(06-22-2015 09:10 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(06-21-2015 04:36 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(06-21-2015 03:53 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  The numbers need to continue to grow, however it's above the 49ers stadium capacity and we also have stadium expansion plans. Our Football Performance Center and BB Champion Center are equal to or better than Georgia Tech and most P5 teams. The stadium expansion and improvements is the missing link.

Dude... No offense or anything, but I have been following your "stadium expansion plans." They are piecemeal at best. Charlotte has built a stadium where you can see the future expansion in the very footprint of the stadium. UMass, on the other hand, is putting a piece here and then promising future pieces there. Whether those future pieces actually ever happen or not is the gamble.

Not to mention the other factor: UMass is not investing in the "Stadium" proper. You are adding stuff for the football players, but the actual parts of McGuirk that paying customers actually use are, as of yet, untouched. How are you going to sell tickets when the fans have to stand in cold lines waiting for the cold port-a-potties? Or waiting for concession stands last touched in the 1950's. Great, your "performance center" is on par with Georgia Tech. Meanwhile your fans...all 17k of them...are sitting on a stadium that has not been substantially improved in 40-some-odd years... And what is most alarming (for those of us outside your conference, at least) is that UMass has no set plans to fix those glaring deficits.

If everything else were equal, give me Charlotte every single time. They at least have a plan for the future.

Wtf Bearcat Jerry. You know Charlotte plans did not come until and as a condition to a CUSA invite and yet you chide us waiting for moving forward with our end zone expansion on a conference invite
You guys on the AAC board advise Temple to build a bear bones stadium like UCF and improve it later and you still chide us for lack of amenities. Going independent and for 2016 most of our games at Gillette is going to make impossible to move forward with OCS expansion. In the near future without a conference invite.

Looking forward to our last season in the MAC. Kittonhead remember this Miami will be playing the last MAC game in Amherst not Ohio

This is actually not true at all. Charlotte had those plans (original design with future expansion in mind) well in advance of getting invited to CUSA.

(06-22-2015 09:33 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 09:10 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(06-21-2015 04:36 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(06-21-2015 03:53 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  The numbers need to continue to grow, however it's above the 49ers stadium capacity and we also have stadium expansion plans. Our Football Performance Center and BB Champion Center are equal to or better than Georgia Tech and most P5 teams. The stadium expansion and improvements is the missing link.

Dude... No offense or anything, but I have been following your "stadium expansion plans." They are piecemeal at best. Charlotte has built a stadium where you can see the future expansion in the very footprint of the stadium. UMass, on the other hand, is putting a piece here and then promising future pieces there. Whether those future pieces actually ever happen or not is the gamble.

Not to mention the other factor: UMass is not investing in the "Stadium" proper. You are adding stuff for the football players, but the actual parts of McGuirk that paying customers actually use are, as of yet, untouched. How are you going to sell tickets when the fans have to stand in cold lines waiting for the cold port-a-potties? Or waiting for concession stands last touched in the 1950's. Great, your "performance center" is on par with Georgia Tech. Meanwhile your fans...all 17k of them...are sitting on a stadium that has not been substantially improved in 40-some-odd years... And what is most alarming (for those of us outside your conference, at least) is that UMass has no set plans to fix those glaring deficits.

If everything else were equal, give me Charlotte every single time. They at least have a plan for the future.

Wtf Bearcat Jerry. You know Charlotte plans did not come until and as a condition to a CUSA invite and yet you chide us waiting for moving forward with our end zone expansion on a conference invite
You guys on the AAC board advise Temple to build a bear bones stadium like UCF and improve it later and you still chide us for lack of amenities. Going independent and for 2016 most of our games at Gillette is going to make impossible to move forward with OCS expansion. In the near future without a conference invite.

Looking forward to our last season in the MAC. Kittonhead remember this Miami will be playing the last MAC game in Amherst not Ohio

This is actually not true at all. Charlotte had those plans (original design with future expansion in mind) well in advance of getting invited to CUSA.

Just like our stadium was built with expansion in mind and we have a concrete plan for end zone being horseshoed in. There are several plans for the new home side but don't know which way it would go. Demo or cantilever a second level.

PS while the supports were poured to handle a second level on press box side don't think it will happen since the expansion plans are focused on end zone and new home side along with other reasons as newer building codes.

The invite to CUSA made our plans move more quickly than we were anticipating (hurray for that), but Richardson Stadium was designed with future expansion and FBS in mind.

I think the brand new AD is far more serious about football than the old AD. He has made a great independent schedule hopefully he can get the stadium expanded.

(06-21-2015 11:37 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(06-20-2015 09:11 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  UMass leaving the MAC I thought is a good move.

Gives them the football only flexibility for joining the AAC. This would surprise a lot of people but I believe UMass has a better shot getting into the AAC football only over getting in all sports.

The Big East had a lot of its football schools come in initially as FB only schools like Virginia Tech that finally earned an all sport place at the table. Navy is also joining the AAC FB only.

Let's say UConn is fed up with the AAC, rejoins the BE and takes Memphis with them. Both schools then move on to play an independent FB schedule.

The southern schools of the AAC may band together against another all sport New England school. They might be okay with UMass though if its just FB Only. They can get ODU all sports and UMass FB only.

Much more likely the southern AAC schools would prefer to exit the New England/far northern markets if UConn left. Let Temple, Navy, and Cinci form the northern frontier of the AAC and begin to either move west or south with better--stronger--more established football programs located in better recruiting grounds with better fan support. No point in adding programs with little fan support with small recruting bases in cold environments. There are other programs with more potential and higher ceilings.

My feeling is UMass has about 2 years to find a conference or the program will begin a descent from which it won't be able to recover. They are looking at a weak recruiting ground, few home games, poor fan support a bad campus facility, little chance of getting bowl qualified, and zero chance of a major bowl. UMass might not even get a bowl if they manage to win 6 games as they have no bowl ties. That's a very tough environment in which to thrive. I think they made a mistake leaving the MAC. Yes, they make slightly more money in the A10---but they probabably are in the NCAA's 8 out of every 10 years competing in the MAC. That would lessen the sting of the money loss while giving thier young FBS program a real chance to develop and succeed.

And that would never happen to a team from the AAC LOL?

The Fact is UMass could go 8-4, 9-3, 10-2 in 2016 and probably will not get into a bowl. With the schedule on the books a 0 or 1 loss season might give them a chance of going bowling if leagues can't fill their quota. Even if they don't that would be one heck of problem to deal with.

(06-22-2015 10:21 AM)chidave Wrote:  The invite to CUSA made our plans move more quickly than we were anticipating (hurray for that), but Richardson Stadium was designed with future expansion and FBS in mind.

This seems outdated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Richardson_Stadium but it says that:

The stands currently have a capacity of 15,314, including 13,586 bleacher seats,[1] but expansion became more likely on May 4, 2012, when the school accepted an invitation to rejoin Conference USA, a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.

I seem to remember hearing good things about the Stadium and upgrades coming. The images via Google Image search look pretty cool. Is there an official page outlining the updates and when they will be complete. I'd also be curious as to the cost of each item, wondering what it would cost UMass to make some upgrades.

THX

Charlotte's definitely a contender to move up at some point. There's two factors to consider with them: the trajectory of their football team's performance, and the consistency of their fan support. If they show that they can be competitive in a few years, and they can get good crowds even after the new-program smell wears off, they deserve a look-see.

UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

(06-22-2015 12:52 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  Charlotte's definitely a contender to move up at some point. There's two factors to consider with them: the trajectory of their football team's performance, and the consistency of their fan support. If they show that they can be competitive in a few years, and they can get good crowds even after the new-program smell wears off, they deserve a look-see.

Charlotte has great potential and although they have "exclusive" presence in a huge market I see a few major hurdles. One is they've been overshadowed by UNC, Duke, NC State, Panthers, et al for so long it's going to take time to penetrate the market as a football option. They also aren't too far removed from being viewed as a commuter / part-time school, and almost half of Charlotte is made up of transients from the Northeast and Mid-West that have relocated here over the last 20 years.

The key for them is to engage young generations (family events, kid giveaways, etc at games) so they grow up as fans regardless of who their parents root for.

(06-22-2015 12:00 PM)Minutemen429 Wrote:  I think the brand new AD is far more serious about football than the old AD. He has made a great independent schedule hopefully he can get the stadium expanded.

I think this is the key point here. Everything he's shown so far is that he's going to support the football team as much as possible and do the best to make the right moves. I didn't expect news about actual expansion to happen within just a few short months of him getting hired (the period we're still in), but that doesn't mean I'd rule out that news coming in the next year or so.

(06-22-2015 12:59 PM)2Buck Wrote:  UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

You think Marshall, ODU and Charlotte are a better fit for UMass geographically?

- Buffalo is closer than ODU
- Marshall and Ohio are the same distance
- 10 MAC schools are closer than Charlotte

now add in 3 teams from TX, 2 teams from FLA, etc. There is no way you can argue CUSA is better for UMass than the MAC in regards to travel distances.

(06-22-2015 06:44 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 12:59 PM)2Buck Wrote:  UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

You think Marshall, ODU and Charlotte are a better fit for UMass geographically?

- Buffalo is closer than ODU
- Marshall and Ohio are the same distance
- 10 MAC schools are closer than Charlotte

now add in 3 teams from TX, 2 teams from FLA, etc. There is no way you can argue CUSA is better for UMass than the MAC in regards to travel distances.

Charlotte's a hub, which probably makes them easier to get to than Norfolk. Unless they fly out of Boston, in which case never mind.

(06-22-2015 06:44 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 12:59 PM)2Buck Wrote:  UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

You think Marshall, ODU and Charlotte are a better fit for UMass geographically?

- Buffalo is closer than ODU
- Marshall and Ohio are the same distance
- 10 MAC schools are closer than Charlotte

now add in 3 teams from TX, 2 teams from FLA, etc. There is no way you can argue CUSA is better for UMass than the MAC in regards to travel distances.

I wasn't referring to the travel distances of all the members. I referring to building more "regional" rivalries with schools their students, alumni and fans would recognize and respond to. Buffalo is closest but what sort of history does UMass even have with them? Charlotte and UMass already have some history from A-10 and I don't have the time to research but I'd suspect they've played against Marshall and ODU in various sports over the years more than they did against the vast majority of MAC teams. The reason I'm pointing those few schools out is because they need to drive fan interest and the more schools their fans have an emotional engagement with the better.

It's not a knock against the MAC, it just seems that historically East Coast teams tend to play each other frequently up and down the coast compared with going across time zones. I may be wrong, but I'd tend to believe their fan base would be more familiar with more C-USA schools. But more so than that I think C-USA offers them a better opportunity to build basketball vs MAC and Sun Belt.

(06-22-2015 09:56 PM)2Buck Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 06:44 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 12:59 PM)2Buck Wrote:  UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

You think Marshall, ODU and Charlotte are a better fit for UMass geographically?

- Buffalo is closer than ODU
- Marshall and Ohio are the same distance
- 10 MAC schools are closer than Charlotte

now add in 3 teams from TX, 2 teams from FLA, etc. There is no way you can argue CUSA is better for UMass than the MAC in regards to travel distances.

I wasn't referring to the travel distances of all the members. I referring to building more "regional" rivalries with schools their students, alumni and fans would recognize and respond to. Buffalo is closest but what sort of history does UMass even have with them? Charlotte and UMass already have some history from A-10 and I don't have the time to research but I'd suspect they've played against Marshall and ODU in various sports over the years more than they did against the vast majority of MAC teams. The reason I'm pointing those few schools out is because they need to drive fan interest and the more schools their fans have an emotional engagement with the better.

It's not a knock against the MAC, it just seems that historically East Coast teams tend to play each other frequently up and down the coast compared with going across time zones. I may be wrong, but I'd tend to believe their fan base would be more familiar with more C-USA schools. But more so than that I think C-USA offers them a better opportunity to build basketball vs MAC and Sun Belt.

Top teams yes, Charlotte and Marshall. We do think more about up and down the the east coast more. Yes, C-USA offers us a better opportunity to build basketball vs MAC and Sun Belt.

That said we have more history with teams in the AAC, UConn and Temple.
UMass Opponent Series Page

BB Games by Conference
187 AAC
22 C-USA
19 MAC (includes 12 games that was part of the conference affiliation contract)

This is from a recent MaroonMusket 247 sports article. AD Ryan Bamford talks about our conference situation and specifical mentions the AAC, CUSA, and the MAC.

Quote:Ryan Bamford is keeping his eye on the unpredictable dance that is conference realignment.

UMass' newly minted athletic director has a tall task in front of him. He must chaperone the university's athletic program through uncertain times and find it a suitable home.

He has a football program that will be Independent after this coming season and a basketball team that - on some level - will dictate what conference is the best fit. Bamford knows he has to be proactive. A conservative approach will leave UMass in limbo.

"If we do things really well internally, I think there are going to be opportunities for us," Bamford told the Maroon Musket. "I need to pay attention to what's happening in terms of restructuring or reorganizing. There's a lot of talk about the Big 12, but I only worry about that as it pertains to UMass. As the dominoes start to fall, I need to figure out where we fit. I need to keep a close eye on that and keep the people above me apprised of where I see things going."

UMass' revenue-generating sports are spread across three conferences. Football currently resides in the Mid-American Conference, basketball plays in the Atlantic 10, and hockey is in Hockey East. UMass and the MAC are about to part ways, leaving the football program as an Independent. That means no bowl tie-ins, no conference money and the arduous task of filling out every date on a 12-game schedule.

If you aren't a traditional powerhouse - or funded by the U.S. government - it's a tough position to be in.

"Being an Independent in football is not a death sentence, but it is not something that's easy to sustain while building a 12-game schedule that's competitive and also gives your kids an opportunity for success," Bamford said. "There are a lot of ingredients that make it hard."

Getting out of the uncertainty of independence isn't easy either. UMass needs one of two situations: 1) a conference willing to take it as a football-only member, or 2) a conference that wants UMass for all sports and benefits programs other than just football.

"I want to get us into a league that best fits for as many offerings as we have. In a perfect world, that would be all 21 sports, but there may not be an opportunity for that," Bamford said. "Any chance for us to be in a league that raises the profile of not only our athletic department, but our university - and also puts us in a situation with like institutions - is an opportunity we're looking at."

To many UMass basketball fans, the Atlantic 10 is a comfortable home. The league is still competitive on a national scale, and there are a few age-old rivals that haven't yet bolted for greener pastures. But UMass and the remaining teams in the A-10 make strange bedfellows. It is the only school with an FBS football program, and UMass is one of only a handful of state schools.

"The Atlantic 10 is a very good conference across the board. But we're in a conference with a lot people who don't look like us, and that's hard," Bamford said. "It's hard to build rivalries. It's hard to build strategy around schools, many of whom don't have football."

That leaves the million-dollar question: Where does UMass go from here? Conventional wisdom indicates that American Athletic Conference would be the optimal fit, with Conference USA as an adequate second option. The Mid-American Conference works for football, but a majority of UMass fans bristle at the idea of having other sports travel to Michigan and Ohio to play directional schools.

But Bamford was adamant that he's looking at all options and isn't interested in making any knee-jerk decisions. When asked about a future in the AAC, CUSA or MAC, Bamford was non-committal.

"Those three are certainly ones that we will look at," he said. "I will say that we're very comfortable in the A-10. It's a good, collegial league. I enjoy the history that we have there. We're not going to be short-sighted and jump to something that doesn't make sense."

http://umass.247sports.com/Article/Bamfo...e-38116135

(07-09-2015 09:50 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  This is from a recent MaroonMusket 247 sports article. AD Ryan Bamford talks about our conference situation and specifical mentions the AAC, CUSA, and the MAC.

Quote:Ryan Bamford is keeping his eye on the unpredictable dance that is conference realignment.

UMass' newly minted athletic director has a tall task in front of him. He must chaperone the university's athletic program through uncertain times and find it a suitable home.

He has a football program that will be Independent after this coming season and a basketball team that - on some level - will dictate what conference is the best fit. Bamford knows he has to be proactive. A conservative approach will leave UMass in limbo.

"If we do things really well internally, I think there are going to be opportunities for us," Bamford told the Maroon Musket. "I need to pay attention to what's happening in terms of restructuring or reorganizing. There's a lot of talk about the Big 12, but I only worry about that as it pertains to UMass. As the dominoes start to fall, I need to figure out where we fit. I need to keep a close eye on that and keep the people above me apprised of where I see things going."

UMass' revenue-generating sports are spread across three conferences. Football currently resides in the Mid-American Conference, basketball plays in the Atlantic 10, and hockey is in Hockey East. UMass and the MAC are about to part ways, leaving the football program as an Independent. That means no bowl tie-ins, no conference money and the arduous task of filling out every date on a 12-game schedule.

If you aren't a traditional powerhouse - or funded by the U.S. government - it's a tough position to be in.

"Being an Independent in football is not a death sentence, but it is not something that's easy to sustain while building a 12-game schedule that's competitive and also gives your kids an opportunity for success," Bamford said. "There are a lot of ingredients that make it hard."

Getting out of the uncertainty of independence isn't easy either. UMass needs one of two situations: 1) a conference willing to take it as a football-only member, or 2) a conference that wants UMass for all sports and benefits programs other than just football.

"I want to get us into a league that best fits for as many offerings as we have. In a perfect world, that would be all 21 sports, but there may not be an opportunity for that," Bamford said. "Any chance for us to be in a league that raises the profile of not only our athletic department, but our university - and also puts us in a situation with like institutions - is an opportunity we're looking at."

To many UMass basketball fans, the Atlantic 10 is a comfortable home. The league is still competitive on a national scale, and there are a few age-old rivals that haven't yet bolted for greener pastures. But UMass and the remaining teams in the A-10 make strange bedfellows. It is the only school with an FBS football program, and UMass is one of only a handful of state schools.

"The Atlantic 10 is a very good conference across the board. But we're in a conference with a lot people who don't look like us, and that's hard," Bamford said. "It's hard to build rivalries. It's hard to build strategy around schools, many of whom don't have football."

That leaves the million-dollar question: Where does UMass go from here? Conventional wisdom indicates that American Athletic Conference would be the optimal fit, with Conference USA as an adequate second option. The Mid-American Conference works for football, but a majority of UMass fans bristle at the idea of having other sports travel to Michigan and Ohio to play directional schools.

But Bamford was adamant that he's looking at all options and isn't interested in making any knee-jerk decisions. When asked about a future in the AAC, CUSA or MAC, Bamford was non-committal.

"Those three are certainly ones that we will look at," he said. "I will say that we're very comfortable in the A-10. It's a good, collegial league. I enjoy the history that we have there. We're not going to be short-sighted and jump to something that doesn't make sense."

http://umass.247sports.com/Article/Bamfo...e-38116135

Sounds like UMass will be Indy for quite some time. Just as they were making progress in the MAC....their recruiting probably will be worse that when they first started in the MAC with no bowl, no Access Bowl possibility and no extra cash from the CFP.

(06-22-2015 12:24 PM)Sam Minuteman Wrote:  

(06-21-2015 11:37 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(06-20-2015 09:11 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  UMass leaving the MAC I thought is a good move.

Gives them the football only flexibility for joining the AAC. This would surprise a lot of people but I believe UMass has a better shot getting into the AAC football only over getting in all sports.

The Big East had a lot of its football schools come in initially as FB only schools like Virginia Tech that finally earned an all sport place at the table. Navy is also joining the AAC FB only.

Let's say UConn is fed up with the AAC, rejoins the BE and takes Memphis with them. Both schools then move on to play an independent FB schedule.

The southern schools of the AAC may band together against another all sport New England school. They might be okay with UMass though if its just FB Only. They can get ODU all sports and UMass FB only.

Much more likely the southern AAC schools would prefer to exit the New England/far northern markets if UConn left. Let Temple, Navy, and Cinci form the northern frontier of the AAC and begin to either move west or south with better--stronger--more established football programs located in better recruiting grounds with better fan support. No point in adding programs with little fan support with small recruting bases in cold environments. There are other programs with more potential and higher ceilings.

My feeling is UMass has about 2 years to find a conference or the program will begin a descent from which it won't be able to recover. They are looking at a weak recruiting ground, few home games, poor fan support a bad campus facility, little chance of getting bowl qualified, and zero chance of a major bowl. UMass might not even get a bowl if they manage to win 6 games as they have no bowl ties. That's a very tough environment in which to thrive. I think they made a mistake leaving the MAC. Yes, they make slightly more money in the A10---but they probabably are in the NCAA's 8 out of every 10 years competing in the MAC. That would lessen the sting of the money loss while giving thier young FBS program a real chance to develop and succeed.

And that would never happen to a team from the AAC LOL?

The Fact is UMass could go 8-4, 9-3, 10-2 in 2016 and probably will not get into a bowl. With the schedule on the books a 0 or 1 loss season might give them a chance of going bowling if leagues can't fill their quota. Even if they don't that would be one heck of problem to deal with.

lol....yes, that sucked for Temple---but that was of our own doing. We gave away a slot to allow us to replace CUSA with BYU in the Miami Bowl. We rolled the dice and lost on that one with Temple paying the price.

That said, the number of AAC bowl ties continues to rise. This year we have 7 bowls. We have 8 ties in 2016. Once the Austin Bowl comes on line we will have 8-9 ties each year (not counting the access bowl or any backup bowl slots). So---going forward a 6-win AAC team has very little chance of being left out.

My honest opinion is UMass should backtrack and accept a full invite to the MAC. UMass likely heads to the NCAA every year from that conference in basketball (would that be so bad?) and the MAC would provide a good incubator for UMass football to develop where they might enjoy some success within a reasonable time frame.

(06-23-2015 12:37 PM)steve81 Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 09:56 PM)2Buck Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 06:44 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

(06-22-2015 12:59 PM)2Buck Wrote:  UMass is at a crossroads. They haven't been dominant in basketball since the 90's and only one (?) NCAA appearance since then? It doesn't seem they've been benefiting from the multiple NCAA invites in the A-10 so if their hope is to improve football so their "whole package" is appealing to the AAC they're going to have to build up football in a lesser G-5 conference. C-USA is probably a better fit than MAC not only regionally (Marshall, ODU, and Charlotte would be better rivals) but I think C-USA has better basketball and more likely to get at-large bids.

Just like UCONN basketball alone is a tough sell to get UCONN into the P5 without football stepping up, I don't think UMass basketball is enough to get it into AAC without football stepping up. Pay your dues UMass, and you'll be better positioned for it. Something JMU's admin desperately needs to learn as well.

You think Marshall, ODU and Charlotte are a better fit for UMass geographically?

- Buffalo is closer than ODU
- Marshall and Ohio are the same distance
- 10 MAC schools are closer than Charlotte

now add in 3 teams from TX, 2 teams from FLA, etc. There is no way you can argue CUSA is better for UMass than the MAC in regards to travel distances.

I wasn't referring to the travel distances of all the members. I referring to building more "regional" rivalries with schools their students, alumni and fans would recognize and respond to. Buffalo is closest but what sort of history does UMass even have with them? Charlotte and UMass already have some history from A-10 and I don't have the time to research but I'd suspect they've played against Marshall and ODU in various sports over the years more than they did against the vast majority of MAC teams. The reason I'm pointing those few schools out is because they need to drive fan interest and the more schools their fans have an emotional engagement with the better.

It's not a knock against the MAC, it just seems that historically East Coast teams tend to play each other frequently up and down the coast compared with going across time zones. I may be wrong, but I'd tend to believe their fan base would be more familiar with more C-USA schools. But more so than that I think C-USA offers them a better opportunity to build basketball vs MAC and Sun Belt.

Top teams yes, Charlotte and Marshall. We do think more about up and down the the east coast more. Yes, C-USA offers us a better opportunity to build basketball vs MAC and Sun Belt.

That said we have more history with teams in the AAC, UConn and Temple.
UMass Opponent Series Page

BB Games by Conference
187 AAC
22 C-USA
19 MAC (includes 12 games that was part of the conference affiliation contract)

Why would CUSA make it easier for UMass to build basketball? It's weaker than the MAC now in basketball.

Quote:...The Mid-American Conference works for football, but a majority of UMass fans bristle at the idea of having other sports travel to Michigan and Ohio to play directional schools.
...

Dear "Majority of UMass Fans",

*** you, get over yourself. You're not better than us.

Love,

"Directional Schools from Ohio and Michigan"

(07-09-2015 01:22 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  

Quote:...The Mid-American Conference works for football, but a majority of UMass fans bristle at the idea of having other sports travel to Michigan and Ohio to play directional schools.
...

Dear "Majority of UMass Fans",

*** you, get over yourself. You're not better than us.

Love,

"Directional Schools from Ohio and Michigan"

Let me know when MAC BB has national respect. For instance getting an at-large bid to either Big Dance or NIT.