July 1 - Moving Day 2023

[BisonDOc]

Massive news out tonight in the D2 Football World. Notre Dame College is shutting down.

https://footballscoop.com/news/divis...e-to-shut-down

[Inkblot]

They're considering expanding the football playoffs to 32 as well? Am I interpreting that right?

Yes, as well as abandoning regional bracketing (but maybe not both).

[Finchwidget]

Confirmed that the expected four schools (Jamestown, Point Park, UC Merced, UT Dallas), and no others, submitted applications to enter provisional D2 membership. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/com...2CC_Report.pdf

They're considering expanding the football playoffs to 32 as well? Am I interpreting that right?

[SW_Mustang]

Confirmed that the expected four schools (Jamestown, Point Park, UC Merced, UT Dallas), and no others, submitted applications to enter provisional D2 membership. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/com...2CC_Report.pdf

Didn't realize Merced had sports.

[SW_Mustang]

Notre Dame College (MEC) will be closing at the end of this academic year.

https://www.notredamecollege.edu/mai...uncement-info/

[Inkblot]

Confirmed that the expected four schools (Jamestown, Point Park, UC Merced, UT Dallas), and no others, submitted applications to enter provisional D2 membership. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/com...2CC_Report.pdf

[ctrabs74]

I don't know if it's been mentioned here or not, and I'm too tired to go back and check. The University of Delaware (home of the Blue Hens) is moving to Conference USA as a full member in 2025.

That does seem so surreal to see Delaware moving up to FBS.

[crixus]

I don't know if it's been mentioned here or not, and I'm too tired to go back and check. The University of Delaware (home of the Blue Hens) is moving to Conference USA as a full member in 2025.

[crixus]

UMass was already in the MAC once for football and it didn’t exactly work out for them. I guess the MAC is hoping that a full commitment might make for a better member. I’m also not sure that UMass is a particularly good addition in terms of geography given that Buffalo is the only school sort of close although I understand that’s less of a concern than even 10 years ago.

I love watching MACtion, so I hope bringing back UMASS means more MAC football games on ESPN and ESPN 2.

[laker]

showing my age a bit…I still remember the Yankee Conference when UConn played UMass every year...and also when New Haven went to UConn and won.)

I was a Yankee Conference fan back in HS. Was so disappointed when Vermont dropped football. Wish that they would bring it back, but I guess that they don't care.

[TheBigCat2192]

UMass was already in the MAC once for football and it didn’t exactly work out for them. I guess the MAC is hoping that a full commitment might make for a better member. I’m also not sure that UMass is a particularly good addition in terms of geography given that Buffalo is the only school sort of close although I understand that’s less of a concern than even 10 years ago.

[Finchwidget]

Don't know if the MAC has rules about only offering full invites to schools that play football, but the smartest thing would be to invite UConn for football and grab a public midwestern school that doesn't play football to even out the numbers for other sports.

They definitely have rules for that-- that's the whole reason why UMass languished in independence for 10 years. MAC wanted them as full members in 2015, UMass said no, and so they were kicked to the curb. Seems they changed their tune now.

[Northeast01]

The next question is- will the MAC invite WKU to even out the numbers? Or take someone else?

Will C-USA add someone like MO State or Tarleton since UMass is off the table?

What will UConn do? The list of football independents is dwindling.

Don't know if the MAC has rules about only offering full invites to schools that play football, but the smartest thing would be to invite UConn for football and grab a public midwestern school that doesn't play football to even out the numbers for other sports. Someone with comparable basketball attendance numbers to their current schools but is no threat to dominate the league on a regular basis.

[cwfenn]

The next question is- will the MAC invite WKU to even out the numbers? Or take someone else?

Will C-USA add someone like MO State or Tarleton since UMass is off the table?

What will UConn do? The list of football independents is dwindling.

UConn was always in a tough spot since the Big East has (and really should have always) been their home conference. None of the biggest conferences invited them (amazing since the ACC had no problem grabbing just about all the old Big East football programs except UConn, and the XII grabbed WVU too), and they have way too much money invested in their stadium to think about going down to FCS, which is probably where they belong anyway. They’re a basketball school and have doubled down on it in recent years (they’re the “basketball capital” now!), but I think they need to drop football to FCS or it’s going to continue to suffer.

UMass is really going to miss the A10, but football’s the engine driving all of this, right?

(Showing my age a bit…I still remember the Yankee Conference when UConn played UMass every year...and also when New Haven went to UConn and won.)

[laker]

The next question is- will the MAC invite WKU to even out the numbers? Or take someone else?

Will C-USA add someone like MO State or Tarleton since UMass is off the table?

What will UConn do? The list of football independents is dwindling.