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Selig: WKU to take strong look at I-A football
By OJ Stapleton, ojstapleton@bgdailynews.com -- 270-783-3239
Sunday, February 06, 2005
In just a few weeks, Western Kentucky should have a good idea of just how feasible a move to Division I-A football will be.
WKU athletics director Wood Selig said Thursday that the school is currently building financial models and timelines to see if going to the NCAA’s highest level will work.
“We should have that complete in about a month or so,
Sun Belt needs to have all the schools that play football to be in its conference.
"Sun Belt needs to have all the schools that play football to be in its conference."
:stupid:
I think this would be a great thing. I would be thrilled to see them in the conference for FB as they are our biggest B-Ball rival, and we could maybe get an even more fierce rivalry goin in football. Goodluck if this story is true, but with half the stories comen out over from that area, I will believe it when I see it.
Tuffguy
Everything I am hearing, this is what will happen. Announcement probably not before 2006 (after our football season and after the 15K rule is officially gone).
[quote="David Krumudgen"] “The MAC has not made any kind of overture indicating that they would consider us for membership and we haven’t talked to them,
This doesn't look like a simple debate to me and could drag out some time.
1. I would be stunned if the MAC would consider a straight football only membership for Temple. I don't see Temple bringing enough value in football to make them worth the trouble unless there was a value-added element.
2. I would be stunned if Temple seriously considered full membership. I mean you give up historic regional rivalries against schools your fan base is familiar with and replace that with greater travel and less familiar names? Sure Miami (OH) might be better than A-10 leader St Joseph's this year but St Joe is across town and Oxford is 600 miles away. Most years the A-10 is better in hoops even if they are equal you don't screw your money making sport by casting off the fan base rivalries
3. Assuming 1 & 2 are true. Then what compromise can be reached. 4 non-conference basketball games? Six? Do games played between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day in basketball offer sufficient value to the MAC? Will 2 or 3 home games help the MAC TV package enough? That's a period of time when ESPN is carrying first the wrap of the regular football season, then around 20 bowl games, and most of the attractive national interest non-conference men's hoops games are crowding the airwaves. Three MAC home games works out to a Temple visit once every 4 years or 8 years (depending how the MAC schedules them). Is that sufficent value? If it is 4 games (2 home/2 away) that's a Temple visit either every 6 years or 12 years. Again is that sufficient value?
4 a. If a compromise is reached then what is better. 13 for football and 12 for the other sports. The other option is 14 in football and 13. Neither is great, you just have to choose which less than perfect option you can more easily live with.
4 b. If a compromise is reached what level of committment does Temple have to make? If the MAC thinks 14 football 13 basketball is the right course then what protection does the MAC have if Temple drops football, drops to I-AA, or finds a more attractive option? Does the MAC put up with 13 football 12 basketball just because the next five years could see the MAC stuck with 13 football 13 basketball if the league expands to 14/13? If Temple attendance and on-field performance doesn't improve in the MAC the ideas of downgrading/dropping could gain steam again. If Temple performance and attendance improve, then Temple is in great shape should the Big East split. Conventional wisdom is that a football Big East would probably just go to 9. Villanova led the fight to keep Temple out as full member. If the Big East splits, the football schools won't care about 'Nova's opinion and Temple would be a positive addition to help their hoops and keep them in the Philly market for their basketball TV contract. If the football Big East passes that means there is probably vacancy in CUSA and that could prove tempting as well. Temple has all the earmarks of being a short-term member, either bouncing upward or downward but not staying put.
I find the Temple/MAC thing fascinating simply because this is one of those times where there is no simple answer.
When the ACC expanded, it was pretty apparent all along that Louisville and Cincinnati were going Big East and that DePaul and Marquette would be added to keep the league balanced between football and non-football members. Once BC got invited to the ACC it was fairly clear that South Florida was the school that most fit the model. When CUSA was looking at schools the only question was will they go to 12. Once it was clear they were heading to 12 the players became apparent pretty quickly. Even the later addition of UTEP should not have been a suprise because Tulane's president had publicly touted them before hand.
The WAC's moves and Sun Belt responses were all pretty clear in advance of being public.
But this Temple/MAC thing is close. Reasonable minds can argue in favor of the MAC standing pat, adding only Temple for football, adding Temple and WKU, etc and make good arguments, but without advancing arguments that just clearly defeat the opposing views.
It's going to be fun to watch. No question about it.
One thing the MAC has going for it is Rick Chryst. He is a dynamic conference commissioner who has done more for the MAC in five years than all previous MAC commissioners going back to 1946.
There is some give and take in these expansion talks for both sides. The MAC is not here just to accomodate the needs of Temple's outcast football program. The Owls must bring something to the table too. And the same holds true for Western Kentucky or any other aspiring MAC member institution.
1A football is a very exciting prospect. Bring it on!
arkstfan Wrote:3. Assuming 1 & 2 are true. Then what compromise can be reached. 4 non-conference basketball games? Six? Do games played between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day in basketball offer sufficient value to the MAC? Will 2 or 3 home games help the MAC TV package enough? That's a period of time when ESPN is carrying first the wrap of the regular football season, then around 20 bowl games, and most of the attractive national interest non-conference men's hoops games are crowding the airwaves. Three MAC home games works out to a Temple visit once every 4 years or 8 years (depending how the MAC schedules them). Is that sufficent value? If it is 4 games (2 home/2 away) that's a Temple visit either every 6 years or 12 years. Again is that sufficient value?
The flip side is whether or not Temple would be willing to give that many of its OOC games to the MAC. They do take some measure of pride in playing a very tough OOC, and I just wouldn't see substituting MAC games for some of their big name OOC opponents sitting too well with Cheney. (or is it Chaney? I can never remember anymore)
I personally can't see the MAC adding just Temple without someone else that plays football. 13 football schools is not the best way to do things. You can get by for a year or two doing that, so that is probably why there are rumors of Temple in '06 and WKU within a couple of years when their football is DI-A.
Who knows what will happen, but if Temple comes to the MAC (for just football or all sports doesn't matter in this scenario) someone else will have to come to the MAC within a couple of years or someone will have to leave the MAC.
Odd numbered football conferences works if you are talking about 7, 9, even 11.....but 13 just doesn't work well.