UMass

[hammb]

In theory...we're adding Boston as a media market.... In theory

Isn't that like saying NIU gave us the Chicago media market, Miami gives us the Cincinnati market, EMU gives us the Detroit market, Akron gives us the Cleveland market, and Buffalo gives us the NY market? Hell, we're rolling in cash!

[Flipper]

In theory... Yes

[Globetrotter]

One thing to consider is that we might lose some teams to other conferences so adding teams before that happens is a positive

[maskedopining]

Another thing to consider is that some current schools may be considering dropping to a lower division in football. Even further, the MAC school presidents may be preparing for the fact that all schools in the conference will be forced to drop to a “lower division” of football by whatever the power conferences decide to do with football in the near future.

[pdt1081]

Well, at least they are bringing all sports this time -- and not just football.

All sports except hockey.

MAC doesn't have hockey

IF the MAC were to ever add hockey, UMASS is gone. There furthest road trip is currently about the same as BG's closest (maybe a little exaggeration, but I'm not looking it up). Point remains, they are in an afternoon bus league right now.

[fanatic13]

2025 schedule has two open spots since Minnesota got moved back and we already have an fcs game. With realignment a lot of teams still have games open. Ucf just got a 2025 game canceled and smu only has one non conference game. Either of those would be a fun matchup

At least wku is consistently in bowl games and if you're bowl eligible you're very likely to get a bowl game regardless of ties currently. Also a solid men's basketball program. I don't hate the umass move but I'm not sure how they make the conference better. I'd rather have gave Delaware a shot alongside wku. Looking around there's not a lot of great programs in the northeast so I'm not sure that's the future but clearly the Missouri Valley teams aren't interested

[Schadenfreude]

At least wku is consistently in bowl games and if you're bowl eligible you're very likely to get a bowl game regardless of ties currently. Also a solid men's basketball program. I don't hate the umass move but I'm not sure how they make the conference better. I'd rather have gave Delaware a shot alongside wku.

It seemed an awful lot like Western Kentucky would move over to the MAC by this summer, but given Conference USA's addition of Missouri State, it now appears that this might not be the case.

I wouldn't completely rule out Western Kentucky moving over to the MAC at some point. WKU's grant of rights to Conference USA will expire in a couple of years, and the conference revenue distributions to WKU now being fattened by exit fees from departing members will eventually decline. I would also not be at all surprised if the MAC's next television contract is significantly more valuable than Conference USA's current contract. Membership in the MAC would likely also reduce WKU's travel expenses. That said, there are some rumblings that Western Kentucky is pleased with the addition of Missouri State and might like to stay.

It now appears as if the MAC saw the opportunity to get UMass in all sports as too good to pass up -- so good that the question of a 14th school could be dealt with later. In UMass we get a state flagship with a great academic reputation that makes us relevant in the nation's eighth-largest TV market. They also have some basketball tradition. UMass football is obviously really bad, but Buffalo football was terrible when we added them in 1998, and they eventually figured things out (at least to an extent).

I'd personally like to see us double down in the Northeast by adding Stony Brook or Albany. These are very good schools academically that would add even more TV sets and create synergy with UMass and Buffalo. Another option might be to look west and see if Illinois State is interested. A NIU-ISU rivalry could make us more relevant in Chicago, and Illinois State has very good academics.

I don't think the MAC needs to do anything immediately, though. It may be that none of these options I've mentioned are going to be ripen for while. That's okay. We've figured out a way to schedule with 13 schools before; we can do it again until the question of the next school is settled.

[Schadenfreude]

An informed Central Michigan fan is saying on the cnsbbs board that: "I'm hearing the MAC is having conversations with Illinois State and NDSU [North Dakota State] as it seeks a potential 14th full member addition."

Obviously, Fargo is not terribly close to our footprint. But they have a whale of a football program out there, and it's a good university (an R1 flagship). I'd be delighted if the MAC could make that work financially. They'd compete instantly the way Marshall did 25 years ago.

I hope what he says he's hearing is true about North Dakota State.

[BillyLP]

Would be pretty fun to take a trip up for a game in the FargoDome.