No UMass Invite In the Near Future

[UConnDan97]

For those who were concerned that the conference might be tempted to add UMass to the AAC ranks, they can breathe a sigh of relief, after Mike Aresco commented on our lack of desire to add them at this time:

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/29/umass-shouldnt-expect-aac-invite-per-report/

My apologies if this has already been posted in another thread. For those of you who were hoping that we would invite them, thankfully someone else actually thought it through for you...

 

[pepband99]

Thank god.

 

[Vuce]

Doesn't mean Aresco won't F this up somehow. IMO Umass and Army will always be there for the taking (much like us for B1G or ACC) so until there is an absolute need then you do NOT add them. If you want to schedule them out of conference regularly or semi regularly that is fine.

 

[Adios]

The media here is still pushing for UMass to the AAC.

Good thing we just made it to another Final Four in men's basketball! Let's hope Ollie can win it all.

 

[itgoeslike]

When a commissioner talks up a school while simultaneously saying they have no plans to expand, it typically means they'll be adding the school if needed. . . Let's hope it's a UConn invite that provides the catalyst for the add.

“We have a lot of respect for UMass. It’s a flagship university, a high quality northeast presence. UMass has a lot of things going for it,” Aresco said. “We don’t have any plans to expand.”

 

[JayRU09]

"We don't have any plans to expand.......until Navy backs out"

 

[sportsart]

"We don't have any plans to expand..until Navy back out"

 

[ConnHuskBask]

As bad as UMass would've been...I still would've preferred them to Tulane.

 

[Vuce]

Umass had their spring game last night. That's right....a Wednesday night. About a hundred peeople showed up.

 

[MattMang23]

Umass should drop football and just start a quidditch team, like Rutgers...

http://quidditch.sportclubs.rutgers.edu/Content/Quidditch.asp

 

[freescooter]

Umass should drop football and just start a quidditch team, like Rutgers...

http://quidditch.sportclubs.rutgers.edu/Content/Quidditch.asp

Is it true that Rutgers is lousy at that, too?

 

[CL82]

"We don't have any plans to expand..until Navy backs out"

Don't you have any B1G opponents waiting for your pearls of wisdom?

 

[freescooter]

Art, is that the link to Rutgers championship trpohies? When I tried to follow it it said "Cannot be found"

 

[MattMang23]

Is it true that Rutgers is lousy at that, too?

No. They annually battle it out with the imaginary Hogwarts for imaginary world titles in this imaginary sport.

 

[huskypantz]

No. They annually battle it out with the imaginary Hogwarts for imaginary world titles in this imaginary sport.

Rutgers U - the birthplace of Quidditch.

 

[Adios]

Duke has a club, too. Going to have to duel it out over who played first.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I have no love for UMass; but their situation does suck. When I was in Storrs in the early/mid 1990’s, academically and athletically UConn and UMass were about on the same level – a step above the other Yankee Conference teams and a step below the big boys. We were rivals in most sports. We also shared many of the same challenges – an old, 1970’s era campus, limited support from state government, viewed as a back-up school to the elite private colleges by in-state families, isolated in a remote corner of the state, etc. One advantage that UMass is that Amherst is a college town, Storrs was a farm field.

Then, UConn men began to knock on the Final 4’s door breaking through in 1999 while the Women won it in 1995. Suddenly, UConn had momentum. Families now wanted their children to go to UConn and dragged the politicians in Hartford along for the ride. The campus was almost entirely rebuilt with a $2 billion investment. Football went big time. More championships came in while academically UConn is now compared with Rutgers, Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse, etc. instead of UNH, URI, and UVM. While there are still challenges ahead, such as Conference Realignment and state budget issues, it’s monumental change in the last 20 years.

Around the same time, Calipari got UMass into the Final 4. But the asterisk next to their appearance followed by the NCAA investigation and immediate departure of Teflon John to the NBA killed their momentum. 20 years later, UMass is still in that tough spot between the big boys like UConn and the old Yankee Conference teammates with a football program that is struggling, a campus that is still from the 1970’s and left behind academically by its neighbor to the south.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Duke has a club, too. Going to have to duel it out over who played first.

That sums up Rutgers football in a nutshell...they are they guy who typed "First!" in the comment field of a blog or story, and then never conributed anything.

 

[Adios]

That sums up Rutgers football in a nutshell...they are they guy who typed "First!" in the comment field of a blog or story, and then never conributed anything.

Duke wins.

http://sites.duke.edu/quidditch/buy-shirts/

Fatality.

http://iqaquidditch.com/about/history

2005: In October, the first-ever game of quidditch is played on Battell Beach at Middlebury College in Vermont. Players show up to participate wearing capes fashioned from towels; one player brings a lamp to ride instead of a broom.

 

[Adios]

Uh oh. Longhorns won the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. We are an afterthought in Austin.

http://www.veooz.com/news/BH4XInl.html

More content for the Longhorn Network. Bad news for the rest of college athletics.

 

[UMass]

I have no love for UMass; but their situation does suck. When I was in Storrs in the early/mid 1990’s, academically and athletically UConn and UMass were about on the same level – a step above the other Yankee Conference teams and a step below the big boys. We were rivals in most sports. We also shared many of the same challenges – an old, 1970’s era campus, limited support from state government, viewed as a back-up school to the elite private colleges by in-state families, isolated in a remote corner of the state, etc. One advantage that UMass is that Amherst is a college town, Storrs was a farm field.

Then, UConn men began to knock on the Final 4’s door breaking through in 1999 while the Women won it in 1995. Suddenly, UConn had momentum. Families now wanted their children to go to UConn and dragged the politicians in Hartford along for the ride. The campus was almost entirely rebuilt with a $2 billion investment. Football went big time. More championships came in while academically UConn is now compared with Rutgers, Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse, etc. instead of UNH, URI, and UVM. While there are still challenges ahead, such as Conference Realignment and state budget issues, it’s monumental change in the last 20 years.

Around the same time, Calipari got UMass into the Final 4. But the asterisk next to their appearance followed by the NCAA investigation and immediate departure of Teflon John to the NBA killed their momentum. 20 years later, UMass is still in that tough spot between the big boys like UConn and the old Yankee Conference teammates with a football program that is struggling, a campus that is still from the 1970’s and left behind academically by its neighbor to the south.

I actually agree with the first two paragraphs. Not exactly sure where that last paragraph came from. The campus is definitely not 70's and if you believe that you haven't been there in quite some time, if ever. Academically UMass is in very good shape. You are correct though about support from state government is lacking and I don't see that changing dramatically unless they move the UMass Med Ctr. under the Chancellor of UMass Amherst. That was a horrendous decision to leave the Med Ctr as it's own entity with it's own Chancellor. Unfortunately that would be one huge political nut to change that set up.

 

[Yawkey Way]

I actually agree with the first two paragraphs. Not exactly sure where that last paragraph came from. The campus is definitely not 70's and if you believe that you haven't been there in quite some time, if ever. Academically UMass is in very good shape. You are correct though about support from state government is lacking and I don't see that changing dramatically unless they move the UMass Med Ctr. under the Chancellor of UMass Amherst. That was a horrendous decision to leave the Med Ctr as it's own entity with it's own Chancellor. Unfortunately that would be one huge political nut to change that set up.

I'm looking forward to the Umass- BC football game this year. I wish BC would play Uconn football as well. When BC plays some team from far away, thats not in a P5 Conference, that doesn't interest me all that much. But I know that living in Boston, they'll be a bigger crowd for a BC- Umass football game in this area than a Uconn- BC Football games as there are far more graduates of the state college system of Mass. living in the greater Boston region than from Uconn. I don't see Uconn grads that much in Greater Boston. I'm sure they are around, but we see far more Umass grads and far more Umass gear being worn than Uconn sports gear on. I see about equal numbers, of BC and Umass colors in Greater Boston. ( maybe a tad more Umass than BC). 'Makes sense too, as there are far more Umass grads living in Greater Boston ( Umass- Boston, Umass- Amherest ) than BC grads living in Greater Boston. I expect a good crowd for the BC- Umass game.. it usually draws pretty well when these 2 Mass. college teams have played in the past. Are you going this year to the Umass- BC game ?

 

[UConnDan97]

But I know that living in Boston, they'll be a bigger crowd for a BC- Umass football game in this area than a Uconn- BC Football games as there are far more graduates of the state college system of Mass. living in the greater Boston region than from Uconn.

You're kidding yourself with this statement. Stop kidding yourself, please...

 

[Yawkey Way]

You're kidding yourself with this statement. Stop kidding yourself, please...

I really don't know what you mean... care to explain ?

 

[UConnDan97]

I really don't know what you mean... care to explain ?

If you believe that a BC - UMass game in Boston would draw better than a BC - UConn game in Boston, then you are kidding yourself. No further explanation is needed. Stop kidding yourself...