UMass football is joining the MAC, but that doesn't mean it was its first choice. After all, they've been trying to make the jump to Division 1-A (now FBS) for 20 years, so it's hardly surprising to hear they had bigger conferences in mind.
↵↵↵[Former athletic director Bob] Marcum toyed with the idea of joining Conference USA and the MAC, but no agreements could be reached.
↵When the Big East decided last fall to expand from eight to 10 teams in football, UMass officials, using the Kraft family as contacts, lobbied hard for consideration.
↵But Big East officials were focusing on conference member Villanova and were reluctant to add two more schools after announcing that TCU would join as a ninth full-time member starting in the fall of 2012. So UMass officials resumed talks with the MAC.
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Ta-da! That's how the UMass-Temple rivalry was born!