http://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports-doug...ack-to-mac

Smock knows this isn't going to happen. Doug Smock and Chuck Landon are horrible writers for Marshall but I would have expected this from Landon 1st.

So, some Marshall fans want to move to the MAC to make a whopping 400K per year more in TV revenues? Simply because the MAC negotiated their last TV deal shortly before the door closed on good TV deals?

This is extremely short-sighted thinking. Remember, CUSA can re-negotiate it's TV deal in a couple of years, whereas the MAC is locked in for 13 long years at a number that's not impressive. Plus, I think the bowls, the venues, the brands and the crowds are much better in CUSA.

They're pretty good writers... they're just not very handsome.

(06-20-2016 05:19 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  Smock knows this isn't going to happen. Doug Smock and Chuck Landon are horrible writers for Marshall but I would have expected this from Landon 1st.

(06-20-2016 05:21 PM)GreenSteve Wrote:  They're pretty good writers... they're just not very handsome.

(06-20-2016 05:19 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  Smock knows this isn't going to happen. Doug Smock and Chuck Landon are horrible writers for Marshall but I would have expected this from Landon 1st.

They write horrible articles for and about Marshall, and I haven't read either in 2 1/2 years. The last article I read from either was a CL article dragging Marshall through the mud when getting ready to play Maryland in the Military Bowl.

(06-20-2016 05:20 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  So, some Marshall fans want to move to the MAC to make a whopping 400K per year more in TV revenues? Simply because the MAC negotiated their last TV deal shortly before the door closed on good TV deals?

This is extremely short-sighted thinking. Remember, CUSA can re-negotiate it's TV deal in a couple of years, whereas the MAC is locked in for 13 long years at a number that's not impressive. Plus, I think the bowls, the venues, the brands and the crowds are much better in CUSA.

They move up to $850K after this season right? Not bad but they also require Tuesday and Wednesday games. Since Marshall will be their biggest brand, they will be stuck with many of those games. Not a good move

I like Middle Tennessee having Marshall as a conference mate, but if y'all think going back to a bus league is the right move, I guess Greyhound is ready when you are...

See this is what frustrates me about our local writers publishing crap like this.

I have not heard a SINGLE Marshall fan advocate for moving back to the MAC. Are we frustrated with some of the things in CUSA? Absolutely. Would any of us like to leave CUSA for the MAC? Absolutely not.

This TV deal is good for the MAC. They do not have large fan bases and they most likely never will. So if no one is going to show up anyways, might as well play on Tues/Weds for the money and exposure. Smart move by them. We have a solid G5 fan base at Marshall. Whatever we got in TV money would be lost at the gate on Tues/Weds nights instead of Saturday night games.

EDIT: Sorry, I had to come back and add more.

Huntington and the surrounding areas have a culture that is more aligned with the south as opposed to the midwest. Most of our alumni also move south upon graduation. So playing in CUSA gives us the opportunity to play closer to our alumni as opposed to playing in the midwestern towns of the MAC.

Same reason Ohio University right up the road would never join CUSA. They definitely align more with the midwest. Most of their alumni are in those areas.

(06-20-2016 06:08 PM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  See this is what frustrates me about our local writers publishing crap like this.

I have not heard a SINGLE Marshall fan advocate for moving back to the MAC. Are we frustrated with some of the things in CUSA? Absolutely. Would any of us like to leave CUSA for the MAC? Absolutely not.

This TV deal is good for the MAC. They do not have large fan bases and they most likely never will. So if no one is going to show up anyways, might as well play on Tues/Weds for the money and exposure. Smart move by them. We have a solid G5 fan base at Marshall. Whatever we got in TV money would be lost at the gate on Tues/Weds nights instead of Saturday night games.

EDIT: Sorry, I had to come back and add more.

Huntington and the surrounding areas have a culture that is more aligned with the south as opposed to the midwest. Most of our alumni also move south upon graduation. So playing in CUSA gives us the opportunity to play closer to our alumni as opposed to playing in the midwestern towns of the MAC.

Same reason Ohio University right up the road would never join CUSA. They definitely align more with the midwest. Most of their alumni are in those areas.

We get that too, though not as much from the reporters as short-sighted fans and willfully ignorant observers who think that ODU would have been better off staying in the CAA and FCS. There's basically no benefit to staying FCS, and all those rivalries that people miss in basketball can be taken care of in non-conference scheduling (this season alone there's at least six games against former CAA opponents). I don't think anyone, short of the faculty senate types who I'm guessing would disband the entire AD, thinks that ODU is better off in the CAA. It's kind of hard to get excited about Maine and Albany coming in when N.C. State and Marshall have already appeared.

Not one Marshall fan in this thread said we should do that. It's what the article alluded to.

(06-20-2016 06:29 PM)MUther Wrote:  Not one Marshall fan in this thread said we should do that. It's what the article alluded to.

If that was directed to me, I was only pointing out that in ODU's case, it's the group of myopic fans and pundits, like one of the former play-by-play announcers, who have the grass-is-greener sickness. Not that your fans feel that way. You guys get it from your reporters, we get it from some of the fanbase. But it's borne of the same shortsighted and ultimately wrongheaded thinking.

There are idiots on FB and Twitter that talk about it. Mind you they probably can't name 3 players on the team or any coaches other than Doc. They just became fans during Catos junior year.

(06-20-2016 06:08 PM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Same reason Ohio University right up the road would never join CUSA. They definitely align more with the midwest. Most of their alumni are in those areas.

Ohio's alumni isn't focused in the Midwest, its Mid Atlantic. PA, NY, MD, VA and the eastern portions of Ohio. Then a nice distribution across the lower 48 with good presence in every major metro area.

The travel in the MAC East at least for us is incredible with BG, Miami, Kent and Akron all within 3 hours. They aren't close enough to cut into our market share but close enough to take the team on the bus most definitely. The other MAC schools range from 4-8 hour drive which is doable on a football weekend.

We may consider the AAC with Temple, UConn and Navy in it with its Mid Atlantic presence and bigger TV deal.

(06-20-2016 06:56 PM)MU42 Wrote:  There are idiots on FB and Twitter that talk about it. Mind you they probably can't name 3 players on the team or any coaches other than Doc. They just became fans during Catos junior year.

I hate to tell you but I don't think the MAC is interested in bringing Marshall back in when it can get a school like ODU that has a bigger TV market instead.

ODU is the only school in CUSA that has been seriously considered by the MAC this decade. The decade before the MAC was looking at WKU possibly to go with Temple.

(06-20-2016 07:28 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 06:08 PM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Same reason Ohio University right up the road would never join CUSA. They definitely align more with the midwest. Most of their alumni are in those areas.

We may consider the AAC with Temple, UConn and Navy in it with its Mid Atlantic presence and bigger TV deal.

I was unaware the the AAC was looking at Ohio. Good luck with that.

(06-20-2016 07:32 PM)MU42 Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 07:28 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 06:08 PM)FlyHawk98 Wrote:  Same reason Ohio University right up the road would never join CUSA. They definitely align more with the midwest. Most of their alumni are in those areas.

We may consider the AAC with Temple, UConn and Navy in it with its Mid Atlantic presence and bigger TV deal.

I was unaware the the AAC was looking at Ohio. Good luck with that.

Entered talks for the second time with the AAC this spring. A couple years ago Ohio was talking as a fall back if Navy didn't decide to join.

Then when the Big East was still around they had reps at our Independence Bowl. Potentially could have been a school to add instead of Tulane that would have kept both the FB and BB camps happy. That year Ohio was in the Top 25 for both FB and BB. The name was at least on the board at that point.

The last couple of years announced an expansion to FB stadium (money already raised) and BB arena (new grand entrance, practice facilities). That probably was areas that we were told to fix by the BE/AAC during earlier discussions.

(06-20-2016 07:31 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 06:56 PM)MU42 Wrote:  There are idiots on FB and Twitter that talk about it. Mind you they probably can't name 3 players on the team or any coaches other than Doc. They just became fans during Catos junior year.

I hate to tell you but I don't think the MAC is interested in bringing Marshall back in when it can get a school like ODU that has a bigger TV market instead.

ODU is the only school in CUSA that has been seriously considered by the MAC this decade. The decade before the MAC was looking at WKU possibly to go with Temple.

I don't think ODU has any interest in going to the MAC.

(06-20-2016 07:51 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 07:31 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 06:56 PM)MU42 Wrote:  There are idiots on FB and Twitter that talk about it. Mind you they probably can't name 3 players on the team or any coaches other than Doc. They just became fans during Catos junior year.

I hate to tell you but I don't think the MAC is interested in bringing Marshall back in when it can get a school like ODU that has a bigger TV market instead.

ODU is the only school in CUSA that has been seriously considered by the MAC this decade. The decade before the MAC was looking at WKU possibly to go with Temple.

I don't think ODU has any interest in going to the MAC.

I doubt it too because they know they are a new FBS program and are just trying to get their stadium online so a conference switch is the last thing they are thinking about.

I'm just saying if the MAC were to look at a school, ODU would be their first target. ODU is in the MAC for wrestling already and it would be nice to get them in for the other sports.

(06-20-2016 05:37 PM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(06-20-2016 05:20 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  So, some Marshall fans want to move to the MAC to make a whopping 400K per year more in TV revenues? Simply because the MAC negotiated their last TV deal shortly before the door closed on good TV deals?

This is extremely short-sighted thinking. Remember, CUSA can re-negotiate it's TV deal in a couple of years, whereas the MAC is locked in for 13 long years at a number that's not impressive. Plus, I think the bowls, the venues, the brands and the crowds are much better in CUSA.

They move up to $850K after this season right? Not bad but they also require Tuesday and Wednesday games. Since Marshall will be their biggest brand, they will be stuck with many of those games. Not a good move

$835k per school for the remaining 10 years on the contract.

If the AAC stays intact and gets a nice 5 million per school TV deal in 3 years the MAC could always try to renegotiate upwards, that is if the TV climate is favorable.

The pros of CUSA, better recruiting grounds, exposure in southern markets outweigh or at least equal the cons of a weaker TV package for Marshall.

Marshall I think has a better chance at the AAC than some are giving it credit for. Joan Edwards with 38k+ seats is a big time venue. Marshall and Ohio coordinate conference discussion and have talked package deal to the AAC. Instead of having both schools in CUSA or the MAC it makes more sense to try and do it in the AAC.

Reading your posts almost makes me forget that Ohio hasn't won a conference championship or finished a season ranked since 1968. I'm not exactly sure why the AAC would want a school with a $28MM budget that is over 65% subsidized to be that high. Solich has done a good job, not great, there, but outside of his years you have a long history of futility on the football field.

And before you go there, yes, you have pretty much owned us the last 5 years. Like I said, Solich has done a good job and staff continuity has served you well. However, Solich doesn't have many productive years left and there's the risk you return to your historic norm.