Poorly attended home games due to bad game times is a death spiral. NO alumni coming back to your campus means poor fundraising and no connection making.

Stupid stupid stupid

Not that it matters now that the troll is gone, but the MAC trying to get on the BTN would be Stockholm Syndrome personified in college football form.

It is what it is imo. Playing on weeknights has significant downsides to it, but also some benefits. When a MAC team is good and packs the stands for a weeknight (e.g. WMU last fall, NIU in 2013, Miami in 2003), it reflects very well on the conference and that school in particular. That's not the case most of the time, but the alternative is Sun Belt money and nothing but the American Sports Network.

To be honest, I care about four straight weeknight games a lot less than our Notre Dame game. And because NBC thinks the f'n Presidents Cup is the Ryder Cup all the sudden, Miami-Notre Dame will literally be just the second Irish home game in 25 years to not air on NBC. Of course we get relegated to NBCSN...

(03-02-2017 10:40 AM)p23570 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 12:34 AM)utpotts Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:12 PM)p23570 Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:08 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 08:04 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  The hundreds of thousands of people that watch it on TV are predominately guys like you who have no invested interest in the schools and won't donate a dime to the school or purchase a ticket to a MAC sporting event ever in your life. People that attend live sporting events at colleges are statistically much more likely to donate than those that don't. The MAC is gaining some short-term TV dollars, but it's sacrificing it's long-term health.

Yep. This sucks for the MAC. I remember when ESPN bullied both CUSA and the MWC in the early 2000's with a proposal to put their football games on weekdays and both conferences told ESPN to shove it and found different network partners to play their football games on Saturdays. Imagine Louisville, Houston, Cincinnati Utah, BYU and TCU playing football games on ESPN on Tuesday and Wednesday nights? Me either. College Football is a Saturday sport. NFL Sunday. HS on Friday..
Cheers!

I think the MAC needs to cut a deal with the B1G to put content on their network.

Nothing wrong with being on B1GN.

The reality is the MAC does not do well competing against other ESPN games on Saturdays so looking at other options might be worth it. Playing an early game on BTN might have more viewers than being on ESPN3 for example.

I guess stupidity got this troll banned.........

(03-01-2017 06:18 PM)p23570 Wrote:  I Wish they would do the weekday MAC games during the entire season but in moderation as in 2-3 per week.

Oh hell no. One Northeast Ohio early fall weather home game on a nice Saturday afternoon in a September is worth more than two late November overcast, chilly affairs under grey flannel skies at best.

(03-02-2017 08:51 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 02:04 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 08:34 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 08:31 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I could see some MAC schools looking for new homes in the future if this keeps up.

I'm sure they are now but there's no place to go.

For right now.

Edit: I just realized that I actually agreed with DavidSt on something. Yikes!!! The world must be coming to an end!!!

I've said for a few years a "best of" league that can compete against AAC and MWC for the Access Bowl makes a lot of sense.

A best of can get you into some places that AAC and MWC aren't present.

Cincinnati is the only representation in the Midwest. Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York have no representation.

You've got niches in represented states that are un or under served, like Miami/Ft Lauderdale, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Nashville.

As long as you are guided by program results and commitment rather than simply geography it could do rather well.

The time something like that you speak of is likely past because it can't get a TV deal to support it in today's market.

NIU
Toledo
WMU
WKU
LaTech
USM
AState
Louisiana
App State

Good football schools of MAC, CUSA, SBC into 1 conference.

Doesn't seem more appealing than current MAC, SBC, CUSA alignments.

(03-02-2017 11:37 PM)utpotts Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 10:40 AM)p23570 Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 12:34 AM)utpotts Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:12 PM)p23570 Wrote:  

(03-01-2017 10:08 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Yep. This sucks for the MAC. I remember when ESPN bullied both CUSA and the MWC in the early 2000's with a proposal to put their football games on weekdays and both conferences told ESPN to shove it and found different network partners to play their football games on Saturdays. Imagine Louisville, Houston, Cincinnati Utah, BYU and TCU playing football games on ESPN on Tuesday and Wednesday nights? Me either. College Football is a Saturday sport. NFL Sunday. HS on Friday..
Cheers!

I think the MAC needs to cut a deal with the B1G to put content on their network.

Nothing wrong with being on B1GN.

The reality is the MAC does not do well competing against other ESPN games on Saturdays so looking at other options might be worth it. Playing an early game on BTN might have more viewers than being on ESPN3 for example.

I guess stupidity got this troll banned.........

He was a hateful troll. He claimed to be an OU fan and I PM'd him to talk shop (my parents live in Norman area I went to OU for MA) and he ignored me. He then called me a douche or something on the board. He was a young kid who knew nothing about sports but loved the Big 12. I suspect he was an Iowa St fan. He hated the MAC for some reason. Awful person and I hope he is reading this now.
Cheers!

How much does the MAC really make on TV? I can see the conference playing 2 week day games a week for TV exposure. But I'd be as fan friendly for the rest as possible. That means 3 pm Saturday games for the rest of the teams. And stream the games for alumni.

If any of those schools want to do anything, ever, they need to build strong local fam bases and engage students and alumni. Not playing on Saturday during November isn't the way to do that.

(03-04-2017 05:12 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  How much does the MAC really make on TV? I can see the conference playing 2 week day games a week for TV exposure. But I'd be as fan friendly for the rest as possible. That means 3 pm Saturday games for the rest of the teams. And stream the games for alumni.

If any of those schools want to do anything, ever, they need to build strong local fam bases and engage students and alumni. Not playing on Saturday during November isn't the way to do that.

Around 700k to 750k per school per year. All rights owned by ESPN for the next 11 years.

Cheers!

(03-04-2017 05:44 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(03-04-2017 05:12 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  How much does the MAC really make on TV? I can see the conference playing 2 week day games a week for TV exposure. But I'd be as fan friendly for the rest as possible. That means 3 pm Saturday games for the rest of the teams. And stream the games for alumni.

If any of those schools want to do anything, ever, they need to build strong local fam bases and engage students and alumni. Not playing on Saturday during November isn't the way to do that.

Around 700k to 750k per school per year. All rights owned by ESPN for the next 11 years.

Cheers!

It's 10 million per year for the MAC total, which amounts to 833k per team.

Contract is in place for the next 10 years.

(03-04-2017 05:12 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  How much does the MAC really make on TV? I can see the conference playing 2 week day games a week for TV exposure. But I'd be as fan friendly for the rest as possible. That means 3 pm Saturday games for the rest of the teams.

But two week day games a week would typically be one weeknight a week, since ESPN is putting the best of the pair on ESPN2 if they think it'll draw, ESPNU otherwise, and the other one on ESPNU/ESPN3.

And looking at the schedule, ESPN would rather three, to increase the chance to have a good pick for that night. They have We'll get a better idea when the season rolls around where there is a quid pro quo in terms of strong assurance of getting multiple games per week on ESPN2, which didn't always happen before the contract extension.

Pretty sure most MAC Presidents would happily trade three shots per week at getting onto ESPN2 ... even if only one or two of those are guaranteed spots ... to more Saturday afternoon games in the time of the year where, at least in the Great Lakes area, only teams on a winning roll are likely to be able to count on good draws ... especially since if their school is on that roll, the three cracks per week makes it even more likely they get onto ESPN2 multiple times. And since the Conference office works for the Presidents, it would not be surprising if that was the deal that was made.

After all, in the bigger picture, TV Exposure is a big part of what the marketing spend on fielding an Go5 FBS team is for. It's possible that some of the AD's might privately prefer more Saturday games in November, but it's a President-driven conference, and they are not going to say so if their President prefers the TV exposure.

Now, that does not mean that everything is on the table ... notice that there is nothing on Friday until after Thanksgiving. At least for the Ohio schools, Friday Night Lights is still focused on HS football until HS football season is over.

(03-04-2017 05:12 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  How much does the MAC really make on TV? I can see the conference playing 2 week day games a week for TV exposure. But I'd be as fan friendly for the rest as possible. That means 3 pm Saturday games for the rest of the teams. And stream the games for alumni.

I can't speak for all of the MAC but I know Ohio at least moved to a 6 game home schedule so it could have 4 Saturday games for season ticket holders.

Then weeknight games are priced more cheaply than Saturdays. Weeknight is about half price.

Attendance takes a hit. Ohio on Saturdays is 24,000 but on weeknights it's 17,000 with the crowd not much more than season ticket holders, students and promotions. Drops the average on the season to about 21,000.

(03-05-2017 03:55 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  Pretty sure most MAC Presidents would happily trade three shots per week at getting onto ESPN2 ... even if only one or two of those are guaranteed spots ... to more Saturday afternoon games in the time of the year where, at least in the Great Lakes area, only teams on a winning roll are likely to be able to count on good draws ... especially since if their school is on that roll, the three cracks per week makes it even more likely they get onto ESPN2 multiple times.

You have described the trade off pretty well. These are the options. Weeknight November #MACtion seems like the right call to me.

(03-07-2017 09:32 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(03-05-2017 03:55 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  Pretty sure most MAC Presidents would happily trade three shots per week at getting onto ESPN2 ... even if only one or two of those are guaranteed spots ... to more Saturday afternoon games in the time of the year where, at least in the Great Lakes area, only teams on a winning roll are likely to be able to count on good draws ... especially since if their school is on that roll, the three cracks per week makes it even more likely they get onto ESPN2 multiple times.

You have described the trade off pretty well. These are the options. Weeknight November #MACtion seems like the right call to me.

It's a good way to kill the program.

Truthfully, MAC football really is not a bad product for weeknight TV. I actually enjoyed flipping back and forth at the end of the season between Ohio v Akron and Miami v Ball St.

If it were ESPN/ESPN2, and not ESPN2/ESPNU -- I think it'd have a bolder argument. I think it only helps fans who don't go to or live in the city/town of said school -- and avid CFB fans in general who want some football action, so they'll take some MACtion.

Again, I'd be OK with ESPN/ESPN2 -- if they didn't take all Sat games, and also included some on Thursdays on ESPN for a big conf matchup -- but right now, the MAC is getting the short end of the stick.

The only argument I could see is: "Hey, college football attendance is down altogether. It's still going to be cold on Saturday afternoon to evening. Are you really going to want to run off to a game if you don't live in the town? It'd be going down anyway, as is with most CFB."

My response to that would be: "Yeah, I would if living somewhat close by. And it's causing attendance to drop more than CFB's general attendance is. Put it on ESPN/ESPN2 instead."

I too think that MACtion could be vastly improved by having it the main ESPN channel draw on Thursday nights.

Additionally, since ESPN strong-armed all MAC schools into updating their media and production facilities to help the ESPN broadcast, why not take advantage of that and try some new camera angles, reporting or commenting areas, and different tech ideas during the presentation.

Shite, what's there to lose any more?

(03-07-2017 05:15 PM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  I too think that MACtion could be vastly improved by having it the main ESPN channel draw on Thursday nights.

Additionally, since ESPN strong-armed all MAC schools into updating their media and production facilities to help the ESPN broadcast, why not take advantage of that and try some new camera angles, reporting or commenting areas, and different tech ideas during the presentation.

Shite, what's there to lose any more?

Really cool feature that I recall seeing during bowl season was "Ref cam". Basically like a GoPro quality stream, right on the Ref's cap.

Can't remember if that was on ESPN or BTN ..