Does anyone think that a 9 game conference schedule would be better for the MAC? It would eliminate the need (and expense) for an FCS game every other year for each team.

Yes. It’s hard to get good home OOC games every single year.

This allows an extra MAC game to be played on Saturday in decent weather, instead of an FCS school. You can use this flexibility to shift rivalry games to the Saturday weeks, before November MACtion kicks in.

(05-18-2019 06:23 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Yes. It’s hard to get good home OOC games every single year.

This allows an extra MAC game to be played on Saturday in decent weather, instead of an FCS school. You can use this flexibility to shift rivalry games to the Saturday weeks, before November MACtion kicks in.

There is no flexibility as long as ESPN-Disney owns MAC scheduling rights. Unless fans, schools or the conference officials have an uprising and force a return of Saturday rivalry games and senior nights the MAC will not be playing such games on November saturdays regardless of the amount of conference games. We sold ourselves out for tv exposure. It is done.

I think the 9 conf games is a good fit for large power conferences that miss out on good regional matchups within the league. The Big10 can add a Wisconsin-Penn St or Michigan-Illinois matchup with a 12th game instead of those schools playing a MAC team or signing a home and home with a P5 opponent from another region that might beat them but probably has less local interest than that extra Big10 opponent.

Most MAC teams draw well for early season home FCS games and make good money on non-conf money games on the road. you'd lose some of that with a 9th conf game. The emphasis should be on securing good non-conf home-home opponents (see WMU).

Nine game schedule means you are taking gate away from half the teams for one Saturday

Will not and cannot happen


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(05-18-2019 03:54 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Does anyone think that a 9 game conference schedule would be better for the MAC? It would eliminate the need (and expense) for an FCS game every other year for each team.

It could limit flexibility in schedule, though ... attempting to schedule a Go5 H/H contract becomes that much harder when you need your home game to land in your "9th conference game away" and are looking for your away game to land in your "9th conference game home" slot.

And in practice it DOESN'T eliminate the "need (and expense)" for an FCS game ... for schools that schedule a buy game with a P5 school, the FCS game offsets THAT game in the schedule, and is paid for with a part of the away game revenue. The 9th MAC game would tend to replace their second Go5 interconference game.

The only benefit to a nine game schedule is it would allow for more cross over games.

May also reduce overall travel costs a smidge. But likely not much

Could be completely anti social and do an 11 game schedule where everyone plays everyone


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I don't want a 9 game conference schedule. NIU needs the money games in OOC plus they're interesting.

How going in the other direction? A seven game conference schedule.

It would be more flexible for non-conference scheduling dates than what the MAC has already. The upper third of the conference will be able to load up some while the lower third could rack up easy wins vs. NMSU, UMass and Liberty.

Only 2 non-division games, home and away so the division races play more of a role.