(03-07-2013 10:03 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  What is forgotten is the MAC was already ahead of its time when it decided to stay at the top level of college football in the early 80's.

It is almost to the point where every viable school for the top level is on the verge of moving up (App St, JMU) or planning in the long range to do so (Missouri St, Illinois St). MAC schools made the right decision decades ago.

The move to 12 schools by the MAC early on has taken a lot of heat for diluting the basketball money. Today the average size of a conference is right about at 12 teams. The MW is going to be 12 and CUSA is going to be 14. 10 schools is about the absolute minimum a conference will operate with.

Just looking around and wanted to agree with this sentiment. You guys made the right choice in the early 80s. Thats why I've always respected the MAC. I think many of the App State folks feel we made the wrong one back then and it's been tough to reverse course. Hopefully, we'll fix it soon and have some nice OOC games with some of you guys. (Or maybe the MAC will consider expanding to the southeast.)

Lets grab Marshall, Army and Temple, push UMass all sports, lock in with a big buyout, and throw away the key. (Also drop the "mid" from our conference name, and talk to "some" of our members about dropping their directional names, and send a high priced assassin out to get Jim Delany and Kirk Herbstreit, and ...)

(03-08-2013 11:56 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Lets grab Marshall, Army and Temple, push UMass all sports, lock in with a big buyout, and throw away the key. (Also drop the "mid" from our conference name, and talk to "some" of our members about dropping their directional names, and send a high priced assassin out to get Jim Delany and Kirk Herbstreit, and ...)

+1

(03-08-2013 11:56 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Lets grab Marshall, Army and Temple, push UMass all sports, lock in with a big buyout, and throw away the key.

You are aware that Marshall, Army and Temple would want to join the MAC before we can just "grab" them, right? And there is no evidence that Marshall, Army or Temple are interested in returning to again, joining for the first time, or returning with all sports in tow, to the MAC?

(03-08-2013 01:36 PM)FMRocket Wrote:  

(03-08-2013 11:56 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Lets grab Marshall, Army and Temple, push UMass all sports, lock in with a big buyout, and throw away the key. (Also drop the "mid" from our conference name, and talk to "some" of our members about dropping their directional names, and send a high priced assassin out to get Jim Delany and Kirk Herbstreit, and ...)

+1

Don't shoot Herbstreit. Have him do every single MAC game featured on ESPN with the halftime show being Kirk writing on a blackboard 100 times " I believe that NIU deserved a BCS bid"

(03-08-2013 06:34 PM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  

(03-08-2013 11:56 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Lets grab Marshall, Army and Temple, push UMass all sports, lock in with a big buyout, and throw away the key.

You are aware that Marshall, Army and Temple would want to join the MAC before we can just "grab" them, right? And there is no evidence that Marshall, Army or Temple are interested in returning to again, joining for the first time, or returning with all sports in tow, to the MAC?

Wait, we can't just grab teams? There goes my expansion plan!

The MAC should secure Illinois State and Southern Illinois, once Creighton leaves. That would open the door...

(03-08-2013 08:21 PM)holybovine Wrote:  The MAC should secure Illinois State and Southern Illinois, once Creighton leaves. That would open the door...

No offense here but why does it seem like that the Eastern Michigan guys on this board always come up with the most bush league expansion suggestions. Southern Illinois? Maybe this is the moment EMU has waiting for to lobby for a MVC or Horizon League invite as it seems a couple of their programs could be moving to as well and there seems to be a fascination with teams in those leagues for the EMU contingent.

Im all for helping the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of St Thomas move up to FBS. Go Seawolves and Tommies!!!

(03-08-2013 08:21 PM)holybovine Wrote:  The MAC should secure Illinois State and Southern Illinois, once Creighton leaves. That would open the door...

Yuck and double yuck.

(03-08-2013 08:39 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

(03-08-2013 08:21 PM)holybovine Wrote:  The MAC should secure Illinois State and Southern Illinois, once Creighton leaves. That would open the door...

No offense here but why does it seem like that the Eastern Michigan guys on this board always come up with the most bush league expansion suggestions. Southern Illinois? Maybe this is the moment EMU has waiting for to lobby for a MVC or Horizon League invite as it seems a couple of their programs could be moving to as well and there seems to be a fascination with teams in those leagues for the EMU contingent.

Or maybe it's realism in combination with our appreciation for geography?

If SIU had their basketball team from the early years under Lowery and their football from the end of Kill, then maybe you'd have something. But a mediocre basketball team, a stumbled football program, and no market to speak of (even by MAC standards) add up to little value for us. I'm not a fan of Illinois State joining the MAC, but I'd much rather have them than SIU.

(03-09-2013 12:06 AM)Love and Honor Wrote:  If SIU had their basketball team from the early years under Lowery and their football from the end of Kill, then maybe you'd have something. But a mediocre basketball team, a stumbled football program, and no market to speak of (even by MAC standards) add up to little value for us. I'm not a fan of Illinois State joining the MAC, but I'd much rather have them than SIU.

Adding the central or southern Illinois markets would be a complete waste of a membership slot. Branch out to a new state, like Delaware, West Virginia (Marshall) or Missouri (Missouri State) or at least a new major market (i.e. a Cincinnati). Media footprints drive the new world of college sports, lets branch ours out sensibly or not add teams at all.

(03-07-2013 09:14 AM)bigredmachine Wrote:  All the conference realignment continues. The MAC has added and lost UCF, Marshall, and Temple in the recent past. Now UMass is in for FB only. 13 is not a sustainable number. Seems like the MAC is waiting for the other conferences to shake out and then to try to pick up the dregs. Meanwhile, some MAC programs seem like they would like to move up (NIU, Toledo, Ohio, Akron) while others (EMU, CMU, Kent, Miami) seem satisfied with the MAC as it is. Virtually every other conference is trying to improve its financial and media situations. Either the MAC needs to seek new members (get UMass all in, Army, WKU, MTSU, Marshall again, others) and/or certain members need to try to get invited to the nBE, CUSA, SB, etc.. Waiting around doesn't seem wise.

In my mind the MAC has surpassed the Big East and is more stable also.

Seems there may have been a stall in the expected Sun Belt expansion this weekend. The members can't seem to agree on who to invite and the feeling is that WKU (widely known) as well as ULL and ASU are one foot out the door at this point.

"There was a big blowup at the Sun Belt tournament between the eastern and western presidents regarding new member invites and the big 3 vetoed an all eastern movement."

I guess this good for the MAC as the conferences around us continue to become more watered down.

(03-10-2013 02:41 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  Seems there may have been a stall in the expected Sun Belt expansion this weekend. The members can't seem to agree on who to invite and the feeling is that WKU (widely known) as well as ULL and ASU are one foot out the door at this point.

"There was a big blowup at the Sun Belt tournament between the eastern and western presidents regarding new member invites and the big 3 vetoed an all eastern movement."

I guess this good for the MAC as the conferences around us continue to become more watered down.

Im guess they are in disagreement over New Mexico State or Georgia Southern.

honestly, the MAC has come through all this smelling like a rose...

(03-10-2013 04:24 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  honestly, the MAC has come through all this smelling like a rose...

Being regional *really* helps. People point at MAC budgets and laugh but they ignore how much money is saved on the non revenue side of the house because most schools have at least six or seven conference foes that are drivable.

Quote:D1 recruits by state:

Texas - 368
Florida - 350
California - 349
Georgia - 184
Ohio - 151
Louisiana - 89
Alabama - 88
Illinois - 82
North Carolina - 81
Pennsylvania - 67

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=622694&page=2

For all those who don't think adding Illinois State is a good idea look at the number of FBS scholarships coming out of the state.

Illinois is the 8th largest producer of football talent. There is more than enough talent available to have a second strong MAC football school in Illinois.

Travel as it is is great in the MAC for the Ohio schools. If you start shifting the conference too far east then it hurts travel for Ohio and Kent State. Adding Illinois State keeps the FB divisions stable and the travel costs low. This is the only school that can do that for the MAC.

Unless the MAC leadership wants to go the FB only route again and tie Delaware in with a big buyout like it did with UMass, Illinois State all sports is the way to go.

(03-10-2013 09:11 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

Quote:D1 recruits by state:

Texas - 368
Florida - 350
California - 349
Georgia - 184
Ohio - 151
Louisiana - 89
Alabama - 88
Illinois - 82
North Carolina - 81
Pennsylvania - 67

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=622694&page=2

For all those who don't think adding Illinois State is a good idea look at the number of FBS scholarships coming out of the state.

Illinois is the 8th largest producer of football talent. There is more than enough talent available to have a second strong MAC football school in Illinois.

Travel as it is is great in the MAC for the Ohio schools. If you start shifting the conference too far east then it hurts travel for Ohio and Kent State. Adding Illinois State keeps the FB divisions stable and the travel costs low. This is the only school that can do that for the MAC.

Unless the MAC leadership wants to go the FB only route again and tie Delaware in with a big buyout like it did with UMass, Illinois State all sports is the way to go.

Adding Illinois State isn't going to make a recruit suddenly want to go play in the MAC. A really good recruit coming out of the Land of Lincoln is going to go Big Ten at the least, Illinois State would just divide up what NIU and Ball State pick over in Illinois and the western part of the midwest.

JMU helps tie UMass to the MAC and brings us the Tidewater region, as opposed to central Illinois. Facilities and funding levels are ready, they just need the go-ahead.