This is absolutely hilarious. First the Wisconsin athletic department, then Tennessean, now the Charlotte Observer all have Temple joining the MAC.

It appears as if every athletic director in the country believes Temple is joining the MAC -- except for the little detail about it actually never having been announced.

Is there a worst-kept secret in college football right now?

This is a short story. I hope posting it meets someone's definition of fair use.

Wolfpack to make schedule change
Pack to drop Temple, add Middle Tennessee
KEN TYSIAC
Raleigh Bureau

Middle Tennessee appears set to replace Temple on N.C. State's 2005 football schedule, N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler said Friday.

N.C. State will play host to Middle Tennessee on Nov. 19 and will have an open date on Sept. 10, when it had been scheduled to visit Temple.

The change came about because Temple's entrance into the Mid-American Conference has caused a shuffling of its schedule. N.C. State and Middle Tennessee both were on Temple's schedule.

Fowler said Mid-American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst has informed him that the changes have been arranged to have N.C. State play host to Middle Tennessee, but Fowler has yet to see the details in writing. Chryst was out of his office Friday and unavailable for comment.

N.C. State will pay Middle Tennessee a $150,000 guarantee for the game, Fowler said, and will not make a return trip. The game will match Fowler's new school against the one he served as athletics director from 1994-2000.

Fowler hired Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum, but said his ties to the school were not a factor in the scheduling change. Fowler said N.C. State and Middle Tennessee were the only two schools in the country that could accommodate Temple at such a late date.

"I hate that it's this late," Fowler said, "but I understand people (Temple) doing what's best for their student-athletes."

I get the feeling Temple is telling everyone they are joining the MAC to justify this mess of a schedule change. BTW, I understand it was the MAC that originally started this mess, but no one made Temple go along with it.

IULurker Wrote:I get the feeling Temple is telling everyone they are joining the MAC to justify this mess of a schedule change. BTW, I understand it was the MAC that originally started this mess, but no one made Temple go along with it.

It seems to me that the MAC office is orchestrating the entire schedule thing as best it can.

Note that the North Carolina State AD Lee Fowler was told his program will likely be playing Middle Tennessee by Rick Chryst.

It seems obvious that The Observer learned Temple will be joining the MAC from Fowler, who learned it from Chryst (who neglected to say this hadn't actually been formally decided or announced).

I imagine the Tennessean and the Wisconsin athletic department ended up also announcing Temple's entry in much the same way. The Middle Tennessee and Wisconsin athletic departments had been told Temple was joining the MAC, and didn't realize it wasn't official.

But Temple is not a shoe-in for the MAC, the presidents have yet to vote on it. These statements saying that Temple is changing their schedule because they are joining the MAC are incorrect. They should read Temple is changing their schedule so that if the Presidents vote them in this June, they can join the MAC this coming season.

It's a done deal C'mon.The vote is a formality.I'm sure RC has polled all the University Prez and ADs.(You know you're getting old when you know the ADs).

When Cincinnati was invited to the Big East they had basically been told they were in as far back a July or early August. The official vote wasn't until November. Voting is a formality when it comes to conference expansion. Schools are, for the most part, told long in advance whether or not they're going to be part of a conference.

I take stories seriously when they include $ figures in them.

The writer either has an inside scoop or is schizophrenic.

There are certain things like the size of the GM deficit that no outsider could have guessed.

If one goes out of the street and talk with Joe Blow he'd probably tell you that GM is making money "hand over fist."

I am completely against this and would like to see nothing more than us hang 70 on them.

Boca Rocket Wrote:It's a done deal C'mon.The vote is a formality.I'm sure RC has polled all the University Prez and ADs.

I heard someone else say that earlier! :wave:

Can't we live without Temple? That's what I want to know. We already have a few bottom feeding football programs, we don't need to add another. If Temple made a serious commitment to improving, maybe and they'd have to enter in all sports too, not just football!

IULurker Wrote:They should read Temple is changing their schedule so that if the Presidents vote them in this June, they can join the MAC this coming season.

They won't be joining this season.

I think these games are about working off an entry fee.

Schadenfreude Wrote:This is absolutely hilarious. First the Wisconsin athletic department, then Tennessean, now the Charlotte Observer all have Temple joining the MAC.

It appears as if every athletic director in the country believes Temple is joining the MAC -- except for the little detail about it actually never having been announced.

Is there a worst-kept secret in college football right now?

This is a short story. I hope posting it meets someone's definition of fair use.

Wolfpack to make schedule change
Pack to drop Temple, add Middle Tennessee
KEN TYSIAC
Raleigh Bureau

Middle Tennessee appears set to replace Temple on N.C. State's 2005 football schedule, N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler said Friday.

N.C. State will play host to Middle Tennessee on Nov. 19 and will have an open date on Sept. 10, when it had been scheduled to visit Temple.

The change came about because Temple's entrance into the Mid-American Conference has caused a shuffling of its schedule. N.C. State and Middle Tennessee both were on Temple's schedule.

Fowler said Mid-American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst has informed him that the changes have been arranged to have N.C. State play host to Middle Tennessee, but Fowler has yet to see the details in writing. Chryst was out of his office Friday and unavailable for comment.

N.C. State will pay Middle Tennessee a $150,000 guarantee for the game, Fowler said, and will not make a return trip. The game will match Fowler's new school against the one he served as athletics director from 1994-2000.

Fowler hired Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum, but said his ties to the school were not a factor in the scheduling change. Fowler said N.C. State and Middle Tennessee were the only two schools in the country that could accommodate Temple at such a late date.

"I hate that it's this late," Fowler said, "but I understand people (Temple) doing what's best for their student-athletes."

Looks like NC State AD just wanted to make a few more Million $$$$.

Drop an away game at Temple (payout from Temple probably couldn't cover even their travel costs), and get an extra SOLD OUT Home Game in return...and an added "bonus" is a "small" payout of only $150,000 to the visiting team!

Article sounds like a CROCK to protect NC State's AD.

Big Boys want $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

NC State probably just made an extra $2 Million with this move.

It had ZERO to due with any Conf Change by Temple.

KL

KnightLight Wrote:Looks like NC State AD just wanted to make a few more Million $$$$.

Drop an away game at Temple (payout from Temple probably couldn't cover even their travel costs), and get an extra SOLD OUT Home Game in return...and an added "bonus" is a "small" payout of only $150,000 to the visiting team!

Article sounds like a CROCK to protect NC State's AD.

Big Boys want $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

NC State probably just made an extra $2 Million with this move.

It had ZERO to due with any Conf Change by Temple.

KL

The fact that North Carolina State may profit from this doesn't mean it engineered this.

Athletic departments in Wisconsin, Tennessee and North Carolina are all publicly saying the reason for this shuffle is that Temple is MAC-bound.

Are they all wrong?