Stay in the Big East: UConn/UMass Football Only to the MAC and have 6 home games

[noeynox]

What happened to the dislike button?

 

[UCFBfan]

I'm impressed you all responded. I stopped reading after the second paragraph and instead enjoyed all of your responses. Lol

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm impressed you all responded. I stopped reading after the second paragraph and instead enjoyed all of your responses. Lol

So many of the statements were just not rooted in reality.

LOLd at the assertion that the MAC would provide a recruiting bump.

 

[jostar1]

What happened to the dislike button?

Got to make your own.

 

[noeynox]

Couldn't even finish reading it. Halfway through I was this guy.

 

[Hondo 77]

If you want a lousy schedule, you don't have to join the MAC to do that. Way better off staying independent.

 

[ScottVib]

Ultimately UConn has yet to run into challenges in scheduling; they have a tv deal for football on par with what a football only share from the MAC would offer and recruits have cited the schedule as a benefit.

Now should they run into issues scheduling or revenue benefits of a move are too good to say no, they'll make the move, but there are very few people here, given the current state that would pick moving to the MAC. Right now?, the revenue just isn't a significant difference and the home schedule is a step down and less attractive to a fan base that is still just barely a decade removed from averaging 35k a game.

This would make complete sense for UMass whose experience has been different and whose stated goal is conference membership in any conference that will have them. Unfortunately C-USA wasn't interested in them alone and the MAC would need a football only partner to join with the Minutemen for it to work without having to leave the A-10. I think the MAC would take a UMass & Delaware pairing for all-sports in a second.

 

[GoConn]

Let's delete this thread?

 

[shizzle787]

If it involves a significant bump in TV payout I could see it happening. 500K per year from CBS is abysmal.

The upside:
-Larger TV payout
-Access to the auto-playoff bid.
-Much easier schedule and scheduling. With Mora maybe 8, 9, 10 wins per year. The FIU win last year was 1000 times more enjoyable than the Michigan game.
-Meaningful games late season if we are competing for a conference championship and potential access to playoffs
- Hopefully no more dreadful body-bag games.

The downside:
-A couple mid-week games. With one being a home game
-Disappointing the delusional fanbase that thinks being independent makes us BYU. BTW most BYU fans hated being independent and are thrilled to be part of a conference again.


I'm hoping we get a similar, more desirable offer from the AAC and of course the goal is still a P5 conference.

I'll take the visibility over a small pay bump.

 

[noeynox]

I'll take the visibility over a small pay bump.

At the end of the day, what's the difference in 500k revenue or so? To play a bunch of midweek October and November games?

I could see where it would make sense for UMass maybe to go all in for all sports well, but for UConn it makes zero sense.

 

[ZooCougar]

I’m still pissed we lost to Ball State.

 

[metsfan2323]

I'll take the visibility over a small pay bump.

Wins is the only thing that creates visibility for G5 schools. Tulane received a ton of visibility last year even though they were stuck on ESPN + for a good portion of the season. Wins gets you ranked and being ranked brings visibility.

Also being in a conference creates viewership interest in a team from fans of competing conference schools. We get zero crossover viewership as an independent.

Being on CBSN just means being on TV at the same time as 20 other games, it brings very little national viewership. Our fans watch and fans of the team we are playing watch and that's about it. It wouldn't be much different on ESPN+

 

[Platt81]

 

[metsfan2323]

Current 2024 schedule:

@maryland
Army
@Duke
FAU
Buffalo
Temple
@ Wake Forest
Georgia State
@UAB
@UMass
@ Syracuse neutral site
FCS opponent TBD

Converted 2024 Hypothetical MAC schedule:

@maryland
Army
@ Toledo
Ohio
Buffalo
Temple (non conference)
@ Miami Ohio
Western Michigan
@Kent State
@UMass
@ Syracuse neutral site
NIU

The home schedule actually improves, I'm eliminating the FCS opponent. What this really shows is how much we overrate our independent scheduling.

 

[UConnJim]

Current 2024 schedule:

@maryland
Army
@Duke
FAU
Buffalo
Temple
@ Wake Forest
Georgia State
@UAB
@UMass
@ Syracuse neutral site
FCS opponent TBD

Converted 2024 Hypothetical MAC schedule:

@maryland
Army
@ Toledo
Ohio
Buffalo
Temple (non conference)
@ Miami Ohio
Western Michigan
@Kent State
@UMass
@ Syracuse neutral site
NIU

The home schedule actually improves, I'm eliminating the FCS opponent. What this really shows is how much we overrate our independent scheduling.

Independent is much better than a MAC schedule.

P5 games by year:

2022: Home: Syracuse, BC. Away: Michigan, NC St.
2023: Home: NC State. Away: BC, Tennessee
2024: Home: none. Away: Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest. Neutral: Syracuse?
2025: Home: none. Away: Syracuse, Purdue, Ohio St.
2026: Home: Maryland, Indiana. Away: UNC, Syracuse
2027: Home: Ole Miss, UNC, Syracuse. Away: none

So, there are 8 P5 home games, 12 P5 away games, and 1 P5 neutral game. Plus UConn plays Army 4x, UMass every year and a sampling of schools from the MWC, AAC, MAC, SBC, and CUSA. Much more exciting than a MAC schedule and no Tuesday or Wednesday nights!

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Independent is much better than a MAC schedule.

P5 games by year:

2022: Home: Syracuse, BC. Away: Michigan, NC St.
2023: Home: NC State. Away: BC, Tennessee
2024: Home: none. Away: Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest. Neutral: Syracuse?
2025: Home: none. Away: Syracuse, Purdue, Ohio St.
2026: Home: Maryland, Indiana. Away: UNC, Syracuse
2027: Home: Ole Miss, UNC, Syracuse. Away: none

So, there are 8 P5 home games, 12 P5 away games, and 1 P5 neutral game. Plus UConn plays Army 4x, UMass every year and a sampling of schools from the MWC, AAC, MAC, SBC, and CUSA. Much more exciting than a MAC schedule and no Tuesday or Wednesday nights!

Agreed - the MAC is a non-starter for UConn. Let's not waste any more brain power on this.

 

[Luna]

I wonder what espn would pay the mac… adding Army, Uconn and Umass…. They contract ends in 2026… I could see a eastern division of Army Uconn Umass and Buffalo

 

[Hoophound]

I wonder what espn would pay the mac… adding Army, Uconn and Umass…. They contract ends in 2026… I could see a eastern division of Army Uconn Umass and Buffalo

Nah.

 

[Hoophound]

Our coach didn’t take this job to be in the MAC. Some of you guys just do not get it. Look up not down, that’s where we are going.

 

[Palatine]

It seems the only reason to ever do this is because the new expanded CFB playoff mandates all eligible schools must have a conference affiliation. Should that come to pass- I would still lean towards remaining independent if we can keep scheduling 3 to 5 power conf games a year and forget the playoff for now.

Really, the college football playoff will not take Notre Dame unless they are in a conference for football?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

If this is such a no-brainer then why hasn't UMass already done it?

I thought the MAC wanted them all in or not at all
it’s their conference they make the rules
UMass wanted to keep basketball in the A10
Possibly the AAC will take them for all sports doubtful as a football only .

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Forget about the MAC, the ACC may soon be an option, the B10 is a longer term option. Worse comes to worse, put football in Pac12 if they need us, and rest of teams can stay in Big East

 

[metsfan2323]

]

Our coach didn’t take this job to be in the MAC. Some of you guys just do not get it. Look up not down, that’s where we are going.

It's a matter of perception, you view joining a G5 conference as a step down from independence, I see it as an improvement. We wanted to keep football in the AAC but they told us to get lost.

We could be the Big Fish in the MAC, as an independent we are beggars on the street for games and scheduling is getting tougher not easier.

I bet Mora would be very interested in competing for that G5 auto-bid vs the alternative of having no shot at it. Willie Fritz received a ton of publicity this year.

Willie Fritz also turned down Gtech to stay at Tulane, winning games has its reward.

 

[Fishy]

Hi All, Know you guys were P5 and desire to get back there. Looked around and notice, WTF, year and year out 5 home games and your media contract is expiring after this season. So there should be rumors as your AD should be doing due diligence and checking every possibility.

A rumor surfaced on the CSNbbs realignment board by a MAC poster saying the MAC is in talks with UConn and UMass.

What I do know is that our 2 AD's do talk frequently and anything is possible and the new 6 garaurantee P5 with 6 at-large expanded CFP play-offs will help the already highly successful CFP. That UConn, UMass, and Army have requested an increase in the CFP payout as we all split 0.5%. or 0.016667% per team.

Know most of you will piss all over the idea and playing 6 games with the MAC. However think a few would like the idea of have 6, not 5, home games every year. Guessing your schedule would be 3 P5 games ( 2 buy games and 1 home and home), 1 FCS team and and 4 MAC teams. The east would be Buffalo, UMass, Ohio, UConn, Miami, Akron and Kent State. Yes some of you are feeling sick to your stomach at this moment.

However it would give UConn and UMass a very stable home, with the rivalry game, preserving our desired home conferences, Big East and A10. The additional home game revenue and about 1M in additional CFP playoff money from the MAC would offset the 1 P5 buy game. The reduced travel cost would be nice. The most important thing is the MAC has had several teams in the BCS playoffs and UConn and perhaps one of those teams could be in the CFP 12 team field. The MAC supports member teams in bowl games so the risk for eating a large ticket allocation will be gone.

To summarize it comes down if there is a benefit to have 6 home games instead of 5, perhaps a slight recruiting lift being in a conference, being able to play for a conference championship and more bowl game possibilities. The MAC did pretty good in bowl game wins this year.

I think independence is working out well for UConn.

I think the MAC is a good conference…and honestly, Temple and UMass should be there in all sports.

 

[CL82]

I wonder what espn would pay the mac… adding Army, Uconn and Umass…. They contract ends in 2026… I could see a eastern division of Army Uconn Umass and Buffalo