(05-17-2014 12:40 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  

(05-17-2014 11:50 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-17-2014 11:33 AM)GoAppsGo92 Wrote:  His public comments fall in line with the leagues stated goals, and he made it very clear that UMASS is getting serious consideration. That works for me.

There are things UMASS can do, say, and commit to that would make them acceptable as a temporary placeholder, and even as a permanent member.

But getting a championship game right this instant is not one of the things that should be the primary motivator for adding them. That should be a side-effect of adding them at most.

For a conference that was just complaining that they had 7 bowl eligible teams and only 2 got bowl bids, why add another team to dilute it further? Same with media coverage. SBC gets 5 espn games and just lost their CSS regional TV partner but wants to further spread those 5 TV appearances even further??

Crazy.

UMASS has been FBS for just two seasons, so it is a process. They are struggling, although they did beat Miami of Ohio last season.

You are wrong on the media coverage. UMASS will not hurt the media coverage. They had a home game nationally televised last year against Vanderbilt (ESPN News). They have two home games scheduled for TV in conference play, one on Wednesday and the other on Friday. Their home games against Boston College and Colorado will likely make one of the ESPN family of channels. They also get football coverage in Boston on the radio (WUFC) and statewide radio coverage.

They also are not playing an easy schedule. They are playing four P5 schools in nonconference play (the home games against BC and CU and road games at Vanderbilt and Penn State). In 2015 they are at Notre Dame and Colorado. They won't hurt the strength of schedule of the SBC.

They will help the conference academic image and there are the non-conference basketball games that can be scheduled. UMASS would likely be the best nonconference home game for SBC schools in basketball. That has been the case in the MAC, where UMASS is 8-0 over the past two seasons, 4-0 on the road.

By the way, the TV schedule is not done and the bowl situation will improve in the future. I think the SBC has plenty of upside in the future.