The subject matter hasn’t been made public, but the MAC and UMass are holding a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, and it’s not hard to guess what’s about to happen: After a flurry of winter rumors, all signs point to the Minutemen leaving Division I-AA athletics (or the FCS, if you absolutely must) and the CAA behind for I-A ball in the MAC. If the rumored plans of several months ago have held up, UMass will be a provisional conference member for two seasons before moving up to full status. The move would up the MAC’s roster from an odd 13 to a full 14 teams, well on its way to becoming a superconference with its own ecosystem, at least by volume.
REPORT: UMass To Leave CAA For The MAC; Announcement Scheduled For Wednesday
The location of the conference is an interesting tidbit. Could Gillette Stadium be the future home of the Minutemen? They’ve played there before for special event games; it’s almost like a deliberate nose-thumbing at Villanova’s stadium woes as the Wildcats flail for admission in the Big East. (This is all assuming the conference hasn’t been called to report that, like Nova, they’re delaying their decision.)
Interested parties will be able to watch the press conference live on the MAC’s website, beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT. For more on the move and its implications, visit SB Nation Boston and SB Nation’s Hustle Belt.
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