UMass declines full MACtion, football gets kicked out

[Dawg06]

This story broke yesterday:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...er-2015-season

The MAC offered UMass full membership, but UMass declined. So the MAC is kicking UMass football out after the 2015 season so they only have two football seasons left in the MAC.

Had UMass accepted, I think James Madison would have also been invited to the MAC to get to 14, but that's not happening now. It looks like JMU's only FBS option right now is the Belch.

Will JMU stoop to joining the Belch? Will Benson throw UMass an FBS football life preserver like he did NMSU and Idaho? Will the Belch stoop to inviting Liberty?

[Tech77]

This story broke yesterday:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...er-2015-season

The MAC offered UMass full membership, but UMass declined. So the MAC is kicking UMass football out after the 2015 season so they only have two football seasons left in the MAC.

Had UMass accepted, I think James Madison would have also been invited to the MAC to get to 14, but that's not happening now. It looks like JMU's only FBS option right now is the Belch.

Will JMU stoop to joining the Belch? Will Benson throw UMass an FBS football life preserver like he did NMSU and Idaho? Will the Belch stoop to inviting Liberty?

I definitely think Benson will invite them.

[DONW]

Good for the MAC!

[Tech77]

Good for the MAC!

I agree.

[HogDawg]

This story broke yesterday:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...er-2015-season

The MAC offered UMass full membership, but UMass declined. So the MAC is kicking UMass football out after the 2015 season so they only have two football seasons left in the MAC.

Had UMass accepted, I think James Madison would have also been invited to the MAC to get to 14, but that's not happening now. It looks like JMU's only FBS option right now is the Belch.

Will JMU stoop to joining the Belch? Will Benson throw UMass an FBS football life preserver like he did NMSU and Idaho? Will the Belch stoop to inviting Liberty?

I know Benson is a whore, so he will invite both UMASS (football only) and JMU to join the Belch. UMASS turned down the full membership offer from the MAC because they don't want their basketball team to leave the high profile A-10 for the lowly MAC. Can't say I blame 'em.

Yes, JMU will join the Belch, because Benson is a whore.

Did I mention that Benson is a whore?

[rebelboi]

this is what the Sun Belt should do to New Mexico St, the only reason to have them is their basketball program

[Dawg06]

this is what the Sun Belt should do to New Mexico St, the only reason to have them is their basketball program

NMSU would love for all of their programs to join the Belch, but the Belch doesn't want them due to the high travel expenses of getting to and from Las Cruces.

[inudesu]

I don't know that they actually "kicked them out."

I think this was always the deal, right? It was a 2 year football membership as an evaluation period. After that two years, the MAC could offer full membership and if UMass declined, then they'd get 2 more years as football only.

I doubt anyone is surprised on either end. The MAC was probably hoping UMass football would be better than it ended up being, and UMass was probably hoping MAC basketball would kick it up a notch.

I do wonder how the heck Umass is going to get by as an independent. They've probably got better options than Idaho or NMSU, but there still aren't nearly as many schools up there as there are in the South. And if the MAC teams get upset about this and blackball them at all (or just aren't interested, because it's not like any great rivalries formed in the time UMass played in the MAC) then they're going to be in bad shape schedule-wise.

[parialex]

UMass would get Sun Belt football to 12 and a championship game with minimal commitment.

It goes towads the foolishness of UMass's ascent to FBS that the Sun Belt is their best option.

[hookdown]

UMass to the AAC? Not likely, but they are not ruling it out for the future either.


http://www.gazettenet.com/home/11353...enda-right-now


Makes some sense. If that happened, USM as an addition in the west?

[The Historian]

UMass to the AAC? Not likely, but they are not ruling it out for the future either.


http://www.gazettenet.com/home/11353...enda-right-now


Makes some sense. If that happened, USM as an addition in the west?

USM or Rice. More than likely, UMass will be a candidate for the AAC as a replacement for a team departing in the next round of realignment.

[Champ967]

USM or Rice. More than likely, UMass will be a candidate for the AAC as a replacement for a team departing in the next round of realignment.

I was thinking we were stable for the foreseeable future.

Big12 back to 12?

[The Historian]

I was thinking we were stable for the foreseeable future.

Big12 back to 12?

The next likely shoe to drop is the Big 10 going to 16 - sometime in the next 15 months.

[hookdown]

The next likely shoe to drop is the Big 10 going to 16 - sometime in the next 15 months.

I am not sure about the timing, but the 16 team model is only a question of when, not if. And of course when they do, three others will quickly follow. I really think one of the power conferences will not survive (at least with what are today BCS schools), most likely either the ACC or Big 12. One or more likely both, will lose at least some of their current members. At that point realignment, at least among the power conferences, will be done.


B1G steals UNC and UVA?
SEC steals Florida State and Virginia Tech?
PAC 12 steals Texas, OU, Oklahoma State, and Kansas (basketball)?

ACC and Big 12 will try to steal from each other (Louisville/West Virginia and possibly others) to stay relevant. The loser will be faced with restocking from non-BCS schools and becomes the latest former power conference.

[The Historian]

I am not sure about the timing, but the 16 team model is only a question of when, not if. And of course when they do, three others will quickly follow. I really think one of the power conferences will not survive (at least with what are today BCS schools), most likely either the ACC or Big 12. One or more likely both, will lose at least some of their current members. At that point realignment, at least among the power conferences, will be done.


B1G steals UNC and UVA?
SEC steals Florida State and Virginia Tech?
PAC 12 steals Texas, OU, Oklahoma State, and Kansas (basketball)?

ACC and Big 12 will try to steal from each other (Louisville/West Virginia and possibly others) to stay relevant. The loser will be faced with restocking from non-BCS schools and becomes the latest former power conference.

I am still of the opinion the P5 conferences will all eventually get to 16. The pressure to expand from various television partners is going to happen long before any particular school or group of schools is willing to test the Grant of Rights deals they've signed in the past five years.

If one conference were to be raided to a point it would risk its P5 status, it would be the Big 12, as its TV model is so different from the rest. The problem is the other four leagues will backfill with schools long before any of the Big 12 schools not named Texas would be willing to break away. Because that's what it would take.

The schools that would be in that position, Oklahoma and Kansas, aren't willing to take that gamble and lose. Along with Texas, they're too comfortable at the moment and for the foreseeable future. It's all about timing. Which is why we're eventually headed for a five league, 80-school model for the power leagues.