http://bobcatattack.com/messageboard/top...&PID=67915

Have at it boys.

This comes up at every MAC school when they have any kind of multi-year success, usually by new fans/students that have only seen success. Western had a guy on here a year ago or so that wanted to join the Big Ten in all sports because the hockey team beat Michigan. I wanted to hit him with a trout. CMU's scout board was full of discussion on how to get to the Big East when LeFevour was still around.

However, eventually the coach leaves for 5-10x the pay or the couple players that made their team that step above the rest of the MAC graduate and they get *****slapped with reality like us old fogies who have followed our school for more than 4-5 years.

The last post in that thread on bobcatattack.com really hit home:

"Being down in Raleigh now, I often listen to the ESPN radio down here and while it was fun listening to them freak out about Ohio almost beating UNC, they some times will talk to the coaches at ECU. ECU is in Greenville and consistently have sell out of 50,000 plus in their stadium and they can't get any of the bowl conferences to look at them because of the lack of tv exposure. Athens is definitely in this same predicament, whether we like it or not, if we want a bigger conference, we have to win the MAC without question and not lose the games we should win."

ECU did average 50,000 per game last year for home games. There are a lot of BCS schools that can't come close to that. And, that's more than double of the top MAC school (attendance-wise). Obviously, the lack of a TV market is a big problem for ECU (and most MAC schools).

(03-29-2012 08:30 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  The last post in that thread on bobcatattack.com really hit home:

"Being down in Raleigh now, I often listen to the ESPN radio down here and while it was fun listening to them freak out about Ohio almost beating UNC, they some times will talk to the coaches at ECU. ECU is in Greenville and consistently have sell out of 50,000 plus in their stadium and they can't get any of the bowl conferences to look at them because of the lack of tv exposure. Athens is definitely in this same predicament, whether we like it or not, if we want a bigger conference, we have to win the MAC without question and not lose the games we should win."

ECU did average 50,000 per game last year for home games. There are a lot of BCS schools that can't come close to that. And, that's more than double of the top MAC school (attendance-wise). Obviously, the lack of a TV market is a big problem for ECU (and most MAC schools).

A bigger problem for ECU is averaging 5.6 wins per season over the last 10 years.

Boise was in a "small" conference with a relatively small market in the middle of nowhere and they got a lot of publicity. Win and MAC schools will be noticed but you have to really earn it. It is true for any non-AQ. MAC teams that win do get ranked so personally I think it is less the conference being a problem than individual schools and our lack of ability to be consistent. Remember Ball State got up to 12th place or so when they were undefeated playing a fairly easy schedule. If it happened then it can happen now.

(03-30-2012 09:57 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  Boise was in a "small" conference with a relatively small market in the middle of nowhere and they got a lot of publicity. Win and MAC schools will be noticed but you have to really earn it. It is true for any non-AQ. MAC teams that win do get ranked so personally I think it is less the conference being a problem than individual schools and our lack of ability to be consistent. Remember Ball State got up to 12th place or so when they were undefeated playing a fairly easy schedule. If it happened then it can happen now.

And what exactly has Ohio done to warrant Boise St comparisons? Or TCU for that matter?

And what exactly has Ohio done to warrant Butler, Gonzaga, or VCU comparisons?

Until Ohio can have sustained success in either sport for 5 years or more, this is a non subject. And spare me the football success story. Ohio's best non conference win in recent years is against Marshall. Not to mention, they were the 5th best team in the MAC last year.

(03-29-2012 07:31 PM)bronconick Wrote:  This comes up at every MAC school when they have any kind of multi-year success, usually by new fans/students that have only seen success. Western had a guy on here a year ago or so that wanted to join the Big Ten in all sports because the hockey team beat Michigan. I wanted to hit him with a trout. CMU's scout board was full of discussion on how to get to the Big East when LeFevour was still around.

However, eventually the coach leaves for 5-10x the pay or the couple players that made their team that step above the rest of the MAC graduate and they get *****slapped with reality like us old fogies who have followed our school for more than 4-5 years.

I would've liked to see that.

I agree - it all comes down to money. I think a MAC team could sustain success over a longer period of time but it would require the good coaches to stick around and we all know that won't happen since no MAC school can afford to pay them enough. Until then, most of the MAC schools have their couple years where they win and then sink back to mediocrity for a while.

BUMP.

The talk is getting better and better.




My all time favorite post on that thread:

"Time for a new conference?

I propose this one:
Ohio and Miami from the MAC
WKU, MTSU, Arky St. and Troy from the Sunbelt
Memphis, Marshall, ECU and UAB from C-USA

A name? How about "the sort-of middle but a bit to the east of center league" ??"

(03-30-2012 10:23 AM)EA3 Wrote:  

(03-30-2012 09:57 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  Boise was in a "small" conference with a relatively small market in the middle of nowhere and they got a lot of publicity. Win and MAC schools will be noticed but you have to really earn it. It is true for any non-AQ. MAC teams that win do get ranked so personally I think it is less the conference being a problem than individual schools and our lack of ability to be consistent. Remember Ball State got up to 12th place or so when they were undefeated playing a fairly easy schedule. If it happened then it can happen now.

And what exactly has Ohio done to warrant Boise St comparisons? Or TCU for that matter?

And what exactly has Ohio done to warrant Butler, Gonzaga, or VCU comparisons?

Until Ohio can have sustained success in either sport for 5 years or more, this is a non subject. And spare me the football success story. Ohio's best non conference win in recent years is against Marshall. Not to mention, they were the 5th best team in the MAC last year.

1. Why are you bringing up Butler, Gonzaga, or VCU for I certainly have not said that?

2. I am not comparing Ohio to anybody. In fact I never said "Ohio" anywhere.

3. My post was for the MAC in general not any on particular school.

4. I bolded a section for you where I actually said that w need teams to sustain success more as we are, as I said, inconsistent.

5. My example was Ball State not Ohio though I could have used Miami.

6. I think any MAC team that makes an undefeated run can make a BCS bowl under the current rules. It is not certain but it is realm of plausibility and Ball State showed it even though they failed in the end.

7. Boise was being used as a reference. They are not big (like most of us), they are not prestigious, they were not in a major conference (sounds familiar), and they are not in a market desired by anybody but they won and won a lot. If one team could win like that here you can bet it would make a lot of noise.


Seriously where do you get off attacking me about Ohio which is a team I am not even directly talking about in this conversation?

Wasn't attacking, I apologize if it came off that way. Too many web pages open and toggling back and forth got me a little confused.

My post shouldn't have been a reply to yours. It's more of a rant on delusional Ohio fans.

(03-30-2012 10:48 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(03-29-2012 07:31 PM)bronconick Wrote:  This comes up at every MAC school when they have any kind of multi-year success, usually by new fans/students that have only seen success. Western had a guy on here a year ago or so that wanted to join the Big Ten in all sports because the hockey team beat Michigan. I wanted to hit him with a trout. CMU's scout board was full of discussion on how to get to the Big East when LeFevour was still around.

However, eventually the coach leaves for 5-10x the pay or the couple players that made their team that step above the rest of the MAC graduate and they get *****slapped with reality like us old fogies who have followed our school for more than 4-5 years.

I would've liked to see that.

I agree - it all comes down to money. I think a MAC team could sustain success over a longer period of time but it would require the good coaches to stick around and we all know that won't happen since no MAC school can afford to pay them enough. Until then, most of the MAC schools have their couple years where they win and then sink back to mediocrity for a while.

A school would need a serious sugar daddy, like Nike Oregon or T Boone Okie State style. Once you're certain this is the coach, you throw 2 million at him (1.5 from the booster) and if we're talking football, another 2 million toward keeping more of the staff intact longer. You probably have to assume there's some upgrades that the coach that knows he has you by the balls wants and he'll want 7 home games, something else the booster has to make up for when you're the only MAC school not taking a yearly beating, er road trip to the BCS team of your choice or two for the funding. Basketball you'd want to try for a holiday tournament in a nearby NBA arena or something just for the chance to get some solid teams onto your RPI without playing 11 road games.

That amount of money cannot be raised at a MAC school through normal means, so you're stuck hoping that nerd in class invents the next facebook yet still likes his alma matar's football team. I believe Boise was diverting large chunks of general funds to football for a while during startup as a different path, but that's not really ideal either.

(03-31-2012 08:03 AM)EA3 Wrote:  Wasn't attacking, I apologize if it came off that way. Too many web pages open and toggling back and forth got me a little confused.

My post shouldn't have been a reply to yours. It's more of a rant on delusional Ohio fans.

Ah ok that makes more sense now .

Yea at Kent for example most of our best and most common majors are not the type to traditionally get a lot of money (teachers, nurses, and the like) and the ones that might tend to be (fashion, dance which has just received a very large donation, and similar) tend to not be football driven at all.