UMass joining the MAC in all sports beginning in 2025-2026
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
Yes, return of the MAC for football but all other sports were A10 still. This move will include all sports.
Huge Minus. You are going from a conference that gets 1-2 at large bids a year to one that has not got an at large bid in 25 years.
Edit - Might as well title it UMass gives up on Basketball for Football Dreams.
How can a possible trip to March Madness compare to getting your heads kicked in by Akron on a Tuesday night in October, brought to you by ESPN2?
Seems like a strange fit for UMass to play all their games in the Great Lakes region. What's the logic here?
Where would you have them go?
From The Athletic story:
UMass’ move leaves UConn as the last completely independent FBS program.
Does this leave the A-10 to poach a school from a smaller conference? Would UVM fit in the A-10? Their men’s Bball team has dominated the America East over the past ~10 years.
UVM doesn't have the financial resources to compete in the A-10. From what I've heard, College of Charleston has had it's eyes on the A10. They're not happy with the CAA.
The downgrade in basketball (and most other sports) is far outweighed by the upgrade in football from the death valley of being an independent to joining a conference.
The MAC is 100% public research institutions, which is a good fit for UMass. Another school will likely be added to the MAC.
According to the Athletic, CUSA asked UMass to join their conference also.
The MAC is 100% public research institutions, which is a good fit for UMass. Another school will likely be added to the MAC.
According to the Athletic, CUSA asked UMass to join their conference also.
I note that MAC doesn't have men's ice hockey, lacrosse or soccer. They can probably stay in Hockey East but will need to affiliate with other conferences for the other two sports.
America East perhaps? Could develop rivalry with UML if that’s allowed by the Umass bylaws
Also geographic rivalry with Albany
3 of the 5 other New England state schools are there
I can see joining Mac for football but it doesn’t make sense for Olympics sports imho.
They'll stay in Hockey East for sure. MLAX could go to Big East. MLAX has Denver, Marquette, and Georgetown who are all good to very good programs but there's only 6 or 7 members total.
Again, what would you have had them do? If there wasn't an offer on the table to join the MAC or CUSA in a football-only capacity, what would your solution to this have been?
Football drives the realignment bus at the FBS level so UMass needed to get into a league. If it wasn't the MAC, it was going to be the C-USA which will have teams spread from Delaware to Florida on the East Coast, Kentucky/Tennessee/Texas/Louisiana in the South/SW, and even into New Mexico. Believe me, if you had to pick between the two leagues picking the MAC is a much better choice.
Drop down to FCS since they’re not that good and rejoin the Coastal Athletic (left in 2012) for football and join the America East/Hockey East for the others to be with UNH and Maine for everything.(and would be with Albany and UVM for almost everything)
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Per Pete Thamel (ESPN), UMass will stay in Hockey East and will request to stay in the Atlantic 10 as an affiliate member for men's and women's lacrosse only, according to a source.
(nothing mentioned about Men's soccer)
(nothing mentioned about Men's soccer)
They should drop to FCS - lots of schools like Umass imo should. Especially with FBS more even more becoming impossible for them to compete against.
I agree. The viable choices were to join an FBS conference or drop football entirely. FCS is like 90% of the cost at 5% of the benefit.
UMass leaving puts the A-10 at 14 schools. I don't think they'll feel obligated to add someone else, although I'm always wrong when I say that.
I take it joining the American wasn't an option?
If not then the MAC is the least awful choice in a vast sea of awful choices, I suppose.
I continue to wish that football would be it's own thing, and schools could align geographically for all other sports.
If not then the MAC is the least awful choice in a vast sea of awful choices, I suppose.
I continue to wish that football would be it's own thing, and schools could align geographically for all other sports.
I don't follow UMass sports at all, so I didn't know if their brand was that bad. Guess so.
So then join the MAC.
Yes, for sure. The NET for the MAC is 24th (one behind the MAAC, 3 behind America East); the A10 is 8th. The other league that was considered, CUSA, is 15th.
Not affected. The only league that's got hockey is the Big 10 (plus Notre Dame). All the other hockey leagues are hockey only.
They've been to the tourney once this century, they aren't giving anything up in basketball
CAA has too many football schools to accept another one without an exit. 15 schools is quite enough.
Go 16 and make 2 divisions (or even 4)? not sure why 15 is a better number than 16
Something tells me UVM is perfectly happy dominating America East and getting that auto bid almost every year. They've got a nice thing going.