UMass To The MAC Made Official; Minutemen Will Begin I-A Play In 2012

Via the official New England Patriots Twitter feed, here’s a shot of UMass officials, MAC types, Pats execs, and the Minutemen’s terrifying mascot at UMass’ new MAC home, Gillette Stadium. See all those empty seats behind them? Get used to those. Native New Englander The Gurgling Cod sums up local concerns about the leap from CAA, and everyone it’s going to leave behind (namely, the entire student body):

Bar the door and pass the handwarmers; UMass to the MAC is official. This momentous occasion is being celebrated with a splash page too girthy for any reasonable person’s computer monitor and a plucky graphic announcing the Minutemen and the Mid-American are one. Together, they make fourteen, in point of fact, but it’s a day of celebration, so let’s not argue semantics! All confirmed facts via the university’s official release:

• UMass is leaving the CAA and joining up with the MAC, which also involves a jump from NCAA Division I-AA to I-A. You will hear a lot about FCS-to-FBS; just continue to ignore that as you always have.

The official announcement alleged to herald the departure of UMass for the MAC is still hours away, but the chattering classes are up and at ‘em. SB Nation’s BC Interruption doesn’t like how this bodes for Boston College:

Our MAC community, Hustle Belt, is taking a sunnier approach:

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.

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.)