I was involved in a discussion with some other Southern Miss fans this evening while watching the NCAA tournament about who our conference's 12th member will be. I believe UTEP is out due to geography. I believe NTSU is out due to the other Texas schools disliking them, plus their paltry attendance. I believe Temple is out because Memphis is the ONLY school backing them and they are stutter-steeping around the subject. That leave LATech, Miami (that Miami), and Toledo as viable candidates.
Although LATech makes great sense if we were putting together a road trip, the better of the athletic programs would be the remaining two. Please do not take this as a swipe, but most people in the south couldn't tell you what was on the two school's helmets or name a single alum from either school. The SEC and lately C-USA takes up all the ink in newspapers around here. I know Miami (that Miami) is where Sigma Chi was started. I learned that as a pledge in 1991. Other than that, I couldn't tell you much other than what I've seen fro the sideline at Marshall stadium.
Assuming that you are a candidate, and assuming that you both wanted to come and only one could, what should someone know about your universities that gives you the most pride? DO either of you have famous alums? (Jimmy Buffett) Any athletes now in the big leagues at any sport? (Brett Favre). What would you say about your university makes it better than the other and the others in the MAC. If you are a fan of another MAC school, join in and tell me (1) which of these two schools you admire the most, and (2) answer the same questions about your university and What makes it great.
Peace!
Eagle in the gym Wrote:I was involved in a discussion with some other Southern Miss fans this evening while watching the NCAA tournament about who our conference's 12th member will be. I believe UTEP is out due to geography. I believe NTSU is out due to the other Texas schools disliking them, plus their paltry attendance. I believe Temple is out because Memphis is the ONLY school backing them and they are stutter-steeping around the subject. That leave LATech, Miami (that Miami), and Toledo as viable candidates.
Although LATech makes great sense if we were putting together a road trip, the better of the athletic programs would be the remaining two. Please do not take this as a swipe, but most people in the south couldn't tell you what was on the two school's helmets or name a single alum from either school. The SEC and lately C-USA takes up all the ink in newspapers around here. I know Miami (that Miami) is where Sigma Chi was started. I learned that as a pledge in 1991. Other than that, I couldn't tell you much other than what I've seen fro the sideline at Marshall stadium.
Assuming that you are a candidate, and assuming that you both wanted to come and only one could, what should someone know about your universities that gives you the most pride? DO either of you have famous alums? (Jimmy Buffett) Any athletes now in the big leagues at any sport? (Brett Favre). What would you say about your university makes it better than the other and the others in the MAC. If you are a fan of another MAC school, join in and tell me (1) which of these two schools you admire the most, and (2) answer the same questions about your university and What makes it great.
Peace!
If I was commissioner of Conference USA, I'd want Miami.
Miami is one of the best public universities in the country. Miami has the most MAC football titles. It holds the most MAC basketball titles. And while Toledo has been a bit better on the football field as of late, Miami has been very competitive.
So, if I was commissioner of Conference USA, I'd want Miami.
And Miami would say no.
I agree, if a BG fan were the commissioner of C-USA, Miami would be their first choice. :rolleyes:
Truth is, neither team is likely to consider C-USA. Most fans of both schools thought that it was a stupid idea for Marshall to jump (while fully supporting the move :wave: ) , and would likely feel the same about their own school making the move.
That said, both Miami and Toledo would be excellent choices for any conference looking to expand. RF is correct about Miami's academics being top-notch, but probably gives Toledo short shrift in every way...as I would his alleged institute of higher learning. If, and it is a very BIG if, either team was offered and accepted, you could bet that they would immediately be at the top of your football heap, and compete very well in hoops.
Last year's Miami football team was one of the best in the nation. Toledo's looks to have a shot at that claim this coming season. Charlie Coles and Stan Joplin are two of the MAC's finest basketball coaches. Miami has excellent all-around academics. Toledo has excellent engineering, law, and pharmacy programs with other solid programs, as well. They have an up-and-coming music program led by renowned Jazz artist Jon Hendricks. All-in-all, a conference looking to poach a team couldn't do any better than either of these teams.
Good luck to C-USA, but your search is likely to end much closer to your new conference headquarters than it is to our's.
You forgot to mention Jamie Farr.
:wave:
This year's UT football team is not as strong as Miami's team from a year ago. No way, no how.
I know the Rockette faithful are anticipating that kind of run, but I don't think their defense is going to be up to the task. I don't see a lot of separation between NIU, UT and BG. It's going to be a tight race and the winner will have at least one loss in conference play.
Having looked at the conference schedules, I think NIU is the favorite in the west. BG closes with WMU, Marshall at home and Toledo on the road. UT has to go to Miami, NIU and then face the Falcons at home. NIU has Akron and Toledo at home and they close it out at UCF. NIU clearly has the advantadge there where it counts the most.
The 9/24 BG/NIU game is going to be huge. A BG loss will make repeating in the West most difficult
Oddball Wrote:Truth is, neither team is likely to consider C-USA. Most fans of both schools thought that it was a stupid idea for Marshall to jump (while fully supporting the move :wave: )
As a Miami graduate, I would prefer to stay in the MAC, but since you have asked about Miami's past. Here is a bullet list
Basketball
Randy Ayers
Wayne Embry
Ron Harper
Wally Sczerbiak
Ira Newble, to name a few.
Football
Ron Carpenter
JoJuan Armour
Travis Prentice
Ben Roethlisberger, really too many to list
Past Football Coaches
Weeb Ewbank (Head Coach)
Jim Tressel (Asst)
Bo Schembechler (Head Coach)
Woody Hayes (Head Coach)
Bill Mallory (Head Coach)
Ara Parshegian (Head Coach)
Randy Walker (Head Coach)
Gary Moeller (Asst), and others
This is just a start really!!
I see BG fans are quick to get caught up in this crap and say what they feel, because let's be honest.....BG fans hate Toledo.
However, I am not going to get into a debate between Toledo and Miami and I hope no Rocket and RedHawk fans will. There is no reason for UT or MUr fans to get into this debate and start arguing with each other.
Both Toledo and Miami are very desireable to C-USA if they are looking at football wins and tradition. Enough said.
Rocketfootball, both are very fine institutions with good football teams. But in most minds uneducated in MAC football, like myself, it is hard to tell what makes one stand out. I could say that both Southern Miss and Tulane have fine football teams in C-USA, and they do. But there are things that make one school more attractive than the other. I am not a commish and I will have zero say-so in future conference considerations. I am just wanting to know what makes these two schools special. If you cannot think of enough reasons to write about, then that simply tells me volumes about Toledo. Miami (that Miami) is getting all the national attention. I figured a discussion like this would actually give Rocket fans ability to speak up and show they are equal or surpass the others. Feel free to ignore if that is your wish. Other MAC school fans, feel free to include your school. I am not leaving you out. Educate a Mississippi man on the positives of the MAC and her schools.
Well, to start your education, don't refer to "Miami (that Miami)" or other such qualifiers and expect to be taken as anything other than a troll by most RedHawk fans.
My colleagues appear to have covered most of the other salient points. I will add two others:
-- First, go to football.stassen.com and sort D1 teams either by wins or winning percentage. You might learn something interesting.
-- Second, hunt up the Cleveland Plain Dealer from Christmas week for the Miami administration's only public comments to date on Conference USA.
I agree with Rocketfootball fan........no need to allow this question to get us into a debate about Toledo vs. Miami. In fact, I've seen many comparisons on the C-USA boards already.
The funny thing about C-USA is that their fans understandably are not that familiar with MAC schools (location, history, etc.), but to be honest the same could be said of Midwestern fans when you talk about the S-Miss and ECU's. Many C-USA schools are in the "shadow" of the SEC just as the MAC is in the shadow of the B10. The only difference I see is that overall C-USA schools have slightly larger fan bases, although that will be "watered" down with some of their recent expansion choices which have attendance similar to MAC schools. It just depends on where you live really.
In the end, I'm guessing that C-USA will just take willing partner L-Tech........that also solves a problem for the WAC as L-Tech is isolated now that C-USA has poached so many other WAC teams. Toledo and Miami both have double the athletic budget of L-Tech, and L-Tech has questionable academics and is big into recruiting props, so there is no comparison there whether it's UT or Miami you're considering.
Miami has the most MAC titles in football, basketball, and all sports trophies, but Toledo has had a better winning percentage in football these last 10 years or so, had a super football stadium, and is looking to be an excellent team this coming year as well. So, pick your "poison"........both candidates are far superior to other options C-USA has in my opinion, but it's a moot discussion because I honestly don't believe that either school would say "yes" to C-USA overtures.
Eagle in the gym Wrote:Rocketfootball, both are very fine institutions with good football teams. But in most minds uneducated in MAC football, like myself, it is hard to tell what makes one stand out. I could say that both Southern Miss and Tulane have fine football teams in C-USA, and they do. But there are things that make one school more attractive than the other. I am not a commish and I will have zero say-so in future conference considerations. I am just wanting to know what makes these two schools special. If you cannot think of enough reasons to write about, then that simply tells me volumes about Toledo. Miami (that Miami) is getting all the national attention. I figured a discussion like this would actually give Rocket fans ability to speak up and show they are equal or surpass the others. Feel free to ignore if that is your wish. Other MAC school fans, feel free to include your school. I am not leaving you out. Educate a Mississippi man on the positives of the MAC and her schools.
In understand where you are coming from, I just don't want to see Toledo and Miami fans arguing over this.
The bottom line is that year-in and year-out Miami and Toledo are two of the top football and basketball (men and women) programs in the MAC. Either school would probably be a good score for C-USA. Unfortunately for C-USA, I don't see either school being to interested in joining C-USA.
DoDo: Well put (I wish I could find it in me to be that succinct!)
ex Cincy Kid Wrote:(I wish I could find it in me to be that succinct!)
So do we. :eek:
Ouch! :D (well, that was brief!)
Dodo Wrote:The bottom line is that year-in and year-out Miami and Toledo are two of the top football and basketball (men and women) programs in the MAC. Either school would probably be a good score for C-USA. Unfortunately for C-USA, I don't see either school being to interested in joining C-USA.
Unless they both have invites from CUSA.......
In my opinion, Toledo would be a better score than Miami because they have better support in both Football and Basketball. Toledo has a real season ticket holder base in both football/basketball.
Miami has more long term potential than Toledo though because its a popular school with a great campus which helps with the walk-on program. History has shown the rural college town campus environment leads to success.....see Virginia Tech, Kansas St....then urban/commuter schools with limited appeal.
Yeah, OSU, Michigan, UCLA, USC, etc. have really suffered by being saddled with an urban setting. As far as Toledo goes, you'd be hard pressed to find many urban campuses that are as pretty.
How do you even manage to find the power button on your computer, KK?
This whole thing about MAC schools is just a "smoke screen" in my opinion.......I doubt there is much to it although I wouldn't put it past the C-USA commish to make a "run" at grabbing the MAC's premier members in hopes of squashing the conference.
They'll end up with L-Tech most likely, a school with about half the athletic budget of Miami and Toledo. Why? Because they are easy to get to for most all (save far off EMU and Marshall) than most any other candidate, plus they will say "yes". This is good for the MAC as it removes the WAC as a regional contender for the GMAC slot.
P.S. By the way, as a non-biased observer I can attest that Toledo has a very nice campus...nothing like most "city schools" like UC.
Oddball Wrote:Yeah, OSU, Michigan, UCLA, USC, etc. have really suffered by being saddled with an urban setting. As far as Toledo goes, you'd be hard pressed to find many urban campuses that are as pretty.
How do you even manage to find the power button on your computer, KK?
Drat you beat me to it.