<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/abcsports/BCSRankings' target='_blank'>http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/abcsports/BCSRankings</a>
Of interest to MAC fans:
-- BG opponent, OSU, is 6th.
-- Purdue is 8th despite losing to BG.
-- Fellow outsider TCU is 14th.
-- Miami's opening opponent, Iowa, is 15th.
According to the Miami SID, if you take the BCS standings out another ten places, you'd find Miami at #23 and Bowling Green at #24.
<a href='http://muredhawks.ocsn.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102003aab.html' target='_blank'>http://muredhawks.ocsn.com/sports/m-footbl.../102003aab.html</a>
Marshall could really be missing out if they move to CUSA:
9 team MAC with Marshall:
14 Miami-Ohio
25 Bowling Green
27 Northern Illinois
55 Toledo
64 Marshall
84 Western Michigan
100 Ball St.
107 Ohio U.
122 Central Michigan
Sagarin Average: 66.4
MWC with TCU:
24 Utah
36 Colorado St.
47 Air Force
49 TCU
56 UNLV
66 New Mexico
70 BYU
81 Wyoming
96 San Diego St.
Sagarin Average: 58.3
CUSA 12 with LaTech, Marshall, UCF without TCU, USF,UL,UC,Army
60 Southern Miss
64 Marshall
75 Louisana Tech
77 Memphis
80 UAB
88 Houston
93 Tulsa
98 Tulane
126 East Carolina
127 UCF
134 Rice
168 SMU
Sagarin Average: 99.2
In conclusion, I would have to think it would be a NO brainer for TCU in the MWC with a growing television package in the Texas market. It must be a COW brainer for Marshall to join CUSA, given how weak the league is, regardless of the number of bowls, or meager additional TV revenues.
If you had a 9 team MAC, attendance at places like BG would go up (e.g.Marshall-BG game), and TV appearances (e.g.Marshall vs. NIU every year). A 9 team MAC would only need 3 or 4 bowls, unless your counting a BCS bowl, which would be a lot easier to earn playing a MAC schedule over a CUSA one.
Who is ranked higher in the BCS standings? TCU? NIU?
Think about it.
I would keep Kent (bus fans in from other MAC schools if need be) since the league office is in Cleveland. Get MTSU (or Memphis) and ECU on board and you can run North/South and keep your title game
Interestingly, Bowling Green put out a press release that is very similar to the one issued by Miami:
<a href='http://bgsufalcons.ocsn.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102003aab.html' target='_blank'>http://bgsufalcons.ocsn.com/sports/m-footb.../102003aab.html</a>
I wonder if there is a grand strategy to this.
It is super the MAC currently has three teams in the BCS Top 25; which is in actuality a COMPOSITE of the most well known subjective (polled) and objective (mathematical) rankings.
Looking at the detailed values from the BGSU site, Miami University's high computer rankings landed them in the Top 25, despite being greatly undervalued by the pollsters. The Redhawks have an objective average rating of 14.92 points above that of its subjective ranking. Hopefully many of the pollsters will notice this huge disparity and look more favorably upon Miami next time they vote.
At 10.33, only Utah has such a unvalued polled disparity approaching that of the Redhawks. After that is Bowling Green (4.33), Northern Illinois (4.00), and Ohio State (4.00).
This may be the first time in recorded history that Buckeye fans have any sort of plausible case that their team is UNDERrated.
This is great! Absolutely amazing. But consider, it could be even higher if the MAC coaches voted MAC teams higher. That might even have an influence on the other poll(s).
Congrats to NIU.
Well, actually at the start of this season... in the preseason coaches poll... Toledo got one vote... I am thinking we probably should thank Bobby Pruet for that one...