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.

(03-07-2013 09:14 AM)bigredmachine Wrote:  Waiting around doesn't seem wise.

Why not? So far the MAC is largely unscathed. UCF was too far away. Marshall was going to be booted anyway. The MAC made money from Temple.

Even so, the majority of the conference, including the long-term members remains unchanged.

I'm not saying change won't happen, but I see no reason, nor any sensible path, for the MAC to be proactive in initiating change.

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.

(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.

The MAC has its plans. First, the MAC has to wait and see whom will be moving on to the [Old Big East]. If the leading candidate in Tulsa does so, then maybe UMASS is here for a longer term and the MAC goes out and invites #14. If not, if it is UMASS going to the [Old Big East], the MAC more than likely stays at 12 schools. The MAC has its list of candidates, but now is not the time to move. If UMASS moves on after the MAC adds a new institution, then the MAC is stuck at 13 again.

I think once the [Old Big East] figures out all its new memebers, you will see the MAC make its decisions.

(03-07-2013 10:11 AM)mpurdy22 Wrote:  I think once the [Old Big East] figures out all its new memebers, you will see the MAC make its decisions.

But that involves reason and waiting and not flying off half-cocked on a message board with insane schemes off the top of your head. How could that possibly work?

(03-07-2013 10:11 AM)mpurdy22 Wrote:  

(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.

The MAC has its plans. First, the MAC has to wait and see whom will be moving on to the [Old Big East]. If the leading candidate in Tulsa does so, then maybe UMASS is here for a longer term and the MAC goes out and invites #14. If not, if it is UMASS going to the [Old Big East], the MAC more than likely stays at 12 schools. The MAC has its list of candidates, but now is not the time to move. If UMASS moves on after the MAC adds a new institution, then the MAC is stuck at 13 again.

I think once the [Old Big East] figures out all its new memebers, you will see the MAC make its decisions.

OBE may go to 14 teams with the help of ESPN.

(03-07-2013 09:14 AM)bigredmachine Wrote:  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.

I don't think this is the case at all. Miami just announced that they are making football a priority and are going to launch new facilities and stadium upgrades that are likely near $50 million. (they are also upgrading other sports) How is that satisfied? A little success and NIU fans don't know how to handle it.

Amazing, miraculous things would happen if the conference would just try! Why do they continue to hate miracles?

I think the next move will involve UMass. Either they are gone and the league sits at 12 or they come all in. That crossroad should be arriving soon. The C7 is all but officially out on their own this year and with them goes Butler and Xavier from the A-10. Then it sound like Dayton and St. Louis are joining that league next year. Those four, plus Charlotte and Temple out leaves the A-10 down six teams. This should be enough to push UMass out as well.

Given recent news out of Temple that they are not completely comfortable in the NBE, the NBE basically moving south and eyeing additional candidates outside the NE, and the TV money not what everyone expected, it may not be as attractive a league for a program like UMass as it once appeared.

(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.

Yea have fun in the mess that is CUSA SB NBE football..

My word man if you're going to toss a firebomb around about how much better NIU and is trying to move up (ignoring Basketball completely) at least propose the Mountain West for you guys.

Leave for the nBe , youll come crawling back like you did last time.

I don't think any MAC schools are content and are not trying to get better. Pretty sure NIU had not planned on being an anchor in basketball for this long. Not so easy to turn things around, no matter who you are.

We probably do have to wait and see what happens with nBE but I doubt the next round of moves will be the last. Could be a while.

(03-07-2013 10:03 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  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.

I believe a league has to have 12 teams in order to be eligible for an NCAA sanctioned football conference championship game ($$$$).

Also, BG is planning on renovating Doy Perry Stadium. Look for major announcement in the fall about what will be done (renovating is preferred over building brand new by the administration).

(03-07-2013 10:46 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  I think the next move will involve UMass. Either they are gone and the league sits at 12 or they come all in. That crossroad should be arriving soon. The C7 is all but officially out on their own this year and with them goes Butler and Xavier from the A-10. Then it sound like Dayton and St. Louis are joining that league next year. Those four, plus Charlotte and Temple out leaves the A-10 down six teams. This should be enough to push UMass out as well.

The A10 will have 10 teams without Butler, Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis, Charlotte and Temple.

The question is less what the C7 will do (12 team conference with A10 teams) but more as to how the A10 will respond. They have looked at Delaware I know in the past for league membership. You could very well see Delaware do the MAC/A10 thing like UMass.

Another possibility is for a school like UConn to join the A10 and play football in the oBE. UConn and Temple in particular are concerned with oBE travel which keeps getting worse every time they add another Southern school.

I think we'll hear the divorce terms of the C7/oBE this week along with a new name for the oBE. It will be another week yet before the C7 announces membership. Then after that the oBE will announce who they want to get to 12. Then CUSA adds WKU ect....for the most part we know what is going to happen but there could be a few surprise schools in the equation.

Stick together. Keep building your league. Build on recent success.

The grass is not greener.

Once you get into Conference Realignment you have no idea where it goes. It's a madness.

(03-07-2013 11:49 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  Stick together. Keep building your league. Build on recent success.

The grass is not greener.

Once you get into Conference Realignment you have no idea where it goes. It's a madness.

I don't think any current MAC program is seriously contemplating a move unless its to the Big12 or other AQ. The main focus it would seem is on how to balance the league, especially if a 14th team is added.

(03-07-2013 11:46 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(03-07-2013 10:46 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

I think we'll hear the divorce terms of the C7/oBE this week along with a new name for the oBE. It will be another week yet before the C7 announces membership. Then after that the oBE will announce who they want to get to 12. Then CUSA adds WKU ect....for the most part we know what is going to happen but there could be a few surprise schools in the equation.

Everyone is banking on Tulsa as the next add to the BE. Two wildcards for me, the first being is Navy still going to join the league and the second is Temple. They know UConn and Cinci are all but gone at some point and with the BE moving south and west for new teams it is starting to leave them on an island. They would undoubtedly lobby for UMass to be added but is UMass in a position to make that move. In my opinion they would have to significantly increase their current budget to make an all sports move work in that league. Fiscally I just know if it makes sense. Same thing with Temple, what are they really paying for by being in a BE without UConn. Diminished hoops and no regional rivalries. Basically they two things that they have built their program on to date being in the A-10.

(03-07-2013 11:52 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

(03-07-2013 11:49 AM)ark30inf Wrote:  Stick together. Keep building your league. Build on recent success.

The grass is not greener.

Once you get into Conference Realignment you have no idea where it goes. It's a madness.

I don't think any current MAC program is seriously contemplating a move unless its to the Big12 or other AQ. The main focus it would seem is on how to balance the league, especially if a 14th team is added.

I'm an admirer of the MAC strategy in all of this. I think the MAC can move up the charts amidst all this chaos.

I know Toledo is sometimes mentioned with some other MAC schools as looking for "greener pastures". The MAC Commissioner's "decision" of a week or so ago that, regardless of how many games the Toledo men's basketball team wins, they will not be considered to be West Division champs or co-champs, isn't playing very well in Toledo right now (can't speak for University officials, but the fan base is not happy at all).

We all understood that this year's team was paying the price that had to be paid by previous players who aren't even in the program anymore...but that penalty was supposed to be no post season play (in addition to the scholly reductions). Rocket fans even understood that this necessarily meant that UT would not be able to participate in the MAC tournament, because that would put the MAC's automatic (and perhaps only) NCAA bid at risk.

But this latest BS that UT won't be considered by the MAC to be champs or co-champs of the division--even if they earn it on the court this Saturday--is disconcerting, especially since the esteemed Commissioner just announced it 2 games ago. Since when was UT put on "probation" in any way? When was it decided that UT was basically playing an "exhibition" MAC schedule? Maybe, if UT's wins in the MAC "don't count", then neither should anyone elses wins AGAINST Toledo...wouldn't that screw up the tournament seeding a little?

It's not about having an attitude that UT is "better than the MAC"...it's about wondering whether or not the MAC (conference officials, not our peers) cares much anymore about Toledo. And if it can happen to UT...it can happen to one of your schools.

(03-07-2013 12:15 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  I know Toledo is sometimes mentioned with some other MAC schools as looking for "greener pastures". The MAC Commissioner's "decision" of a week or so ago that, regardless of how many games the Toledo men's basketball team wins, they will not be considered to be West Division champs or co-champs, isn't playing very well in Toledo right now (can't speak for University officials, but the fan base is not happy at all).

Than maybe they should have have shaved points.

Quote:It's not about having an attitude that UT is "better than the MAC"...it's about wondering whether or not the MAC (conference officials, not our peers) cares much anymore about Toledo. And if it can happen to UT...it can happen to one of your schools.

Drama queen...

(03-07-2013 12:47 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(03-07-2013 12:15 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  I know Toledo is sometimes mentioned with some other MAC schools as looking for "greener pastures". The MAC Commissioner's "decision" of a week or so ago that, regardless of how many games the Toledo men's basketball team wins, they will not be considered to be West Division champs or co-champs, isn't playing very well in Toledo right now (can't speak for University officials, but the fan base is not happy at all).

Than maybe they should have have shaved points.

Quote:It's not about having an attitude that UT is "better than the MAC"...it's about wondering whether or not the MAC (conference officials, not our peers) cares much anymore about Toledo. And if it can happen to UT...it can happen to one of your schools.

Drama queen...

This is about APR not point shaving, which is being handled by the court system. Point is this is a double secret probation, where the MAC media wasn't even notified in the preseason and voted Toledo to win the MAC West. The MAC went beyond the NCAA decision.