http://bostonherald.com/sports/columnist...position=2

(11-30-2010 08:28 AM)mpurdy22 Wrote:  http://bostonherald.com/sports/columnist...position=2

Is the enough to pair UMASS and Temple to the MAC in basketball as well??

That's quite a development!

And from a credible source, too!

I think the article said football only. The chances of UMass and Temple leaving the A-10 for MAC basketball are very small.

A nice, even number works best. If Temple is going to be here for a while, then it makes sense to bring in one more to even up the divisions. "Footprint expansion" seems to be the buzz, so UMass would make more sense over, say, another Illinois school.

If this comes to fruition, I'd love to make a fall trip to New England and catch the Broncos (and welcome BGSU back to the West, I assume).

I'll take them happily. They do need to work on that stadium situation for their own long-term health though. Playing home games 95 miles away from campus is not a recipe for success.

I don't really see any MAC "southern strategy" emerging (i.e. WKU or MTSU) so if Temple "hangs around" in football, then adding UMASS probably makes sense. I suppose Temple will have a pretty good idea if the Big East option is viable in the coming year. One thing we don't need to do..invite UMASS too early only to find out that Temple is bolting.

(11-30-2010 10:10 AM)DogTracks Wrote:  I'll take them happily. They do need to work on that stadium situation for their own long-term health though. Playing home games 95 miles away from campus is not a recipe for success.

Agree, but they'll have attendance issues in Amherst even if they expand the stadium.

It's a relatively sparsely populated part of the state, in a part of the country that simply does not care about college football. Plus, for those who do care, there are two other FBS schools within ~2 hours drive.

In their 17K capacity stadium, they've exceeded 16K for a total 5 home games in the last four years. In that same time span, they've been under 10K 6 times.

If their home attendance is lousy, they'll feel right at home in the MAC! :)

(11-30-2010 09:47 AM)niu79 Wrote:  I think the article said football only. The chances of UMass and Temple leaving the A-10 for MAC basketball are very small.

Unless the MAC can draw in two more good A-10ish schools for a 16 team conference..

If UMass and Temple are in Football Only ad then we can offer Richmond and another ecet east coast program (like Deleware or JMU) all of the suddent the MAC might have the makings of a pretty solid multu bid league!

If Temple/UMass/Richmond/ and Deleare are all in the MAC for football offering them all Basketball with an East division contaning them along with Buffalo, Akron, Kent, and Ohio suddenly is pretty good.

It would put the West schools in a bind but you have to think a risiing tide would raise all boats..

(11-30-2010 10:31 AM)BeatNavy Wrote:  

(11-30-2010 10:10 AM)DogTracks Wrote:  I'll take them happily. They do need to work on that stadium situation for their own long-term health though. Playing home games 95 miles away from campus is not a recipe for success.

Agree, but they'll have attendance issues in Amherst even if they expand the stadium.

It's a relatively sparsely populated part of the state, in a part of the country that simply does not care about college football. Plus, for those who do care, there are two other FBS schools within ~2 hours drive.

In their 17K capacity stadium, they've exceeded 16K for a total 5 home games in the last four years. In that same time span, they've been under 10K 6 times.

Trading in regional opponents like UNH, Maine and URI for Temple, Buffalo and Ohio won't help that. But a decent program shouldn't see attendance completely crater. Mid-teens is a nice attendance base in this league.

I won't worry too much about the other FBS teams mattering for attendance. College sports are basically tribal, if you don't have a personal stake in a team (townie, alum, student, family) you don't care normally.

I wonder if they have alumni who have been either agnostic or passing as BC fans due to the lack of FBS football. That's not too unusual, moving up should bring some of those folks home.

I also don't remember reading anyone being happy with the financial situation of playing in FCS. Get a series going with Army, a money game or two per year, and a Gilette Stadium game against someone with a big Boston alumni base every couple years, it should be a better budget situation for them.

(11-30-2010 10:51 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(11-30-2010 09:47 AM)niu79 Wrote:  I think the article said football only. The chances of UMass and Temple leaving the A-10 for MAC basketball are very small.

Unless the MAC can draw in two more good A-10ish schools for a 16 team conference..

If UMass and Temple are in Football Only ad then we can offer Richmond and another ecet east coast program (like Deleware or JMU) all of the suddent the MAC might have the makings of a pretty solid multu bid league!

If Temple/UMass/Richmond/ and Deleare are all in the MAC for football offering them all Basketball with an East division contaning them along with Buffalo, Akron, Kent, and Ohio suddenly is pretty good.

It would put the West schools in a bind but you have to think a risiing tide would raise all boats..

I'd say you could look at any two schools such as Dayton, Xavier, Richmond, Cleveland State, Wright State, or Delaware all sports except football. 14 in football and 16 in basketball.

I like the idea of adding UMass, but why let them join as FB only? What other conference will take them? Would a BCS Conference have any intersest, and could they afford to upgrade their stadium to meet the requirements? Big East? unlikely. ACC? they already have Boston college, so no. Big 10? lmao.

That leaves the 5 non AQ conferences. WAC, MWC and Sun Belt(most likely) would be a no-go for geographical reasons. That leaves the MAC and CUSA. I don't see CUSA having much interest. So that leaves..... the MAC. Force their hand, play hardball. They need us more then we need them.

I like mpurdy's thought. What would it take to bring Temple and UMass all the way in? Would the right basketball-oriented additions do it?

I like who the article identifies as members of the MAC. Shows who the headliners really are, don't you agree H2Oville?

At the rate that UMass is working, this may work in the MAC's favor. One thing to watch is the conference switching in football. Here's what I think will happen:

(1) The Big East conference will separate with the FB/BB schools going to one conference with the basketball schools going to another conference.

The following 10 schools: Cincinnati, UConn, Lousiville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, T.C.U., Villanova (they'lll go FBS), and West Virginia will break off and perhaps add some additional teams/or the B10/ACC will raid.

(2) The remaining 7 BB only schools from the Big East, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame (unless it eventually goes B10), Providence, Seton Hall, St. Johns will add what it perceives as the best teams from the A10.

The Big East will pick from the following group: Charlotte, Dayton, George Washington, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Joseph's, St. Louis, Xavier.

(3) Once the A10 is gutted, Temple and UMass will be better suited in the MAC for all sports rather than playing the likes of Duquesne, Fordham and LaSalle in basketball in a watered down A10.

If the MAC can add WKU for all sports, then that also helps lure UMass and Temple for all sports as MAC basketball improves.

Make this happen.

MAC needs to compete with the future mega-conferences somehow. UMass brings $$ and credibility to get things done. Wish we got them for other sports besides just football but beggars can't be choosers. Bring them here.

They have one of the higher attendances (historically) in FCS and I think won the FCS championship in 2006. They have been wanting to come to FBS for a while and have the resources to make it work. Also seem to fit pretty well with the rest of the conference. They bring the Boston Market too, and they have really good mashed potatoes.

Please MAC, make this happen.

The MAC is such a bush league conference. Ridiculous to even consider them for football only. Bring all sports or nothing.

Now this is what I am talking about. I am glad to hear at least rumblings that the MAC is being somewhat proactive in trying to improve it's membership. Does this mean EMU gets the pink slip? Someone in another thread asked who could replace EMU in the MAC, UMass works. I would make that trade all day. The timing is great too with with the Temple contract coming up and if they only come in for football, it will most likely give us more guaranteed games in basketball (similar to Temple) which should help our basketball rpi.

http://boston.sbnation.com/2010/11/30/18...ealignment