(02-28-2024 04:56 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 04:26 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 12:42 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

I thought so too at first, but BG and Toledo aren’t even in the same division now.

Here's what I would do:

Buff - UCONN - UMASS
Akron - Kent - Ohio
Miami - ISU - NIU
EMU - CMU - WMU
Tol - BGSU - Ball

UConn leaving the Big East for the MAC makes total sense, absolutely. Would they ever lose a game in conference?

(02-28-2024 05:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 04:56 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 04:26 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 12:42 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

I thought so too at first, but BG and Toledo aren’t even in the same division now.

Here's what I would do:

Buff - UCONN - UMASS
Akron - Kent - Ohio
Miami - ISU - NIU
EMU - CMU - WMU
Tol - BGSU - Ball

UConn leaving the Big East for the MAC makes total sense, absolutely. Would they ever lose a game in conference?

I'm making the assumption they'd stay in the Big East for Basketball.

Dear dansplaining,
Personally, I do not want any more part time members. Connecticut comes in full or forget it.

(02-29-2024 09:56 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear dansplaining,
Personally, I do not want any more part time members. Connecticut comes in full or forget it.

I agree with you though UCONN is the only school I would consider

(02-29-2024 10:01 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 09:56 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear dansplaining,
Personally, I do not want any more part time members. Connecticut comes in full or forget it.

I agree with you though UCONN is the only school I would consider

Assume UConn would have to agree to a scheduling alliance in MBB and WBB.

MAC gets say 2 home and 1 away MBB one year with UConn and reverse the next year. Ditto for WBB.

MAC would get a total of 3 home games each year. One year two MBB and one WBB and next year one home MBB and two WBB. MAC would also play 3 games at UConn.

That would be a big plus for MAC hoops.

(02-29-2024 07:48 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 05:56 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 04:56 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 04:26 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 12:42 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

I thought so too at first, but BG and Toledo aren’t even in the same division now.

Here's what I would do:

Buff - UCONN - UMASS
Akron - Kent - Ohio
Miami - ISU - NIU
EMU - CMU - WMU
Tol - BGSU - Ball

UConn leaving the Big East for the MAC makes total sense, absolutely. Would they ever lose a game in conference?

I'm making the assumption they'd stay in the Big East for Basketball.

Well, in that case...I got nothing.

I'd like to see NDSU, SDSU, W Kentucky, MTSU join! Any of them.

(02-29-2024 02:45 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  I'd like to see NDSU, SDSU, W Kentucky, MTSU join! Any of them.

I just can't believe we would add a school from the plains after adding a school from the north east. We pride ourselves on being a bus conference.

(02-29-2024 02:50 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 02:45 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  I'd like to see NDSU, SDSU, W Kentucky, MTSU join! Any of them.

I just can't believe we would add a school from the plains after adding a school from the north east. We pride ourselves on being a bus conference.

I assume that Western Kentucky has kind of a right of first refusal.

IF that happens, MAC can stay at 14 OR look for another pair to get up to 16.

IF 16, then maybe MTSU? Maybe UConn?

I don't 't see NDSU accepting a G5 offer, other than say MWC.

(02-29-2024 05:33 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 02:50 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 02:45 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  I'd like to see NDSU, SDSU, W Kentucky, MTSU join! Any of them.

I just can't believe we would add a school from the plains after adding a school from the north east. We pride ourselves on being a bus conference.

I assume that Western Kentucky has kind of a right of first refusal.

IF that happens, MAC can stay at 14 OR look for another pair to get up to 16.

IF 16, then maybe MTSU? Maybe UConn?

I don't 't see NDSU accepting a G5 offer, other than say MWC.

What are you saying? NDSU will only accept a P4 offer?????

(02-29-2024 07:23 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 05:33 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 02:50 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-29-2024 02:45 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  I'd like to see NDSU, SDSU, W Kentucky, MTSU join! Any of them.

I just can't believe we would add a school from the plains after adding a school from the north east. We pride ourselves on being a bus conference.

I assume that Western Kentucky has kind of a right of first refusal.

IF that happens, MAC can stay at 14 OR look for another pair to get up to 16.

IF 16, then maybe MTSU? Maybe UConn?

Quote:

I don't 't see NDSU accepting a G5 offer, other than say MWC.

What are you saying? NDSU will only accept a P4 offer?????

I think they want Mountain West or they stay FCS.

We need to add another 3 schools? My dream 3 would be SUNY Albany, MTSU, and WKU

A10 basketball ranked #10
MAC basketball ranked #24 ouch


https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/2...ealignment

(03-01-2024 10:12 AM)Luckeyone Wrote:  A10 basketball ranked #10
MAC basketball ranked #24 ouch


https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/2...ealignment

I know what you are saying and agree with this. Football is king in America, and UMass is sacrificing basketball for it. But to keep things in perspective, while the A10 can have some really impressive years they are still not a power conference. And for some reason, the MAC has been way down the last couple years- I don’t think (hope?) it is going to stay that way.

Nonetheless, this and so many other reasons is why I agree with Bovine- this was a coup for the MAC. UMass is as premium of a brand as the MAC could hope to expect (other than UConn football only). Some of these other possibilities of expansion teams suggested in this thread, while I recognize may be solid athletic programs with good fan bases, would be very much anti-climatic to getting UMass to join. I say don’t further expand for the sake of expanding… the MAC should just ride this win.

MAC Commissioner’s comments on UMass joining…
https://twitter.com/MACSports/status/176...1219461494

Some background and UMass did chose the MAC over CUSA, It's a better academic fit, values, geographical, and sports fit. Will se you guys for the home opener. Football is driving the bus. The A10 is a better league, but doesn't pay the bills.

https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-NIL-col...C-54249741

UMass’ NIL Collectives excited about move to the MAC: “If we get this right, we have a bright future” by Garrette Cote Daily Hampshire Gazette.
First half of article:

Quote:AMHERST — All signs pointed to something happening soon, but Corey Schneider had no idea it would be that soon.

At a Feb. 22 event held at the UMass Club in Boston, nearly the entire UMass Board of Trustees was in attendance – which is fairly unusual, according to Schneider. He was told that night that things had started to move, but he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.

Schneider’s initial thought? UMass was heading to Conference USA.

The following Monday, he picked up his phone and called UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford to pick his brain about the athletics department’s golf tournament in August. Bamford sounded preoccupied, and, quite frankly, a little overwhelmed. Not really paying attention to the call, Bamford told Schneider he had to go.

So Schneider scrolled on his phone, opening up Twitter/X to poke around. The first post he saw filled him with pure excitement and elation.

The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reported that UMass would be joining the Mid-American Conference following the 2024-25 season.

Schneider, the head of The Midnight Ride Collective – UMass’ donor-driven NIL football collective –finally had the news that he and presumably all of the Minutemen football fanbase had been waiting for.

“I immediately was like, ‘That son of a b****,’ but in a good way,” Schneider said, referring to his talk with Bamford. “I honestly think that people still don't fully grasp how important and impactful this move is for UMass as a whole. Not just for football, but the potential this has for all of our athletics.”

The move doesn’t just have an impact on UMass athletics, it’s already had a tremendous influence on both The Midnight Ride and The Massachusetts Collective, UMass’ NIL basketball collective.

Since Monday’s news, both collectives have reached weekly numbers they’ve never seen before. The two groups saw record-breaking 24-hour totals as well as single-week totals, and each have had handfuls of new members join.

“Both collectives are having a great week, and I think that speaks to the alumni base, in general, their appetite and want to win,” Schneider said. “I think that also sends a message to UMass as well, that like people are expecting to win and they want to win.”