MAC General Realignment Thread

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1036

tkalmus wrote:

Per CBS sports twitter page:
UMass will join the MAC's East Division and Bowling Green will go West.
Sorry on phone so no link...

Links http://online.wsj.com/article/AP6a84de6 ... e1137.html
http://www.hustlebelt.com/2012/1/4/2682 ... ir-balance
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/colleges ... n-mac-east
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... aded-west/
http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=546038

Also note that "The weird wrinkle in this: BG remains in the MAC East in other sports (such as basketball)"

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7063

Article out of Philly discussing MAC/Temple exit negotiations and mentions UMASS situation at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/hom ... 51203.html

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7063

Blog article out of Philly(previously posted in another thread)with report that Temple FB move from MAC to BE is "imminent".Link at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/owls ... 20193.html

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7063

Article out of Cleveland with comments from MAC Commish regarding Temple and MAC realignment situation at http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college ... ves_m.html

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7063

Article out of Cleveland with comments from MAC Commish regarding this week's MAC meetings that will apparently include league expansion discussions.Link at http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college ... other.html

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1493

Who ?

Delaware, JMU, Youngstown State ?

Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them.
I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

The Bishin Cutter · **Joined:** Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:41 am **Posts:** 543

The issue is whether the MAC wants more all-sports members, or if they're just going to plug up the hole Temple's hasty exit made. I'm sure UMass would love another eastern school, but that would be App. State? Army?

If it's all-sports, I think it's WKU. It's the right move for both parties...WKU is a consistent contributor in basketball that will fit in nicely with the MAC schools, and its football is improving while adding no real travel burden. Win-win.

Things are moving too slowly and quietly over in Delaware and Harrisonburg, VA for it to be UDel or JMU. I doubt they're in this discussion, though would be the obvious eastern-most programs (well, them AND Villanova).

Peter Hunt · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:58 am

tute79 wrote:

Who ?

Delaware, JMU, Youngstown State ?

Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them.
I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

I don't think WKU would leave Sunbelt for the MAC. But I could be wrong? What would they benifit from that?

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3757

Peter Hunt wrote:

tute79 wrote:

Who ?

Delaware, JMU, Youngstown State ?

Army for FB only ? Army insists on playing at FBS level, but acts like every conference is too tough for them.
I'm unclear who they plan to scheule then... Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame, an FCS school... and then WHO ?

If ODU says no to CUSA, and CUSA Plan "B" is Middle Tennessee State, does that leave WKU somewhat isolated in the Sun-Belt ?

I don't think WKU would leave Sunbelt for the MAC. But I could be wrong? What would they benifit from that?

Agreed. Nobody would. Sun Belt has better markets. Might not seem important now, but with the annual migration numbers from the Rust belt to the Sun belt, those markets continue to grow. The SB might never be the SEC or ACC, but with more people comes more students, alumni, money. WKU tied to markets like Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Mobile will eventually be considered more beneficial than the secondary cities in Ohio/Michigan that make up the MAC.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1493

Not sure that WKU would benefit from a move to the MAC.

I just don't know who the MAC's targets are...

A few years ago, Temple, WKU and MTSU were listed prominently.

I think YSU is a natural... I believe they were at one time hoping for an invitation that went to SUNY-Buffalo.

The Bishin Cutter · **Joined:** Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:41 am **Posts:** 543

I never drank the Kool-Aid that SBC > MAC. It's not that the markets are better in the MAC, because they aren't, per se. It's that the schools are. In football, the MAC usually has no problem scheduling games in the OOC: B1G, Big East, SA's, and ND. SBC is competing with C-USA and WAC in their part of the map. What MAC doesn't have in their own market, they "showcase" when traveling to others (even if it's getting beaten like a drum).

And the siphon effect must be considered: do MAC'ers apply for the SBC or is it the other way around? I know there's an article out there about WKU and MTSU and their candidacy, which is 'spec, but I had heard/read for some time that WKU's FBS upgrade was to get the program into better position for a MAC all-sports invite.

What does MAC have to offer to WKU? Better hoops. Consistent football. Stability (really). And...so far, after this round of expansion and realignment: easier travel. Yes, the SBC can brag they have this expansive reach...but these are small programs with little support. The kind of schedule WKU football has to contend with now is going to be brutal. And what if they have to add NMSU and the Spuds? Even if those schools subsidize travel, there is no way these games draw or make anyone happy.

It wouldn't surprise me if Illinois State grabs a spot. They've wanted it for so long and have the leadership who are for it.

JPSchmack · **Joined:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:21 pm **Posts:** 851

The Bishin Cutter wrote:

I never drank the Kool-Aid that SBC > MAC. It's not that the markets are better in the MAC, because they aren't, per se. It's that the schools are. In football, the MAC usually has no problem scheduling games in the OOC: B1G, Big East, SA's, and ND. SBC is competing with C-USA and WAC in their part of the map. What MAC doesn't have in their own market, they "showcase" when traveling to others (even if it's getting beaten like a drum).

And the siphon effect must be considered: do MAC'ers apply for the SBC or is it the other way around?

What does MAC have to offer to WKU? Better hoops. Consistent football. Stability (really).

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see have
Miami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3
WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

If football scheduling is really easy for you, it's probably because you're a cheap guarantee game. And they're right in the Big Ten's backyard.

I think the perception of both leagues is changing. People are viewing the MAC as "There's no upward mobility." Whereas in the Sun Belt, I think there's more a view of programs can growing and develop and move up to a better conference because football is king and the south is the home of college football.

The Bishin Cutter · **Joined:** Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:41 am **Posts:** 543

JPSchmack wrote:

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see have
Miami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3
WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

What rankings are those? UMOH's an original Public Ivy and top-100 national university according to USNWR, and SUNY-Buffalo's AAU. Add Ohio, Ball State, NIU, WMU, BGSU, and Kent State, with UMass and Temple...those are the ranked national universities. They're grouped in the same category as comprehensive universities like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Duke. And NIU, IIRC, boasts some of the better graduation rates and GPAs for their athletes?

Maybe SBC is more appropriate for WKU because WKU is still seen as a smaller, regional school, but I thought WKU has wanted to become seen as a bigger school than it is, for more than just the sports, and I thought they got that with being in a group like the MAC than the SBC. The two conferences are similar in that they both house programs with small athletics budgets, but, as noted before in the previous post: now that the SBC has changed, are you willing to spend your already small athletics budget shipping kids to San Marcos or Muncie? Denver or DeKalb? How about your fanbase?

JPSchmack · **Joined:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:21 pm **Posts:** 851

The Bishin Cutter wrote:

JPSchmack wrote:

I don't know how much of that is true. The last academic rankings I see have
Miami 77, Ohio 115, Buffalo 121, Rest Tier 3
WKU 31, USA, 47, MTSU 56, rest Tier 3

So for "the schools are," is that the case?

What rankings are those? UMOH's an original Public Ivy and top-100 national university according to USNWR, and SUNY-Buffalo's AAU. Add Ohio, Ball State, NIU, WMU, BGSU, and Kent State, with UMass and Temple...those are the ranked national universities. They're grouped in the same category as comprehensive universities like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Duke. And NIU, IIRC, boasts some of the better graduation rates and GPAs for their athletes?

Maybe SBC is more appropriate for WKU because WKU is still seen as a smaller, regional school, but I thought WKU has wanted to become seen as a bigger school than it is, for more than just the sports, and I thought they got that with being in a group like the MAC than the SBC. The two conferences are similar in that they both house programs with small athletics budgets, but, as noted before in the previous post: now that the SBC has changed, are you willing to spend your already small athletics budget shipping kids to San Marcos or Muncie? Denver or DeKalb? How about your fanbase?

Those ranks I think are a year or two old, because they didn't do a "Rankings by Athletic Conference" this year and I'm too lazy to do it myself.

http://www.usnews.com/education/article ... 0-sun-belt

Ahhh. Those are "Universities Master's (South)" category. Stupid notations.

The new ranking has Miami U as #90. Yeah, in the same category with Havard (T-#1), Princeton (T-#1), Stanford (T-#5) and Duke (#10).

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:33 pm

Why is this even being talked about. If the MAC expands it will be w/ JMU and or Delaware. Possibly App St., I'm sure they'd rather be in the SBC though.

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