Niu left once how did that work out for them. Mac is cyclical championship teams run in spurts they will have their fall from grace and another mac team will rise up. I am not concerned with niu leaving. I would like to see jmu and deleware in mac spread the conference east gain more of a footprint with these teams keep . Remaining mac in place and keep trying to bust bcs and hopefully playoff system will expand

(11-29-2013 05:32 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  And regardless of facilities they are BAD in football, and below average in basketball. SIU would be a better option IMO if your looking for an illinois replacement.

What is so attractive about ISU?

Not very much ~ if there was a genuinely attractive expansion option in Illinois that wished to move up, the invitation would have already been made.

(11-29-2013 05:32 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  And regardless of facilities they are BAD in football, and below average in basketball. SIU would be a better option IMO if your looking for an illinois replacement.

What is so attractive about ISU?

ISU is closer to the population center and has been pretty good in basketball most years. SIU AD was quoted as saying that they would not move to FBS basically because they were in a lightly populated area with a declining population. ISU has long planned to move up. They've just never been ready.

(11-30-2013 01:32 AM)bullet Wrote:  ISU is closer to the population center and has been pretty good in basketball most years.

If the MAC is looking to add "pretty good in BBall schools" that don't help on the FB field, they could make a Olympic-sports invitation to a BBall school that would help their BBall RPI while inviting JMU all-sports, to have balanced 14 schools FB and all-in Olympic sports (M&W bball, W Volleyball, W soccer, baseball & softball).

But it would preferably be in the Eastern division to have uniform divisions in FB and those Olympic sports where 14 schools makes divisional play attractive. Having Bowling Green / Toledo in the west in FB and east in Olympic sports with divisional scheduling (of course, only some would) is less than ideal.