Scheduling Question - UMass

[mets1090]

Can we expect a continuous series with UMass rotating venues each year? Seems like something that should probably happen. I would rather play UMass every year than some other MAC team. Part of me thinks we shouldn't be looking to do them any favors by scheduling home and homes with them but if we can do it with Buffalo why not with a team that people might give a damn about beating.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I'd be all for a 2 for 1 deal on a continual basis. Doesn't need to be exactly 2 for 1 but the majority of games should be at the Rent. Its closer to their campus than Gilette is anyway.

 

[mets1090]

I'd be all for a 2 for 1 deal on a continual basis. Doesn't need to be exactly 2 for 1 but the majority of games should be at the Rent. Its closer to their campus than Gilette is anyway.

Agree that 2 for 1 makes more sense in the foreseeable future. If UMass grows as a program maybe you look at switching to a home and home. Of course by that time who is to say they don't end up as a football member of whatever the Big East may be called at that time. It wouldn't surprise me if they were perennially better than Memphis in the near future.

 

[metsfan2323]

Can we expect a continuous series with UMass rotating venues each year? Seems like something that should probably happen. I would rather play UMass every year than some other MAC team. Part of me thinks we shouldn't be looking to do them any favors by scheduling home and homes with them but if we can do it with Buffalo why not with a team that people might give a damn about beating.

I certainly hope we keep playing them. To want to avoid them would make hypocrites of all of us since see we are angry at BC for avoiding us. The school should welcome and try to build up the rivalry, they will certainly take some recruits from us and eventually they will even beat us, but a good regional rivalry is something we as fans should welcome. A trip to Gillette to see a UCONN game is also a bonus, it beats going to Western Michigan.

The upside of a stronger UMASS is a weakened BC. It's possible that BC will see that UCONN and UMASS has the potential to be a popular game in MA and decide that they should be the ones building up a rivalry with UCONN.

Just my opinion.

 

[mets1090]

I certainly hope we keep playing them. To want to avoid them would make hypocrites of all of us since see we are angry at BC for avoiding us. The school should welcome and try to build up the rivalry, they will certainly take some recruits from us and eventually they will even beat us, but a good regional rivalry is something we as fans should welcome. A trip to Gillette to see a UCONN game is also a bonus, it beats going to Western Michigan.

The upside of a stronger UMASS is a weakened BC. It's possible that BC will see that UCONN and UMASS has the potential to be a popular game in MA and decide that they should be the ones building up a rivalry with UCONN.

Just my opinion.

Completely agree. It would be cool if the 3 teams all played each other every year over the course of the first 3 weeks. That gives UMass two good teams on their schedule while giving BC and UConn a good team and an up and coming MAC school. These are the types of things that build college sports in regions where they aren't as popular as they could be. Not saying it will turn into a Southern type rivalry but it sure beats playing Buffalo.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I wouldn't give them a home game. No need to elevate their program with the chance that potential recruits from Massachusetts would chose UMass over UConn in the future.

I'll play them every year at The Rent, but no UMass home games.

Same deal with Buffalo. I would be willing to double the price of my season tickets if we never had to play that team ever again. Playing last year in their glorified high school stadium was a joke.

Ideally.
1-UMass
1-BCS level or MAC/C-USA
1-BCS level
9-Big East games

Have to get back to 7 home games too. Just too many 3-4 weeks gaps in the home schedule this year.

 

[whaler11]

I wouldn't give them a home game. No need to elevate their program with the chance that potential recruits from Massachusetts would chose UMass over UConn in the future.

I'll play them every year at The Rent, but no UMass home games.

Same deal with Buffalo. I would be willing to double the price of my season tickets if we never had to play that team ever again. Playing last year in their glorified high school stadium was a joke.

Ideally.
1-UMass
1-BCS level or MAC/C-USA
1-BCS level
9-Big East games

Have to get back to 7 home games too. Just too many 3-4 weeks gaps in the home schedule this year.

If the Big East goes to a 9 game schedule, it's impossible to play 7 home games every year.

To play 7 home games a year with a 9 game conference schedule, you would have to play 83% of OOC games at home. 2 out of 3 when you have 5 conf home games and 3 out of 3 when you have 4.

 

[UCFBfan]

If the Big East goes to a 9 game schedule, it's impossible to play 7 home games every year.

To play 7 home games a year with a 9 game conference schedule, you would have to play 83% of OOC games at home. 2 out of 3 when you have 5 conf home games and 3 out of 3 when you have 4.

I think the new playoff system requirements will make conferences shy away from the 9 game conference slate. They'll need higher competition in OOC games and not want to be tied down to a 9 game conference slate. The B1G moved away from it, I don't see why the BE or anyone else will move towards it.

 

[Steve1981]

UMass fan here so will hold off commenting now, but it seems strange that we are playing teams in every other BCS-AQ conference, except the Big East. To be sure we will struggle for a few years. Think we will start hitting critical mass in 2014 with a home Gillette game against Boston College.

 

[weyuo]

I want UConn to play ranked non conference teams and the sooner UMass and BC can get ranked the better off for all of us in New England. Home and home works for me as long as the game helps us in the rankings. Beating up on UMass & Buffalo doesn't do much for our hopes of reaching perennial top 10 status. But lets be fair about this and give UMass the same amount of time in D-1 that we have had. Hate to see guys in here bashing a school that is trying to do the same thing UConn is trying to do. Lets be honest, we don't really have a lot to crow about....yet. We haven't taken down a Bama, or Texas. Our only claim to fame is beating a very weak Notre Dame team, winning a few minor bowls and getting stomped by Oklahoma. Come on Coach P....bring us to the promise land........ the Orange Bowl!!

 

[whaler11]

I think the new playoff system requirements will make conferences shy away from the 9 game conference slate. They'll need higher competition in OOC games and not want to be tied down to a 9 game conference slate. The B1G moved away from it, I don't see why the BE or anyone else will move towards it.

I don't like the 9 game conference schedule because I can't stand the balance of home/road games having such a huge impact on who wins the division/league. I hope the Big East sticks to 8.

 

[zls44]

Think we will start hitting critical mass in 2014 with a home Gillette game against Boston College.

LMAO "critical mass"

 

[pj]

I want UConn to play ranked non conference teams and the sooner UMass and BC can get ranked the better off for all of us in New England.

What good does it do our strength of schedule if BC gets ranked? We're better off having them languish.

Our only claim to fame is beating a very weak Notre Dame team, winning a few minor bowls and getting stomped by Oklahoma.

That's pretty good for 10 years in FBS.

Come on Coach P....bring us to the promise land........ the Orange Bowl!!

How about the national championship? A mere ACC champion gets to the Orange Bowl. We've already achieved an equal feat in our Fiesta Bowl year.

 

[pj]

LMAO "critical mass"

That is when critics will come out, if attendance is poor.

 

[CL82]

I'd be all for a 2 for 1 deal on a continual basis. Doesn't need to be exactly 2 for 1 but the majority of games should be at the Rent. Its closer to their campus than Gilette is anyway.

Yep. 2-1. Good for them, good for us. I don't mind going up to Foxboro periodically.

 

[weyuo]

What good does it do our strength of schedule if BC gets ranked? We're better off having them languish.



That's pretty good for 10 years in FBS.



How about the national championship? A mere ACC champion gets to the Orange Bowl. We've already achieved an equal feat in our Fiesta Bowl year.

1] BC- Having UConn and BC battling yearly(or every other year) for bragging rights in the rankings:
A) Guarantees a sold out house and a televised game on ESPN
B) Just might keep more of the Silas Redd's of the world in New England
C) Gives the fans a quality road game that they can drive to that's affordable

2] That is pretty good for 10 years, now lets take down Michigan in 2013, and later a Bama or Texas.

3] No one wants to see UConn playing the final football game of the season more than I do. UConn got punished by being sent to the Fiesta Bowl because the BCS committee wanted to prove the Big East doesn't deserve a BCS Bowl bid. Stanford and Oklahoma should have played that game and we should have been playing in the Orange Bowl vs Virginia Tech. We don't have the respect of the BCS community yet. But we haven't earned it either.

 

[whaler11]

UConn went to the Fiesta because they had the last pick. No one was trying to prove anything.

 

[pj]

1] BC- Having UConn and BC battling yearly(or every other year) for bragging rights in the rankings:
A) Guarantees a sold out house and a televised game on ESPN
B) Just might keep more of the Silas Redd's of the world in New England
C) Gives the fans a quality road game that they can drive to that's affordable

1) Have you noticed that BC is not on UConn's schedule, and BC has tried to keep us out of the ACC to prevent us from getting on their schedule?
1A) Why is a BC-UConn game guaranteed to be televised on ESPN? If ever a game screamed "regional interest" that would be it. Only if both teams were ranked would it have national interest.
1B) Why would Silas Redd's choice between a nationally-recognized powerhouse B1G member and UConn be influenced by whether BC (as opposed to NC State or Maryland) is on UConn's schedule?
1C) I thought you said it was a guaranteed sellout? Why are tickets so affordable and available?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If the Big East goes to a 9 game schedule, it's impossible to play 7 home games every year.

To play 7 home games a year with a 9 game conference schedule, you would have to play 83% of OOC games at home. 2 out of 3 when you have 5 conf home games and 3 out of 3 when you have 4.

Good point Whaler, definitely an oversight by me in terms of the difficulty in pulling that off.

It appears the B1G is going to stay at a 8 game conference schedule, however the Big12, ACC, SEC are all moving towards a 9 game conference schedule. I'm just not sure where the pool of available, quality, ooc games are going to come from.

 

[UCFBfan]

It appears the B1G is going to stay at a 8 game conference schedule, however the Big12, ACC, SEC are all moving towards a 9 game conference schedule. I'm just not sure where the pool of available, quality, ooc games are going to come from.

I think that the B1G's move away from going to a 9 game conference slate is the beginning of the rest of the conferences doing the same. It might take a year or two of the playoff system but the other conferences that are moving to it will probably go the route of the B1G. I can't see any other reason the B1G would stick with 8 conference games and the rest of the "Power 5" would go to 9. The B1G is on to something the other conferences haven't figured out or said out loud yet.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think that the B1G's move away from going to a 9 game conference slate is the beginning of the rest of the conferences doing the same. It might take a year or two of the playoff system but the other conferences that are moving to it will probably go the route of the B1G. I can't see any other reason the B1G would stick with 8 conference games and the rest of the "Power 5" would go to 9. The B1G is on to something the other conferences haven't figured out or said out loud yet.

I don't think the B1G is on to something, but rather more simpler answers below:

Big10, 8 games - 12 teams. Even 4h/4a split.
ACC, 9 games - 14 teams
SEC, 9 games - 14 teams
Big12, 9 games - 10 teams; round robin format
Pac12, 9 games - 12 teams, but no legitimate Mtn West teams left for scheduling purposes to stay at 4 ooc games.

 

[Waquoit]

UMass doesn't do anything for UConn. They don't deserve our attention. Once every ten years is about right.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't think the B1G is on to something, but rather more simpler answers below:

Big10, 8 games - 12 teams. Even 4h/4a split.
ACC, 9 games - 14 teams
SEC, 9 games - 14 teams
Big12, 9 games - 10 teams; round robin format
Pac12, 9 games - 12 teams, but no legitimate Mtn West teams left for scheduling purposes to stay at 4 ooc games.

I am skeptical of how long 9 game schedules will last. I think a playoff system will encourage inter-conference games because those games will go a long way towards dictating how many schools a conference gets in a playoff. This will become even more important when the playoff goes to 8 or 16.

I also think that conferences with bigger stadiums will be reluctant to give up a home game every other year. I think those schools will want flexibility that a 9 game conference slate takes away.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

UMass is a very good non-conference game for UConn to play annually. It is a game we should win but one that should generate at least regional interest. Forget about not playing at UMass. UMass is probably the most desirable guarantee opponent in the MWC, Sun Belt, MAC and CUSA combined. I expect them to command the highest guarantee fees and be able to fill their schedule for the next 10 years if they want to.

UMass is the only big state, anchor school that will do guarantee games. That makes them much more valuable to an Alabama or Michigan which wants credible opponents that are willing to do guarantee games. UConn will not be dictating terms to UMass.

 

[Srqhusky]

Uconn should play either bc or umass and penn state every year. Best way to determine who the beat team in the north east