(04-30-2016 09:28 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:05 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 07:12 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I want to bump this because after hearing reports from there, UMASS will drop down to FCS next IMO. It sounds like they thought they'd go Indy for only as long as it took for the AAC to invite them, and the AAC won't be inviting them. If a school bases their future facilities upgrades on a hoped conference upgrade to fund said projects, they just don't get how this works. Chicken and egg thing. UMASS is next to drop.
Cheers!

I think UMass has actually done okay with their transition. I think NMSU will do well to equal UMass's recruiting and scheduling as a FBS indy.

I'll say this: The one thing UMASS has going for it is an all sports invite to the MAC to fall back on. New Mexico St does not have a conference to join. Independence is not sustainable for anyone anymore unless it's Notre Dame who has a scheduling agreement with the ACC and could join the Big Ten today if they wanted. BYU could join the AAC or rejoin the MWC today if they wanted and (IMHO) they will when the Big 12 gets it through to them that they won't be invited ever at any point. Right now they still think there's a chance.
Cheers!

They don't have a MAC invite to fall back on. They're out. And there's no guarantee the MAC would let them rejoin, even if they did so for all sports.

(04-30-2016 09:28 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:05 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 07:12 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I want to bump this because after hearing reports from there, UMASS will drop down to FCS next IMO. It sounds like they thought they'd go Indy for only as long as it took for the AAC to invite them, and the AAC won't be inviting them. If a school bases their future facilities upgrades on a hoped conference upgrade to fund said projects, they just don't get how this works. Chicken and egg thing. UMASS is next to drop.
Cheers!

I think UMass has actually done okay with their transition. I think NMSU will do well to equal UMass's recruiting and scheduling as a FBS indy.

I'll say this: The one thing UMASS has going for it is an all sports invite to the MAC to fall back on. New Mexico St does not have a conference to join. Independence is not sustainable for anyone anymore unless it's Notre Dame who has a scheduling agreement with the ACC and could join the Big Ten today if they wanted. BYU could join the AAC or rejoin the MWC today if they wanted and (IMHO) they will when the Big 12 gets it through to them that they won't be invited ever at any point. Right now they still think there's a chance.
Cheers!

No, they don't. UMASS made their bed, and sadly it may have been a death bed. But they're gonna lie in it. Sad for their fans, but the MAC is most likely off the table. They went all in for the AAC, and will likely be left standing at the altar

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(04-30-2016 09:34 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:28 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'll say this: The one thing UMASS has going for it is an all sports invite to the MAC to fall back on. ...

They don't have a MAC invite to fall back on. They're out. And there's no guarantee the MAC would let them rejoin, even if they did so for all sports.

Precisely. The option to join all-sports was under the affiliation agreement, when the MAC decided to exercise their option to terminate the UMass FB-only affiliation, two years after Temple's departure, effective four year's after Temple's departure.

It was not an open invitation. It's conceivable that UMass might get an all-sports invite if it changed its mind about playing BBall in the MAC, and with the right partner ... but unless future conference realignment hits the MAC, it's not at all clear why a super-majority of MAC schools would vote to extend an invitation.

UMass football have done well the past 2 seasons. Better than some of the full time MAC members. I think they will get better and better as they move along at the FBS level. They have something that neither New Mexico State or Idaho have. A Very large state with a very large population. They might get an all sports invite to the AAC or C-USA. If their basketball improves and football? They would be very attractive. Last season, the whole NCAA men's basketball as a whole was a down year.

(04-30-2016 09:48 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:28 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:05 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 07:12 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I want to bump this because after hearing reports from there, UMASS will drop down to FCS next IMO. It sounds like they thought they'd go Indy for only as long as it took for the AAC to invite them, and the AAC won't be inviting them. If a school bases their future facilities upgrades on a hoped conference upgrade to fund said projects, they just don't get how this works. Chicken and egg thing. UMASS is next to drop.
Cheers!

I think UMass has actually done okay with their transition. I think NMSU will do well to equal UMass's recruiting and scheduling as a FBS indy.

I'll say this: The one thing UMASS has going for it is an all sports invite to the MAC to fall back on. New Mexico St does not have a conference to join. Independence is not sustainable for anyone anymore unless it's Notre Dame who has a scheduling agreement with the ACC and could join the Big Ten today if they wanted. BYU could join the AAC or rejoin the MWC today if they wanted and (IMHO) they will when the Big 12 gets it through to them that they won't be invited ever at any point. Right now they still think there's a chance.
Cheers!

No, they don't. UMASS made their bed, and sadly it may have been a death bed. But they're gonna lie in it. Sad for their fans, but the MAC is most likely off the table. They went all in for the AAC, and will likely be left standing at the altar

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

I'm hearing from a lot of posters that UMASS burned the MAC bridge for good. I was wrong. Thanks
Cheers!

(05-01-2016 06:27 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  UMass football have done well the past 2 seasons. Better than some of the full time MAC members. I think they will get better and better as they move along at the FBS level. They have something that neither New Mexico State or Idaho have. A Very large state with a very large population. They might get an all sports invite to the AAC or C-USA. If their basketball improves and football? They would be very attractive. Last season, the whole NCAA men's basketball as a whole was a down year.

There's no way UMass would want CUSA for all sports if they didn't want the MAC all sports. CUSA has been worse in basketball than the MAC. And it's more travel besides. And that's assuming CUSA would even be interested.

They're also going to struggle playing all these teams on the schedule. They won 2 games in the MAC last year. What happens when they have 4 SEC teams on the schedule?

(05-01-2016 10:43 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(05-01-2016 06:27 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  UMass football have done well the past 2 seasons. Better than some of the full time MAC members. I think they will get better and better as they move along at the FBS level. They have something that neither New Mexico State or Idaho have. A Very large state with a very large population. They might get an all sports invite to the AAC or C-USA. If their basketball improves and football? They would be very attractive. Last season, the whole NCAA men's basketball as a whole was a down year.

There's no way UMass would want CUSA for all sports if they didn't want the MAC all sports. CUSA has been worse in basketball than the MAC. And it's more travel besides. And that's assuming CUSA would even be interested.

They're also going to struggle playing all these teams on the schedule. They won 2 games in the MAC last year. What happens when they have 4 SEC teams on the schedule?

Some people seem to have lost track and fail to realize Louisville, Cincy, Houston, Memphis, ECU, etc., are no longer in CUSA.

I don't fault the UMass decision one bit. They went FBS to enhance their long-term opportunities but they also understand that fan interest in basketball drives their ticket revenue and more importantly their donations. There simply isn't enough revenue in the MAC, CUSA or Sun Belt (a league they approached after the MAC decision) to offset the possible erosion of the base.

Now if I had been calling the shots at UMass I probably would have been despised by the fans because I would have rolled the dice. If we are who we say we are in hoops, we join the MAC all-sports and own MAC hoops and the fans mad at me get mostly over it as we go to the NCAA most every year. Of course if you don't own MAC hoops you are doubly screwed.

To me if you aren't willing to roll the bones and try that, you create an impression that football isn't that important that you won't protect it.

If you won't take the best available league for football and aren't Notre Dame or at least BYU, you aren't all-in for football and maybe not "in" enough to play FBS.

I'm not faulting UMass administration, they played the safest card but the safest card can really hurt you if something palatable doesn't turn up in 5-10 years. Of course most AD's and presidents don't stay 10 years.

(04-30-2016 09:34 PM)utpotts Wrote:  I think UMASS has burned the bridge for the MAC invite. They had their time to show what they could do and failed at it.

While this is possible, I don't think we can be certain of that. If UMass came back asking to join in all sports, there are some good arguments for the MAC agreeing to that.

Imagine adding UMass and Stony Brook. That would add potential TV value.

(05-01-2016 11:01 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:34 PM)utpotts Wrote:  I think UMASS has burned the bridge for the MAC invite. They had their time to show what they could do and failed at it.

While this is possible, I don't think we can be certain of that. If UMass came back asking to join in all sports, there are some good arguments for the MAC agreeing to that.

Imagine adding UMass and Stony Brook. That would add potential TV value.

If it's driven by TV income, then much of the decision would be in ESPN's hands. There would be some schools likely against it in any event, some schools likely for it for the BBall impact, and a big chunk in the middle for it if the financial impact is positive, against it otherwise.

The MAC may well do it if it expanded total media revenue on a per school. But total media money revenue includes CFP money, so an ESPN money boost would have to more than offset the watering down of CFP money.

Right now, ESPN does not seem to be in a spending mood, but who knows where they'll stand at a hypothetical point in the future when UMass wants in and Stony Brook is ready to step up to FBS.

The desired endgame for UMASS is the AAC. Period. It's where they want to be and they make a strong case (at least as long as UCONN is still in the league). All of this crap talk of all of these FCS teams moving up makes no sense.

Louisville is making a 55 million expansion to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. No state funds will be used. It will be built from donations. As I write this already $28 million has been donated. We will be closing the open end zone, adding more luxury boxes and add 10,000 more seats, plus many new amenities. We have no revenue problems at UofL!

(05-02-2016 12:14 PM)Wilkie01 Wrote:  Louisville is making a 55 million expansion to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. No state funds will be used. It will be built from donations. As I write this already $28 million has been donated. We will be closing the open end zone, adding more luxury boxes and add 10,000 more seats, plus many new amenities. We have no revenue problems at UofL!

Good for you guys.
Cheers!

(05-01-2016 08:13 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(05-01-2016 11:01 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:34 PM)utpotts Wrote:  I think UMASS has burned the bridge for the MAC invite. They had their time to show what they could do and failed at it.

While this is possible, I don't think we can be certain of that. If UMass came back asking to join in all sports, there are some good arguments for the MAC agreeing to that.

Imagine adding UMass and Stony Brook. That would add potential TV value.

If it's driven by TV income, then much of the decision would be in ESPN's hands. There would be some schools likely against it in any event, some schools likely for it for the BBall impact, and a big chunk in the middle for it if the financial impact is positive, against it otherwise.

The MAC may well do it if it expanded total media revenue on a per school. But total media money revenue includes CFP money, so an ESPN money boost would have to more than offset the watering down of CFP money.

Right now, ESPN does not seem to be in a spending mood, but who knows where they'll stand at a hypothetical point in the future when UMass wants in and Stony Brook is ready to step up to FBS.

Stony Brook used to have a hellava Wrestling program. Did they drop the sport?
Cheers!

(05-02-2016 02:07 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-01-2016 08:13 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(05-01-2016 11:01 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(04-30-2016 09:34 PM)utpotts Wrote:  I think UMASS has burned the bridge for the MAC invite. They had their time to show what they could do and failed at it.

While this is possible, I don't think we can be certain of that. If UMass came back asking to join in all sports, there are some good arguments for the MAC agreeing to that.

Imagine adding UMass and Stony Brook. That would add potential TV value.

If it's driven by TV income, then much of the decision would be in ESPN's hands. There would be some schools likely against it in any event, some schools likely for it for the BBall impact, and a big chunk in the middle for it if the financial impact is positive, against it otherwise.

The MAC may well do it if it expanded total media revenue on a per school. But total media money revenue includes CFP money, so an ESPN money boost would have to more than offset the watering down of CFP money.

Right now, ESPN does not seem to be in a spending mood, but who knows where they'll stand at a hypothetical point in the future when UMass wants in and Stony Brook is ready to step up to FBS.

Stony Brook used to have a hellava Wrestling program. Did they drop the sport?
Cheers!

I think they only have a club team.