(10-16-2014 10:34 PM)Steve1981 Wrote: (10-12-2014 10:54 PM)Kittonhead Wrote: (10-12-2014 09:32 PM)Steve1981 Wrote: This is as good as any place to ask Kittonhead. Know you are a Ohio fan and wanted us for ALL Sports, yet in your location you say "I root For: UMASS FOOTBALL ONLY". Curious as why you are doing it.
It is what it is that Ohio voted for put us on a term contract and then reached out once we declined the all sports invite. Don't understand why you have "I root For: UMASS FOOTBALL ONLY:
-The MAC was required to offer an all sport invite to UMass before putting the school on a term contract. That was language added by UMass who wanted the all sport option in case the A10 fell apart.
-I love the FB Only strategy by UMass. I think they have a better chance at getting into the AAC as a FB Only school because its an easier sell for the western schools in the conference to have track the Olympic sports in the dead of winter up to Amherst.
It also gives UMass a chance to customize the schedule and I see that you've added Ohio to that schedule. That may include a basketball series as part of the deal.
-UMass has a lot of graduates (especially system wide OMG). It has a few fans for basketball. When I found out there was no bathrooms at your stadium and enjoy holding it through 4 quarters it was a match made in heaven. I am fan of only UMass football, nothing more.
Enough with the no bathroom crap and holding it for 4 quarters. There are huge bathrooms at either end of the old football facilities about 40 yards from the end zone. Doubt basketball games are part of the deal, those are being held back for a conference alliance deal and the A10 plays 18 conference games.
Yes the AAC is the goal, but will be watching CUSA new media contract since the old one only runs through 2015-16. CUSA is better in football and why better in basketball compared to the MAC. Football-only, it was a good fit for us as it was for Temple all those years. Sorry to see the affiliation end after next year.
Are you serious about UMass potentially moving to CUSA all sports?
The MAC has a $124 million dollar TV deal with ESPN for production of all Football, Basketball games plus many Olympic sports. CUSA has an $80 million dollar TV deal between CBS College Sports/Fox. Is that CUSA TV deal likely to go up when ESPN has also laid out $120 million for the AAC? CUSA would be lucky to maintain its current arrangement after losing so many members (only Marshall, UTEP, UAB, Rice remain from 2010 lineup).
The MAC was rated higher in basketball than CUSA last year and has played its conference tournament for 15 years in Cleveland and the Cavs arena with championship games regularly around 10,000. Its not quite as well attended as the MVC's arch madness but its much better than having your conference tournament played on North Texas's campus which is the type of treatment to expect from CUSA.
The MAC is a regional footprint conference that has the advantages of bus travel, neutral conference tournament sites while at the same time plays in FBS and has a 9 figure ESPN TV deal. The conference has been around since 1946 and has the most tradition of any G5 conference. Nobody in this conference has to spend greater than 600,000 for a basketball or football coach.
The AAC is pulling in more revenue than the MAC by 2 million per school but they are spending 3-4 million more on their coaching staffs. That conference I think is becoming where you put the private schools and East Coast publics that are too far from CUSA (UConn, Temple, ECU, USF, UCF). Note that if ECU considers CUSA a bad geographic fit CUSA a bad geographic fit for UMass.
The B12 decides to add UC and Houston, that would open a spot naturally for Rice in the AAC and then UMass can be looking at filling the other spot. The only schools that desire a spot in CUSA at this point are in the Sun Belt or FCS conferences.