(08-07-2017 08:16 AM)Eldonabe Wrote:  Football would be better if we stayed in the MAC - that is arguably and probably true.

The problem was/is that the rest of the athletics programs would suffer dropping down to the MAC and that was not in the cards. The only possible exception to that would have been if Temple went all in MAC too.

After Basketball and Football, Umass has been pretty competitive in everything else (hockey has been marginal too, but that was not part of any moves - that will always been Hockey East). The overall travel budget increases for everything was just too much for maybe/possibly football recovering that cost down the road. There was also absolutely no fan interest in MAC here. Call it snobby or whatever, but Amherst could give a rats arse about directional Michigan/Ohio based schools on a weekly basis. There is just nothing to get behind there.

Umass has the resources to let this play out until the FBS conference implosion in a few years. In the mean time they have done a pretty good job scheduling for some exposure. As long as the number of bowls does not drop, they can hopefully start looking at December games next season and with any luck maybe one this year?

Today we should be farther along in this process, but Molnar did a lot of damage - granted he started behind the 8 ball with the horrid roster he inherited, but he was a marketing nightmare with the fans too. As a Western Mass native - it was obvious to me that he never ever even once looked at the audience he was playing too when he started opening his mouth. He turned off more than he turned on for sure. Pouring salt an that wound was bad AD to boot.

It took Whip 2 years to undo what Molnar did; and now we have a really good AD who gets it. Umass is starting to show some signs of life in Football and Basketball.

The plan is to get fully up to speed when the next round of conference moves start and we have become a more valuable commodity.

The plan is to get fully up to speed when the next round of conference moves start and we have become a more valuable commodity.

Hopefully everything works out. Until then UMASS needs to expand / upgrade their stadium to at least 25k to have a shot at the AAC where they seem to want to go for all sports. UMASS, UCONN, and Temple would make a nice NE rivalry for FB and BB in the AAC if UMASS can join the AAC someday.