It's clear that these boards value fan support over anything when judging teams. Otherwise Western Kentucky would not be valued way over FAU/FIU. These moves are about football first. FAU/FIU have done just as much in football in recent years. Heck FAU went 3-9 last year and one of the wins was beating WKU in their home stadium.
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
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(04-03-2013 10:05 AM)Ragu Wrote: It's clear that these boards value fan support over anything when judging teams. Otherwise Western Kentucky would not be valued way over FAU/FIU. These moves are about football first.
But "football first" means a lot of different things: longer term tradition, recent playing success, ticket gate, TV audience, etc. If one school puts all of those together, its going to get in, no matter what its BBall is like. But if those factors are split between different potential entries, then BBall strength of schedule still plays a role as a "swing vote" in a conference that aspires to be a multi-bid conference.
It might be coincidence that both of the Sunbelt's NCAA bids this year are heading to CUSA ... but probably not.
(04-02-2013 07:37 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote: The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
(a) The MAC doesn't want to go to a super conference and (b) the MAC won't be able to raid CUSA in any event, so scratch all the CUSA off your list from the outset.
For anybody to build a "superconference" by raiding fellow Group of Five conferences requires a network willing to bankroll the job. IOW:
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2013 10:41 AM by BruceMcF.)
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
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Just and idea to throw out there, lol.
I have no problem with that...its just not a logical one.
Suggesting that a CUSA team would be willing to pay the exit fee and pay to join the MAC just doesn't make sense.
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
...
Just and idea to throw out there, lol.
I have no problem with that...its just not a logical one.
Suggesting that a CUSA team would be willing to pay the exit fee and pay to join the MAC just doesn't make sense.
It might with CUSA's TV contract going down the tubes in 3 years....
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
MAC North: NIU, Ball State, WMU, CMU, EMU, UT, BG, KSU, Akron, Buffalo MAC South: Ohio, Miami, Marshall WKU, MTSU, Ark St, LaTech, USM, UAB, Charlotte
I have to laugh at people like you who are trying to drive this agenda that the MAC is superior to CUSA and teams would actually leave the conference for it. Look I like the MAC for what it is, but you aren't going to fool anyone who actually has followed it over the years into believing that it is a great conference.
Ohio U has sucked way more often than they have been good. You guys just won your first bowl game in history in 2011. Ohio U has been playing football since 1894! For all the people who slam FAU/FIU, FAU won 2 bowl games before Ohio U won their 1st and they have played football since 2001. FIU won one along with Ohio U's first as well.
My sister went to Kent and I have a lot of friends that went to Akron. They are nothing special in football most years. Toledo and BG have been more consistent over them within the state but even BG is down now. All of these teams go up and down and it isn't as if they are power teams.
When Marshall was in the MAC, they dominated the conference. I'd say Southern Miss has done more than any MAC school. I don't think any MAC school is widely superior to a school like Louisiana Tech either.
Nobody is leaving CUSA for the MAC. Just flat out isn't happening.
Don't worry about LK, he has good intentions but is somewhat (understatement) unrealistic on his views of the MAC and OU especially. In his mind, Ohio is out the MAC's league because of its funding, program strength, fan support, and facilities, which would be mediocre in a conference like the Big East (America 12).
This part is true.
I'm just wondering because CUSA and the SBC has become such an overlapping mess if it makes sense to combine the northern markets of the MAC with some of the southern markets of CUSA into one conference that can contend with the A12 and MW.
As to the loss of the mediocre Florida markets, CUSA's biggest mistake was to get back into Florida. Definitely not twice as they should have taken WKU/MTSU the last time around and they could have taken Arkansas State this last week.
My theory is that since the core of La Tech, USM, UAB, WKU, MTSU aren't playing each other in the same division CUSA 3.0 is kind of a mess. If all of those schools could play in the SAME division in the MAC it would be a better deal. As for Texas and Florida recruiting it shouldn't be a problem even without schools from those states in the league. The MAC has no problem recruiting Florida without a Florida school as it is.
I really doubt WKU and MTSU are losing any sleep over not playing La.Tech regularly...
I assume we're talking football at the moment, so...I'm curious to know why you feel this way?
We never played WKU that I remember, and only had 3 games ever against Middle. We did have a fun little basketball rivalry with WKU back in the day, however. I'm looking forward to renewing that.
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
...
Just and idea to throw out there, lol.
I have no problem with that...its just not a logical one.
Suggesting that a CUSA team would be willing to pay the exit fee and pay to join the MAC just doesn't make sense.
It might with CUSA's TV contract going down the tubes in 3 years....
Yeah because the MAC's TV contract is going to be so much higher. You have less different states, less big media markets and the same (at best) level of football. I still think CUSA will be better in football long term.
(04-03-2013 10:44 AM)Louis Kitton Wrote: It might with CUSA's TV contract going down the tubes in 3 years....
It'll still end up higher than the MAC, and CUSA looks like its aiming at holding onto two-bid status, which would be an extra $1.5m-$2m on top of the difference in media contracts.
The MAC has never raided an FBS conference before. Temple, UCF and NIU were independents when added.
The MAC could try something very unconventional and go after Ark State, La Tech, So. Miss, UAB, Marshall and MTSU, WKU and Charlotte if it wants to go to a super conference.
...
Just and idea to throw out there, lol.
I have no problem with that...its just not a logical one.
Suggesting that a CUSA team would be willing to pay the exit fee and pay to join the MAC just doesn't make sense.
It might with CUSA's TV contract going down the tubes in 3 years....
3 years is a long time in terms of conference realignment.
3 years ago TCU was in the MWC and the BE looked stable.
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MAC looking to raid the Sun Belt?
