http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/ma...8accd.html

Nice. Should definitely make it more exciting as the season progresses.

Posted from mobile device. Hopefully it's coherent.

This should keep the top half of CUSA teams RPIs in place. In the last several years Ive seen some of CUSA top teams RPIs tumble 25-30 spots just because in the last quarter of the conference schedule they would be playing 200+ RPIs. A 25-30 RPI tumble could mean the difference of an at large or NIT birth to nothing at all.

I really like this change to the scheduling. I think it creates a playoff like sense of urgency to our conference schedule, and make for some great match-ups down the stretch. I'd think those games would be appealing to broadcasters.

At least it's something. I doubt it makes enough difference to the Selection Committee. We'll see.

how would that work if your travel partner is one of the teams that ends up with you? play them 3 times?

What do you know, we have finally done something that makes some sense. Hopefully this will result in us having multiple bids again soon!

(05-27-2018 02:19 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  how would that work if your travel partner is one of the teams that ends up with you? play them 3 times?

It appears that way. I don’t see any issue with that.

(05-27-2018 02:19 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  how would that work if your travel partner is one of the teams that ends up with you? play them 3 times?

Yep. I could see Marshall playing WKU and/or Middle up to 3 times in the regular season and even meet in the conference tournament. So 4 times a year is a possibility for programs.

It may or may not pay any dividends for the top programs but at least the conference is willing to try something new.

The only issue I would have would if say mtsu and wku were to play again I would hope they wouldn't put it at the school that hosted the first game. Even if the seeding worked out that way.

They are trying and actually passed something! GREAT! It can always be dropped or modified the next season if needed.

So the sucky teams may not see a good team come in to their place for the last leg of the conference schedule? This could skew attendance by tens. :)

Good thought. Let's try it.

(05-27-2018 02:09 PM)SpaceRaider Wrote:  At least it's something. I doubt it makes enough difference to the Selection Committee. We'll see.

The selection committee will do what they want to do... but this takes away one of their convenient excuses for ignoring leagues like CUSA.

More importantly, this raises the stakes for the last four games of the regular season and really turns it into a second stage. 1 thru 14 ... this should make it more exciting for everybody

Outstanding news — and about time. Finally, some aggressive ideas and out-of-the-box approach. More, please.

The problem I see with this....you still have to win out. A loss hurts more than you gain and to me it's about like what we use to do with espn MM game. It shouldn't be any difference be tween top 50 teams when you play them but there is.....

even us fans value a win over a P5 top 100*125 team more than a top 50-75 CUSA team.

Till we start winning more OOC games nothing is going to change. You can't have 3 out of the top 5 to suck it up in OOC then get a transfer player or a injured player or just more experience and get hot during conference play. That plays into the thinking...but it was wins vs CUSA teams.

@WKUYG: Not saying this solves every problem, but it’s an indisputable RPI-boost for the top five teams, based on W-L standings of the first 14 games. There’s simply no downside to this at all, that I can see.

I don’t think RPI-boosting alone is enough. Heck, MTSU was a Top 25 RPI team and they weren’t even in the first four out...

One other wrinkle I might consider... have the conference tournament and award the auto bid the last weekend in January. This gives other teams a month and a half to rack up wins against a known Tourney team. In our case last year, ODU and WKU could have strengthen arguments and their narrative for a month+ by saying “we had wins against an NCAA tournament team” if it had been known who it was 6 weeks earlier.

Probably doesn’t give us the hottest team going into March, but I think it may strengthen the narrative for bubble teams.

(05-27-2018 05:44 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  @WKUYG: Not saying this solves every problem, but it’s an indisputable RPI-boost for the top five teams, based on W-L standings of the first 14 games. There’s simply no downside to this at all, that I can see.

As I said the top two teams better win out because the selection committee views any loss to a CUSA team as more harmful than any win....

just as they did Middle losing to our conference champ. Especially late in the season. Up till the last game of the season most people had Middle in. I guess this is a step that will help the RPI but then you pit #1 vs a low RPI in the 2nd round game of the conference tourney.

The only step that is going to change perception of this conference is OOC wins.

Lets take a look at the last 4 games for Middle and Western's schedule from last year

Middle
____________________
Tech
UAB
Western
Marshall


UAB is Middle's travel partner so they still play that game. But going off the other 3 Middle gains 1 decent game because they would not have Western and Marshall on their schedule but once.

Western
___________________
UNCC
ODU
Middle
UAB

those 4 games would not be played so you are really just replacing UNCC since the other 3 were top 5

Point is when the schedules are made no one knows who will be #1-#5 and the only team you are guaranteed to play twice up till that 14th game is your travel partner. There is no guarantee you haven't already played the poor teams twice

All this is good, but they still have to schedule well and win OOC games.

Well, I hate it. Also, if Chuck Landon likes it, then you know it’s terrible.