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Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Ohio and UMass sign to play in 2017 and 2018
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Ted Thompson
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Posted: 9/24/2014 12:41 PM
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UMass will host on Sept. 30, 2017 and visit Athens on Sept. 29, 2018.
Beat Michigan
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Posted: 9/24/2014 12:52 PM
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Has UMASS found another conference or are they going to be an Independent?
GoCats105
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Posted: 9/24/2014 12:53 PM
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Beat Michigan wrote:expand_more
Has UMASS found another conference or are they going to be an Independent?
Pretty sure they are going to the AAC.
OhioBobcat
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:10 PM
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YAWN.....more boring, dull non-conference schedule news.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:10 PM
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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
Has UMASS found another conference or are they going to be an Independent?
Pretty sure they are going to the AAC.
They want to go into the AAC, but the last I heard they didn't have an offer and the "talking heads" were all saying they weren't going to get one. They kind of placed themselves out on a limb. It looks like OHIO is helping to bale them out by signing this contract. They are going to have a little trouble line up a respectable home and home slate as an independent, as they are not exactly UND or BYU! :-)
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:12 PM
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For the moment they're indy. But it's only a matter of time before Cincy and/or UConn wind up elsewhere (B12, probably). When that happens (or maybe before) the AAC may come calling. Their big drawback is still McGuirk Stadium. Even with the renovations, it apparently still seats only 17,000 -- way too small for any 1AA conference. I guess they could schedule the conference games 100 miles away at Gillette and the OOC home games at McGuirk. But that'll still draw their home attendance down. They spent their reno money on other improvements to the stadium and elsewhere, but they'll need to focus on seats.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:16 PM
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OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Has UMASS found another conference or are they going to be an Independent?
Pretty sure they are going to the AAC.
They want to go into the AAC, but the last I heard they didn't have an offer and the "talking heads" were all saying they weren't going to get one. They kind of placed themselves out on a limb. It looks like OHIO is helping to bale them out by signing this contract. They are going to have a little trouble line up a respectable home and home slate as an independent, as they are not exactly UND or BYU! :-)
They might not be BYU but they found a way to get them to come to Foxboro in 2018 and 2019 (2 for 2).

http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/09...
bobcat695
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:20 PM
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Awesome news 😳 ! Temple must not have been available. Who says we can't get a solid home/home match up with a marquee football program? Hopefully this gives developers enough time to construct a new hotel before that 2018 game.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:42 PM
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bobcat695 wrote:expand_more
Awesome news 😳 ! Temple must not have been available. Who says we can't get a solid home/home match up with a marquee football program? Hopefully this gives developers enough time to construct a new hotel before that 2018 game.

Athens shops that sell boas consider U. Mass a poor substitute for Temple.
GoCats105
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Posted: 9/24/2014 1:43 PM
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bobcat695 wrote:expand_more
Awesome news 😳 ! Temple must not have been available. Who says we can't get a solid home/home match up with a marquee football program? Hopefully this gives developers enough time to construct a new hotel before that 2018 game.
HA!
Beat Michigan
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Posted: 9/24/2014 2:04 PM
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I doubt UMASS is high on the Americans expansion list. They might have a shot if Cincinnati & Uconn go somewhere else but I would be surprised if they are in the Americans top two. And without UCONN UMASS makes no sense for UMASS or the American. Travel wise they are no better off than they would be in the Sun Belt or MAC. If I was the American and wanted to expand top 3 would be BYU, C-USA top school and The MACs top school.

If I was UMASS I would forget about playing in Gillette unless I had a home game with Notre Dame, Boston College or someone similar. If not I play all my games on campus and get capacity up to 25,000 which should not be difficult to do. You could build two 4000 seat stands in each end zone or 8000 in one.

[img src "http://publish.netitor.com/photos/schools/umas/galleries/..."]


In 2016 so far they have 7 away games scheduled Florida, BC, ODU, BYU, Appy State, Troy & Hawaii and 2 home games Uconn and Rhode Island.

2017 4 home ODU, Hawaii, OHIO and Appy State and 5 away UCONN, Temple, Indiana, Tennessee and BYU.

I will be surprised if they win a game in those two years.
Last Edited: 9/24/2014 2:07:04 PM by Beat Michigan
GoCats105
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Posted: 9/24/2014 3:01 PM
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Beat Michigan wrote:expand_more
I doubt UMASS is high on the Americans expansion list. They might have a shot if Cincinnati & Uconn go somewhere else but I would be surprised if they are in the Americans top two. And without UCONN UMASS makes no sense for UMASS or the American. Travel wise they are no better off than they would be in the Sun Belt or MAC. If I was the American and wanted to expand top 3 would be BYU, C-USA top school and The MACs top school.

If I was UMASS I would forget about playing in Gillette unless I had a home game with Notre Dame, Boston College or someone similar. If not I play all my games on campus and get capacity up to 25,000 which should not be difficult to do. You could build two 4000 seat stands in each end zone or 8000 in one.

[img src "http://publish.netitor.com/photos/schools/umas/galleries/..."]


In 2016 so far they have 7 away games scheduled Florida, BC, ODU, BYU, Appy State, Troy & Hawaii and 2 home games Uconn and Rhode Island.

2017 4 home ODU, Hawaii, OHIO and Appy State and 5 away UCONN, Temple, Indiana, Tennessee and BYU.

I will be surprised if they win a game in those two years.
I won't be surprised if they go to the AAC. It would be a nice regional rival for both UConn and Temple. Unlike others, I don't think UConn is going anywhere simply because of the basketball team. Plus, it doesn't market to the Big XII in a way the Cincinnati does.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 3:28 PM
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Two big hurdles when it comes to UMASS and AAC:

-UCONN will veto that, and likely can get sympathy from UC and USF, the other two senior members, to join them in that.

-Hoops drive the bus at UMASS, and they have a big chunk of A10 NCAA Tourney credits they would have to walk away from.

There is also a lot of negative pub around their move up from FCS with their faculty and staff that they will have to navigate. With the difficulty of recruiting as a very low rung independent staring them in the face, they will have a tough time courting a suitor for all sports. I believe the best fit for their FB is likely SunBelt or as an independent, so they don't have to move the rest of their sports.

Lastly, their stadium only seats 17k, and does not feature permanent restrooms. Not sure that is an appealing solution to the AAC, and was likely why the MAC required two years of exclusively playing at Gillette. While UMASS was required to upgrade their press box as part of the MAC program, and they invested in a FB support facility, they have made no upgrades to the stadium save for new field turf.
Last Edited: 9/24/2014 4:06:38 PM by D.A.
Pete Chouteau
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Posted: 9/24/2014 3:49 PM
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A football only membership may not be at all worthwhile with the geographic span in today's Sun Belt.

They might be best served as an independent. The ability to take on additional money games can offset the lack of a conference TV share. There's hardly a game they could schedule that wouldn't appear in the opponent's TV package. And our own leadership has proven that bowl slots unfilled by conference affiliations can be had by an activist administration (given UMass ever becomes competitive).
C Money
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:01 PM
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Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
They might be best served as an independent. The ability to take on additional money games can offset the lack of a conference TV share. There's hardly a game they could schedule that wouldn't appear in the opponent's TV package. And our own leadership has proven that bowl slots unfilled by conference affiliations can be had by an activist administration (given UMass ever becomes competitive).
I've had this same theory for a while. Is the opportunity to double or triple the number of money games you get worth giving up conference TV deal money? For the have-nots, it may be, and I'm curious to see how this experiment plays out for UMass.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:03 PM
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I think this series makes more sense than Wyoming, Idaho or New Mexico State in more ways than one. It's closer, and we have quite a few alums in the Boston area. We had a nice representation at the last game there, I think.
Beat Michigan
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:08 PM
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I went to a football game a couple years ago at Nippert in Cincinnati. They don't have permanent restrooms on the side opposite of the press box of the stadium. They may or may not have them on the pressbox side either. Didn't go over there.

No way does UMASS go to the AMERICAN, with their facilities or lack of and lack of winning on the field. NO WAY! This is just crazy talk.
OU_Country
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:10 PM
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Beat Michigan wrote:expand_more
I went to a football game a couple years ago at Nippert in Cincinnati. They don't have permanent restrooms on the side opposite of the press box of the stadium. They may or may not have them on the pressbox side either. Didn't go over there.

No way does UMASS go to the AMERICAN, with their facilities or lack of and lack of winning on the field. NO WAY! This is just crazy talk.
UC doesn't have those things now, but after the big renovation, next year they will.
Beat Michigan
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:15 PM
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Yea I was hoping they put restrooms in with the expansion.
GoCats105
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:23 PM
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D.A. wrote:expand_more
Two big hurdles when it comes to UMASS and AAC:

-UCONN will veto that, and likely can get sympathy from UC and USF, the other two senior members, to join them in that.

-Hoops drive the bus at UMASS, and they have a big chunk of A10 NCAA Tourney credits they would have to walk away from.

There is also a lot of negative pub around their move up from FCS with their faculty and staff that they will have to navigate. With the difficulty of recruiting as a very low rung independent staring them in the face, they will have a tough time courting a suitor for all sports. I believe the best fit for their FB is likely SunBelt or as an independent, so they don't have to move the rest of their sports.

Lastly, their stadium only seats 17k, and does not feature permanent restrooms. Not sure that is an appealing solution to the AAC, and was likely why the MAC required two years of exclusively playing at Gillette. While UMASS was required to upgrade their press box as part of the MAC program, and they invested in a FB support facility, they have made no upgrades to the stadium save for new field turf.
My thought is the AAC basketball is going to be better than the A-10 eventually. Especially if UConn stays.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:24 PM
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It would be swell if there were a H/H commitment for hoops that was part of this as well, BTW.
Monroe Slavin
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:24 PM
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No hoops games as part of the bargain?
GoCats105
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:25 PM
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OU_Country wrote:expand_more
I went to a football game a couple years ago at Nippert in Cincinnati. They don't have permanent restrooms on the side opposite of the press box of the stadium. They may or may not have them on the pressbox side either. Didn't go over there.

No way does UMASS go to the AMERICAN, with their facilities or lack of and lack of winning on the field. NO WAY! This is just crazy talk.
UC doesn't have those things now, but after the big renovation, next year they will.
I understood the point of renovating Nippert and its a nostalgic stadium and yadda, yadda, yadda...but I must say UC playing down at Paul Brown looked pretty good on TV. I talked to my cousin, who is a current sophomore, and he said they enjoyed shuttling down there and getting to hang at the Banks before and after the game.
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Posted: 9/24/2014 4:42 PM
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Umass should drop back down in football or drop out altogether.

New England cares not about college football.

Uconn and BC see around 25K - 30K per home game. Not that great considering the population base. And, none of my friends and family back east (some are alums of those schools) are big football fans.

Basketball, on the the other hand......
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Posted: 9/24/2014 5:24 PM
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UMass to AAC is a pipe dream. They've really screwed the pooch in making this jump to FBS with a belief that their average bball team would be coveted enough by the AAC or a P5 conference to give them an invite.

Ohio tends to schedule-
1. P5 $$$ game, away only
2. FCS game, home only
3. Competitive G5/low level P5 (Marshall, Kansas)
4. Bad G5 (NMSU, Idaho)

UMass fills slot #4.
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