UMass to the MAC

[NWLB]

From UB's press office.... Could it be?

** MEDIA ADVISORY **



The Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) will host a press conference on Wednesday, April 20 at 3:30 pm ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The press conference will be streamed live on www.mac-sports.com<http://www.mac-sports.com>.



In addition, the MAC and UMass will host a media conference call following the announcement at 5:00 pm ET with Mid-American Conference Commissioner, Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and UMass Athletic Director, John McCutcheon.



Media conference call number: 877-307-1996


WHAT: MAC and UMass media conference call
WHEN: Wednesday, April 20 at 5:00 pm
WHO: MAC Commissioner, Dr. Jon Steinbrecher
UMASS Athletic Director, John McCutcheon

****

[Class of 61]

If this proves to be true, either Temple is going bye- bye...(which I wouldn't mind since they don't seem interested in a full committment)...
OR BGSU is going to become a "western" team again!!!!

[transfer2BGSU]

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The University of Massachusetts will be joining the Mid-American Conference for football only, according to sources within the league.

This ends months of speculation and MAC and UMass administrators are expected to hold a joint news conference Wednesday to announce the arrival of the Minutemen.

However, while UMass will begin MAC football play in 2012 it will not be eligible for a MAC title or bowl opportunities until 2013.

The Minutemen will give the league two "football only" members with UMass joining Temple, and expanding the league to 14 members in football. This is expected to be an open-ended deal with both teams. While UMass will not be joining the MAC in any other sport, like the Owls it will be obligated to play two home and two road basketball games with MAC men's and women's teams every season.

This move will give the MAC two, seven-team divisions. How those divisions will be divided will be a topic for discussion in the upcoming league meetings in May. The most likely move will be Bowling Green back to the MAC West, where the Falcons would be paired again with their natural rival, Toledo.

But there has also been some discussion of going to North and South Divisions, which could see several MAC teams have different division partners than in the past.

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/...ts_fo.html

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Why does BG have to move to the West? After all, Oxford is further west than Bowling Green. Do we willingly move or make the MAC pony up?

What would a North-South Division look like?

[MarkL]

I don't mind competing in the West. We get to play NIU every year and we were starting a great rivalry with them in 02 - 04. There's no chance of a BG - UT MAC championship game. We don't have to drive every single year to Buffalo or Temple, and now add UMass into the equation. The farthest away team is NIU, and that's not too bad of a drive. The only real cons to me of moving to the west are that we don't get to play Miami each year, and I think the East is a little easier to win right now. That being said, I think the East is getting better fast. But ... if Miami moves to the west, I'd be happy sticking around with the east. I don't think the two divisions are that far separated from each other right now.

[MarkL]

Here's a thirty-second thought of how north - south could look like ...

North
UMass
Temple
UB
EMU
CMU
WMU
UT

South
Ohio
Miami
Kent
Akron
BG
BSU
NIU

Could switch NIU and UT around, but I think it would make more sense for the three Michigan schools and UT to be in the same division.

That all being said, I think based off the MAC geography that East - West just works better in general ...

Or another quick thought ... chuck the geography and build divisions based largely on rivals:

Division Need-a-name
UMass
Temple
UB
Ohio
Miami
BG
UT

Division Need-another-name
WMU
CMU
EMU
Akron
Kent
BSU
NIU


Keep the three Michigan teams together as they're good rivalries. Keep the three east teams together as Temple-UMass are both A-10 teams and Temple-UB has been a decent rivalry so far. Keep BG-UT together, and keep Miami-Ohio together. And since BG, UT, and Miami are all kinda rivals, might as well just keep BG-UT-Miami-Ohio together. Keep Akron-Kent and BSU-NIU together. Since we've got one block of four together, might as well keep Akron-Kent-BSU-NIU together. So now we've got two blocks of three together and two blocks of four together. Let's not be sadistic and place UMass and NIU in the same division, so keep the block of four including NIU with the three Michigan schools, then place the block of four with us in it with the three east teams. And there's another quick division breakup.

But this is all purely speculation ...

[NWLB]

Great, so when UMass jumps to the Big East in three or four years, we can move back to the East division again.

[BGSU33]

I strongly dislike the idea of going to the West....again! And for what, football only, because the MAC only has 12 basketball schools. I really dislike the way we (BG) are the school always affected by the expansion of this conference the most like when Marshall and UCF came in. I would rather lose Temple and go back to 12 myself. So what, 14 MAC football teams? Wow, too many IMO. Especially with two as affiliates. I would rather see us add by getting full-time schools than "football only" programs. So in a few years when Temple and UMass both leave, we'll be shuffled back to the East again. Burns me up...

[gmartin]

This would be my take:

EAST:
UMass
Temple
Buffalo
Kent
Akron
Ohio
Miami
(This would keep the Akron-Kent rivalry as well as the OU-Miami Rivalry, as well as start a new UMass vs Temple

West:
Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan
Central Michigan
BGSU
Toledo
Ball State
Northern Illinois
(Keeping intact the BG-UT rivalry, as well as all the Michigan schools)

Football has 12 games. This is what I would like. You play each team in your division, giving you 6 games. You have ONE cross over rivalry game (team) you play every year. In BG case that would be Miami. The other 6 teams you play 2 cross divisional games each year and you rotate those 6 teams, so you will go three years without playing them again. That will give you a total of NINE conference games. Play 3 out of conference games therefore completing your 12 game schedule.

I think this would be easy to do but I am sure the MAC will screw it up. What do you think? Anyone like my idea?

[h2oville rocket]

I suspect that's the most likely scenario since we've sort of been there before. All rivalries intact and the REALLY east teams stay together and build rivalries maybe. It does complicate hoops, though- BG is odd college out-makes little sense to shift hoops affiliations so they would be east in one sport, west in another.

BGSU33, I have no problem with BG being the school that moves around. Why should any other school have to do it?

[gmartin]

If they were to go North - South and create new divisions and new rivalries they would be smart to separate UMass and Temple. That way when it is time for basketball you could use the same divisions and you are back to 6 teams in each conference. WOW!! What a brilliant idea!!!

[MarkL]

gmartin - good point. I bet that's why they're considering a north-south, so the divisions are intact in every sport but football where both divisions add a team. Can't do that with east-west as the two extra teams are the two farthest east teams. Of course, that means NIU is going to be paired with either Temple or UMass ...

[Rollo83]

Here is the article Crain's has on it today. Adding Boston media market to go aong with Philly market seems to be part of their strategy here.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/ ... /110419855

[BGSU33]

Personally, if the MAC's gonna change again, I'm up for making things interesting. From a BG standpoint, I would like to see what they come up with a North & South division as opposed to us being in one division for one sport and another division for others. BG has already started in the East, gone to the West, went back to the East, and could be headed back to the West again, while everyone has stayed put. Then when Temple and UMass are finished wiping their feet on the MAC, BG will be moved back again. I'm tired of all the moving around, if things are changing again, I'm up for mixing it all up.

[Class of 61]

Forget the East/West or North/South..... Shouldn't the divisions be called Legends and Leaders?

[gmartin]

I was thinking HAVE's and HAVE NOT for division name.

Or we could just divide the conferences this way:

The Birds:

EMU
BGSU
BSU
MIAMI
TEMPLE

And put the other 9 in the WannaBees