If the power conferences grow to 16 or more do you think the MAC should follow suit? Maybe some of the power houses of the FCS like North Dakota State, South Dakota State, New Hampshire etc. I was putting together a idea of FBS being 8 conferences of 20 teams each and I came up with this MAC lineup and I actually really loved it and I think it would make an already fun to watch MAC conference that much more exciting. Stretching from New England to the Great Plains.

MAC:

East- Buffalo, UMass, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine

West- South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, N. Illinois, Illinois St

South- Youngstown, Kent, Miami, Ohio, Akron

North- CMU, WMU, EMU, Toledo, Bowling Green

I had James Madison in another conference but they could easily replace Maine but I like their rivalry with New Hampshire. Oh and all members would be all in for all sports including UMass.

Long off season, let me know what you guys think.

I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

Oh no, not this crap again.

Where'd Ball State go?

(07-10-2017 08:47 PM)HuronDave Wrote:  Oh no, not this crap again.

Yeah, I like that setup. I had a similar plan but included my alma mater, Holy Name High School from Parma Hts Ohio in the South division, and I figured they'd win the MAC conference championship, because that's as likely to happen as anything else that's listed there

A bus-league conference from North Dakota to Maine? Nope. But I do enjoy the idea of somehow making this work:

West- South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, N. Illinois, Illinois St

North division would be dominant. East division would be god awful.

(07-11-2017 09:59 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  North division would be dominant. East division would be god awful.

I would be honored to be in the historical North Division.

(07-10-2017 08:59 PM)BobcatEngineer Wrote:  Where'd Ball State go?

Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! I throw myself before the mercy of the MAC! I totally fog brained and forgot Ball State!

(07-11-2017 09:59 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  North division would be dominant. East division would be god awful.

New Hampshire has been a contender at the FCS level. Also Maine could be switched out for James Madison. I had them in a different conference in my break down but they could step into the east as well.

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

(07-11-2017 04:33 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

The landscape of college athletics has changed since then. The MAC now has a long-term TV deal that benefits them to not expand and the FBS G5 payout would actually promote them shrinking to 10 teams, not growing to 14-16.

(07-11-2017 04:33 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

The MAC was going east to try and land a bigger TV contract more in line with CUSA.

Now going bigger doesn't make sense.

(07-11-2017 07:55 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 04:33 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

The MAC was going east to try and land a bigger TV contract more in line with CUSA.

Now going bigger doesn't make sense.

I don't even think it's that. Temple opened up and we decided to take a chance on them for their potential (did we have a basketball agreement like we did with UMass?), which ended up pushing them out of here once they got good. UMass was only brought in to balance things and do the basketball thing as well, we only offered them full membership because we didn't want to be saddled with their football anymore and figured we might as well get all sports if they were willing to accept.

(07-11-2017 09:08 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 07:55 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 04:33 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

The MAC was going east to try and land a bigger TV contract more in line with CUSA.

Now going bigger doesn't make sense.

I don't even think it's that. Temple opened up and we decided to take a chance on them for their potential (did we have a basketball agreement like we did with UMass?), which ended up pushing them out of here once they got good. UMass was only brought in to balance things and do the basketball thing as well, we only offered them full membership because we didn't want to be saddled with their football anymore and figured we might as well get all sports if they were willing to accept.

Because it was the one thing the old AD did right, we asked for that clause in case conference re-alignment severely weaken the A10. In the end it didn't matter, That AD made so many mistakes, including being influenced by strong basketball minded people, schedule almost all P5 for out conference games, and poor coaching hires. Even now, never mind when the TV conference was being discussed, we did not add much to the table.

Wish you guys the best and know the MAC will remain the status quo for a long time. We'll be alright and glad Ohio, a true peer, scheduled a home and home series. Look forward to their trip to our campus. Perhaps there will be some small fan experience improvements announced tomorrow, July 12th.

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

lord, for once and forever can we put to sleep this notion that the MAC makes significant TV money. Yes, there is a multi-million dollar contract with ESPN-Disney and CBSSN to give them total control of our football schedule and exclusive broadcast rights. However, the amount actually given to each school is a fraction of cost to provide scholarships, housing, training, medical care, and all to 85 athletes, plus pay coaches salaries, benefits, cover support staff and athletic department costs related to football, on and on. The MAC tv contracts have always been about trading in saturday community football for national tv exposure. the $$$ is like the free samples at costco. They are cool. You can sometimes get enough to fill you enough to keep the edge off, but they never really amount to a dinner.

that said new hampshire maine and youngstown don't make a lot of sense, regardless

(07-11-2017 04:33 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

So do you stay at 12 if the other conferences grow to 16+? The conference was okay going to 14 when it had the chance. It seems going east is what they have been trying to do.

We would want to grow to 16 teams only if ESPN tells us we want to grow to 16 teams.

(07-12-2017 03:42 AM)pono Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

lord, for once and forever can we put to sleep this notion that the MAC makes significant TV money. Yes, there is a multi-million dollar contract with ESPN-Disney and CBSSN to give them total control of our football schedule and exclusive broadcast rights. However, the amount actually given to each school is a fraction of cost to provide scholarships, housing, training, medical care, and all to 85 athletes, plus pay coaches salaries, benefits, cover support staff and athletic department costs related to football, on and on. The MAC tv contracts have always been about trading in saturday community football for national tv exposure. the $$$ is like the free samples at costco. They are cool. You can sometimes get enough to fill you enough to keep the edge off, but they never really amount to a dinner.

that said new hampshire maine and youngstown don't make a lot of sense, regardless

Word.

(07-12-2017 03:42 AM)pono Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 08:15 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  I'll marry Kate Upton before Youngstown State, Maine, or New Hampshire join the MAC. There's really no reason for us to expand anyways, no one willing to join us would financiall justify adding another mouth to feed from our TV dollars.

lord, for once and forever can we put to sleep this notion that the MAC makes significant TV money. Yes, there is a multi-million dollar contract with ESPN-Disney and CBSSN to give them total control of our football schedule and exclusive broadcast rights. However, the amount actually given to each school is a fraction of cost to provide scholarships, housing, training, medical care, and all to 85 athletes, plus pay coaches salaries, benefits, cover support staff and athletic department costs related to football, on and on. The MAC tv contracts have always been about trading in saturday community football for national tv exposure. the $$$ is like the free samples at costco. They are cool. You can sometimes get enough to fill you enough to keep the edge off, but they never really amount to a dinner.

that said new hampshire maine and youngstown don't make a lot of sense, regardless

Well New Hampshire and Youngstown are two quality FCS programs. Yeah, Maine was a hole filler but if the power conferences grow to super size I think the MAC should look at some of the top quality FCS programs that are in the general area. The Dakota States for sure.

(07-10-2017 07:58 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  If the power conferences grow to 16 or more do you think the MAC should follow suit? Maybe some of the power houses of the FCS like North Dakota State, South Dakota State, New Hampshire etc. I was putting together a idea of FBS being 8 conferences of 20 teams each and I came up with this MAC lineup and I actually really loved it and I think it would make an already fun to watch MAC conference that much more exciting. Stretching from New England to the Great Plains.

MAC:

East- Buffalo, UMass, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine

West- South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, N. Illinois, Illinois St

South- Youngstown, Kent, Miami, Ohio, Akron

North- CMU, WMU, EMU, Toledo, Bowling Green

I had James Madison in another conference but they could easily replace Maine but I like their rivalry with New Hampshire. Oh and all members would be all in for all sports including UMass.

Long off season, let me know what you guys think.