First it was the unlimited transfer option permitted by the NCAA, then the recent thunderous lawsuit settlement proposal has the potential to change college football (and UMass) into quite a different experience.
The Hampshire Gazette has a two-part series on the likely effects of the series and I highly recommend reading both.
Although 90% of the settlement will go to players from Power Five schools, 60% or about $990 million will have to be paid by the rest of Division I. For UMass, that will run about $400000 to $500000 for the next 10 years.
I don't think UMass can squeeze that amount of money out of the athletic budget by just cutting positions in the athletic dept.
We're probably looking at a ten-year pause in capital improvements in athletics.
We could also loose some of the Olympic sports.
The saving grace will be the Minutemen will receive about $2 to $2.5 million per year in TV money from MAC football.
The MAC TV contract runs through the 2027 season. College football is popular and MACtion football games have had good ratings. The MAC conference will likely receive a significant jump in TV revenue in 2028.
The UMass Midnight Ride Collective may transition to be the marketing arm of the Athletic Dept or the University could just drop it.
And the judge overseeing the settlement may rule the whole payment structure is out of whack and make substantial changes in the ruling.
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The 2024-2025 college bowl schedule is out.
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