2024 Season

[wmmmfan]

Incentive for the team to become bowl eligible and play in the Pop Tart Bowl.
https://x.com/joepompliano/status/17407 ... Jpm81We6mA

[TruBluMaroon]

Nice to watch OSU-Missouri and know one of those teams is coming to Amherst next October…..maybe not

[TruBluMaroon]

Final 2024 Poll
(condensed)

8. Missouri Tigers (11-2)

[Steve81]

With the Army home game gone, do you think we'll play on the road, a 4th P5 team, a second FCS home game?
My guess from last week twitter feed is perhaps UNLV, but looks filled with Oregon State.
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/unlv/

[ZooMass84]

With the Army home game gone, do you think we'll play on the road, a 4th P5 team, a second FCS home game?
My guess from last week twitter feed is perhaps UNLV, but looks filled with Oregon State.
https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/unlv/

that's not the only problem: it's doubtful we play Army again and Liberty is still scheduled (they are in a conference now too). 11 games in 2024 and 10 in 2025 probably 8, since it includes Army & Liberty. If Bam & the Chancellor don't get us in a conference SOMEWHERE........I think it's Sayonara FBS, welcome back to 1AA. Bam should be on hands and knees to get us into C-USA or the MAC. Leaving the MAC turned out to be REALLY FUCKIN' DUMB

[ZooMass84]

Most likely a second FCS team in place of Army. Actually wouldn't be bad My son is picking out colleges (he's in high school) and of course it's P5 schools.....
UMass is sort of bad luck/good luck. Bad luck in that we have had 2 of the worst head coaches. Good luck in that we're fairly well-off. Endowment is 500M and maybe just maybe we can get into a G5 conference.

[69MG]

If Army and Liberty have to give up games due to playing conference games, who are the other teams that will get cancelled? Shouldn't we be able to pick up a game or two from them?

[InnervisionsUMASS]

If Army and Liberty have to give up games due to playing conference games, who are the other teams that will get cancelled? Shouldn't we be able to pick up a game or two from them?

I think I have this right.... We haven't lost any Liberty games, so nothing of concern there (yet). I believe we still have a few with Army that weren't cancelled, but clearly there are some holes that have been created there. And yes, should either of those school cancel games with other schools, that will make those schools available to play. The tricky part is getting dates to match up.

rsox1221 (Fight Massachusetts 24/7) can speak to this better than I can.

[econalum]

that's not the only problem: it's doubtful we play Army again and Liberty is still scheduled (they are in a conference now too). 11 games in 2024 and 10 in 2025 probably 8, since it includes Army & Liberty. If Bam & the Chancellor don't get us in a conference SOMEWHERE........I think it's Sayonara FBS, welcome back to 1AA. Bam should be on hands and knees to get us into C-USA or the MAC. Leaving the MAC turned out to be REALLY FUCKIN' DUMB
[/quote]

The MAC is/was/would be a dumb choice for UMass. Their TV games are on Tuesday night for crying out loud. How does that fit into anyone's weekday planning?

NFN - Amazing that there are 8 Mass student-athletes on the National Champion Michigan squad.

FBS is going so exclusive that even the PAC could not survive. 95% of the $$ and glory will go to P4 schools. Time to retrench as few in New England could care less about UMass football. Regional rivalries could renew interest, CAA for me for FB only.

[Steve81]

The MAC is/was/would be a dumb choice for UMass. Their TV games are on Tuesday night for crying out loud. How does that fit into anyone's weekday planning?

NFN - Amazing that there are 8 Mass student-athletes on the National Champion Michigan squad.

FBS is going so exclusive that even the PAC could not survive. 95% of the $$ and glory will go to P4 schools. Time to retrench as few in New England could care less about UMass football. Regional rivalries could renew interest, CAA for me for FB only.

Know how you closely watch FBS football and should take your 95% to 5% split as gospel.
Can see it going down some, but all 10 FBS commissioners, 11 presidents and chancellors have a control of the CFP. We know the ESPN exclusive rights have expired on a new 6 year deal, that ESPN was reported considering 1.3 Billion. That figure does not include the bowl money as CUSA received over 10M in bowl money.

A sublicense agreement was a sticking point that has been settled, according to sources. The agreement would give ESPN the ability to sell the rights to some of the games -- something Fox Sports would be interested in, sources indicated.

Hancock said that if ESPN were to sublicense any games, the presidents would have to approve it.

The 10 FBS commissioners and Swarbrick convened with the 11 presidents and chancellors who control the CFP for their annual meeting Monday morning before No. 1 Michigan faced No. 2 Washington in the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T. While nothing concrete has been settled about the future TV rights in the new contract, sources told ESPN that it's something that all parties are eager to finalize.

"Don't have a timeline," Hancock said. "We're getting close."

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... s-contract

[InnervisionsUMASS]

The MAC is/was/would be a dumb choice for UMass. Their TV games are on Tuesday night for crying out loud. How does that fit into anyone's weekday planning?

There were a bunch of reasons not to go MAC for all sports back then and THAT is the reason you picked to highlight? Yikes!

But, to play the game... you're telling me that it would be near impossible to figure out 1-3 weekday nights in the months of September-November to carve out time to either get to UMass or find a bar/restaurant/couch/bed to watch a game on said Tu/W/Th nights? That must be one hell of a busy life you live to not be able to make that work.

[ZooMass84]

that's not the only problem: it's doubtful we play Army again and Liberty is still scheduled (they are in a conference now too). 11 games in 2024 and 10 in 2025 probably 8, since it includes Army & Liberty. If Bam & the Chancellor don't get us in a conference SOMEWHERE........I think it's Sayonara FBS, welcome back to 1AA. Bam should be on hands and knees to get us into C-USA or the MAC. Leaving the MAC turned out to be REALLY FUCKIN' DUMB

The MAC is/was/would be a dumb choice for UMass. Their TV games are on Tuesday night for crying out loud. How does that fit into anyone's weekday planning?

NFN - Amazing that there are 8 Mass student-athletes on the National Champion Michigan squad.

FBS is going so exclusive that even the PAC could not survive. 95% of the $$ and glory will go to P4 schools. Time to retrench as few in New England could care less about UMass football. Regional rivalries could renew interest, CAA for me for FB only.
[/quote]

you can stop with the CAA/1AA nonsense............the move has been made. You've been beating the tired old drum for 14 years now. The MAC was our jump to FBS. Without them we would still be FCS. It was short sighted to leave. Yes I know we have next to nothing in common with Central Michigan but right now we're scrambling to complete a fuckin' schedule let alone make plans for the future. FCS football is a money pit and you get zero recognition. we were on TV 4 or 5 times (I mean real TV, not NESN. we were on ESPN, BIG 10 network. SEC TV)

[ZooMass84]

The problem with our situation is that we need to get into ANY conference ASAP. Its not 1980 with 40 indy's. It's really just us & UCant and UCant is pretty much all set. they are in a Power basketball conf and actually have complete schedules WITHOUT Army and Liberty. Bam and the Chancellor should be begging the MAC & Conf USA to let us in.

[rsox1221]

If Army and Liberty have to give up games due to playing conference games, who are the other teams that will get cancelled? Shouldn't we be able to pick up a game or two from them?

I think I have this right.... We haven't lost any Liberty games, so nothing of concern there (yet). I believe we still have a few with Army that weren't cancelled, but clearly there are some holes that have been created there. And yes, should either of those school cancel games with other schools, that will make those schools available to play. The tricky part is getting dates to match up.

rsox1221 (Fight Massachusetts 24/7) can speak to this better than I can.

As of now the Liberty games are remaining on the schedule. The Army games through the end of this decade are gone from the latest report and Army will play two games in Amherst in the 2030s as part of that contract being amended

UMass could link up with the other teams that were dropped by Army, which is likely what they are going to have to do for the coming season. Several of those teams have already filled dates and the options are dwindling

The current game dates we have for UMass in 2024 could also be adjusted to accomodate that new 12th game. Ideally it would be a home game as Army was slated to come to Amherst in 2024 but we'll see

Keep an eye on Syracuse as an option since UMass and the Orange were already in discussions about a home/home series for later this decade; they might push it up or expand on it to include next season. I think UMass would like to avoid another P5 game in 2024 but alas, as an FBS Indy, this is the kind of thing that happens where they have no choice

This entire situation is yet another glaring reason for the Minutemen to find a conference and move to CUSA

[Steve81]

As of now the Liberty games are remaining on the schedule. The Army games through the end of this decade are gone from the latest report and Army will play two games in Amherst in the 2030s as part of that contract being amended

UMass could link up with the other teams that were dropped by Army, which is likely what they are going to have to do for the coming season. Several of those teams have already filled dates and the options are dwindling

The current game dates we have for UMass in 2024 could also be adjusted to accomodate that new 12th game. Ideally it would be a home game as Army was slated to come to Amherst in 2024 but we'll see

Keep an eye on Syracuse as an option since UMass and the Orange were already in discussions about a home/home series for later this decade; they might push it up or expand on it to include next season. I think UMass would like to avoid another P5 game in 2024 but alas, as an FBS Indy, this is the kind of thing that happens where they have no choice

This entire situation is yet another glaring reason for the Minutemen to find a conference and move to CUSA

How about some packaging. Playing a 4th Power team with the proceeds to help offset a CUSA move.