UMass football moves up to FBS; will play at Gillette

[Armchair Quarterback]

UMass to play home games at Gillette in 2012?

Rumor Mill | ProFootballTalk"

"Robert Kraft said at press conference regarding the fact that UMass will begin playing its home games at Gillette Stadium in 2012."

 

[Dufflebagz]

Re: UMass to play home games at Gillette in 2012?

So, the Revolution won't have the lowest attendences at Gillette anymore?

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Re: UMass to play home games at Gillette in 2012?

So, the Revolution won't have the lowest attendences at Gillette anymore?

What's a 100 miles for a home game? The Pats once played a home game in Birmingham,Alabama in 1968!!!!

 

[PatsFans.com Article]

UMass football moves up to FBS; will play at Gillette
By: John Morgan

UMass football will move up to the FB$ and the MAC and play at Gillette. Good move, bad move? ......

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY​

 

[eagle eye]

This can only be good for UMass football imo. Lots of ex-students from and living in and around Boston will make trips to these games, its a lot closer than where they did play. And its not 100 miles either, its 70 which isn't too bad considering there will be transport arranged for those wishing to travel from Amherst/Hadley.

 

[DarrylS]

Good move for UMASS and of course Bob Kraft.. more days the stadium is used.

Curious how that would work, they would not access the Pats Dressing room.. are there three dressing rooms at Gillette???

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Interesting article.

The point of the article seems to be that it might not work so don't try it.

The article also misses the fact that Massachusetts isn't Georgia and a long history of college football tradition. You have to get closer to the alumni. It's easier to get someone to drive from Boston to Gillette than out to Amherst.

Also, I would think the MAC would prefer a big media market.

These leagues require a minimum facilities standard so UMASS will not have to build a new stadium.

Has the college roadtrip gone the way of the 8 track? What's 70 miles?

 

[borg]

This may be good for the Alum ....allowing them to extend their football experience past graduation. Unfortunately, the current student body will be deprived and this portion of the fan base will be alienated. Guess the Zoo has its priorties...which doesn't include the students.
Is the plan to ultimately build a big time facility in Amhest to showcase the the U Mass- Buffalo game? I'll take 8 season Tix!!!

 

[Mike Procopio]

I am not a fan of this, only because of the commute needed to make it a "home game" and why are they in the MAC? Kind of a hike for most road games

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I am not a fan of this, only because of the commute needed to make it a "home game" and why are they in the MAC? Kind of a hike for most road games

I don't follow UMass football, so I am open to being corrected, but I imagine that the answer begins and ends with $$$.

 

[jmt57]

This article sheds some light on the details:
Rent-free deal at Gillette allows UMass to climb to FBS - The Boston Globe

UMass wanted to move up to the FBS, but needed a bigger stadium to play in before that could happen. As pointed out previously they are counting on playing in a more heavily populated area, and closer to a larger number of alumni.

The MAC gets some basketball games played in the east in exchange for adding UMass.

Robert Kraft will initially allow UMass to play rent free; he'll share in future revenue and also benefit from more traffic and money spent at Patriot Place.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I am not a fan of this, only because of the commute needed to make it a "home game" and why are they in the MAC? Kind of a hike for most road games

I doubt any BCS level league would want to take on a start up program like this given all of the uncertainty with conference realignment, revenue question marks, new tv deals etc. The only BCS league that makes any sense is the Big East but they are adding Villanova, with whom they already have a relationship due to their basketball membership. No one is willing to cut up the cash pie any more than they already are and for most FCS schools, football is an albatross. This makes sense on both sides (MAC and UMass).

Now the games at Gillette, I get it but I am not sure how a Saturday afternoon game with Kent State will match up with BC playing Florida State and UConn hosting West Virginia both an hour away. Sure, the UMass alums will go, but anyone else who wants to see high quality college ball would likely choose the ride to Chestnut Hill or East Hartford.

 

[upstater1]

I don't follow UMass football, so I am open to being corrected, but I imagine that the answer begins and ends with $$$.

You'd be surprised. U Buffalo started bleeding bigtime $$$ once its football team joined the same league as UMass.

It's a money bleeder, if anything. The MAC has no TV deal, no + from bowls that doesn't evaporate with travel to bowls, and UMass basketball isn't even joining the league. UMass is trying to make itself more attractive for future BCS conference expansion.

 

[FCB02062]

UMASS played @ Michigan last year. I'm sure UMASS knew they were going to D1 (yes, I still call it D1) in the very near future. I don't know what UMASS's deal with Michigan was - maybe it was a one shot deal or maybe UMASS was promised a game @ UMASS in the future. Maybe that "future" is when the team begins playing D1 in a big enough stadium. Believe me, Kraft wouldn't be ok, at least I don't think he would be ok with this deal, if the biggest visiting team coming to Gillette was Northern Illinois.
The MAC plays 8 conference games and most teams scheduled 12 games last year, leaving 4 non-conference match ups. I would figure at least one or two of those non MAC games, at least in the beginning of a D1 program, are going to have to be paycheck games where UMASS plays a big time program knowing it's going to get croaked (although they hung with Michigan last year for three quarters). And figure UMASS to play one game it knows it's going win...against Central CT or Holy Cross or something like that...
I like the idea of UMASS at Gillette, especially since my alma mater sh#tcanned football two years ago

 

[patchick]

Not building a mega-millions new state-owned stadium sounds like a win for the taxpayers. But...

As a native of Amherst, I have to say moving the Minutemen 2+ hours away is a serious blow to the town. People come, they eat, they shop. And consider that my mom's been faithfully going to crummy Alumni stadium for years. She and all of the other year-in, year-out fans are seriously screwed by this plan. And what's homecoming going to revolve around, a lacrosse match?

Just one more indignity in a state that thinks "Western Mass" means Worcester.

 

[cavtroop]

Just one more indignity in a state that thinks "Western Mass" means Worcester.

Not to threadjack too much, but heck, I live right next to Worcester - getting anyone to come out even this 'far' is a chore, most of them think Hopkinton is Western Mass...

 

[upstater1]

It's funny, the anti-Boston thing is probably why you have so many Yankee fans just East of the NY border, and for a similar reason there are a great many Red Sox fans East of the Hudson River and West of the Mass. border. People in towns like Troy despise the Dutch!!

 

[Wolfpack]

I am not a fan of this, only because of the commute needed to make it a "home game" and why are they in the MAC? Kind of a hike for most road games

Well there's no way whatsoever the Big East or ACC would have taken them, and there's also no way whatsoever they could have filled an FBS schedule as an independent. So it was really MAC or C-USA, with the MAC making the most sense.

 

[Wolfpack]

UMASS played @ Michigan last year. I'm sure UMASS knew they were going to D1 (yes, I still call it D1)

Me too! :rocker:

in the very near future. I don't know what UMASS's deal with Michigan was - maybe it was a one shot deal or maybe UMASS was promised a game @ UMASS in the future. Maybe that "future" is when the team begins playing D1 in a big enough stadium.

When a 1-AA team goes on the road to play a powerhouse 1-A team, the 1-AA team gets a hefty payday and usually a hefty butt whuppin'. What they do not get, however, it a return visit from that 1-A school. There's just no money in it for the powerhouse 1-A school. Meanwhile, the Minutemen probably made more money in that one game at Michigan than they did the rest of the season

Believe me, Kraft wouldn't be ok, at least I don't think he would be ok with this deal, if the biggest visiting team coming to Gillette was Northern Illinois.

As long as he isn't losing money, I doubt he much cares who comes to town.

 

[FCB02062]

Me too! :rocker:
When a 1-AA team goes on the road to play a powerhouse 1-A team, the 1-AA team gets a hefty payday and usually a hefty butt whuppin'. What they do not get, however, it a return visit from that 1-A school. There's just no money in it for the powerhouse 1-A school. Meanwhile, the Minutemen probably made more money in that one game at Michigan than they did the rest of the seasonAs long as he isn't losing money, I doubt he much cares who comes to town.

I meant that Kraft probably has some sort of assurance that UMASS will get a "big time" opponent (not BC) to come and play UMASS. Point was that a team like Penn State is going to draw 500 times more people to Gillette/Patriot Place than Akron, Miami of Ohio, or Ball State...my OP should have been more clearly stated...at any rate I'll gladly head down to Gillette to watch some low to mid level D1 football. BC, as close as Chestnut Hill is, is a pain in the ass to get to and tailgating there is very limited...Gillette for a UMASS game, will hopefully have a good tailgating scene...