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Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
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mjs Offline
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Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
Looked like a done deal, a few days ago, but now it looks much more up in the air. Supposedly, the MAC teams are debating how much those two teams would really add and whether or not it would lead to more TV money from ESPN (in the end it is always about money). While they are "nice" programs, would they really change anyone's perception about the MAC? They might help some in basketball, but would it really turn the MAC into a 2 bid league? Football is the driving issue and they probably wouldn't particularly benefit the MAC overall. On the other side, MTSU has seemed rather hesitant about moving to a "northern" conference from the start. WKU seems like a better geographical fit, but I don't know if they would go without MTSU or if they would be offered in that scenario. Last time I posted about this, I was leaning slightly toward WKU and MTSU going to the MAC, but now I am leaning the other way.

I guess my biggest interest is how it might effect us. If they stay, CUSA may be done with expansion for now. If they go, CUSA will be looking at more FCS call-ups which could impact conferences we might be considering like the Ohio Valley, Atlantic Sun, and maybe even the MoValley. I am now considerably less optimistic about CUSA taking us as a non-football member regardless of what WKU and MTSU do. I am starting to doubt they would consider non-football members, but our chances might be a little better if those teams leave. They might consider us if they take UConn and/or UMass as football-only, but I haven't seen much talk of that in the past week or so.
(This post was last modified: 11-08-2021 03:04 PM by mjs.)
11-08-2021 02:39 PM
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TexasTerror Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
My two cents...

The MAC will be able to add Western Kentucky & Middle Tennessee if and when it wants to. It can take its time to do its due diligence and see if it makes enough dollars and cents (and any other benefit) to make such a move. They should not feel like they are rushed in the least bit to make a move on this front.

If these two institutions stay in CUSA - you have nine institutions that play all sports. So you are set as a FBS league. Nine schools and eight conference games (four home, four away) is perfect balance.

However, does it make sense for scheduling in other sports to add Little Rock and/or Arlington? It certainly would help from a travel partner standpoint - right? Arlington and Sam Houston are under 3 hours apart, same with Little Rock and Louisiana Tech. It also helps create somewhat of a 'pod' to the west if this league wants to ever solidify its geography.
11-08-2021 03:41 PM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-08-2021 03:41 PM)TexasTerror Wrote:  My two cents...

The MAC will be able to add Western Kentucky & Middle Tennessee if and when it wants to. It can take its time to do its due diligence and see if it makes enough dollars and cents (and any other benefit) to make such a move. They should not feel like they are rushed in the least bit to make a move on this front.

If these two institutions stay in CUSA - you have nine institutions that play all sports. So you are set as a FBS league. Nine schools and eight conference games (four home, four away) is perfect balance.

However, does it make sense for scheduling in other sports to add Little Rock and/or Arlington? It certainly would help from a travel partner standpoint - right? Arlington and Sam Houston are under 3 hours apart, same with Little Rock and Louisiana Tech. It also helps create somewhat of a 'pod' to the west if this league wants to ever solidify its geography.

Thanks for your input. That was my argument and why I thought CUSA would consider us and UTA. I've become less optimistic, since I haven't heard much talk about this, but maybe it will still happen. I would think making travel easier for all sports, other than football, would be a priority for any conference.
11-08-2021 05:08 PM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
So the latest rumor is that WKU wants to move to the MAC, but MTSU doesn't. The MAC wants both or no deal. So WKU's biggest rival will determine if they move to the MAC or not.
11-08-2021 05:16 PM
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SMUfan Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-08-2021 05:16 PM)mjs Wrote:  So the latest rumor is that WKU wants to move to the MAC, but MTSU doesn't. The MAC wants both or no deal. So WKU's biggest rival will determine if they move to the MAC or not.

Checking in. What do you guys think will happen with UALR and UTA?
11-08-2021 08:35 PM
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RamblinRedWolf Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
This is from a former WKU broadcaster…

https://twitter.com/toddoham/status/1457...31332?s=21
11-08-2021 09:37 PM
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PTJR Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-08-2021 05:08 PM)mjs Wrote:  
(11-08-2021 03:41 PM)TexasTerror Wrote:  My two cents...

The MAC will be able to add Western Kentucky & Middle Tennessee if and when it wants to. It can take its time to do its due diligence and see if it makes enough dollars and cents (and any other benefit) to make such a move. They should not feel like they are rushed in the least bit to make a move on this front.

If these two institutions stay in CUSA - you have nine institutions that play all sports. So you are set as a FBS league. Nine schools and eight conference games (four home, four away) is perfect balance.

However, does it make sense for scheduling in other sports to add Little Rock and/or Arlington? It certainly would help from a travel partner standpoint - right? Arlington and Sam Houston are under 3 hours apart, same with Little Rock and Louisiana Tech. It also helps create somewhat of a 'pod' to the west if this league wants to ever solidify its geography.

Thanks for your input. That was my argument and why I thought CUSA would consider us and UTA. I've become less optimistic, since I haven't heard much talk about this, but maybe it will still happen. I would think making travel easier for all sports, other than football, would be a priority for any conference.

Our problem with this is like Catch 22 with the CUSA. If WKU & MTSU stay in CUSA it would make the CUSA much more attractive to us. But if they do stay in the CUSA, the conference is less likely to be interested in us.
11-08-2021 10:08 PM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-08-2021 09:37 PM)RamblinRedWolf Wrote:  This is from a former WKU broadcaster…

https://twitter.com/toddoham/status/1457...31332?s=21

Claims the MAC was not interested in either team. Didn't sound that way a few days ago. I guess it is possible that the MAC was very happy with their 12 team conference and saw no reason to rock the boat. Still think MTSU didn't want to go and the MAC wanted both or none.
11-09-2021 12:30 AM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
I guess we will see in the next few weeks if CUSA is happy to stay at 9 teams. This really is a pretty good number for football and basketball scheduling- but it leaves them little cushion if they get poached again. If they decide to add FCS teams (i.e. MoState from the Valley and/or a couple of teams from the Ohio Valley and/or Atlantic Sun) it could play a role in where we end up. Some have suggested they look at NDST and SDST, but that's only if they want to be the most spread out conference in the history of NCAA sports- actually they may already hold that honor.
11-09-2021 12:38 AM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
MAC will not expand. Only questions that remain- what will CUSA do? What will LR and UTA do? Still see these questions as rather intertwined. They could take us, they could take team(s) from a conference we are considering, or they could do nothing more at this time.

MAC: "While a number of institutions have expressed interest, we never requested any institution to apply for membership nor did we have a formal or informal vote concerning any institutions. … Today’s announcement is intended to end the speculation that has been occurring."
11-10-2021 07:02 PM
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PTJR Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-10-2021 07:02 PM)mjs Wrote:  MAC will not expand. Only questions that remain- what will CUSA do? What will LR and UTA do? Still see these questions as rather intertwined. They could take us, they could take team(s) from a conference we are considering, or they could do nothing more at this time.

MAC: "While a number of institutions have expressed interest, we never requested any institution to apply for membership nor did we have a formal or informal vote concerning any institutions. … Today’s announcement is intended to end the speculation that has been occurring."

My guess is that CUSA stands pat at nine teams for a while. So, depending on what the SBC does about the idea of “inviting” us to leave, our situation may very well stand pat for a while. But if nothing else, it should make us actively look for possibilities going forward. And although the latest shuffle at the FBS level may be over for a while, I don’t think the shuffle is over at non FBS conferences just yet.
11-11-2021 08:55 AM
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ez272 Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-11-2021 08:55 AM)PTJR Wrote:  
(11-10-2021 07:02 PM)mjs Wrote:  MAC will not expand. Only questions that remain- what will CUSA do? What will LR and UTA do? Still see these questions as rather intertwined. They could take us, they could take team(s) from a conference we are considering, or they could do nothing more at this time.

MAC: "While a number of institutions have expressed interest, we never requested any institution to apply for membership nor did we have a formal or informal vote concerning any institutions. … Today’s announcement is intended to end the speculation that has been occurring."

My guess is that CUSA stands pat at nine teams for a while. So, depending on what the SBC does about the idea of “inviting” us to leave, our situation may very well stand pat for a while. But if nothing else, it should make us actively look for possibilities going forward. And although the latest shuffle at the FBS level may be over for a while, I don’t think the shuffle is over at non FBS conferences just yet.

We are looking.
11-11-2021 11:07 AM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-11-2021 11:07 AM)ez272 Wrote:  
(11-11-2021 08:55 AM)PTJR Wrote:  
(11-10-2021 07:02 PM)mjs Wrote:  MAC will not expand. Only questions that remain- what will CUSA do? What will LR and UTA do? Still see these questions as rather intertwined. They could take us, they could take team(s) from a conference we are considering, or they could do nothing more at this time.

MAC: "While a number of institutions have expressed interest, we never requested any institution to apply for membership nor did we have a formal or informal vote concerning any institutions. … Today’s announcement is intended to end the speculation that has been occurring."

My guess is that CUSA stands pat at nine teams for a while. So, depending on what the SBC does about the idea of “inviting” us to leave, our situation may very well stand pat for a while. But if nothing else, it should make us actively look for possibilities going forward. And although the latest shuffle at the FBS level may be over for a while, I don’t think the shuffle is over at non FBS conferences just yet.

We are looking.

Obviously we all "assume" we are. Do you have any actual information about what we may be looking at?
11-11-2021 11:10 AM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
Interesting to me that the WKU Athletic Director, in an interview, made it clear WKU was very much wanting to join the MAC. This was nixed by the MAC when MTSU decided to stay put. It seemed to me that the WKU AD pretty much said they were hoping for a MAC invite in the future. Pretty strange thing for an AD to say publicly while they are still in CUSA for the foreseeable future.
11-15-2021 01:21 PM
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mjs Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-15-2021 01:21 PM)mjs Wrote:  Interesting to me that the WKU Athletic Director, in an interview, made it clear WKU was very much wanting to join the MAC. This was nixed by the MAC when MTSU decided to stay put. It seemed to me that the WKU AD pretty much said they were hoping for a MAC invite in the future. Pretty strange thing for an AD to say publicly while they are still in CUSA for the foreseeable future.

Part of his statement:
"I really enjoyed the dialogue I had with everybody associated with the MAC," Western Kentucky athletic director Todd Stewart told The Blade. "I had conversations with athletic directors. Our president had conversations with presidents. I had multiple conversations with commissioner Steinbrecher and his staff, and I really enjoyed it. I have a lot of respect for everybody. The league clearly has good, strong leadership, and it was something we would have loved to be a part of. We were hoping it was going to work out, and certainly, we were disappointed when it didn't."

MTSU's reluctance and the MAC's final decision left Western Kentucky fans feeling spurned, with most of the vitriol directed at their archrival for what they believed to be a short-sided financial decision that negatively affected the future of WKU athletics.

"The fans are stakeholders," Stewart said. "They are our shareholders, so to speak. When word initially got out that the MAC might be a possibility, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I anticipated that it would be good, but it was even better than I thought. Everyone I ran into expressed how much they hoped it would get done, across the board. The more people looked at it, the more it made sense."
11-15-2021 01:26 PM
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PTJR Offline
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RE: Still no news on WKU and MTSU to the MAC
(11-15-2021 01:26 PM)mjs Wrote:  
(11-15-2021 01:21 PM)mjs Wrote:  Interesting to me that the WKU Athletic Director, in an interview, made it clear WKU was very much wanting to join the MAC. This was nixed by the MAC when MTSU decided to stay put. It seemed to me that the WKU AD pretty much said they were hoping for a MAC invite in the future. Pretty strange thing for an AD to say publicly while they are still in CUSA for the foreseeable future.

Part of his statement:
"I really enjoyed the dialogue I had with everybody associated with the MAC," Western Kentucky athletic director Todd Stewart told The Blade. "I had conversations with athletic directors. Our president had conversations with presidents. I had multiple conversations with commissioner Steinbrecher and his staff, and I really enjoyed it. I have a lot of respect for everybody. The league clearly has good, strong leadership, and it was something we would have loved to be a part of. We were hoping it was going to work out, and certainly, we were disappointed when it didn't."

MTSU's reluctance and the MAC's final decision left Western Kentucky fans feeling spurned, with most of the vitriol directed at their archrival for what they believed to be a short-sided financial decision that negatively affected the future of WKU athletics.

"The fans are stakeholders," Stewart said. "They are our shareholders, so to speak. When word initially got out that the MAC might be a possibility, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I anticipated that it would be good, but it was even better than I thought. Everyone I ran into expressed how much they hoped it would get done, across the board. The more people looked at it, the more it made sense."

And a not so veiled slam on the CUSA leadership too! Looks like WKU is taking up the La Tech method of how to win friends and influence people, huh!
11-15-2021 04:17 PM
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