3 Immediate Questions About UMass Joining the MAC

UMass is reportedly set to join the MAC in all sports in the 2024-2025 year. That brought up 3 questions for our Garrett Searight.
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[@w.alan.21]

The MAC wasn't previously interested in an ongoing football-only relationship with UMass and required that they join for all sports or walk; UMass chose to walk. 10 years later with different dynamics and no bad blood, they chose to join in full. Welcome back!

[@curtisharvey5579]

Yeah I attended the school when UMass turned down the deal for all their sports to leave. It was around the time we were making March Madness in basketball, so there was no interest in it, now the A10 has no value to stay

[@murkrow2316]

78 years of the MAC 1946 inception Proud Rocket fan and The addition of U-Mass is Awesome!! Hoping for WKU. I think UConn won’t come in reality the MAC is too small $$$

[@twomasta]

It's not about having a slim chance of making of the playoffs...they aren't delusional. Its about money. Access to the MACs share of CFP revenue. All G5 conferences get a tiny slice even if they dont get a team into the playoffs. Add in the fact that the MACs media contract is up for renewal and will likely increase. Fb Independence made sense because the A10 was red hot at the time and the share of the NCAA BB tournament money was better than becoming a full member of the MAC at the time. The a10 was routinely putting multiple teams in the tournament. The a10 has declined as has Umass basketball.

[@marshfellowman]

Realistically, UConn would never join the MAC even as a football-only member, mainly because the MAC explicitly does not want football-only members anymore. The remaining options are Western Kentucky or calling up an FCS school like Albany, Maine, or New Hampshire to give UMass (and Buffalo) a travel partner.

[@nld2016]

As an Ohio alumni that worked in the athletic department during my undergraduate years I can tell you that basketball, football, softball, and baseball all fly to NIU and Buffalo from Columbus I’m not sure about the other teams but I know that a lot of time if the games not within a certain time drive they will just fly the teams there. It wouldn’t hurt the budgets that much to add one more flight every year especially with the amount of ncaa men’s tournament units that the MAC currently is receiving and there new tv deal will probably be north of 10 million with the Boston market that UMASS brings in.

[@braveskid02]

UMass brings In the Boston market? Look at a map man. 2 hour drive without traffic, lol. I am a Boston college fan and in reality we don't even bring in the Boston market. Your teams aren't even going to fly into Boston. Most likely Springfield

[@terryfox9344]

The thing is that the MAC WAS looking for an all-sports member. I don't think that the primary issue was ACCESS to the CFP. I do think it was about the MONEY from the CFP. UMASS wasn't really a former member of the MAC. They were an associate member in football only. The MAC through them OUT because they wouldn't JOIN the MAC. This has nothing to do with Notre Dame. It has everything to do with MONEY, and they will get more MONEY from the MAC than they did from the A10. It's just that simple.

[@johnnyscarecrow71]

Amherst is about an hour drive from Bradley Airport, Hartford. It's not much further than Storrs is from Hartford.

[@Redneckthinker]

You make this sound far more complicated than it is. UMass has a chance to have steady competition with specific schools which will allow them to become better. It also allows a little more notice. Expansions happen and the MAC had few choices as to consider.

[@anthonytitone]

The MAC gains by expanding their market & having more teams to prevent collapse if another conference poaches them, I think they should add UCONN too & make that game an in conference rivalry. People will care about UMASS when their games mean something again, competing for a conference makes it worth watching even if they aren’t competitive early on.

[@OUplandude]

When talking about a path to the Playoffs being slim in the MAC, people seem to forget that the MAC has put teams in both a BCS Bowl and a NY6 Bowl. The BCS Bowl, which was significantly harder for a non power team to reach, actually came down to 2 possible MAC schools that year, too, which is pretty incredible. Not enough credit is given there. I would certainly argue that the MAC does have something to gain with UMASS. They absolutely will not hurt the basketball profile of the league (which is usually underrated anyway)

[@w.alan.21]

Ironically, dropping to the 1-bid hoops league gives them a better chance of making the ncaa tourney by winning the MAC.

[@cdmphy]

As a UMass grad....you're welcome for all of the easy football wins in the next few years. Hopefully you will make us better, but until then enjoy the feast

[@adancinhipo]

From Wmu enjoy the feast for basketball

[@gregorybiestek3431]

I came across your video and it inspired me to do a little research. based on what I could find what would be the possibility that the MAC goes after Western Kentucky and Rhode Island as full members with either Delaware as a full member or U Conn as a football only associate member? This would give the MAC 16 teams, it could split into East & West divisions with 7 division games & 4 from the other division each year in football. Depending on if they get Delaware or U Conn the basketball schedule could be 14 games in division and 8 games against the other division. Travel would be more reasonable and costs should be more appropriate. What does anyone else think?

[@immaculate5784]

Not really about CFP. It's about conference playoff tournaments that are coming. Just my opinion, we shall see.

[@johnphipps3287]

I don't like leaving the A10 for a chance that football might start winning. Basketball is on the rise here and now who knows.

[@nathanjw940]

Villanova UConn football only. Both great programs and if there could be a deal where they play MAC Teams in basketball that would be awesome. I think Villanova is good enough to come in and make the playoffs which the MAC could offer and adding them for basketball every other year could make the bid go up for the conference.

[@kurtisokc]

Villanova is currently FCS in football. Not sure how they would feel about going from having an elite FCS program to a bottom of the barrel FBS team.

[@nathanjw940]

@@kurtisokc I think they would be a good FBS program no doubt the MAC would be taking a chance but they have a really good athletic department if they wanted to they could compete. They already can beat FBS programs with less scholarships and at a lower level

[@benevensen]

Oh god plane trips to Amherst! The budget is shot! So damn dramatic

[@marklawn4837]

They will keep expanding because football is money in college sports. Look at the amount of schools to move up from FCS to FBS the last 10 years. As schools move up, those that know they aren’t going to be in the playoffs will look for a stable home. If the right school joins in all sports, the MAC could become a 2-bid conference for hoops.

[@purpleivory2]

BYU was an indy for a decade

[@nathanjw940]

UMASS wasn't a good enough football program to be a football only member. UMASS is a great basketball addition and UMASS gets a conference in college football. They're a good A-10 program which is a better program

[@blueshells50]

I do wonder if the MAC will try to poach non football teams from the a10 to the MAc to balance out a possibel uconn football only import. The a10 schools can be sold on hey you are getting out of this giant meat grinder conference that isnt really getting the bids it used to get anymore to the MAC that will now be an improved bball conference.

[@lorenzohaynes3886]

UConn couldn't join the MAC. It would damage their brand.

[@nashmonti120]

They don’t have a FB-only brand, that’s why they got kicked out of the AAC.

[@lorenzohaynes3886]

@@nashmonti120 They chose to leave the AAC. They didn't get kicked out.

[@michaelwall3393]

@@lorenzohaynes3886actually they did get kicked out for football and all the sports that the New Big East doesn’t sponsor. They (UCoNN) were hoping to keep football, baseball, softball, and other sports in the AAC as was better in those sports or sponsored those sports but New Big East did not have those sports or were awful in non basketball and non lacrosse and non field hockey teams/sports. So UCONN was trying to pull a fast one and if AAC regained its Autonomy/Power status, then UCONN would put everything else back in the AAC and act as if never left. It was shady and shameful to say the least. The Commissioner and all the other College Presidents and Chancellors and Athletic Directors told UConn with their proposal and paperwork to GTFO of the AAC all together. UCONN wanted a reverse split with what Wichita State and Navy have with AAC. Those two academic institutions made it clear to UCONN that if “WXYZ”happens, they will be full members for everything and not doing anything like that of what UConn wanted to do or actually tried to do. Now UCONN brass and faculty and alumni and student bodies and fans will say was a mutual agreement to separate from AAC or that they chose to mutually leave. But that is not true. Doing business with UCONN is a bad idea; and if you do business with them and include them with equity and power, they can show just how selfish and shitty and underhanded and backstabbing they can be. I am telling you from experience. Big12 wants to grab some Big East schools and help them with transition to FBS while getting their awesome Olympic sports, that’s fine; just not UCONN.

[@s98247]

It would be for football only

[@richardturner3464]

the quicker umass and uconn drop football the better, huge money losers

[@ratenoot1478]

Both states have plenty of $$$$. Neither one is dropping football or dropping back down to FCS