Fourth Estate/Madalyn Godfrey
The conference may look to expand following the departure of UMass
BY GABRIEL KING, SPORTS EDITOR
The University of Massachusetts will leave the Atlantic 10 for the Mid-American Conference, or MAC, starting in the 2025-26 academic year, the school announced Thursday. UMass will join the MAC in all sports except men’s lacrosse, but the move was made to improve the status of the football program.
“This news does not alter the mission of the A-10 as a nationally relevant successful basketball-centric conference with a robust Olympic sports platform also built for success,” Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said in a statement.
With conference realignment becoming a focal point in college athletics, the A-10 may be forced to expand in order to avoid losing more members. The conference added Loyola Chicago prior to the 2022-23 academic year. With the loss of UMass, the A-10 is down to 14 full members.
While I do not advocate for it, the A-10 could consider expanding to 15 or 16 members, in order to keep up. Here are my top five candidates for expansion:
- College of Charleston
Charleston is currently a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, the same conference that Mason and VCU were in prior to joining the A-10. Adding Charleston would expand the A-10’s geographical footprint further south and give the conference another school with established basketball success. The Cougars do not sponsor football, which could help avoid another situation similar to what happened with UMass.
- Drake University
Located in Des Moines, Iowa, Drake is the second-longest tenured member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake is another school with a history of success in men’s and women’s basketball. The Bulldogs have made six appearances in the men’s NCAA tournament and 14 in the women’s.
Drake would also help continue the conference’s westward expansion as they would be a natural rival for Saint Louis, Loyola Chicago and Dayton. The school does sponsor football but this would not be an issue as they play in the Pioneer League, a football-only conference, so there would be no conflict with the A-10.
- Monmouth University
Monmouth is another member of the CAA that could seek an upgrade. The Hawks are one of the newest members of the CAA, but they have the facilities and success to make another quick move. While Monmouth has not made a men’s NCAA tournament since 2006, they have been consistently competitive.
The Hawks played Mason tough earlier this season, so it is clear they can adjust at the A-10 level. Adding Monmouth would also continue the A-10’s Mid-Atlantic expansion.
- Temple University
These last two are tied together, in that they are largely unrealistic. Temple was a long-time member of the A-10 before leaving for the American Athletic Conference. The move has not worked for the Owls, as they have no geographical rivals and their performance has faltered. They are unlikely to leave the AAC because of football but a return to the A-10 would be mutually beneficial.
- DePaul University
This is even more outlandish but would be loads of fun for the conference. DePaul will not leave the Big East nor will the Big East let go of the Chicago market. However, the Blue Demons have struggled mightily since becoming a high-major and could benefit from a step down. Plus, they would have a crosstown rivalry with Loyola Chicago if they joined the A-10.
