suit to start the game with another RiverHawk fan. Will make it down to my seats around 5 minutes after the kickoff. Get your parking pass before the day of the game. There is an in stadium new BBQ 90 minutes before kick off behind section 8-9,
Buy your tickets on line!
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The Pac 2 and Mountain West are reportedly considering a semi-merger where they have two separate but affiliated conferences of 8 teams each, with promotion and relegation.
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I’m hopping on this way late. If I were the MAC I would:
- Work to add WKU and MTSU. Sounds like that was attempted before but MTSU prevented it because they didn’t want to pay CUSA the exit fee. Figure it out.
- Work to add UMass and another east coast program (even a program wanting to jump to FBS). Look further south if needed (William and Mary?). Settle for Marshall? Would UConn consider it if the other 3 did?
That gives the MAC 16 teams, but it sets the stage to push teams like Akron, EMU, and others to keep up or move out. Ohio has the second most FBS programs of any state behind only Texas. I think it dilutes the talent across the MAC and most casual fans just see programs from two states slugging it out for little recognition (sorry Buffalo, BSU, and NIU, but it’s true). The MAC needs to expand its footprint to survive and keep relevance. They also need to add programs that have the right funding and vision. I don’t see Akron having long term FBS goals.
I like the idea of promotion/relegation, but it took the PAC-12 being decimated to consider it. I don’t see that happening to the Big-10.
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