Portlandian
Hall of Famer
Haha yeah I know. Imagine the eyebrows raised though if you didn't notice that little fact.
OT: Conference Realignment
- Thread starter Pablo
- Start date
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Pablo
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #622
MAC adds Sacramento State as football-only member in 2026
The MAC presidents have voted to add FCS Sacramento State into the league as a football-only member starting in 2026.
"The cost of entrance is expected to be $18 million, per sources, and a deal is expected to be announced in the upcoming days. All in, the total cost of entry is expected to be $23 million, as Sacramento State would also need to pay an additional $5 million to the NCAA to move up."
"The move will keep the MAC at 13 schools. It would replace Northern Illinois, which is leaving for the Mountain West in football next year.
It also marks a trend of schools paying money to move up in leagues. SMU paved the way, as it chose to forgo nine years of television revenue to join the ACC. Cal and Stanford also accepted reduced money to join the ACC.
Sacramento State's move is the second in the last week, as North Dakota State finalized a move to the Mountain West. That move cost $12.5 million. In a smaller scale, Northern Illinois paid a $2 million entrance fee to join the Mountain West.
The payouts to leagues such as the MAC and Mountain West come at a time when revenue is scarce, as smaller leagues are struggling to retain top talent in football and men's basketball since the waiving of transfer rules and the ability of schools to pay players through NIL and revenue share."
"Sacramento State's non-football sports will be housed in the Big West, which it joins in 2026-27."
Cal, Stanford and SMU had no other options as the other P4 conferences didn't want them. All 3 had weak football and Men's BBall programs - which are the only potential revenue generators. The rich SMU alumni will pay for the AD for the next 10 years so they are back in a conference. ACC took Cal and Stanford as insurance against other schools leaving which would lead to a breakup of the conference..MAC adds Sacramento State as football-only member in 2026
The MAC presidents have voted to add FCS Sacramento State into the league as a football-only member starting in 2026.www.espn.com
It also marks a trend of schools paying money to move up in leagues. SMU paved the way, as it chose to forgo nine years of television revenue to join the ACC. Cal and Stanford also accepted reduced money to join the ACC.
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Pablo
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #624
UC Santa Barbara to become WCC's 12th school in 2027-28
UC Santa Barbara will join the West Coast Conference for the 2027-28 season, increasing the membership in the league to 12 teams.
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Pablo
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #625
"The latest domino in conference realignment has fallen. James Madison University is headed from the Sun Belt Conference to the American Conference."
"According to a report by Chris Vannini in The Athletic, JMU is expected to get a distribution of $6 million to $7 million upon joining the conference, which is 'in line' with newer members of the American, but short of the $10 million or more that full football-playing members at the top of the conference receive. On a percentage basis, that’s a bit better than other schools that have switched conferences in recent years, like Texas and Oklahoma taking in less than half what its SEC counterparts were distributed, or the triumvirate of Stanford, Cal, and SMU earning reduced (or no) shares from the ACC. Regardless, the projected range is about triple what the Sun Belt offered JMU, which was around $2 million.
While it’s good news for JMU that the American will treat it like a full member from the get-go, the Sun Belt may try to extract a little extra pain from the Dukes before they depart. The Sun Belt is exploring increasing its exit fee of $5 million following the news of JMU’s departure, per The Athletic. That’s on top of a reported $23 million entrance fee JMU will pay to join the American.
"The Dukes will compete in the American Conference in 17 of the 18 sports the school sponsors, with women’s field hockey remaining in the Mid-American Conference."
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Mason needs to take a hard look at JMU’s athletic success and recognize how strong athletics can elevate an entire university through increased visibility, school pride, and student engagement. With approximately 40,000 students, a modest $100 annual increase in athletic fees could generate roughly $4 million each year to strengthen programs, improve facilities, and attract talent. Mason has the enrollment, resources, and potential. It’s time to make the investment and commit to competing at a higher level.
Well, a, what data do you have that Madison’s football moves have done anything for the university (outside of maybe awareness outside of the state of Virginia, which I will grant you).
Two, $4 million is a drop in the bucket when our revenue share deficit with SLU is close to $7 million a year in men’s basketball alone…
I get what you’re saying but we have people here refusing to pay for the increased prices. I don’t know why we think students should keep shoveling more money at athletics.
How JMU Football’s Success Has Benefited the Entire University
- Record Student Applications: Applications have roughly doubled, from approximately 22,000 in 2021 to more than 44,000 in recent years. Football’s national exposure has contributed to greater awareness of JMU.
- National Recognition: ESPN College GameDay, national rankings, bowl victories, and a College Football Playoff appearance have put JMU in front of millions of viewers nationwide.
- Increased Fundraising: Athletic donors grew from 4,600 in 2022 to more than 10,600 in 2025, a 132% increase, strengthening alumni engagement and financial support.
- Student Recruitment: Greater national visibility helps JMU attract prospective students from across the country, potentially improving admissions selectivity and academic competitiveness.
- University Prestige: Football success has elevated JMU’s national reputation and helped position the university for its move to the American Conference in 2028.
- Major Increase in TV Revenue: JMU’s move from the Sun Belt to the American Conference is projected to increase annual conference media distributions from approximately $2 million to $6–7 million. That’s potentially $4–5 million in additional annual revenue, roughly tripling its previous distribution.
- More National TV Exposure: The American Conference’s ESPN agreement provides additional national television opportunities, further expanding JMU’s brand and recruiting reach.
- Privately Funded Conference Move: JMU says its American Conference entrance fee and Sun Belt exit fee will be funded through private donors and corporate partnerships rather than tuition or taxpayer funding.
Bottom Line
JMU football isn’t just winning games. It’s helping generate national publicity, increased student interest, record athletic fundraising, and potentially millions in additional annual television revenue. While not every improvement can be attributed directly to football, the program has become a valuable asset in building JMU’s national reputation and long-term institutional growth.
Sources
- JMU Athletics: July 2025 report documenting athletic fundraising and donor growth.
- JMU Admissions: February 2026 report documenting record undergraduate applications.
- JMU Athletics: October 2026 American Conference announcement and FAQ.
- Awful Announcing: October 2026 reporting on projected American Conference media distributions.
- JMU: October 2026 official conference announcement.
Note: The $6–7 million figure is a reported projection of annual conference distributions, not guaranteed TV-only revenue.
This looks like an AI summary, which means if I want to believe it I’ve got to fact check all this stuff on my own (which I really don’t want to do).
And like I said, other than more national exposure, it’s really not doing a whole lot for the university side of the university.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to spend 40 million a year on a football team. We don’t need that much more revenue to be competitive in the A10 (and nationally). We are already a top 100 budget team and in the second to third tier in spending (of many tiers). I’d prefer that come from corporate sponsors and paying customers (e.g. community support) rather than from the students who are already paying the lions share of revenue through fees, and $4 million isn’t going to do much when you’ve got 20 teams to support.
And like I said, other than more national exposure, it’s really not doing a whole lot for the university side of the university.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to spend 40 million a year on a football team. We don’t need that much more revenue to be competitive in the A10 (and nationally). We are already a top 100 budget team and in the second to third tier in spending (of many tiers). I’d prefer that come from corporate sponsors and paying customers (e.g. community support) rather than from the students who are already paying the lions share of revenue through fees, and $4 million isn’t going to do much when you’ve got 20 teams to support.
OK. OK. I concede that there is still about three weeks before tip-off to talk about Mason getting a football team.
It’s an AI summary because I also didn’t feel like looking up the obvious. Clearly, their football program is benefiting the university. No one would even notice a modest $100 fee increase, and it would dramatically improve the basketball program.
Donors will eventually grow tired of donating millions of dollars. A modest student fee increase is sustainable.
OP
Pablo
Hall of Famer
- Thread Starter
- #632
"Conferences in college basketball continue to cycle through teams.
The Pac-12 is back, meaning there are 32 conferences once again. Meanwhile, a couple of other leagues changed their names. The MAAC is now the Metro Conference -- only the name changes, as the membership remains the same (for this season). And the WAC is now the United Athletic Conference (UAC) and underwent a massive regional change in its membership, with no more teams in the Pacific or Mountain time zone."
The link provides a breakdown of each conference, highlighting schools that left and joined for the 2026-27 season (where applicable), with a full list of members.
If donors get tired of donating to the program, the program is sunk no matter what.
I also bet if JMU put hundreds of millions of dollars toward research facilities, a robust graduate school, and top faculty their university would also have benefited significantly.
You’re also talking to someone who works on the academic side of universities and is a bit biased. You know who would love to get $4 million from the university? The various different academic departments at the school, that’s who. You know what the university tells them? Raise your own revenue or be put on the chopping block…
NewPatriot
Starter
JMU is in harrisonburg...a college town with nothing else but the school while Mason is.the DC area with alot of competing entertaining professional and college alternatives....apples and oranges..
People have to stop comparing Mason to other schools and complaining...just appreciate how far their almer mater has come in such a short time..enjoy the ride...life is too short.
People have to stop comparing Mason to other schools and complaining...just appreciate how far their almer mater has come in such a short time..enjoy the ride...life is too short.
Heard this argument so many times. Everyone using it forgets that Nova has close to 3 Million people vs Harrisonburg's 50k. Maryland packed Cole Field House, NC STATE packs theirs in the center of Raleigh, Slu and many others. We have 2006 and 2011. Would you trade the 2006 run for similar runs to the aforementioned if it resulted in 7-8k avg home attendance til present day? You might say yes, but I dont think we get that attendance boost playing the shit schools we do in OCC. Going back to the entertainment piece, people in Nova want to be entertained. Is Mason entertaining them? They did in 2006!
Virginia doesn’t have a pro sports team, and the Washington teams stink. Northern Virginia has a larger population than Harrisonburg. Give NoVA a winning team and a professional-level game-day experience, the fans will show up.
NewPatriot
Starter
That's the thing Mason will entertain them when they win! (See vcu and St. louis game last year..it was beautiful to be there!!. Great game atmosphere)...look forward to the next step forward this year...screw JMU...
NewPatriot
Starter
Raleigh is a glorified college town. They don't have a professional football, baseball or basketball
Madison doesn't compete directly with UVA for fans the way Mason competes the Commanders, Maryland, Georgetown, GW, the Capitals and whatever major enternainer is in town at the time for the same dollars.
I’m so over this argument. It’s such a pain to get into DC. If there were a fun game day experience in NoVA, NoVA residents would show up. And there are a lot of NoVA residents!
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