Reach for the stars, Ryan Bamford.
Bamford was recently hired as Massachussetts' athletic director. He came from Georgia Tech, which recently beat Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. And the Yellow Jackets are members of the ACC.
When he was congratulated on Twitter by Michael Strickland, the senior associate commissioner for the ACC, Bamford figured he'd make a big request right away.
@mgstrick @GeorgiaTechFB Thanks Michael! How about @UMassAthletics as the 16th #ACC member?!?
— Ryan Bamford (@UMassADBamford) March 24, 2015 Of course, it's (very likely) a joke. But UMass is looking for a new football conference. While the Minutemen are members of the Atlantic 10 in men's basketball and other sports, they've been members of the MAC in football. However, the 2015 season is the final year for the arrangement. The ACC has 14 members in football and 15 in basketball with Notre Dame's conference affiliation.
The Minutemen's options seem limited too. UMass could go independent, which would mean having to find 12 games every season rather than having eight or nine conference games penciled in every year. Or it could join the Sun Belt, which at this point is a nationwide conference with teams stretching from Idaho to Georgia. The American may not be an option because with the addition of Navy as a football-only member, the conference has 12 football teams.
Or heck, maybe it will join the ACC.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - New UMass AD shows he has a sense of humor
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