From the MAC board, it sounds like the SBC is going to start the 2022 season with Georgia State and Georgia Southern. This leave only 4 teams left in the MAC-WMU, BGSU, NIU and Akron.

It also decimates the CUSA soccer conference and leaves FIU in the cold. The MAC could get FIU as an affiliate, but they need 6 for an automatic bid.

With NIU's soccer needle pointing up, I hate to see this issue curtailment recruitment or worse yet, the program.

Does anybody on this board know anything more on this topic?

One name I have seen mentioned is the University of Southern Indiana. They are moving up to D1 next year and joining the Ohio Valley Conference, which does not have soccer.

Lindenwood is also joining the OVC and, similarly, has soccer, so they would also be a possibility.

Edit. Liberty and FIU are the only two CUSA members with mens soccer, so a couple of more possibilities.

I have also seen discussion about merging the MAC/MVC for soccer (MVC now has five soccer members).

(04-06-2022 12:44 PM)HuskieDave Wrote:  One name I have seen mentioned is the University of Southern Indiana. They are moving up to D1 next year and joining the Ohio Valley Conference, which does not have soccer.

Lindenwood is also joining the OVC and, similarly, has soccer, so they would also be a possibility.

I have also seen discussion about merging the MAC/MVC for soccer.

The MAC/MVC Soccer merger seems intriguing, they are losing Loyola which brings them to 5 teams. Having Missouri State with Akron NIU and BGSU is a tough conference. I don't know if Edwardsville had an off year, but they used to be a soccer powerhouse. Wasn't Drake good at Soccer at one time?

Hopefully they can get this ironed out for the fall season

Sun Belt continues to make moves and passes the MAC in another sport. I think most saw this happening but has the MAC literally ever done anything notable to advance its position in any sport? It has to be one of the worst run conferences in the country.

(04-06-2022 07:59 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  Sun Belt continues to make moves and passes the MAC in another sport. I think most saw this happening but has the MAC literally ever done anything notable to advance its position in any sport? It has to be one of the worst run conferences in the country.

Well, there was the WAC

Desperate times require desperate measures! MAC sat by idly during the height of Covid when all schools were looking at their budgets, especially non revenue sports like soccer. Instead of being aggressive in adding geographically conducive schools, even as affiliate members, they basically did nothing.

Coach Swan is doing a stellar job and elevating the program! It would be nice if the MAC would do some elevating of its own!

(04-07-2022 09:58 PM)Huskie D Wrote:  Desperate times require desperate measures! MAC sat by idly during the height of Covid when all schools were looking at their budgets, especially non revenue sports like soccer. Instead of being aggressive in adding geographically conducive schools, even as affiliate members, they basically did nothing.

Coach Swan is doing a stellar job and elevating the program! It would be nice if the MAC would do some elevating of its own!

Good point. There were future SBC teams suing CUSA to get out of the contract right away to start the 2022-2023 in the SBC. There was a good chance that they would win and that would mean bye-bye to GSU and GS. So what was the MAC contingency plan for soccer. Hopefully an alternative plan will be rolled out soon or STF has to earn his salary and find a place for NIU soccer on his own and quickly.

Sun Belt soccer now has Marshall, the 2020 National Champion, and Kentucky, South Carolina, and West Virginia from the P5. The Sun Belt continues to position itself as one of the stronger non P-5 conferences and is really starting to distance itself from the MAC in all-sports.

The MAC is probably going to end up adding someone like Chicago State or a start-up DII school to backfill. Clearly one conference seems to have a better plan than the other.

MAC is status quo league without an once of planning or reach out goals. Satisfied with ESPN scraps and non return game contracts for the most part. They have never been innovative or proactive, so why do you think they would start now.