Buffalo is dropping men's soccer. That leaves Akron, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and West Virginia. The MAC would need a sixth school to maintain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky used to play in the MAC, but they are in Conference USA right now along with South Carolina. I suppose Western Illinois could shift from the Summit or Belmont could shift from the Horizon.

Do other scenarios come to mind?

Belmont has already shifted. They will play their last upcoming season in the Horizon and then move to the SoCon for soccer for the '18 season.

(04-03-2017 04:16 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  Buffalo is dropping men's soccer. That leaves Akron, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and West Virginia. The MAC would need a sixth school to maintain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky used to play in the MAC, but they are in Conference USA right now along with South Carolina. I suppose Western Illinois could shift from the Summit or Belmont could shift from the Horizon.

Do other scenarios come to mind?

If West Virginia were to shift to another conference (not sure if they would; I'm to understand that their soccer facilities aren't great), perhaps the Horizon takes in some or all of the MAC orphans as the MAC stops sponsoring the sport?

The 4 MAC schools could join the Sun Belt, and West Virginia could join C-USA.

Buffalo is also dropping baseball. The second MAC school to do that in the last three years, Akron is the other.

I think the Horizon-MAC merger in soccer makes a lot of sense. Butler and Loyola(IL) leaving in the past few years has lowered the rankings of the good soccer teams that are left a whole lot. Bringing in Akron will fix some of that, and I think that some of the other five will also be beneficial.

The downside of a merger is the loss of an automatic bid. So while a Horizon-MAC merger could make some sense geographically, it would make it tougher on all of the schools involved to qualify for the postseason.

(04-03-2017 04:16 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  Kentucky used to play in the MAC, but they are in Conference USA right now along with South Carolina. I suppose Western Illinois could shift from the Summit or Belmont could shift from the Horizon.

Western Illinois is a full member of the Summit.

From the Summit, Eastern Illinois would seem to make more sense. They are an affiliate rather than a full member, and are a bit closer to the MAC footprint and further from the western Great Plains members of the Summit than Western Illinois.

Of course, while the Summit may have a spare soccer school, they don't have a spare Men's Swimming and Diving school, as UND is dropping the sport after this season.

Can schools play a sport in a conference different from their "home" conference, which I guess is the one they play men's bb in, if that conference sponsors that sport? I was thinking not. So they could really only go after affiliate members or try a merger.

MAC will need another field hockey team as well. Missouri State dropped field hockey and is starting beach volleyball instead.

Wonder if the MAC will call Hartwick and say "Just kidding about kicking you out of MAC soccer".

This is why the MAC should expand, to retain numbers in minor sports.

Missouri State has soccer and can help the MAC.

James Madison and Delaware also have soccer.

(04-04-2017 02:00 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  This is why the MAC should expand, to retain numbers in minor sports.

Missouri State has soccer and can help the MAC.

James Madison and Delaware also have soccer.

Missouri State probably won't be on the expansion list. They are cutting about a million out of the budget. Doesn't seem to suggest ready to move up.

(04-04-2017 02:25 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 02:00 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  This is why the MAC should expand, to retain numbers in minor sports.

Missouri State has soccer and can help the MAC.

James Madison and Delaware also have soccer.

Missouri State probably won't be on the expansion list. They are cutting about a million out of the budget. Doesn't seem to suggest ready to move up.

Cleaning some fat off the budget in all honesty. Got rid of an athletic program we don't need, replaced it with a cheap option that helps one of our stronger programs. The rest is just budget clean up expenses.

(04-04-2017 10:36 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  Can schools play a sport in a conference different from their "home" conference, which I guess is the one they play men's bb in, if that conference sponsors that sport? I was thinking not. So they could really only go after affiliate members or try a merger.

Yes, so long as you meet your home conference participation requirements in terms of sports. That almost always means if your conference sponsors a sport at D-I which you have a team, you must play in your conference. The only exceptions I am aware of are Fairfield (MAAC) playing field hockey in the AEC and Men's Lacrosse in the CAA, and Providence (Big East) playing women's volleyball in the NEC. (I'm not counting schools finishing an affiliate contract for a year or two before joining their home conference, as that also happens sometimes)

Every other school playing in another conference is because their home conference does not sponsor the sport. The attitude is pretty relaxed on these sports, and a number of conferences are willing to take a refugee or two. I am pretty sure that is what will happen in the MAC. The conference will likely not sponsor it and the schools will scatter to other conferences willing to take them.

(04-04-2017 03:13 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  The only exceptions I am aware of are Fairfield (MAAC) playing field hockey in the AEC and Men's Lacrosse in the CAA, and Providence (Big East) playing women's volleyball in the NEC.

PC plays women's volleyball in the Big East.

(04-04-2017 10:10 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-03-2017 04:16 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  Kentucky used to play in the MAC, but they are in Conference USA right now along with South Carolina. I suppose Western Illinois could shift from the Summit or Belmont could shift from the Horizon.

Western Illinois is a full member of the Summit.

From the Summit, Eastern Illinois would seem to make more sense. They are an affiliate rather than a full member, and are a bit closer to the MAC footprint and further from the western Great Plains members of the Summit than Western Illinois.

Great catch. I clearly mixed them up. Perhaps Eastern Illinois gets a call from the MAC.

Has anyone at MAC HQ contacted Arkansas Tech?

(04-04-2017 03:29 PM)MU88 Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 03:13 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  The only exceptions I am aware of are Fairfield (MAAC) playing field hockey in the AEC and Men's Lacrosse in the CAA, and Providence (Big East) playing women's volleyball in the NEC.

PC plays women's volleyball in the Big East.

I just checked. You're right. I guess they are done with the NEC. What was that some transitional thing?

(04-04-2017 03:00 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 02:25 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 02:00 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  This is why the MAC should expand, to retain numbers in minor sports.

Missouri State has soccer and can help the MAC.

James Madison and Delaware also have soccer.

Missouri State probably won't be on the expansion list. They are cutting about a million out of the budget. Doesn't seem to suggest ready to move up.

Cleaning some fat off the budget in all honesty. Got rid of an athletic program we don't need, replaced it with a cheap option that helps one of our stronger programs. The rest is just budget clean up expenses.

Also cutting scholarships from equivalency sports. That's not a clean-up.