OT: UMass to MAC

[Duncan Idaho]

You may be right and the only reason I care at all about UMass is because it would be nice to have a close regional rival, someday. We disagree. I think playing against regular competition and for a conference championship will do a lot more for the program and attendance than remaining an independent and losing to all comers. Last thing I want for UConn is to remain independent because it is a losing proposition long term. Maybe UMass Soccer and Lax end up in a better situation with the move too.

I rather have a football rivalry with Delaware. I'd rather travel to Lehigh

 

[CL82]

I will never forgive UMass for that "UConn is scared to play us" slander but I never wished things would get so low that they self-exile to the MAC. I was good with one NCAA Tournament game in 26 years.

It was laughable when they said it. In fact, pretty much everyone did laugh at them. That's why that they stopped making that argument.

You and I can remember when UMass was a principal rival for us. On some levels that makes me appreciate the train wreck they are, but the truth is a successful, or at least competent UMass is good for UConn. I actually low-key root for them to have some measure of athletic department competency, though that's counterintuitive to me.

 

[WrenchFan69]

It was the right move for the football program but fans won't care about multi Michigan directional schools and this finishes off their basketball program for good. The MAC is legit one of the worst hoops conferences in the country.

I already considered their basketball program finished

 

[WrenchFan69]

MSOC is headed to the Summitt and MLax is staying in the A-10 as affiliate member.

Slightly surprised Men's Soccer didn't find a better landing spot than the Summit. America East at least should have given them a look, if not the Big East

 

[huskymedic]

That's odd. I figured UMass Soccer might go to the Missouri Valley Conference with Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Nothern Illinois is moving sports to the Horizon League. And Akron Soccer is in the Big East.

Slightly surprised Men's Soccer didn't find a better landing spot than the Summit. America East at least should have given them a look, if not the Big East

UMass set to join Summit League for Men's Soccer in 2025

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—The University of Massachusetts has accepted an invitation to join the Summit League as an affiliate member for the sport of men’s soccer effective July 1, 2025, both parties announced jointly Monday.

thesummitleague.org

-> The Minutemen will become the seventh men’s soccer program in the league joining the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University and the University of St. Thomas and the University of Delaware, a fellow first-year affiliate member. <-

 

[Vuce]

I already considered their basketball program finished

Agree. But what’s happened now is that even their own long time die hard fans consider the hoops program dead with this move. They see a low mid major league where the whole season comes down to the conference tournament.

 

[ZooCougar]

Not just win, they will need to win very big against those opponents for fans to care and show up in numbers that will register. It's not so much a risk as it is them waving the white flag that they've truly given up and accepted their lot in life as a low mid major program. They are toast

It’s not like they were showing up before. I honestly fail to see how it would get worse.

The football was/is utterly broken. Independence was killing them. Not to mention having the worst stadium in FBS.

Functionally I don’t see how the MAC is any different than the A-10.

 

[ZooCougar]

Agree. But what’s happened now is that even their own long time die hard fans consider the hoops program dead with this move. They see a low mid major league where the whole season comes down to the conference tournament.

The haven’t seen March Madness since 2014.

 

[Vuce]

It’s not like they were showing up before. I honestly fail to see how it would get worse.

The football was/is utterly broken. Independence was killing them. Not to mention having the worst stadium in FBS.

Functionally I don’t see how the MAC is any different than the A-10.

It’s not much different. Football opponents won’t be any more appealing than what they currently have and they have the same stadium. Their attendance won’t be better and support will drop. In hoops it will get worse than it is now - they were getting just under 4,000 fans per game at Mullins. The MAC is a low mid major basketball conference and attendance will be worse than it was the last few years. Season ticket base will get smaller too. The A10 has consistently been a top 7 to 9 conference in hoops while the MAC is 20+. Most of the MAC is what we would consider hot garbage. It’s a worse drop off than when we were in the American.

 

[CL82]

The haven’t seen March Madness since 2014.

That's not fair. I'm sure they watch it on TV.

 

[ZooCougar]

It’s not much different. Football opponents won’t be any more appealing than what they currently have and they have the same stadium. Their attendance won’t be better and support will drop. In hoops it will get worse than it is now - they were getting just under 4,000 fans per game at Mullins. The MAC is a low mid major basketball conference and attendance will be worse than it was the last few years. Season ticket base will get smaller too. The A10 has consistently been a top 7 to 9 conference in hoops while the MAC is 20+. Most of the MAC is what we would consider hot garbage. It’s a worse drop off than when we were in the American.

There is a big difference. They had terrible issues getting a reasonable schedule together. There was a joke last year that UMass played the hardest SEC schedule.

With a conference slate they will be competing for something and have a more even schedule against more opponents that they actually have a chance at beating.

For basketball, they haven’t had a good program in forever.

 

[pepband99]

There is a big difference. They had terrible issues getting a reasonable schedule together. There was a joke last year that UMass played the hardest SEC schedule.

With a conference slate they will be competing for something and have a more even schedule against more opponents that they actually have a chance at beating.

For basketball, they haven’t had a good program in forever.

Tell us this after the 2nd or 3rd MACtion game, when whatever novelty wears off. Directional Rust Belt U on a Tuesday night in November.

 

[Vuce]

There is a big difference. They had terrible issues getting a reasonable schedule together. There was a joke last year that UMass played the hardest SEC schedule.

With a conference slate they will be competing for something and have a more even schedule against more opponents that they actually have a chance at beating.

For basketball, they haven’t had a good program in forever.

The attendance/support of the football program will not increase playing directional Michigan schools, Bowling Green, Ball State and the not Florida Miami. And yes, they threw in the towel on hoops with this move. UMass is a hockey school only now.

 

[Kolumbo]

The attendance/support of the football program will not increase playing directional Michigan schools, Bowling Green, Ball State and the not Florida Miami. And yes, they threw in the towel on hoops with this move. UMass is a hockey school only now.

It's a Massachusetts thing. MAC, A-10, ACC, it makes no difference.

 

[ZooCougar]

Tell us this after the 2nd or 3rd MACtion game, when whatever novelty wears off. Directional Rust Belt U on a Tuesday night in November.

This is a stupid nonsensical take. MACtion is an upgrade for them. They have zero juice now. It can’t get worse. As an Indy they had no hope of improvement.

The only other rational choices were dropping football or going back to FCS.

 

[ZooCougar]

The attendance/support of the football program will not increase playing directional Michigan schools, Bowling Green, Ball State and the not Florida Miami. And yes, they threw in the towel on hoops with this move. UMass is a hockey school only now.

It won’t get worse. They can’t do any worse.

 

[Vuce]

It's a Massachusetts thing. MAC, A-10, ACC, it makes no difference.

At least BCU gets to see good opponents - UMass won't even get that with this move

 

[ZooCougar]

At least BCU gets to see good opponents - UMass won't even get that with this move

Good opponents hang 50 points on them.

They have won a total of 13 games in the last ten years.

 

[Vuce]

It won’t get worse. They can’t do any worse.

yeah it will. They will see a further drop in support - both attendance and season ticket sales. No one in western MA cares about the MAC - they are already at a pretty low point but the almost 4K they were getting in hoops will fall (and they should move back to The Cage to play) while football won't see any increase in fans over what they had.

 

[Vuce]

Good opponents hang 50 points on them.

They have won a total of 13 games in the last ten years.

no argument there at all

 

[ZooCougar]

yeah it will. They will see a further drop in support - both attendance and season ticket sales. No one in western MA cares about the MAC - they are already at a pretty low point but the almost 4K they were getting in hoops will fall (and they should move back to The Cage to play) while football won't see any increase in fans over what they had.

Dude you can’t get support any lower. They went through the basement ages ago. The program is all but dead.

We’re talking about a program under Walt Bell where the Assistant Coaches had piles of empty beer cans in their offices. Not to mention all the academic eligibility issues. The program was and is basically dead.

 

[Vuce]

Dude you can’t get support any lower. They went through the basement ages ago. The program is all but dead.

We’re talking about a program under Walt Bell where the Assistant Coaches had piles of empty beer cans in their offices. Not to mention all the academic eligibility issues. The program was and is basically dead.

Exactly what I am saying. It won’t do anything for football. It is a blip on the radar. But it also kills hoops for good. The A10 has had decent programs like VCU and Dayton (who beat us) in the last few years. UMass basketball sucks but they’ve proven they have the ability to be decent in the A10. The move to the MAC ends that hope which is why the people I’m talking to are done. They are the type of fans where if you’ve lost them, you’ve really lost the plot. One is a major donor who talks to the AD regularly.

 

[Rufus]

UMass football was in the MAC for 3 years but was given an ultimatum to join the MAC in all sports or leave. At the time, they left.

There should already be stats on UMass MAC football attendance from those 3 years. Plus, UMass typically played multiple MAC schools each year in football, so those nonconference games should have attendance figures to look back on as well.

 

[Vuce]

The 3 years they were in the MAC they played 2 hours from campus at Gillette Stadium (2012-2014). Just looked up some games vs MAC school played in Amherst starting in 2015. Attendance for those game was 15,200 vs Kent St, 12,800 vs 19th ranked Toledo, 8,800 vs Miami, 7,700 vs Ohio, 7,200 vs Akron, 7,000 vs Eastern Michigan, 9,400 vs Toledo, 13,300 vs Buffalo, 9,200 vs Miami, 9,600 vs Toledo and Eastern Michigan 12,800. So an average of just over 10k fans for those MAC games.

 

[ZooCougar]

Exactly what I am saying. It won’t do anything for football. It is a blip on the radar. But it also kills hoops for good. The A10 has had decent programs like VCU and Dayton (who beat us) in the last few years. UMass basketball sucks but they’ve proven they have the ability to be decent in the A10. The move to the MAC ends that hope which is why the people I’m talking to are done. They are the type of fans where if you’ve lost them, you’ve really lost the plot. One is a major donor who talks to the AD regularly.

No now you are moving the goal posts. You said it wasn't dead and the MAC will kill it.

Also what is dead may never die.