UMass > MAC for all sports in 2025-2026

[Kolumbo]

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

I guess we can agree that UMass sucks and its fan base sucks. You think the MAC has something to do with that, I don't. The fan base is soft if they choose not to follow the team just because of the MAC. But in the end it doesn't even matter

 

[Kolumbo]

I forgot about the lousy weather but give them credit

 

[Vuce]

I guess we can agree that UMass sucks and its fan base sucks. You think the MAC has something to do with that, I don't. The fan base is soft if they choose not to follow the team just because of the MAC. But in the end it doesn't even matter

yeah maybe they are soft. I just know that no one up here cares about MAC opponents. And they will have less fans and less interest unless they win like Boise State did in football or the way Gonzaga dominates the WCC. Short of that - they are done.

 

[Vuce]

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.

Hoops wise it is a major step down. The A10 is a top 8 conference while the MAC is putrid ranking in the 25th range. No one cares about East, West, Central Michigan or the many Ohio schools in that conference. I know a few large donors who are mostly basketball aligned there - they pulled everything. Not donating, not getting season tickets, they are done. It will get worse for UMass, not better. This wont lead to them getting to the top level of anything and it will just result in less fans, now and going forward. And this is knowing that they really can't afford to lose fans at this point. There will be games at Mullins this year with less than 1500 fans which is why I was saying they should not play there and just go back to The Cage but didnt realize they re purposed that place.

 

[CL82]

I forgot about the lousy weather but give them credit

I mean, if you can get a dozen fans to turn out, that's something, right?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I'm beginning to have a very bad feeling about the karma this thread is creating.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I forgot about the lousy weather but give them credit

At kickoff, there did not appear to be a thousand people in McGuirk stadium. Maybe more were there out of camera range, but the #s dropped a lot during the game. Friends, family and smallish band representation ahead of no Wednesday classes.

 

[Bongo Fury]

UMass was a ghost town this week. Nothing to do with football just people left for the holiday

 

[whiffnutmeg]

I'm beginning to have a very bad feeling about the karma this thread is creating.

Can’t shake the same feeling.

This. We are not immune from a bad recruiting class/losses to the portal, not keeping up with NIL, unexpected coaching change…or worse yet, multiple happening at the same time. I’m hopeful we are on the right long-term trajectory but let’s recognize that even with current success we are still far closer to being right back to where UMass is than becoming Ohio State.

Feels like this is probably worth mentioning again since it took a handful of days from this post for it to start to feel uncomfortably prophetic.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[ZooCougar]

Can’t shake the same feeling.


Feels like this is probably worth mentioning again since it took a handful of days from this post for it to start to feel uncomfortably prophetic.

I only wish UMass some success.

I just don’t believe that the MAC is what is dragging them down. It’s actually probably one of the few positives they can point.

Also we are like two bad decisions away from being right back where we were.

 

[ZooCougar]

 

[ZooCougar]

 

[pepband99]

I only wish UMass some success.

I just don’t believe that the MAC is what is dragging them down. It’s actually probably one of the few positives they can point.

Also we are like two bad decisions away from being right back where we were.

Point to one, in that case?

The A-10 is still markedly better in the computer rankings for basketball, despite an uncharacteristically terrible Loyola team weighing it down, and a high Akron ranking due to 2 close losses.

Their football team just went 0-fer in front of their smallest average home attendance (which is saying something!) in the I-A period.

Their crappy AD is dragging them down, in part because they hitched their anchor to the MAC.

 

[ZooCougar]

Point to one, in that case?

The A-10 is still markedly better in the computer rankings for basketball, despite an uncharacteristically terrible Loyola team weighing it down, and a high Akron ranking due to 2 close losses.

Their football team just went 0-fer in front of their smallest average home attendance (which is saying something!) in the I-A period.

Their crappy AD is dragging them down, in part because they hitched their anchor to the MAC.

For football?

-Ease of scheduling
-More consistent scheduling against opponents they can realistically competitive with
-Better exposure

 

[pepband99]

For football?

-Ease of scheduling
-More consistent scheduling against opponents they can realistically competitive with
-Better exposure

1 and 2 would have come with an FCS drop/A-10 stay too, with the bonus of probably winning too.

Exposure to gamblers, maybe, in the MAC. That's about it.

 

[SU1968]

For football?

-Ease of scheduling
-More consistent scheduling against opponents they can realistically competitive with
-Better exposure

plus 4 conference-affiliated bowl games and several secondary bowl games.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

1 and 2 would have come with an FCS drop/A-10 stay too, with the bonus of probably winning too.

Exposure to gamblers, maybe, in the MAC. That's about it.

You're missing a very significant part if this. UMass isn't ready to throw in the towel on their FBS upgrade. Whether they should or should not be ready is a different argument. They saw this as their only path to survival with an FBS football program.

 

[CL82]

You're missing a very significant part if this. UMass isn't ready to throw in the towel on their FBS upgrade. Whether they should or should not be ready is a different argument. They saw this as their only path to survival with an FBS football program.

Without a significant commitment by the Massachusetts legislature, which doesn't appear to be forthcoming, I have to wonder how viable their "path to survival with an FBS football program" actually is.

Connecticut's FBS hopes and dreams have been made possible by the continued commitment of the Governor and the state legislature. I criticize a lot of the decisions that their support has led to, but their support has been unwavering. That's not necessarily the norm in the northeast.

 

[ScottVib]

UMass continuing to be beaten down in the A-10 for basketball isn’t conducive to maintaining a fan base there either.

Their 8th of 13 in the MAC
They would be 11 of 15 in the A-10 and most of the top half of the league are well above them; where as the MAC gives them more opportunity to be competitive. Wins matter more than opponents (particularly when you don’t have a guarantee of seeing the desirable opponents each year).

 

[noeynox]

Without a significant commitment by the Massachusetts legislature, which doesn't appear to be forthcoming, I have to wonder how viable their "path to survival with an FBS football program" actually is.

Connecticut's FBS hopes and dreams have been made possible by the continued commitment of the Governor and the state legislature. I criticize a lot of the decisions that their support has led to, but their support has been unwavering. That's not necessarily the norm in the northeast.

Kent State fired a coach that was 1-23, replaced him with an interim that went 5-7. I doubt Kent State has any current advantages over UMass.

UMass HAS to FIRE this Bamford and hire a real AD. That next guy has to take a long look at Harasemyak and if he ain't the guy, move on from him. The worst thing teams do is hang on to duds for too long.

 

[ZooCougar]

UMass continuing to be beaten down in the A-10 for basketball isn’t conducive to maintaining a fan base there either.

Their 8th of 13 in the MAC
They would be 11 of 15 in the A-10 and most of the top half of the league are well above them; where as the MAC gives them more opportunity to be competitive. Wins matter more than opponents (particularly when you don’t have a guarantee of seeing the desirable opponents each year).

Imagine not being a fan of UMass and also complaining about the poor level of competition in the A-10 also while UMass is like 200th in the first NET.

The A-10 will be stronger without them.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Imagine not being a fan of UMass and also complaining about the poor level of competition in the A-10 also while UMass is like 200th in the first NET.

The A-10 will be stronger without them.

The A-10 should be looking to shed as many bottom-half teams as they can. Insanely bloated conference at this point.

 

[Vuce]

For football?

-Ease of scheduling
-More consistent scheduling against opponents they can realistically competitive with
-Better exposure

Better exposure for sure - I mean who doesnt want to play on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the middle of November in Western MA against multi directional schools from Michigan? That’ll definitely bring in the fans and eyeballs! 🤣

 

[Vuce]

UMass continuing to be beaten down in the A-10 for basketball isn’t conducive to maintaining a fan base there either.

Their 8th of 13 in the MAC
They would be 11 of 15 in the A-10 and most of the top half of the league are well above them; where as the MAC gives them more opportunity to be competitive. Wins matter more than opponents (particularly when you don’t have a guarantee of seeing the desirable opponents each year).

No one in western MA cares about opponents in the MAC. I will agree that wins would bring fans back but only if they are the Gonzaga of the MAC winning HUGE each year, playing real good non conference opponents and making NCAA tournament runs. But if they are a middling MAC program, play a weak non conference schedule and make an NCAA tournament once every 5 years from a horrid hoops conference, no one will care and Mullins will have like 1,500 fans for their home games. Also, until and unless they get a new stadium, FBS ain’t gonna work for them. Should have dropped back to FCS where they had success and their stadium was fine for that level