UMass leaving the MAC after 2015

[MarkL]

I am a bit curious what UMass will do next. They want to maintain FBS status but I don't see a way forward. Would any conference take them? The only conferences that geographically make any sense are the ACC and AAC ... yeah right. So do they honestly think they can be an FBS independent? I imagine they would try to schedule 11 FBS teams looking for an easy win and an FCS team and hope they win at least two games each year. I don't see a program like that able to justify its existence. Unless I am missing an option, it seems UMass will ultimately go back to FCS. Would their old conference take them back?

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I am a bit curious what UMass will do next. They want to maintain FBS status but I don't see a way forward. Would any conference take them? The only conferences that geographically make any sense are the ACC and AAC ... yeah right. So do they honestly think they can be an FBS independent? I imagine they would try to schedule 11 FBS teams looking for an easy win and an FCS team and hope they win at least two games each year. I don't see a program like that able to justify its existence. Unless I am missing an option, it seems UMass will ultimately go back to FCS. Would their old conference take them back?

The CAA was struggling to keep teams and have enough for football so I say they would.

As for FBS options there only one is the Sun Belt, which is at 11, needing a 12th for a title game. Everyone else is at an even number

[MarkL]

I am a bit curious what UMass will do next. They want to maintain FBS status but I don't see a way forward. Would any conference take them? The only conferences that geographically make any sense are the ACC and AAC ... yeah right. So do they honestly think they can be an FBS independent? I imagine they would try to schedule 11 FBS teams looking for an easy win and an FCS team and hope they win at least two games each year. I don't see a program like that able to justify its existence. Unless I am missing an option, it seems UMass will ultimately go back to FCS. Would their old conference take them back?

The CAA was struggling to keep teams and have enough for football so I say they would.

As for FBS options there only one is the Sun Belt, which is at 11, needing a 12th for a title game. Everyone else is at an even number

So the Sun Belt would be a mostly southern conference that also includes Idaho and UMass. And I thought the AAC made no sense ...

[60yearsofsicsic]

They will be in the American Conference. They will be accepted because of good basketball history and the Boston market. The school fits in with size and economic structure.

[BGWriter]

Dead on Transfer...BG was more than qualified for an at large this year and we got shafted again. How about the MAC office change policy and give the bid to the regular season champ instead? We could still have a tourney and the winner of that gets an automatic bid to the WNIT. If its the same team, the runner up gets the WNIT automatic. I mean we had ONE FREAKIN BAD game all year and it cost us dearly so some half azzed bcs conf teams could get in.

And UMass? Bye. That's all.

This. This. This. How many times does a conference have to send its weaker team to the tourney and have them bomb out, only to see the regular season champ snubbed (again) for an at-large bid before the folks at the main office get it through their THICK SKULLS that the tourney is of NO benefit to the conference if it is trying to send its best team every year. Probably 40 percent of the time, the regular season champ ends up losing in the tourney and doesn't get in.

Enough of this nonsense. A regular season champion has spent MONTHS of hard work to get that trophy. Reward them with the tournament bid. Not some team that happens to get hot and/or lucky over a few days.

As for UMass -- good riddance.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

They will be in the American Conference. They will be accepted because of good basketball history and the Boston market. The school fits in with size and economic structure.

With the American having football their strong basketball probably won't even be a factor on if they get a invite, its all about football and the market, that's what driving realignment for conferences with football, not basketball performance.

[Schadenfreude]

If they even think of treating us like a yo-yo and moving us back to the West then BG should look for a new conference.

Do you have one in mind?

[mscarn]

If they even think of treating us like a yo-yo and moving us back to the West then BG should look for a new conference.

Do you have one in mind?

1) The Eastern Conference of the NBA
2) The next TED talk (Babers has Mic'd up experience)
100) AAC
1000) CUSA