(04-25-2024 12:22 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  Honestly, I'd prefer the MAC to just not restart it if it's just going to meet the minimal requirements. Attempting to replace affiliate members every few years just isn't stable.

Whether the MAC would have to "replace affiliate members every few years" is an open question.

Scanning the Div 1 team list on Wikipedia, the only existing affiliates I see east of the Mississippi outside of the MAC are Howard in the NEC and Liberty in the OVC. The MEAC is skating on thin ice in continuing as a Division 1 conference, and it is widely thought that Howard will be joining the NEC if the MEAC is forced to fold up its tents ... indeed, it appears to be Howard sticking with the MEAC that is presently holding the MEAC together. So it would be hard to consider a Howard soccer affiliation as a longer term stable arrangement.

It is not clear whether the MAC schools -- UMass included -- would be eager to recruit Liberty as an affiliate, given that they were clearly disinterested in Liberty as a full member.

Delaware will be leaving its soccer home for CUSA, and has already announced its new soccer home, but one possibility would be for it to change its destination from the Summit League to the MAC. As I've noted before, Delaware in the MAC would likely be a stable affiliation, and its announced move just underlines that, since MAC soccer would be an upgrade on Summit League soccer. If this move is under discussion, the UMass AD noting the MAC's likely multi-bid status would be an echo of arguments he would already be making in discussions with Delaware.

The other speculative realignment that would make a school available would be if CUSA invites Missouri State. The problem there is that the MVC would be a more natural home for Missouri State soccer than the MAC. [edit:] The question here is, would the MVC hold a grudge against Missouri State if they leave for CUSA? Because just letting Missouri State soccer stay in the MVC, keeping MVC soccer at 6 even if the MAC schools leave seems like a smarter move for the MVC.

So I would grant the stability of the affiliate relationship being a concern if the affiliate was Howard or Missouri State. However, if the affiliate was Delaware, it would seem like the risk there is lower.

Unless MAC schools have to or are forced to move back to a reconstituted MAC men's soccer, I think NIU would prefer to stay in MVC.

Evansville, Drake, UIC, and Bradley are all much closer to NIU than UMass, Delaware, and even Akron.

(04-26-2024 03:39 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  Unless MAC schools have to or are forced to move back to a reconstituted MAC men's soccer, I think NIU would prefer to stay in MVC.

Evansville, Drake, UIC, and Bradley are all much closer to NIU than UMass, Delaware, and even Akron.

Per the UMass AD in that video, the word they are getting is that the MAC is interested in restarting MAC soccer if they can sort out the necessary affiliate (or two). I have no reason to think that he's blowing smoke, so it seems to me that the views of the incumbent MAC soccer schools have been worked out.

It will have been a very brief and underwhelming stint in the Big East for the Zips.

(04-27-2024 12:59 PM)Ohio Poly Wrote:  It will have been a very brief and underwhelming stint in the Big East for the Zips.

There'll still be another season to play, one way or the other, so don't count your critiques before they're hatched.

This is UMass, not soccer related, but hey, some call soccer football. We have a chancellor that enjoys football. Check him out during the spring game. Wearing #31 as the 31st Chancellor of UMass. It's a fun listen if you click the below link of the Chancellor Reyes mic'd up and being a guest coach.


https://twitter.com/i/status/1785741901687083485