With the talk of UCF accepting an unconditional invite to C-USA we should make another boring stupid thread.....this time about who should replace UCF.
Rather than do a poll, just name your team.
I say we should not make the mistake of a football only school. My pick is Temple. Temple might not be the best football team, but they are very good in basketball. Also, Temple brings the Philly area into play. For Toledo and some other MAC schools that already recruit Pennsylvania pretty well, this just adds exposure over there to steal more recruits from Penn State and Pittsburgh.
TEMPLE is my choice too. It makes the more sense overall.
Other possibilties:
NAVY
ILLINOIS STATE (from I-AA)
ARMY
Temple.
I don't know that we could get Temple in all sports. I'd take 'em anyway.
That said, the quiet rumors of Memphis to the MAC are intriguing. I can't imagine it actually happening. But if it is a possibility, I'd take Memphis over Temple, just to hurt Conference USA.
I think you need to find someone within the friendly confines of the current MAC geography. I'm not sure who that would be. I'd look to add a team to the West, closer to NIU who needs a rival and send BG back to the East. WIU or SIU? I really don't know, but I think Temple is too far east.
I think the days have passed where we need to hunt around for a I-AA to make the move up.
NIU could use a rival, but I just don't see any realistic possibilities out there.
Temple works. We could think of it like we have thought of Central Florida... an arrangement that may not last.
I'd mention Army and Navy, too, but they don't appear in search of a league.
Question:
Has anyone read an article mentioning TEMPLE? While many of us like them as an all-sports addition to the conference, do we have any evidence either they or the MAC are courting one another?
The only team I've read about is MEMPHIS. That seems crazy, but who knows? A couple of years ago, who would have believed UCF would come to the MAC, the ACC would add VPI and Miami, and the 'Ville and Cinci are going to be in the Big East?
For 2 cents, I have two answers:
1 Temple
2 WKU
:)
rocketfootball Wrote:With the talk of UCF accepting an unconditional invite to C-USA we should make another boring stupid thread.....this time about who should replace UCF.
Rather than do a poll, just name your team.
I say we should not make the mistake of a football only school. My pick is Temple. Temple might not be the best football team, but they are very good in basketball. Also, Temple brings the Philly area into play. For Toledo and some other MAC schools that already recruit Pennsylvania pretty well, this just adds exposure over there to steal more recruits from Penn State and Pittsburgh.
If we lose UCF, I say we flick Buffalo and have 12 teams again in all sports.
Speaking of Memphis. That is not a bad choice. They are pretty decent in B-Ball and decent in football. Also, I have heard that the Liberty bowl goes wherever Memphis goes. I wouldn't mind seeing the MAC vs MWC in the Liberty Bowl, along with the MCB and GMAC bowls that would be 3 bowl bids!
WIU and Illinois St. would have trouble meeting the attendance requirements.
Temple would probably be a better choice, although I'm intrigued by WKU. Anyone have an idea how well they draw?
To some extent that MAC is going to have to wait and see what the attendance requirements do as well. It could be interesting because they could end up with a number of 1-AA football programs. You could then have a 1-AA MAC football and a 1-A MAC football group with all sports for everything else. Based on the bubble only and no indictment of anyone's program only:
1-AA Football
Akron
Kent State
Buffalo
EMU
CMU
Ball State
WKU (solid b-ball and 1-AA f-ball)or(Ill St, West Ill, Ind St)
1-A Football
MUr
MUg
OU
UT
BG
NIU
WMU
The Fat Lady is not singing yet so this is all pure speculation until our Administration comes out with the truth. It was noted that our AD would listen to Cryst before making any decision about our future but we want a home for all-sports. I think our AD Orsini would accept a football only from the Big East but the Big East is not going to come calling until they split up from the basketball schools. The Big East wants to get their basketball money before they split. This could take a little bit of time.
I don't think UCF should join C-USA unless Marshall is coming with us. Rice and SMU are no Marshall. Tulsa is being added to please Memphis in basketball. Tulsa football SUCKS! If UCF does leave the C-USA then I think the MAC should add Temple or Army.
The Flash Wrote:To some extent that MAC is going to have to wait and see what the attendance requirements do as well. It could be interesting because they could end up with a number of 1-AA football programs. You could then have a 1-AA MAC football and a 1-A MAC football group with all sports for everything else.
The attendance requirments are 15,000 every 2 or 4 years (that part hasn't been finalized yet). The MAC requirement is that you have to play Division 1-A football. A hybrid MAC 1-A/1-AA league is pure fantasy. The Division 1-A schools would have no incentive to keep the 1-AA's around. The Division 1-A schools have the TV negotating power, the 1-AA's do not.
Knight in Shining Armor Wrote:I don't think UCF should join C-USA unless Marshall is coming with us.
Hopefully, the Administration at Marshall has the sense to see that going to C-USA is like taking two steps back from where we are now.
You're on your own. :wave:
[quote="Kit-Cat"] [quote="The Flash"] To some extent that MAC is going to have to wait and see what the attendance requirements do as well.
The Flash Wrote:Conference requirements can change. They are not written in stone. Besides that...
How about a little thing called history?
How about common university missions?
How about B-ball and all sports scheduling?
I think that there are plenty of reasons why these universities would want to remain affiliated.
Q1.Conference requirements can change. They are not written in stone.
A.The last time they changed at the Division1-A level was 20 years ago. At about the same time the MAC made playing Division 1-A mandatory. I don't see any reason why the MAC would back away from this standard. The MAC tried to force EMU out in the 80's and gave BallSt an unltimatum in the early 90's if they didn't improve facilities.
Q2.How about common university missions?
A.You have a good point on this issue, however MAC membership is about Division 1-A football, not academics.
Q3.How about B-ball and all sports scheduling?
A.Okay. The MAC could get along just fine as an all sports conference without the Flashes. Your BB has been good for 5 years; before that it was dreadful for eternity. Yes, you're at the top of the MAC in athletics, but thats not saying much when nobody in the MAC has a top 100 athletic program. Its like comparing garbage to junk, none of it is good.
Kit-Cat Wrote:Q1.Conference requirements can change. They are not written in stone.
A.The last time they changed at the Division1-A level was 20 years ago. At about the same time the MAC made playing Division 1-A mandatory. I don't see any reason why the MAC would back away from this standard. The MAC tried to force EMU out in the 80's and gave BallSt an unltimatum in the early 90's if they didn't improve facilities.
Q2.How about common university missions?
A.You have a good point on this issue, however MAC membership is about Division 1-A football, not academics.
Q3.How about B-ball and all sports scheduling?
A.Okay. The MAC could get along just fine as an all sports conference without the Flashes. Your BB has been good for 5 years; before that it was dreadful for eternity. Yes, you're at the top of the MAC in athletics, but thats not saying much when nobody in the MAC has a top 100 athletic program. Its like comparing garbage to junk, none of it is good.
KC,
You are wrong on several points. Get your facts straight before smacking.
KSU has been a top 75 all-sports Sears Cup program for the last 3 years. No other MAC school can currently boast that.
Check this link if you care for proof:
<a href='http://dept.kent.edu/athletics/misc/allsportspop.htm' target='_blank'>http://dept.kent.edu/athletics/misc/allsportspop.htm</a>
KSU basketball did not win the conference until recently, but I would call several NIT appearances much better than dreadful.
And conference affiliation is more that football, check with the presidents of MAC schools on that one.
You despise KSU. It obvious. I was baited. I'm done with this thread now.
As usual you are totally misinformed and/or just making up crap to support your "ideas." Please don't take that personally.
There were 3 MAC schools rated in the SI Top 100 athletic programs. Kent was in the 70's. Two others in the 90's. Ohio National U. was not one of them, of course.
Kent has multiple sports ranked in the country's top 25, with 6 different sports qualifying for the NCAA tourney in the last 2 years.
And OU??? As for your opinion that your athletics are garbage, we'll let that stand. Kent State's athletics are clearly of a much higher quality.
Just an FYI for the Kent State fan, CMU meets the Div. I-A attendance requirements and has every season to date. If the Golden Flashes have desire to play Div. I-AA football that's fine, but don't drag the Chippewas into the equation.
FIRE UP CHIPS!