https://getsomemaction.com/news/2024/1/2...8-ZbpP_IWs

Toledo has an interesting home schedule in 24' - Home: Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio, Miami. Solid teams and 3 of those have a shot of winning it all as well as Toledo. I like the new format, the MAC did well on this concept.

The MAC goes thru the Glass Bowl as you probably need to win there, or at the very least the Rockets catch lucky draws for the MAC picture. UB, Akron, EMU and NIU on the road is 3-1 at worst.

The MAC told Delaware not now.
UMass ready to move soon is up to the powers to be
This schedule says UMass to the MAC is not possible
My moto since Oct 28th Army game, any G5 conference. Just take that big step out of the A10.

It is cool to see the schedules for 2024-26.

(01-26-2024 11:46 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  ... This schedule says UMass to the MAC is not possible ...

How so?

It says that UMass to the MAC without a partner that makes ESPN offer a bump is not possible, but that is the case independent of scheduling issues.

But if the MAC wants to expand by two, while 3/3/4/4 grouping is not as neat and symmetrical as 3/3/3/3 grouping, it still can be made to work. Buffalo would slide into the eastern group, NIU into the BSU/Miami/Ohio group and the Wagon Wheel and Battle of I-75 would form a four school group.

Well, we have 5 MAC games with 4 on the road this. Will enjoy those game and hoping for a win against EMU for opening day. Take care all.

(01-26-2024 02:13 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(01-26-2024 11:46 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  ... This schedule says UMass to the MAC is not possible ...

How so?

It says that UMass to the MAC without a partner that makes ESPN offer a bump is not possible, but that is the case independent of scheduling issues.

But if the MAC wants to expand by two, while 3/3/4/4 grouping is not as neat and symmetrical as 3/3/3/3 grouping, it still can be made to work. Buffalo would slide into the eastern group, NIU into the BSU/Miami/Ohio group and the Wagon Wheel and Battle of I-75 would form a four school group.

I would think expanding to 15 with an eastern pod of 3 would make more sense.

UMass
Delaware
Stony Brook

For a true east coast pod.

(01-29-2024 02:19 PM)Garden_KC Wrote:  I would think expanding to 15 with an eastern pod of 3 would make more sense.

UMass
Delaware
Stony Brook

For a true east coast pod.

Wouldn't scheduling be difficult with 15 schools?

(01-29-2024 05:11 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(01-29-2024 02:19 PM)Garden_KC Wrote:  I would think expanding to 15 with an eastern pod of 3 would make more sense.

UMass
Delaware
Stony Brook

For a true east coast pod.

Wouldn't scheduling be difficult with 15 schools?

Scheduling #MACtion is harder ... with an odd number of teams, you have to spread the byes around the conference schedule weeks, and with the midweek games, it's best to use the byes to rotate into the midweek games.

This was an issue you can see in the CUSA schedule this year, where the first week of midweek play they played Thursday and Friday, then Wednesday and Thursday, and only got to Tuesday/Wednesday in the third week. Since ESPN has enough ESPN2 content for Thursday and Friday, they didn't get a game onto ESPN2 until week 2.