Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – The Mid-American Conference announced on Wednesday that it will add the University of Massachusetts as a football-only member starting with the 2012 season.
The inclusion of UMass will bring the total football membership in the conference to 14 teams. After one season limited to conference play, the Minutemen will be eligible for the conference title game and a possible bowl berth beginning in 2013.
“The University of Massachusetts will add to the academic stature of the Mid- American Conference and bring a strong tradition and add depth to our conference,” said MAC commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher. “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.”
The Mid-American had traditionally been centralized in the midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, but accepted Buffalo in 1998 as a full member and Temple in 2007 as a football-only program.
“We feel the time is right for this landmark decision of UMass football elevating to the FBS level,” said Massachusetts 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.”
The Minutemen have been a traditional member of what is currently called the Colonial Athletic Association — originally known as the Yankee Conference and then the Atlantic 10 — capturing 22 conference titles and an FCS championship in 1998 along with two finals appearances in 1978 and 2006.
UMass finished 6-5 last season under head coach Kevin Morris, and last made the FCS playoffs in 2007 with a 10-3 record before losing to Southern Illinois in the second round.
For decades, Boston College was the sole Division I-A school (now FBS) out of all New England college football. But Connecticut became a full-fledged FBS member in 2002 after a two-year transition period and UMass now joins the mix.
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