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UMass > MAC for all sports in 2025-2026

From the looks of it, nobody cares about UMass period

The MAC should be ticked off for letting these jokers in.
Fan interest definitely dropped since the move was announced. It will next turn to something worse than being ticked off about the way their programs are performing. Apathy will set in and it already is. I had breakfast on Saturday with 2 UMass fans who have had season tix in both football and hoops over the years. Neither one of them even knew UMass basketball had a game that day and neither one of them cared. They would have been better off being a great FCS team as they were, going to the playoffs and keeping hoops in the A10. The MAC will do nothing for them except cost fans and yes I agree I do not know what the MAC was thinking asking UMass to join - neither side will benefit.
 
Fan interest definitely dropped since the move was announced. It will next turn to something worse than being ticked off about the way their programs are performing. Apathy will set in and it already is. I had breakfast on Saturday with 2 UMass fans who have had season tix in both football and hoops over the years. Neither one of them even knew UMass basketball had a game that day and neither one of them cared. They would have been better off being a great FCS team as they were, going to the playoffs and keeping hoops in the A10. The MAC will do nothing for them except cost fans and yes I agree I do not know what the MAC was thinking asking UMass to join - neither side will benefit.


I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that they are the worst FBS program ever. Blaming the MAC is just so hilariously wrong.
 
I think UMass is ultimately best off cutting football entirely. They may be the first in the current FBS to do so but I don't think they'll be the last. However if they are committed to not doing so, they should lead the return of an all-public Yankee conference at the FCS level.

Football:
UMass
UNH
URI
Maine
CCSU
Albany
Stony Brook

Non-football:
UVM
Binghamton
 
I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that they are the worst FBS program ever. Blaming the MAC is just so hilariously wrong.
Missing the point. I’m not blaming the MAC , I’m saying that them moving to the MAC like it will solve anything was ridiculous. It will result in less fan interest/attendance in both hoops and football. The best move for them would have been to drop back to FCS where they were very good and keep hoops in the A10. It’s not like they invested a ton of money in a new stadium so no loss there. Going to the MAC is a step backwards in every way and it will play out exactly that way.
 
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Missing the point. I’m not blaming the MAC , I’m saying that them moving to the MAC like it will solve anything was ridiculous. It will result in less fan interest/attendance in both hoops and football. The best move for them would have been to drop back to FCS where they were very good and keep hoops in the A10. It’s not like they invested a ton of money in a new stadium so no loss there. Going to the MAC is a step backwards in every way and it will play out exactly that way.

Staying independent in football wasn't tenable. What is your alternative.

I say UMass is lucky to be in the MAC. I can't think of one A-10 team.
 
Staying independent in football wasn't tenable. What is your alternative.

I say UMass is lucky to be in the MAC. I can't think of one A-10 team.
I already told you the alternative. Drop back to FCS where they were very good. Keep hoops in the A10. If you can’t think of one A10 team then you really don’t follow college basketball and that’s ok. The MAC is horrendous in football and worse than that in basketball. And no one in western MA cares.
 
Pitino is an alumn. Recommended Calipari for the job. UMass should have taken a chance and hired Pitino but way too conservative for that.
 
I already told you the alternative. Drop back to FCS where they were very good. Keep hoops in the A10. If you can’t think of one A10 team then you really don’t follow college basketball and that’s ok. The MAC is horrendous in football and worse than that in basketball. And no one in western MA cares.

The A-10 is less relevant in cbb these days than the MAC is in football.

Football drives the bus. A-10 basketball won't even generate revenue. Your plan is an even bigger disaster.
 
The A-10 is less relevant in cbb these days than the MAC is in football.

Football drives the bus. A-10 basketball won't even generate revenue. Your plan is an even bigger disaster.
You sound like a BCU fan. "yeah no one cares about any of our sports but look at the checks we are cashing!" Football will do nothing at UMass to drive the bus

The biggest disaster is when you have no fans which is exactly where UMass is headed in MAC
 
You sound like a BCU fan. "yeah no one cares about any of our sports but look at the checks we are cashing!" Football will do nothing at UMass to drive the bus

The biggest disaster is when you have no fans which is exactly where UMass is headed in MAC

And we go in circles.

The MAC is not why UMass has no fans. UMass is why. It’s literally luck to be in the MAC. A total gift.
 
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And we go in circles.

The MAC is not why UMass has no fans. UMass is why. It’s literally luck to be in the MAC. A total gift.
The MAC will simply ensure they have less fans. Lucky them but look at the checks they are cashing!
 
You sound like a BCU fan. "yeah no one cares about any of our sports but look at the checks we are cashing!" Football will do nothing at UMass to drive the bus

The biggest disaster is when you have no fans which is exactly where UMass is headed in MAC
Here is the way I see it. UMass is not just very bad, it is putrid. It is in the worst FBS conference and can't come close to sniffing a W. That is the reason no one goes to the games. I think the only way out of the crevasse is for UMass and donors to find enough cash to hire a proven coach but that would take serious $$. Maybe an FCS coach who can bring FCS talent with him. UMass isn't wowing recruits with anything else.

I thought joining the MAC was the best move but I had no idea the team with this lousy. The best path forward may be to drop to FCS and beg the Coastal for admittance. Who knows what happens after the P2 split off but there may be quite a bit of movement between FBS and FCS.

* As far as winless FBS history, UMass beat CCSU and Wagner last year, so it didn't beat any FBC teams in 2024 either.
 
Our son is back from UConn, just milling around this week, so to my surprise his friend who goes to UMass got dropped off at our house by his mom right from university pickup.
The towm friends are gathering for this evenin and beyond this week.

I asked him why he didn’t stay for the game tonight and the answer was that the football team just svcks and is a joke.

He will not be a lifetime donor and supported I guess…
 
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* As far as winless FBS history, UMass beat CCSU and Wagner last year, so it didn't beat any FBC teams in 2024 either.
UMass hasn’t beaten an FBS program since a win over Army on 10/28/23.

It has been 760 days since UMass has beaten an FBS program.
 
And we go in circles.

The MAC is not why UMass has no fans. UMass is why. It’s literally luck to be in the MAC. A total gift.
MAC football actually is a detriment to fan base engagement. Ask any current MAC school and they'll tell you the midweek maction games are hated.

Now UMass problems run far deeper than having to play midweek on espn ocho, but it certainly hasn't helped. Maybe they needed to be in the MAC to show their trustees the investment needed to be on par with "peer" schools. If so, then taking two steps back to take a step forward kind of make sense but seeing it from the outside it looks like they kind of hoped just being in a conference would be a catalyst for better performance.
 
MAC football actually is a detriment to fan base engagement. Ask any current MAC school and they'll tell you the midweek maction games are hated.

Now UMass problems run far deeper than having to play midweek on espn ocho, but it certainly hasn't helped. Maybe they needed to be in the MAC to show their trustees the investment needed to be on par with "peer" schools. If so, then taking two steps back to take a step forward kind of make sense but seeing it from the outside it looks like they kind of hoped just being in a conference would be a catalyst for better performance.

UMass is impossibly bad. The MAC has nothing to do with that.

It’s not hard to win 3-4 games a year in that conference. MACTION is just a November thing. The excuse that are being made on their behalf are incredible.
 
Here is the way I see it. UMass is not just very bad, it is putrid. It is in the worst FBS conference and can't come close to sniffing a W. That is the reason no one goes to the games. I think the only way out of the crevasse is for UMass and donors to find enough cash to hire a proven coach but that would take serious $$. Maybe an FCS coach who can bring FCS talent with him. UMass isn't wowing recruits with anything else.

I thought joining the MAC was the best move but I had no idea the team with this lousy. The best path forward may be to drop to FCS and beg the Coastal for admittance. Who knows what happens after the P2 split off but there may be quite a bit of movement between FBS and FCS.

* As far as winless FBS history, UMass beat CCSU and Wagner last year, so it didn't beat any FBC teams in 2024 either.
They should have dropped back to FCS where they were good and left hoops in the A10. Football in the MAC does nothing for them and won’t propel them into something better. And now hoops in the MAC will draw like 2k per game and no one will care about any of those games. There is no long term fan connection with them being in the MAC. They still have one of the worst stadiums at any level of football and aren’t committed to it so there’s no point to what they are doing. Complete clown show there
 
We know UMass just ended a terrible season for the record books. I wanted to compare how bad they just did against 2 of our worst seasons. Objectively speaking, as horrible as 2021 was for us, UMass did worse (unsurprisingly).
Screenshot_20251125_205403.png

As for UMass dropping to FCS, again I hated when shidiot outside fans said the same thing of us. UMass needs to drastically rethink what to do, but there should be a way they can survive even as a middling MAC team.
 
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They should have dropped back to FCS where they were good and left hoops in the A10. Football in the MAC does nothing for them and won’t propel them into something better. And now hoops in the MAC will draw like 2k per game and no one will care about any of those games. There is no long term fan connection with them being in the MAC. They still have one of the worst stadiums at any level of football and aren’t committed to it so there’s no point to what they are doing. Complete clown show there

Hoops in the A-10 drew only 2900 last year. They're averaging 2500 this year with LeMoyne, Marshall, CCSU & Albany as the opponents. They have one winning season since 2015-16 (2023-24)... they haven't been to the NCAA tournament (or the NIT) since 2014. They need wins. The A-10 money isn't difference making and even if the conference gets more bids than the MAC they give the majority of the money earned to the team(s) earning the units. After the MAC's next TV deal (bolstered by the hated MACtion games) they will likely come out ahead dollars-wise.

Is it a great move for traditions sake? No. Was it the right move for the university if it aspires to remain at the top-level of all sports, probably.
 
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UMass is impossibly bad. The MAC has nothing to do with that.

It’s not hard to win 3-4 games a year in that conference. MACTION is just a November thing. The excuse that are being made on their behalf are incredible.
Again, UMass problems run far deeper than playing maction games, but those games are actively hurting them instead of helping them. In fact, it is hurting all MAC schools. It's why they have to front load a bunch of P4 games, and losses, early in the season, to make up for the shortfall in revenue that the Tue and Wed games will bring.

UMass should have done a 3 year transition to the MAC to line up with their new TV deal with increasing investment year over year to hit the ground running, instead of whatever this season has been.
 

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