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Topic: News around the MAC
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ExCat21
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Posted: 10/14/2024 8:53 PM
Was browsing the net for some MAC news and stumbled across Barry Sanders son signing with Toledo.

I loved Barry growing up. Hope to see him in Athens one day if Toledo is on the schedule in the next few years.

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ut/2024/10/13/barry-sa...
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Posted: 10/15/2024 10:05 AM
And after adding Hawaii as a full member yesterday, the MW is doubling down on adding Toledo and NIU in football.
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Posted: 10/15/2024 11:05 AM
colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more
And after adding Hawaii as a full member yesterday, the MW is doubling down on adding Toledo and NIU in football.
The question is how interested are UT and NIU in any such deal. Not seen one story from a respectable media source talking about any negotiations. Lot's of chatter on fan boards.
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Posted: 10/15/2024 12:49 PM
I will be shocked if Toledo makes the jump. NIU on the other hand, I could see them venturing to see what's beyond the horizon.

That said, if they were both to jump, I hope the MAC has a backup plan. Ironically enough, I could see the MAC disintegrating a lot easier than I could any of the other leagues. And the fact that a western conference with minimal amount of schools is the one driving the boat on this, would tick me off.

I only say this because you got Buffalo, UCONN, Temple, UMASS, and Delaware in the northeast. Seeing how many other schools are making the transition to D-1 (granted, FCS) in that corner of the country, could really see the line being drawn in the sand to grab away a couple members like Buffalo and UMASS.

I will be very intrigued to see what happens if Toledo and NIU make the jump to be football only members. At that point, I believe their logical move would either go Horizon League or go Missouri Valley for all other sports.
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Posted: 10/15/2024 12:57 PM
colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more
And after adding Hawaii as a full member yesterday, the MW is doubling down on adding Toledo and NIU in football.
I haven't seen any reports that indicate the MW is "doubling down" on their interest in either or both schools. They simply state that the league has expressed interest in them...which we've known for weeks. Would be a really dumb move for UT and NIU.
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Posted: 10/15/2024 2:43 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
And after adding Hawaii as a full member yesterday, the MW is doubling down on adding Toledo and NIU in football.
I haven't seen any reports that indicate the MW is "doubling down" on their interest in either or both schools. They simply state that the league has expressed interest in them...which we've known for weeks. Would be a really dumb move for UT and NIU.
See my response below, sorry for duplicate
Last Edited: 10/15/2024 3:08:46 PM by colobobcat66
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Posted: 10/15/2024 2:45 PM
colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more
And after adding Hawaii as a full member yesterday, the MW is doubling down on adding Toledo and NIU in football.
I haven't seen any reports that indicate the MW is "doubling down" on their interest in either or both schools. They simply state that the league has expressed interest in them...which we've known for weeks. Would be a really dumb move for UT and NIU.
Iin the tweet from McMurphy today, he says the league will continue pursuit of those two in the announcement. I’m just paraphrasing what he says. That’s the first “ news” in 2 weeks or so .

I don’t know if it would be dumb without seeing the numbers. It’s probably won’t make sense, but that league has 150 million from the PAC 2 plus what would have to be a better payout than the paltry payout the MAC gets.
Last Edited: 10/15/2024 2:46:44 PM by colobobcat66
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Posted: 10/15/2024 3:16 PM
Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:expand_more
I will be shocked if Toledo makes the jump. NIU on the other hand, I could see them venturing to see what's beyond the horizon.

That said, if they were both to jump, I hope the MAC has a backup plan. Ironically enough, I could see the MAC disintegrating a lot easier than I could any of the other leagues. And the fact that a western conference with minimal amount of schools is the one driving the boat on this, would tick me off.

I only say this because you got Buffalo, UCONN, Temple, UMASS, and Delaware in the northeast. Seeing how many other schools are making the transition to D-1 (granted, FCS) in that corner of the country, could really see the line being drawn in the sand to grab away a couple members like Buffalo and UMASS.

I will be very intrigued to see what happens if Toledo and NIU make the jump to be football only members. At that point, I believe their logical move would either go Horizon League or go Missouri Valley for all other sports.
Based on payouts by ESPN, league/team rankings, market size, attendance, etc, the MAC doesn’t really have much going for it in the current state of college football. It’s a relatively compact geographical conference and that’s about it-and that’s not all important/relevant nowadays. Frankly, even if those 2 schools stay, we continue to fall behind other G-6 leagues IMHO and I’m not sure what we can do about it.
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Posted: 10/15/2024 3:48 PM
colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more
I will be shocked if Toledo makes the jump. NIU on the other hand, I could see them venturing to see what's beyond the horizon.

That said, if they were both to jump, I hope the MAC has a backup plan. Ironically enough, I could see the MAC disintegrating a lot easier than I could any of the other leagues. And the fact that a western conference with minimal amount of schools is the one driving the boat on this, would tick me off.

I only say this because you got Buffalo, UCONN, Temple, UMASS, and Delaware in the northeast. Seeing how many other schools are making the transition to D-1 (granted, FCS) in that corner of the country, could really see the line being drawn in the sand to grab away a couple members like Buffalo and UMASS.

I will be very intrigued to see what happens if Toledo and NIU make the jump to be football only members. At that point, I believe their logical move would either go Horizon League or go Missouri Valley for all other sports.
Based on payouts by ESPN, league/team rankings, market size, attendance, etc, the MAC doesn’t really have much going for it in the current state of college football. It’s a relatively compact geographical conference and that’s about it-and that’s not all important/relevant nowadays. Frankly, even if those 2 schools stay, we continue to fall behind other G-6 leagues IMHO and I’m not sure what we can do about it.
You're correct - but that also would play into Toledo's thinking as well. I don't know what kind of funds MWC is sitting on, but going from a bus league to flying all over the west coast doesn't seem *ideal* for a school that is hemorrhaging enrollment.

Theres been a few of these threads, and I keep throwing out the same opinion that really matters to know one, and certainly no one in charge - but we should strike first. You never want to be left holding the bag. My idea of the MAC BELT started as a joke, but we could do worse. Both conferences should try to insulate themselves.

Outside of that, the usual suspects should be reached out to - and that includes YSU - sorry Kent and Akron. I know most people think thats too much Ohio, but they make the most sense, even from a facility standpoint. They also have some success in basketball, which I like. It feels unlikely, since they didn't jump under Tressel, but the landscape is vastly different now.
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Posted: 10/16/2024 2:21 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
I will be shocked if Toledo makes the jump. NIU on the other hand, I could see them venturing to see what's beyond the horizon.

That said, if they were both to jump, I hope the MAC has a backup plan. Ironically enough, I could see the MAC disintegrating a lot easier than I could any of the other leagues. And the fact that a western conference with minimal amount of schools is the one driving the boat on this, would tick me off.

I only say this because you got Buffalo, UCONN, Temple, UMASS, and Delaware in the northeast. Seeing how many other schools are making the transition to D-1 (granted, FCS) in that corner of the country, could really see the line being drawn in the sand to grab away a couple members like Buffalo and UMASS.

I will be very intrigued to see what happens if Toledo and NIU make the jump to be football only members. At that point, I believe their logical move would either go Horizon League or go Missouri Valley for all other sports.
Based on payouts by ESPN, league/team rankings, market size, attendance, etc, the MAC doesn’t really have much going for it in the current state of college football. It’s a relatively compact geographical conference and that’s about it-and that’s not all important/relevant nowadays. Frankly, even if those 2 schools stay, we continue to fall behind other G-6 leagues IMHO and I’m not sure what we can do about it.
You're correct - but that also would play into Toledo's thinking as well. I don't know what kind of funds MWC is sitting on, but going from a bus league to flying all over the west coast doesn't seem *ideal* for a school that is hemorrhaging enrollment.

Theres been a few of these threads, and I keep throwing out the same opinion that really matters to know one, and certainly no one in charge - but we should strike first. You never want to be left holding the bag. My idea of the MAC BELT started as a joke, but we could do worse. Both conferences should try to insulate themselves.

Outside of that, the usual suspects should be reached out to - and that includes YSU - sorry Kent and Akron. I know most people think thats too much Ohio, but they make the most sense, even from a facility standpoint. They also have some success in basketball, which I like. It feels unlikely, since they didn't jump under Tressel, but the landscape is vastly different now.
Totally agree. If we have to build an Ohio-focused conference and have Cleveland State with Wright State for all other sports, I'm all in at this point. Anything we can do to protect ourselves. At this point, WKU is the only thing juicy we could go after that won't bail on us at first sight, unlike MTSU.

But absolutely. Option A would be to figure out how to get in a Sun Belt alliance or else we're in deep crap.
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Posted: 10/16/2024 5:48 PM
College Football News predicts remaining MAC games and potential bowl teams:


https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/mac-mids...

Interesting enough, they begin the article with Toledo and NIU speculation.
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Posted: 10/16/2024 5:53 PM
And I remember the day when folks thought an expanded CFP would help the MAC.
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Posted: 10/16/2024 6:50 PM
ExCat21 wrote:expand_more
College Football News predicts remaining MAC games and potential bowl teams:


https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/mac-mids...

Interesting enough, they begin the article with Toledo and NIU speculation.
That five way tie could happen pretty easily.
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Posted: 10/16/2024 11:09 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
And I remember the day when folks thought an expanded CFP would help the MAC.
Let's play commish for a moment. These FCS schools have the top 25 stadiums. If and when we lose Toledo/NIU, what 3 teams would you like to replace them with to get back to 14 teams?


https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2024-07-19/25-...

I like Eastern Kentucky, Youngstown St.and either Chattanooga or Holy Cross.

Although, SIU-Carbondale is not on that list the Saluki stadium sits 15,000 and is very nice.


Thoughts?
Last Edited: 10/16/2024 11:10:04 PM by ExCat21
colobobcat66
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Posted: 10/17/2024 8:43 AM
ExCat21 wrote:expand_more
And I remember the day when folks thought an expanded CFP would help the MAC.
Let's play commish for a moment. These FCS schools have the top 25 stadiums. If and when we lose Toledo/NIU, what 3 teams would you like to replace them with to get back to 14 teams?


https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2024-07-19/25-...

I like Eastern Kentucky, Youngstown St.and either Chattanooga or Holy Cross.

Although, SIU-Carbondale is not on that list the Saluki stadium sits 15,000 and is very nice.


Thoughts?
Holy cross would be a fit with UMASS coming in. EKU fits distance wise. You have to wonder about Illinois State, Indiana State and SIU-Carbondale as stretches but not out of the question
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Posted: 10/17/2024 11:32 AM
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
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Posted: 10/17/2024 11:58 AM
ExCat21 wrote:expand_more
College Football News predicts remaining MAC games and potential bowl teams:


https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/mac-mids...

Interesting enough, they begin the article with Toledo and NIU speculation.
This is pretty lazy reporting when there's not been one credible story indicating that either NIU or UT has expressed the slightest interest in making this move. In fact, other than fan speculation on message boards there's been a real dearth of stories on this potential move. If there's substance to this kind of thing, usually there are published stories citing "sources close to the negotiations" and such indicating that a deal is being discussed or is almost a "done deal." In this case, it's silence, which I think speaks volumes.
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Posted: 10/17/2024 1:40 PM
Adding to what SBH posted above about an "Ohio" league, if we are serious about going in that direction then drop to FCS status as a non-scholarship conference. Each school would drop all football scholarships and play each other not really caring if anyone from the league got an invite to the FCS playoffs. Each institution could bus their team to each away game. Of course we would lose whatever TV revenue we are currently receiving but in the end we would fit the mold of being a small time conference which is what an "Ohio" league would be. BTW, I am not in favor of this approach.
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Posted: 10/17/2024 2:52 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
+1

I don't get why everyone is so infatuated with this. They provide almost no value to the conference. And frankly, other than the random FCS championship game appearance in 2016, the football program is a shadow of it's former self.

You want to be competitive? The time is now to expand South or West. You want to stop all this BS talk about NIU and Toledo leaving? Think bigger. (I'm speaking to the MAC office)
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Posted: 10/17/2024 10:25 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
Nope!
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Posted: 10/17/2024 10:47 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
+1

I don't get why everyone is so infatuated with this. They provide almost no value to the conference. And frankly, other than the random FCS championship game appearance in 2016, the football program is a shadow of it's former self.

You want to be competitive? The time is now to expand South or West. You want to stop all this BS talk about NIU and Toledo leaving? Think bigger. (I'm speaking to the MAC office)
Infatuated by Youngstown? Or scouring the landscape for any school that might be interested in a very unappealing offer?
Last Edited: 10/17/2024 10:48:19 PM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 10/18/2024 10:10 AM
Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:expand_more
I hope the MAC has a backup plan.
Steinbrecher is not going to advocate or pursue any backup plan involving a league merger. He wants to protect his $865K salary above all else.
Last Edited: 10/18/2024 10:10:56 AM by SBH
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Posted: 10/18/2024 10:53 AM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
+1

I don't get why everyone is so infatuated with this. They provide almost no value to the conference. And frankly, other than the random FCS championship game appearance in 2016, the football program is a shadow of it's former self.

You want to be competitive? The time is now to expand South or West. You want to stop all this BS talk about NIU and Toledo leaving? Think bigger. (I'm speaking to the MAC office)
Infatuated by Youngstown? Or scouring the landscape for any school that might be interested in a very unappealing offer?
Youngstown specifically.
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Posted: 10/18/2024 11:18 AM

Thought that this is an interesting graph. Note that several MAC schools rate higher academically in this listing than a few of the lesser ranked B1G schools.  A wag on the MACbbs board was advocating droping the lowest ranked MAC schools to up our academic profile. Droping Akron and EMU would do wonders for our academic profile. 

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ExCat21
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Posted: 10/18/2024 1:02 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
Please stop the YSU talk. How does adding another underfunded state university in Ohio enhance the MAC's competitiveness? Do we really want to be known as an "Ohio league?" If you were a talented out-of-state athlete, would you want to join a bus league traveling to Youngstown, Akron, Kent, BG, etc.?
+1

I don't get why everyone is so infatuated with this. They provide almost no value to the conference. And frankly, other than the random FCS championship game appearance in 2016, the football program is a shadow of it's former self.

You want to be competitive? The time is now to expand South or West. You want to stop all this BS talk about NIU and Toledo leaving? Think bigger. (I'm speaking to the MAC office)



I get what you're saying, trust me. But if we lose NW Ohio why not try replacing it with NE Ohio school until an outsider is considered?
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