The MAC is "likely" to add Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee per Brett McMurphy of The Action Network on Twitter.

WKU is a pretty solid get for both football and basketball. MTSU should be competitive in both as well. If the MAC is going to expand, I'm glad to see it stays close to their existing geographical footprint. Curious to see the terms but they likely got a steep discount with C-USA essentially dissolving.

https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/statu...53955?s=20

(11-01-2021 11:23 AM)eastcoasteagle Wrote:  The MAC is "likely" to add Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee per Brett McMurphy of The Action Network on Twitter.

WKU is a pretty solid get for both football and basketball. MTSU should be competitive in both as well. If the MAC is going to expand, I'm glad to see it stays close to their existing geographical footprint. Curious to see the terms but they likely got a steep discount with C-USA essentially dissolving.

https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/statu...53955?s=20

I dont like it - I love it

Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses some of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

I dont think wed lose non conference football games - just change one of the intra division games into a regular one.

I think North and South (Lakes and Hills?) makes more sense for travel. Putting buffalo in our division would make the ontario sandwich trophy one step closer to being real

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

My 2 cents (worth 0.34 cents after inflation):

1). ESPN can re-open the contract if 2 or more schools enter or leave the conference. I was told this years ago by a higher up whom I knew at ESPN. I see no reason why ESPN wouldn't toss in another couple millions for the new schools.

2). Why do the MAC need to change FB or hoops schedules? E.g., hoops. I would go home and home with your 6 division opponents and 1 game with each school in the other division. That's 19 games.

3). Good questions on divisional realignment. Someone on the MAC board noted that W. KY and MTSU are among the western most teams in the new MAC. Should TOL move to the east? I'm sure BG fans would love to move to the west and have the newcomers in the East. Someone should ask WKU and MTSU where they'd like to be. Do they want to be with Miami, Ohio, etc.?

(11-01-2021 12:06 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

My 2 cents (worth 0.34 cents after inflation):

1). ESPN can re-open the contract if 2 or more schools enter or leave the conference. I was told this years ago by a higher up whom I knew at ESPN. I see no reason why ESPN wouldn't toss in another couple millions for the new schools.

2). Why do the MAC need to change FB or hoops schedules? E.g., hoops. I would go home and home with your 6 division opponents and 1 game with each school in the other division. That's 19 games.

3). Good questions on divisional realignment. Someone on the MAC board noted that W. KY and MTSU are among the western most teams in the new MAC. Should TOL move to the east? I'm sure BG fans would love to move to the west and have the newcomers in the East. Someone should ask WKU and MTSU where they'd like to be. Do they want to be with Miami, Ohio, etc.?

I would think so.

(11-01-2021 02:29 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 12:06 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

My 2 cents (worth 0.34 cents after inflation):

1). ESPN can re-open the contract if 2 or more schools enter or leave the conference. I was told this years ago by a higher up whom I knew at ESPN. I see no reason why ESPN wouldn't toss in another couple millions for the new schools.

2). Why do the MAC need to change FB or hoops schedules? E.g., hoops. I would go home and home with your 6 division opponents and 1 game with each school in the other division. That's 19 games.

3). Good questions on divisional realignment. Someone on the MAC board noted that W. KY and MTSU are among the western most teams in the new MAC. Should TOL move to the east? I'm sure BG fans would love to move to the west and have the newcomers in the East. Someone should ask WKU and MTSU where they'd like to be. Do they want to be with Miami, Ohio, etc.?

I would think so.

Win-win for everyone?

Last I checked, KY borders Ohio so WKU would develop rivalries with Miami and Ohio.

The logic makes more sense geographically to the MAC east, both MTSU and WKU are on CST, and I believe N Illinois is the only other one that's also! I could see Toledo and Ball St going to the MAC east, and the three Michigan schools, N Illinois, MTSU, and WKU heading to the Mac west! Thoughts?

(11-01-2021 05:26 PM)EMUGLORYDAYSthe90s Wrote:  The logic makes more sense geographically to the MAC east, both MTSU and WKU are on CST, and I believe N Illinois is the only other one that's also! I could see Toledo and Ball St going to the MAC east, and the three Michigan schools, N Illinois, MTSU, and WKU heading to the Mac west! Thoughts?

Toledo will dominate the East in fb for the forseeable future if that happens. Also attendance will lose 1000 a game grabbing Kent, Akron, UB opposed to NIU, EMU, WMU.

Ohio and Miami wont hurt, (could help) as lots of alums are in the Toledo metro.

But jeez, i dont even want to go to away games playing current Eastern teams. Might make for good title games.

‘Glory,
Your suggestion of Toledo moving to the MAC East while adding MTSU and WKU to the West makes a lot of sense and is very insightful. Conversely, Ball St need not move (ie, we need 7 per side only.

I also like ‘splaining’s of Hills and Lakes which would be more of a north/south thing but with catchier names.

All in all, while I can’t stand the conference realignments, this one I think the MAC is almost forced to do. And will the addition will be a benefit to the MAC.

Love it! Great additions that make geographical sense and feel like they’ll be here for the long haul.

Personally, I’d just move BG to our division, and put the new schools with the rest of the MAC East (and obviously rebrand the divisions, since MTSU and WKU are further west than us). This only matters for football, thankfully, so I’m fine as long as we stick with WMU and CMU.

Middle TN and Western Kentucky are in fast growing areas. Middle TN puts close to the Nashville local TV market.Bowling Green KY is about 200k and Murfreesboro TN 150k but the fastest growing suburb of Nashville.

(11-01-2021 02:38 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:29 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 12:06 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

My 2 cents (worth 0.34 cents after inflation):

1). ESPN can re-open the contract if 2 or more schools enter or leave the conference. I was told this years ago by a higher up whom I knew at ESPN. I see no reason why ESPN wouldn't toss in another couple millions for the new schools.

2). Why do the MAC need to change FB or hoops schedules? E.g., hoops. I would go home and home with your 6 division opponents and 1 game with each school in the other division. That's 19 games.

3). Good questions on divisional realignment. Someone on the MAC board noted that W. KY and MTSU are among the western most teams in the new MAC. Should TOL move to the east? I'm sure BG fans would love to move to the west and have the newcomers in the East. Someone should ask WKU and MTSU where they'd like to be. Do they want to be with Miami, Ohio, etc.?

I would think so.

Win-win for everyone?

Last I checked, KY borders Ohio so WKU would develop rivalries with Miami and Ohio.

The North South Divisions makes much more sense than East West. Culturally and geographically a better fit.

(11-02-2021 06:50 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:38 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:29 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 12:06 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 11:46 AM)emu79 Wrote:  Questions
Providing it does happen:

Is ESPN going to increase its TV payout so no current MAC team loses isome of its current TV revenues?
Do we lose some non conference football games? What about basketball?
Do we change from East West divisions to North and South? Or put both new schools in the East Division and put let's say Bowling Green in the West just for the sake of discussion.

My 2 cents (worth 0.34 cents after inflation):

1). ESPN can re-open the contract if 2 or more schools enter or leave the conference. I was told this years ago by a higher up whom I knew at ESPN. I see no reason why ESPN wouldn't toss in another couple millions for the new schools.

2). Why do the MAC need to change FB or hoops schedules? E.g., hoops. I would go home and home with your 6 division opponents and 1 game with each school in the other division. That's 19 games.

3). Good questions on divisional realignment. Someone on the MAC board noted that W. KY and MTSU are among the western most teams in the new MAC. Should TOL move to the east? I'm sure BG fans would love to move to the west and have the newcomers in the East. Someone should ask WKU and MTSU where they'd like to be. Do they want to be with Miami, Ohio, etc.?

I would think so.

Win-win for everyone?

Last I checked, KY borders Ohio so WKU would develop rivalries with Miami and Ohio.

The North South Divisions makes much more sense than East West. Culturally and geographically a better fit.

Hypothetical Divisions:
Lakes: Buffalo, EMU, CMU, WMU, NIU, Toledo, BGSU
Hills: WKU, MTSU, BSU, Miami, Ohio, Akron, Kent State

Easier for travel - keeps rivalries together

Dear Friends,
Hate to throw cold water on this, but I am not at all in favor of expanding the MAC footprint at this time.
The comments about better television markets, bringing in great teams and schools, new rivalries, are all possible, but not guarantees. I will agree that things can never be certain until tried, but just because other schools or conferences are expanding, doesn't mean it is the right thing to do at this time.

(11-02-2021 09:17 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Hate to throw cold water on this, but I am not at all in favor of expanding the MAC footprint at this time.
The comments about better television markets, bringing in great teams and schools, new rivalries, are all possible, but not guarantees. I will agree that things can never be certain until tried, but just because other schools or conferences are expanding, doesn't mean it is the right thing to do at this time.

Well there was Marshall from 1996 to 2005. That didn't work out depending on who you ask.

(11-02-2021 10:32 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 09:17 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Hate to throw cold water on this, but I am not at all in favor of expanding the MAC footprint at this time.
The comments about better television markets, bringing in great teams and schools, new rivalries, are all possible, but not guarantees. I will agree that things can never be certain until tried, but just because other schools or conferences are expanding, doesn't mean it is the right thing to do at this time.

Well there was Marshall from 1996 to 2005. That didn't work out depending on who you ask.

the college football world today is COMPLETELY different than it was in 2005.

I think WKU and MTSU are both good football AND basketball programs who would fit in with the MAC no problem. They have an established rivalry (100 miles of hate) and are a plus for TV and recruitment for the nashville market. im not sure the mac can afford to not take advantage of this compared to how the sun belt and AAC have been able to grow their conferences.

Not to mention they almost certainly aren’t using the conference as a stepping stone like other potential new members would. These two seem like they’re long term answers. Only thing I’m bummed about is that it won’t go into effect until 2023.

Dear dansplaining and EagleSam,
How can you be so sure that these schools will be around for the long term, when the conference they are coming from had more changes in membership then probably any other conference in the country.
I will agree that Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee are not as far as Central Florida, but driving wise they add hours to their location, and remember we are not just talking about football and basketball. What about all the minor sports and their travel costs?
One more point. When Eastern was accepted into the MAC in 1972, we didn't play our first MAC game in football until 1974. We were not eligible to compete for the MAC Championship in football until 1976. Are the proposed additions to the MAC eligible for everything in 2023?

(11-02-2021 12:42 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear dansplaining and EagleSam,
How can you be so sure that these schools will be around for the long term, when the conference they are coming from had more changes in membership then probably any other conference in the country.
I will agree that Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee are not as far as Central Florida, but driving wise they add hours to their location, and remember we are not just talking about football and basketball. What about all the minor sports and their travel costs?
One more point. When Eastern was accepted into the MAC in 1972, we didn't play our first MAC game in football until 1974. We were not eligible to compete for the MAC Championship in football until 1976. Are the proposed additions to the MAC eligible for everything in 2023?

Considering NIU and Buffalo have been rumored to the big 12 at different points i dont take anything for granted.

as for teams traveling - a north south alignment would make that an easier pill to swallow

yes make everyone eligible for everything on day one who cares?