Following up on the reports that surfaced Tuesday, the MAC officially introduced UMass as the 14th member of the 65-year-old conference. The introduction was held at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots and future home of the majority of the Minutemen’s home games.
UMass, which currently competes at the Div. 1-AA (FCS) level in football, will begin conference play for the 2012 football season and will be eligible for the conference football championship game and a bowl game beginning in the 2013 football season.
“The University of Massachusetts will add to the academic stature of the Mid-American Conference and bring a strong tradition and depth to our conference,” said MAC commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher in a statement. “The UMass football program will add quality to our conference’s football programs and balance our divisions. In addition, this addition allows our conference to expand our footprint into New England and into the Boston and Hartford/Springfield markets.”
“We feel the time is right for this landmark decision of UMass football elevating to the FBS level,” said UMass athletic director John McCutcheon. “Playing in the FBS is where UMass should be positioned as the flagship campus of the state system. The opportunities to play on a national level and what that means for exposure and visibility will be a tremendous asset not only for athletics, but for the entire university. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to join the Mid-American Conference and develop relationships and rivalries with its members. To have the opportunity to play those games at a state-of-the-art facility like Gillette Stadium really is one of the key factors that makes this transition possible.”
UMass’ jump to the MAC gives the conference 14 football members divided into two seven-team divisions. The Minutemen will likely be placed in the East division, which means one member of that current seven-team division will likely make the switch to the West.
UMass joins Temple as the only two football-only schools in the conference.