The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Seriously what's the point of being FBS for football? It took lightning in a bottle to go 13-0 and a bunch of other 1-2 loss midmajors to lose to even get the Cotton Bowl. What's the point? Let's drop down and focus money on sports that can actually compete and have a fair shot. Hockey soccer etc. FCS schools still get the big payouts to play P5 teams too.

I'd love to see them put more money towards basketball.

(09-16-2017 07:42 PM)Flashboski Wrote:  Seriously what's the point of being FBS for football? It took lightning in a bottle to go 13-0 and a bunch of other 1-2 loss midmajors to lose to even get the Cotton Bowl. What's the point? Let's drop down and focus money on sports that can actually compete and have a fair shot. Hockey soccer etc. FCS schools still get the big payouts to play P5 teams too.

LOL youre a joke.........

You misspelled hockey. I'd like to win a national title.

(09-16-2017 07:42 PM)Flashboski Wrote:  Seriously what's the point of being FBS for football? It took lightning in a bottle to go 13-0 and a bunch of other 1-2 loss midmajors to lose to even get the Cotton Bowl. What's the point? Let's drop down and focus money on sports that can actually compete and have a fair shot. Hockey soccer etc. FCS schools still get the big payouts to play P5 teams too.

Well not so sure the donors will continue to pony up enough to pay the head coach 800,000 grand a year if WMU can't beat a team that has made a decision to dropout of FBS

Btw I would be saying this if we are 0-2 and losing to Idaho or 2-0 with wins over USC and MSU. Anyone who thinks the MAC actually gets a fair shake in this FBS landscape prolly also plays the wheel game at casinos.

(09-16-2017 07:42 PM)Flashboski Wrote:  Seriously what's the point of being FBS for football? It took lightning in a bottle to go 13-0 and a bunch of other 1-2 loss midmajors to lose to even get the Cotton Bowl. What's the point? Let's drop down and focus money on sports that can actually compete and have a fair shot. Hockey soccer etc. FCS schools still get the big payouts to play P5 teams too.

Western has been competitive in football for a long time. If we were to drop the sport or downgrade it the MAC would boot us out, no question.

Football is a revenue magnet, it keeps on taking more and more every year to stay a winner. At some point some schools will start to drop out and focus on less costly sports and I think you'll see a lot of them drop the sport-and leave it to the big football powers like the Big 10 and so on. That's my belief, others disagree.

The whole MAC should go down for football, not just WMU

I like WMU and the MAC where it is. I don't want to see them playing Indiana State or James Madison in the 1-AA "playoffs." Yeah, the system is rigged but I'd rather have WMU playing in an unjust world than one that is fair but inferior.

We may well have never gone 13-1 again, but we could have kept some momentum with 15 returning starters and the right hire. No point in sugarcoating that.

Nebraska and Rutgers wishes the MAC would go down a notch. WMU isn't dropping down. The MAC might be WMU isn't.

I don't see us dropping down, however i could see the power conferences moving on to create something new in 10 years or so when the mega TV deals are re-negotiated. I could see them creating a new division with 4 or 5 super conferences essentially leaving majority of G5 schools in the dust. There may be a few lucky G5's who get in. More in-conference games and higher profile out of conference games equals more $, which is all they care about.

The 'Power 5' has a lot of challenges of their own to work out. The disparity between the lower third and upper third (think Northwestern vs. Ohio State) in terms of resources and realistic shot at national recognition is severe.

(09-16-2017 07:43 PM)Nacho Wrote:  I'd love to see them put more money towards basketball.

The conference as a whole made a commitment back around 2000 to push football, even at the expense of basketball. That's where they saw the money. Not sure how successful it's been.

Remember how amazing MAC basketball was in the 80's and 90's? Those players don't come to MAC teams anymore.

(09-19-2017 09:23 AM)broncofan1 Wrote:  The 'Power 5' has a lot of challenges of their own to work out. The disparity between the lower third and upper third (think Northwestern vs. Ohio State) in terms of resources and realistic shot at national recognition is severe.

I've read where the perennial Top-25 P5 schools have discussed leaving the current paradigm and forming their own "conferences". Have no idea whether or not that's true and, if so, how seriously that possibility has been discussed.

Quote:FCS schools still get the big payouts to play P5 teams too.

Yeah, but not quite as much as they pay MAC teams coming into their stadium. And they'll play @G5 stadiums, but we have to pay them a good amount of money to do so too (which is why we most often Don't).

Add to that, there'd be less scholarships, less fans attending, etc. if the MAC went down to FCS (or WMU joining Missouri Valley). But we don't have a chance for a National Championship, right? Well, does Indiana in football? I could see Indiana fans saying "Let's go G5. We at least want to go to bowls every year, and get to a nice one once in a while, with a great record."

The Playoffs won't be 4 teams for tooo long. I believe in another 10 years or so, all 12 teams in the NY/BCS bowls will be in a 12-team playoff with the Top 4 having a bye week. Meaning, the Top G5 will have a shot at the national championship.

Having the Whole G5 be a division in-between FBS & FCS is one thought. Although this would make the post-season more exciting for everyone, I do believe the G5 teams would be less financed by the NCAA, noticed/cared-about by fans, etc. in the end -- basically replacing how people see the FCS. The argument for that is that casual passer-by college football fans already see the G5 that way.

In reality, the motive for all this talk is the post-season. That's why I believe there should be MULTIPLE playoffs -- kinda like basketball having multiple tournaments. Different playoffs can have different themes, and all have 8-teams, except for the National Championship Playoff...

1. National Championship Playoff: 12-Teams that are currently placed in NY/BCS bowls; Top 4 have a bye to play the 4 winners of the remaining 8. Top G5 goes to this every year.

2. [Sponsor Name] Championship Playoff: 8 Best Teams who didn't make above

3. G5 Championship Playoff: 8 Teams; Each G5 conference's best not in above (almost always just 1 missing into Nat Champ Playoff) + 3 at-larges of the best remaining G5s

... and others.

It'd be cool to see different tournament/playoffs.

There will always be "haves" and "have-nots" in college football. Right now the P5 schools are the "haves", and the G5's are the "have nots". If they eliminate the G5 schools, and the P5's are on their own there will be a new unofficial classification within the P5 schools, and the weaker P5's that have lower athletic budgets compared to the top P5 programs will become the new "have nots", and will struggle to keep up with the Joneses. There will always be a hierarchy in the revenue producing college sports.

The P5 schools need the G5 schools. having schools who operate at a huge disadvantage financially and politically allows the P5 schools to maintain a higher status, win more games, monopolize and control the money, as well as the image of being "better", which is useful in terms of recruiting athletes. If there was total separation, and the P5 schools didnt have the G5's to crap on, and be the bottom feeders, schools like Oregon State, or Purdue, Vanderbilt, and many others, would become the new "mid-majors". Enthusiasm for many schools would shrink if they didnt get to play G5 schools, always at home and with their own officials.

Put the snakes alone in the same pit and see what happens.

Quote:If there was total separation, and the P5 schools didnt have the G5's to crap on, and be the bottom feeders, schools like Oregon State, or Purdue, Vanderbilt, and many others, would become the new "mid-majors".

The argument against this is that is the P5s wouldn't play FCS anymore at all, but play G5s every year -- and even a requirement if need be to ensure it all. So they'd still have G5's to crap on.

The problem with total separation like that though is, much how you put it, it'd take true Cinderellas out of the ball. And it wouldn't help Indiana's football program or the like. It'd be like taking the NCAA Tourney, and taking everyone seeded 10 or lower and putting them in another tourney.

And speaking of the NCAA Basketball -- if one makes the argument that WMU/MAC should join the FCS -- one mine as well make the argument that there should be a G5(+lower) separate division for basketball to "give us a better chance" at winning a national championship in basketball.

In the end, the argument for us to go down a notch is purely based on post-season. We basically have to be the #1 "champ" of the whole G5 to make it to a BCS bowl, is the cry. And how often is that going to happen with Boise, Houston, SDSU, South Florida, Memphis, and several others in the G5 -- and still not being able to win it all? Well, in basketball, our chances really aren't much better. And it won't be Too long before the Playoff will Expand to have several more teams, and include a Top G5 -- where there's not just a Big Bowl to go to, but technically a chance for the National Championship.

But I believe it's not purely about National Championship feasibility. It's more about the post-season in general. Hence, what *I* like is having multiple championship playoff tournament crowns in football, where the National Championship one is the top one. That the Top G5 would go to. And also one where the (other) top G5s fight for a National G5 crown, too. That would keep Cinderalla + appease almost all G5's fans woes about our placement now.

There's been talk about the Michigans/Alabamas/etc breaking away since the beginning. I'll believe it when I see it.

Seems like more P5s than ever are playing at the G5 schools.

And no WMU and the MAC should not drop a level. The Power 5 needs to recognize as FBS.

Also WMU should and is taking hockey more seriously then basketball because it'd be easier to win a National Championship (great seeing Hawk continue to excel tho)

(09-19-2017 09:25 AM)broncofan1 Wrote:  

(09-16-2017 07:43 PM)Nacho Wrote:  I'd love to see them put more money towards basketball.

The conference as a whole made a commitment back around 2000 to push football, even at the expense of basketball. That's where they saw the money. Not sure how successful it's been.

Remember how amazing MAC basketball was in the 80's and 90's? Those players don't come to MAC teams anymore.

Western has two MAC BB titles, several West conference titles, two NCAA appearances, NIT, CIT, and CBI in the time frame you posted. They installed new floor two seasons ago, just renovated the locker room and have drawings on the table for practice facility.