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Message: [QUOTE="huskymedic, post: 5071418, member: 549"] -> After criticizing the [B]MAC’s[/B] decision to add [B]Massachusetts[/B], the [B]Toledo Blade’s [/B]David Briggs talks with Minutemen AD Ryan Bamford, who explains that while UMass has enjoyed success in men’s basketball and hockey, football drives everything. “[Decisions] are not being made outside of football conferences. We didn’t have that vote. We didn’t have the ability to have our voice heard.” If all goes according to plan, UMass’ presence in a football conference will help lift the entire department, and Bamford notes: “We had 13,000 for our game here against [B]Eastern Michigan[/B] on Saturday. There aren’t a lot of things that draw 13,000 people to campus or anything in Western Massachusetts for a three-hour period of time. Football can be the front porch of an institution. We have a strong desire to position our football program appropriately to compete for championships.” Given UMass’ previous difficulties in the MAC and other hurdles to building a successful football program, Briggs asks why the Minutemen don’t return to [B]FCS[/B] and continue to compete in the [B]Atlantic 10[/B] in other sports. Bamford replies: “We’re extremely aspirational. We’ve seen it in our academic profile…and we want athletics to complement the academic and research pedigree, to be the front porch. If you look across state flagship schools, 43 of the 50 are in the [B]Football Bowl Subdivision[/B]. That’s an important aspect of growing our university. At a time when there are less college-aged students coming into age in the next 10 years, athletics can be a vehicle to get people to engage with the institution.” ([URL='https://drvco.omeclk.com/portal/wts/ue%5EcnC-c-vqbaNgCaBggs67y-Cna'][B]link[/B][/URL]) <- [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/college/2024/09/04/briggs-i-crushed-umass-for-joining-mac-its-ad-tells-me-why-i-m-wrong/stories/20240904148/[/URL] [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach