A house cleaning move.

They invited UMass when they had Temple in order to try and build an eastern wing. When Temple left, the eastern wing idea was severely compromised. The other eastern options were not going to be enough to pull UMass in for all-sports (and they have no value as a FB-only).

So how does the MAC get out of the awkward relationship? The MAC pushes the issue by giving the official (required) all-sports invite, knowing UMass FB is nowhere near important enough yet for UMass to be willing to leave A-10 BB. UMass predictably declines. The automatic clock starts counting down the time to separation.

IF (not "when" - just 'if") the MAC wants to expand, they are now balanced and can take in 2-4 all-sports members, without the isolated, NE, partial-member, needing to be considered.

2-4 from the MV-FB conference? JMU-MissouriSt? A raid on dissatisfied northern SunBelt or C-USA schools? All those seem more plausible without partial-member UMass complicating FB schedules.

And if they don't want to expand anytime soon: balance is still restored.

I fail to see the downside for the MAC.

(03-26-2014 04:48 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  So what do the UMass coaches tell their recruits?

They just joined a conference with Army, BYU and Notre Dame

(03-26-2014 02:31 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  I think people are misinterpreting this move. UMass' contract with the MAC states that the MAC has the right to invite UMass for all sports whenever they so choose, and if UMass declines then they have 2 years to find a new home.

To me, that says that the MAC was trying to add UMass and another to get to 14, and UMass said no so now they have to leave.

The MAC would have known that UMass was unlikely to take the all-sports side of the forced decision.

Which suggests they are (1) happy at 12 and (2) want to be 14 all-sports if they move to 14.

(03-26-2014 05:07 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 04:48 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  So what do the UMass coaches tell their recruits?

They just joined a conference with Army, BYU and Notre Dame

(03-26-2014 04:55 PM)Piratelife4me Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 03:27 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 03:24 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 03:14 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 03:20 PM)cmufanatic Wrote:  Don't rule out someone who might be unhappy in CUSA...

and that may be?????????

Everybody that wasn't just added from FCS, Sunbelt or WAC.

He means Marshall, we talk about this on the csi board. That would be the most likely one.

What, why, is C-USA eliminating Non-Qualifiers

it's just a rumor no proof of anything.

(03-26-2014 04:58 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  One aspect nobody has considered is the financial implications. The MAC currently only makes about 100K per team from media. The A-10 makes about 300-400K per team from media income. The assumption has been that the MAC was about to get a new contract that would pay 1 million per team. Is it possible this means that the new MAC media package is not going to be nearly as high as expected. Is it possible, that an A-10 membership along with a football-only Sunbelt (or CUSA) membership is more financially viable for cash strapped UMass?

All it really implies regarding the next MAC media deal is that the MAC was advised that just having UMass FB-only was no big winner in terms of media market value. Having Temple and UMass would have been a different matter, since the combination is worth more than the sum of the parts.

After all, how much does UMass make on BBall season ticket & per game ticket sales, and how many lost ticket sales would it take to add up to a half million dollars? That would about the difference between the A10 and MAC conference distribution with a 1m+/school MAC contract after NCAA units are taken into account.

And there may be a conference out there that is willing to add UMass FB-only with no strings attached, to get up to 12 for a CCG.

(03-26-2014 05:00 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 04:58 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  One aspect nobody has considered is the financial implications. The MAC currently only makes about 100K per team from media. The A-10 makes about 300-400K per team from media income. The assumption has been that the MAC was about to get a new contract that would pay 1 million per team. Is it possible this means that the new MAC media package is not going to be nearly as high as expected. Is it possible, that an A-10 membership along with a football only Sunbelt membership is more financially viable for cash strapped UMass?

The way I read the stories is that the MAC triggered this event, not UMass.

Exactly. If the contract is going to be much lower than expected---the MAC would want to know how committed UMass was before adding yet another mouth. Conversely, if the contract was going to pay 1 million a year per school---wouldn't the cash strapped UMass accept?

(03-26-2014 05:20 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 04:58 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  One aspect nobody has considered is the financial implications. The MAC currently only makes about 100K per team from media. The A-10 makes about 300-400K per team from media income. The assumption has been that the MAC was about to get a new contract that would pay 1 million per team. Is it possible this means that the new MAC media package is not going to be nearly as high as expected. Is it possible, that an A-10 membership along with a football-only Sunbelt (or CUSA) membership is more financially viable for cash strapped UMass?

All it really implies regarding the next MAC media deal is that the MAC was advised that just having UMass FB-only was no big winner in terms of media market value. Having Temple and UMass would have been a different matter, since the combination is worth more than the sum of the parts.

After all, how much does UMass make on BBall season ticket & per game ticket sales, and how many lost ticket sales would it take to add up to a half million dollars? That would about the difference between the A10 and MAC conference distribution with a 1m+/school MAC contract after NCAA units are taken into account.

And there may be a conference out there that is willing to add UMass FB-only with no strings attached, to get up to 12 for a CCG.

That's a good point. You could be right. But it would have to be enough to offset a million dollar contract (unless maybe the contract isn't coming in quite that high---maybes its half that, which would still be a big 400% raise for the MAC). Just saying, part of the reason could be economic.

(03-26-2014 03:09 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  I know we're all conference realignment junkies, but the simplest scenario is UMass to the Sun Belt as a football-only, and no one else gets called up from FCS.

Could happen, but I think it's just as likely this pushes JMU into the Sun Belt's arms, leaving UMass to either improve enough in the next two years to land a CUSA or AAC invitation or be forced to drop back down to FCS.

My guess is the Sun Belt would rather have JMU for all sports than add UMass as a football-only and convert NMSU to all sports. JMU has the advantages of being close enough to App State to be a good travel partner, balancing the east and west divisions of the conference in all sports rather than just football, and having a better stadium arrangement and drawing more fans per game than UMass.

Another outcome I could imagine, although it's less likely, is the Sun Belt adding JMU for all sports and both UMass and NDSU as football-only members.

Holy mother...! Actual realignment news!

(03-26-2014 05:03 PM)nert Wrote:  I fail to see the downside for the MAC.

That they came out of this without Temple and UMass? I think that was kind of what they were hoping...that both schools would have come to their senses about where they stood institutionally and athletically and could actually run their departments in a conference with like-minded institutions.

I think the conference could have been content with even just Temple and UMass football. But Temple left and UMass has somewhat not exactly shown up for FBS play.

Two big schools from two big, new markets. Gone. I believe the MAC's in a great position, though...but they did lose something pretty big.

(03-26-2014 05:59 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Another outcome I could imagine, although it's less likely, is the Sun Belt adding JMU for all sports and both UMass and NDSU as football-only members.

Less likely because NDSU isn't thinking of moving up in the near future, AFAIK.

Quote:Published January 05 2014
. . .

Is the day coming when an opposing coach wishes that NDSU would get the hell out of the FCS? That question sparked a chuckle from NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor.

“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “I think the other teams have respected what North Dakota State has done and what our program brings to this level. We have brought a lot of exposure not to just NDSU, but we have brought a lot of exposure to FCS football. Yes, some people want to aspire to that but they also say, ‘hey this is great, this is great for FCS football.’ So right now, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

And right now, Taylor doesn’t see NDSU making another move up anytime soon – even though many people continually ask him when the football program is going leave FCS and play with the big boys at the FBS level. The way NDSU dominated this year’s playoffs, outscoring its four opponents 173-42, you can bet Taylor will be asked about it even more.

What will Taylor’s answer be this time?

“Let’s see what the FBS does first,” Taylor said.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/se...=firefox-a

(03-26-2014 05:07 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 04:48 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  So what do the UMass coaches tell their recruits?

They just joined a conference with Army, BYU and Notre Dame

Hysterical !!!!!!!!!!!!!

(03-26-2014 05:08 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 02:31 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  I think people are misinterpreting this move. UMass' contract with the MAC states that the MAC has the right to invite UMass for all sports whenever they so choose, and if UMass declines then they have 2 years to find a new home.

To me, that says that the MAC was trying to add UMass and another to get to 14, and UMass said no so now they have to leave.

The MAC would have known that UMass was unlikely to take the all-sports side of the forced decision.

Which suggests they are (1) happy at 12 and (2) want to be 14 all-sports if they move to 14.

It also suggests UMass has no conference back-up at this time otherwise the MAC would have just let them leave on their own and avoid a vote and also the forfeit of the UMass exit fee and basketball arrangement. UMass didn't want to join all sports and had no other interested conference so the MAC was forced to kick them out of the door so they would quit using the MAC to stall.

(03-26-2014 06:47 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 05:59 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Another outcome I could imagine, although it's less likely, is the Sun Belt adding JMU for all sports and both UMass and NDSU as football-only members.

Less likely because NDSU isn't thinking of moving up in the near future, AFAIK.

Quote:Published January 05 2014
. . .

Is the day coming when an opposing coach wishes that NDSU would get the hell out of the FCS? That question sparked a chuckle from NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor.

“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “I think the other teams have respected what North Dakota State has done and what our program brings to this level. We have brought a lot of exposure not to just NDSU, but we have brought a lot of exposure to FCS football. Yes, some people want to aspire to that but they also say, ‘hey this is great, this is great for FCS football.’ So right now, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

And right now, Taylor doesn’t see NDSU making another move up anytime soon – even though many people continually ask him when the football program is going leave FCS and play with the big boys at the FBS level. The way NDSU dominated this year’s playoffs, outscoring its four opponents 173-42, you can bet Taylor will be asked about it even more.

What will Taylor’s answer be this time?

“Let’s see what the FBS does first,” Taylor said.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/se...=firefox-a

You just needed to wait a few months and our AD is back on the fence...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketba...g-decision

Eventual Sunbelt? Am I missing anyone?

UMass - football-only
Appalachian State
Troy
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
South Alabama

Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Texas State
Idaho - football-only
New Mexico State - football-only

*UT Arlington - non-football
*Arkansas Little Rock - non-football

Adding UMass to the Sun Belt still leaves the olymic sports at 11. I don't think UMass will be joining the SB at all.

UMass will die playing independent football.

(03-26-2014 08:13 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  Adding UMass to the Sun Belt still leaves the olymic sports at 11. I don't think UMass will be joining the SB at all.

If UMASS does get the FB only invite then NMST will get a all sports invite....12 and 12

(03-26-2014 08:20 PM)swampbear Wrote:  

(03-26-2014 08:13 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  Adding UMass to the Sun Belt still leaves the olymic sports at 11. I don't think UMass will be joining the SB at all.

If UMASS does get the FB only invite then NMST will get a all sports invite....12 and 12

And if that happens, it may be all she wrote for the WAC (another topic for another day)