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i thing we have an upcomming basketball league, temple would be another step towards improving the mac imige ;-) ....

Temple would do for us in BB what Marshall did for FB. They would force better recruiting. I have observed Temple since we played them in the 2000 NCAAs. Even tho we beat them last week at KSU, they do not look like a MAC team. Their players are 6-8 to 6-10 where we are 6-5 to 6-7. The real difference is in the body types. They even make Q look smaller. we were fortunate to win that game and it is good that we are so athletic. Look for Temple to not miss a beat in their BB quality. Right now, I would say that Ohio U and KSU are the only teams coming close to breaking the MAC player type level in recruiting. Temple would help us much.

I do not believe that Temple would ever join the MAC for BB. They have the east coast thing going and the Philly Big 5 is a big part of their culture. Their recruiting would most likely suffer my joining us. This is another way of saying that Temple is using the MAC in FB because they have to.

I have just read your disscussion on your other board regading the all sports affliation. The overwhelming majority of you guys seem to have no interest in expanding our relationship. I believe that the MAC is perhaps the fastest growing conference in football. I also believe you would raise our profile in basketball and compete very favorably and qualify virtually every year in this sport. The eastern teams and leauges that you long for threw you out of thier conference. We offered you a home and a future with us and now you want to crawl back to them? Even more puzzling is the vocal minority that says go 1AA. Don't think for a moment that your views are not being noticed. Be careful what you wish for. Get on board!!

We're an eastern team and if an eatern league will have us then that's where we should be. However, if we get shunned again by the Big Least look for us to go "all in" with the MAC and dominate football and basketball for a few years until the Big 10 offers us to join as the 12th team.

FYI- take a look at Scout.com. Temple is leading all MAC schools in football recruiting and we haven't even played an official conference game yet.

"I fear we have awoken a sleeping giant.

Ok I have a few problems with your post philly.

First off you've been shunned by the Big Least once. How many times do you need to be told by them that you aren't wanted before you figure that out?

Say what you will about the MAC but you're actually wanted here despite your record. Why? Because we're a conference that's survived for half a century while constantly running uphill. People were predicted the demise of the MAC in the 60's and it never happened. I'd say we're a safer bet then all the other "flash in the pan" conferences that have been created in the last decade.

Also if you think the Big 10 is looking to Temple then you are sorely mistaken. First off, you have to prove you can win in the MAC East before you would become the new Big 10 whipping boy. Secondly the Big 10 wants Notre Dame. No one else. Not you, not Missouri, not Iowa St (all of which are teams that would be chosen before Temple). So unless you can put forth consistent winning programs in all sports you should look to get very comfortable in the MAC.

I won't even get into it as the above post was meant to be latent with sarcasm however I think that the Big East would be interested in a program with the following resume:

1. MAC Champions (just wait)
2. #1 Facilities in the MAC
3. 33,000+ student body
4. Basketball team with a few Final Four appearances, 2 national titles, and a crap load of Elite 8 appearances.

This also doesn't mention our world class women's basketball, gymnastics, field hockey, and baseball teams that have outperformed the other current MAC programs for eons.

We appreciate the temporary stay but we'll be moving to greener pastures eventually. See Marshall and/or UCF.

Please don't ttink all Temple fans are like that of Phillyflash..The football program and its fans should be greatful for the MAC and its willingness to take a chance on Temple... Unless you forgot TU is bad a football and draws barley any fan support for such a large school. Big Eat maybe in at least a few years only if start winningthough, Big 10 funniest thing I have ever herd. Anyway Temple has a long way to come before we can start trash talking and speculating what conferance they are leaving for.. Most importantly the program has to start winning at their own school.

Again, the Big 11 Comment = Sarcasm. I am definately greatful to the MAC for taking us but you are living in a fantasy world if you think one person within the TU admin thinks that this is a permanent stay for us. There will be one more conference reconfiguration between 2010-2013. If Temple puts together a winning football program by this time they will be in great position to rejoin the Big East or move with a couple of other MAC schools to a new look CUSA.

The Big East knew what it was doing when it kicked us out the first time. They knew it would make us improve on what we had and they knew that the powers that be who ran Temple at the time would not be in power some years down the road.

I love how pretty much every MAC fan here has sh*t all over our school the past 2 years and thinks we don't have a chance of competing in the MAC. Based on this you can bet your ascott that I'm going to carry a chip on my shoulder with every post I make on this site. Time will tell but Al Golden is doing something special at Broad & Diamond and I think it's only a matter of time before some of these MAc fans will notice.

Don't get me wrong I want Temple to turn their program around but first I wouldn't say Marshall and UCF have moved on to "greener pastures. Only one has had any success in football since leaving the MAC and that was only one year. They are now finding out what the travel costs of packing every team up and taking them cross country for conference games is like.

Temple needs to first convince the people of Philly that football is worth keeping before it talks of moving to another conference.

The problem with the MAC is everyone in it thinks they should have one foot out the door. People need to realize this conference is marketable if only it's fans and schools would show more loyalty. Temple should realize that it can help the MAC and the MAC can help it. They should each make long term commitments to one another.

And don't give me this +33k student body crap. Toledo has 24K students and pulls in about 20k to it's games. WVU has 23k and pulls in 60k. How many students you have doesn't mean crap. How many people you put in the stands does.

I personally like the MAC but I agree with you regarding the one foot out the door comment. Unfortunately the only thing we can blame this on is the BCS and until that monopoly crumbles it will never change.

I agree with most of what you say except for the part about the size of the student body. Having 33,000 students is a huge advantage to selling tickets if you are competitive. TU used to draw upwards of 40k in the mid 70s- early 80s when they were competitive with programs like Penn State. Don't tell me that a good portion of those students wouldn't go to see Temple in a Bowl Game. Temple also has an alumni base of over 250,000 fans within 50 miles of its campus.

Bottom Line: Give people a reason to buy the cheapest sports tickets in town at one of country's premier stadiums for a college football game and they will show. 0-11 or 1-10 won't do that. Even when Temple was the doormat of the Big East they managed to draw 25k. If Temple becomes a MAC giant it will be very hard for the Big East not to invite Temple as their ninth team. It will be harder for Temple to turn them down. It will then be easy to draw people to Temple football games in droves.

I agree with what you're saying. I know in '79 Temple had a huge following that travelled well. If that type of energy can be obtained again then Temple has some standing.

TU needs to do a better job on it's future schedules. In the MAC East they could win 2 games realistically. They could win another if they play the right MAC West team. Add in a D-1AA win, 2 OOC wins against CUSA or Sun Belt Bottom Feaders and you're bowl eligible. From there all it could take is one big upset of a MAC power or a tough OOC team and you're bowling.

When you look at it that way they're not that far off. I think Al has some potential with this team as well. If that scenario were to pan out I hope Temple remembers that it was the MAC who wanted them when no one else did.

I don't know why Temple doesn't bring hoops. Temple last won a NCAA tournament game in? 16 years ago or so........but who's is counting.....Temple needs to bring hoops and bring its style of play to the MAC. They will find road wins are tough, but they should be strong in the MAC.....A-10 is a one bid league too so why that loyalty.....

16 Years???

This why we will never come to the MAC with basketball. Why would one of the top 10 winningest programs in the history of college basketball want to be in a league with such uneducated fans? Last I checked, the Owls were in the Elite 8 in 2001. You better check the record book chief with that 16 year crap.

Fact: Temple has won more NCAA tournament games than all current MAC schools combined.

Fact: Temple would rather drop football to 1-AA and join a conference like the CAA before they send their basketball program to basketball damnation in the MAC.

"Wammy"! - Champ Kind

PhillyPhlash Wrote:16 Years???

This why we will never come to the MAC with basketball. Why would one of the top 10 winningest programs in the history of college basketball want to be in a league with such uneducated fans? Last I checked, the Owls were in the Elite 8 in 2001. You better check the record book chief with that 16 year crap.

Fact: Temple has won more NCAA tournament games than all current MAC schools combined.

Fact: Temple would rather drop football to 1-AA and join a conference like the CAA before they send their basketball program to basketball damnation in the MAC.

"Wammy"! - Champ Kind

Gee, I remember when the A-10 was a nothing league, and Temple would go 32-2 and get an 8 seed. Temple forced UMASS and others to recruit better and play better teams. Temple built the A-10. It could build the MAC, too.

Calipari has the only good BB team in C-USA. He said, after Memphis was not chosen to go to BE, "Get in the NCAA's and you create your own destiny." Temple could do the same. I just don't get the fear of some of these Temple fans.

I would rather make the NCAAs every 2, 3, or 4 years competing in a top notch basketball conference than get there every year as a 25+ wins 8 seed. I still believe in the dream that Temple Basketball's goal is to reach the Final Four again. The best way to ensure you reach this goal is to play as tough a schedule as possible so you are ready to shine come tournament time. Playing in a good to great basketball conference helps you land better recruits more often. Historically, if you took all the teams to reach the Final Four (or even the Elite 8 for that matter) I would say a very small percent of them come from non powerhouse conferences.

Don't let Coach Cal fool you, C-USA is a very, very good basketball conference year in and year out. I'll give it to you that it's no BE but it definitely has held its own over the past 15 years. Something tells me that if he were in a smaller, less competitive conference he wouldn't be singing the same tune. If he really believed that you "get in the NCAA's and you create your own destiny" than why wouldn't he have gone and coached at a place like Pepperdine where he could be living it up in Malibu and making it to the Final Four every year? I don't know about you but if I had the choice between Malibu and Memphis and they both give me the same opportunity, I'm going to Malibu.

Lastly, I don't mean to bash the MAC. I was clearly pointing out the above poster's poor research in my previous post. If we eventually join the MAC for all sports I can live with it but I just think the best thing for Temple Basketball long term, is membership in a perennially competitive basketball conference that averages 2-3 NCAA seeds minimum every year.

If Temple brings basketball to the MAC and the MAC can bring in the right team to compliment Temple it might just work. Football needs a 14th for schedule purposes. UMASS coming to the MAC would be the right team. In the east division, you match up eastern recruiting and in the west you have a more midwest recruiting. The ability of UMass and Temple to access the Ohio high school football market as members of the MAC can lead to perhaps becoming strong D-A football programs and perhaps overtaking Syracuse and Connecticut as eastern football powers. This is why the MAC has a high number of NFL top draft picks. With the MAC on TV inside the state of Ohio, Temple will be seen by some of the top high school talent in the country. I think part of Temple recruiting success is tied directly to them joining the MAC and being able to offer kids the chance to play for a conference title on TV in a few years. MAC basketball has teams that are household names across the country due to football. St Bonaventure, La Salle, Fordham and Duquesne don't have much recognition outside the A-10. In the MAC the teams are known because of football upsets like Kent State, Bowling Green, Toledo, Ohio, Miami, Northern Illinois. Pitt and Minnesota should know the MAC well. They lost twice to MAC teams this decade.











MAC East
UMASS
Temple
Buffalo
Kent State
Akron
Ohio
Miami

MAC west
BGSU
Toledo
NIU
EMU
WMU
CMU
Ball State

I can dig that setup but I'm not convinced that the Big East isn't already in UMass' ear. I find it strange that they're spending money assembling their 2nd D1-A football task force in the last 8 years. The BE wants that Boston market back and UMass is there ticket. If UMass was in the MAC long term than I would have no problem sticking around in all sports.

Big East is kind of at a tug of war inside with one part trying to stay a northeastern conference and another part trying to pull the conference farther toward the south. Will be interesting to see if BE adds ECU/UCF or stays close to their roots with UMass/Temple. MAC has to use football to build basketball. The football add of Temple should help MAC recruit in the mid atlantic against the CAA and A-10 in basketball and MAC schools get TV in Philadelphia.

The best way for the Big East to assure it keeps a BCS classification is for it to remain a Northeast based conference. If you look around D1A every BCS conference represents a geographic footprint- ACC (Atlantic Coast), SEC (Southeast), Big 10 (Upper Midwest), Big XII (Lower Midwest/Mountain), and PAC10 (West Coast). The best case the Big East can make to be included with these conferences as BCS members is to be known as the Northeast BCS conference. Therefore, it makes more sense for the Big East to focus on schools like Temple, Buffalo, and UMass to add to its geographic footprint. With that said, UCF and Memphis are also good targets. ECU's problem is their TV market size. If I'm ranking schools for admittance into the Big East here's my rankings:

Team--------Academics----FB----BB----TV------Average (Rank)
Buffalo-----------1---------4-----5------5-------3.75(5)
ECU--------------6---------3-----6------6-------5.25(6)
Memphis----------3-tie-----1-----1------4-------2.25(1)
Temple-----------3-tie-----5-----2-------1-------2.75(2)
UCF--------------5---------2-----4------3--------3.50(4)
UMass------------2---------6-----3-------2-------3.25(3)

I think it depends on what BE does, If the BE doesn't split Temple remains FB only. If the BE does split & BB take some A-10 schools, effectally destroying A-10. Temple would be in all sports conf. Whether either seniro is MAC or BE is fine by me. Any school has shot at BCS has to take it.