Sounds like that would be a fun idea. Perhaps a trophy for the winning leagues front office, presented before the conference tournament game for the winning league.

Interested in the scheduling and if it will follow the Bracketbuster method of #1SBC vs #1MAC…#8SBC vs #8MAC and on down the line to match up similarly rated programs.

(11-07-2022 11:48 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  Interested in the scheduling and if it will follow the Bracketbuster method of #1SBC vs #1MAC…#8SBC vs #8MAC and on down the line to match up similarly rated programs.

I would think so, however, it might not fall exactly like that just because 1 game has to be home and the other has to be away. So like for example if both #1 teams come February played their November game on the road then both might have to play the #2 seed instead in February to get that 1 home game, 1 away game balance.

I'd like to see the MAC do this with several other leagues. Maybe, Horizon, MoValley etc.......... and even the Big 10. Big 10 would have to be the bottom 4 B10 vs top 4 MAC or something like that. Against other mid major conferences, it can give us a leg up or down come tourney selection and seeding time.

It would also ease the scheduling difficulties and allow us to get decent opponents at home.

ESPN is undoubtedly a big player in this challenge with media rights of both conferences tied to the network.

This will be a great marketing tool for the conferences and I'm quite sure select games of this challenge will be televised on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU.

Again, great idea!

I wouldn't be surprised to see some type of football scheduling agreement between the two conferences as well.

(11-07-2022 12:19 PM)Siborg Wrote:  I'd like to see the MAC do this with several other leagues. Maybe, Horizon, MoValley etc.......... and even the Big 10. Big 10 would have to be the bottom 4 B10 vs top 4 MAC or something like that. Against other mid major conferences, it can give us a leg up or down come tourney selection and seeding time.

It would also ease the scheduling difficulties and allow us to get decent opponents at home.

The Big10 would not allow themselves to stoop to our level, even if their bottom 4 play our top 4.

(11-07-2022 12:38 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 12:19 PM)Siborg Wrote:  I'd like to see the MAC do this with several other leagues. Maybe, Horizon, MoValley etc.......... and even the Big 10. Big 10 would have to be the bottom 4 B10 vs top 4 MAC or something like that. Against other mid major conferences, it can give us a leg up or down come tourney selection and seeding time.

It would also ease the scheduling difficulties and allow us to get decent opponents at home.

The Big10 would not allow themselves to stoop to our level, even if their bottom 4 play our top 4.

We would pound Nebraska, NW etc. Maybe their 8 thru 11 would be more competitive. Fringe tourney teams vs. 50-130 NET MAC squads.

This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose, it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

ESPN tanked MAC football when they started matching the MAC head to head with the SBC in so many bowl games. This happened when SBC football was awful, and the MAC literally had nothing to gain by these games other than having additional bowls to play in. No one got excited to play name your "FCS transitional team" to end the season. This happened instead of playing more games against peer leagues at the time such as the AAC, MWC, or C-USA. Look where that deal has gotten us.... The MAC is literally one of the worst (if not the worst league) in FBS year in and year out, and it's not looking bright for the future. It's time to raise the standard, rather than continuing to set the bar low. The SBC is the low bar here.... Competing against better leagues should be the standard.

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is so questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, but if we lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!!

It raises the stakes for MAC OOC when lots of us schedule the SoCon, and NAIA squads 4 times a year. So it can eliminate 2 VERY bad OOC games for winnable 200 NET teams. Also can incourage fb scheduling with a working dialogue. App is in the MAC in field hockey. GSU in soccer.

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 with the MAC at #19.

2021-22 RPI

mac fans have no business calling other conferences garbage lol

I love it
1. It’s great for the schools who can’t fill their schedule with D1 games and home games
2. Regardless of where our conferences rank, our top 100 teams will get a top 100, or close to it game in February
3. Guaranteed road trip south of Ohio.
4. I’ve always wanted the MAC to do a challenge. So exciting. I always thought it would be against the Horizon so this is better than I hoped.

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

Yet the MAC's fourth best team (Akron), received a #13 seed in the NCAA Tourney while the SBC Champ (Ga. St.), received a #16 seed.

(11-07-2022 04:48 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

Yet the MAC's fifth best team (Akron), received a #13 seed in the NCAA Tourney while thr SBC Champ (Ga. State), received a #16 seed.

Akron was fifth or actually more like 2nd or 3rd in the conference? Ironically, SBCs representative was their 5th best team. It’s what you usually get when a one-bid conference has a lesser team win the tourney. Both lost first round games right? Really splitting hairs in response to somebody calling it a “garbage basketball conference”.

And to be fair I did peak at the Sun Belt forum earlier today and like us they had 1, maybe 2 posters who had delusions of grandeur wondering why they couldn't get the MVC or A10 instead. Overall, the vast majority of their posters are pleased with this announcement and are looking forward to the friendly competition

(11-07-2022 05:11 PM)kreed5120 Wrote:  And to be fair I did peak at the Sun Belt forum earlier today and like us they had 1, maybe 2 posters who had delusions of grandeur wondering why they couldn't get the MVC or A10 instead. Overall, the vast majority of their posters are pleased with this announcement and are looking forward to the friendly competition

It’s actually a decent fit both ways to line up OOC games from top to bottom of each conference instead of being stuck scheduling D3 or NAIA games because you can’t secure opponents.

(11-07-2022 05:01 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 04:48 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

Yet the MAC's fourth best team (Akron), received a #13 seed in the NCAA Tourney while thr SBC Champ (Ga. State), received a #16 seed.

Akron was fifth or actually more like 2nd or 3rd in the conference? Ironically, SBCs representative was their 5th best team. It’s what you usually get when a one-bid conference has a lesser team win the tourney. Both lost first round games right? Really splitting hairs in response to somebody calling it a “garbage basketball conference”.

Akron was fourth and Ga. State was fourth. The bottom line is if the SBC was rated ahead of the MAC as a conference, then why did the SBC team receive a #16 seed and the MAC team a #13 seed? I'll tell you why, because top to bottom, the MAC is a stronger basketball conference.

(11-07-2022 05:28 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 05:01 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 04:48 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 02:17 PM)astr083 Wrote:  This is not great for the MAC.... The SBC is a garbage basketball conference. This should have been done with the AAC, MWC, A-10, or WCC.... The SBC literally sent their only team to the tournament last year.... As a 16 seed. The leadership in this conference is very questionable. This will not raise the MAC's profile at all. MAC teams will be expected to win these games, and if they lose it's a bad look. This is a win for the SBC, but not for the MAC. Some really bizarre decision making by the MAC front office over the years, including this deal. NOT A FAN!!! If ESPN is behind this, it is yet another reason to find another place for the MAC to broadcast both basketball and football.

Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

Yet the MAC's fifth best team (Akron), received a #13 seed in the NCAA Tourney while thr SBC Champ (Ga. State), received a #16 seed.

Akron was fifth or actually more like 2nd or 3rd in the conference? Ironically, SBCs representative was their 5th best team. It’s what you usually get when a one-bid conference has a lesser team win the tourney. Both lost first round games right? Really splitting hairs in response to somebody calling it a “garbage basketball conference”.

Akron was fourth and Ga. State was fourth. The bottom line is if the SBC was rated ahead of the MAC as a conference, then why did the SBC team receive a #16 seed and the MAC team a #13 seed? I'll tell you why, because top to bottom, the MAC is a stronger basketball conference.

Keep telling yourself that, when it actually means top to bottom SBC was better than the MAC if they rated higher conference to conference. Akron as the 3rd best MAC program was better than Ga. State who was the 5th best SBC program, but top to bottom (which is how this partnership is to play out for all of teams) the SBC was better than the MAC last season and helps all teams scheduling-wise..

2021-22 MAC
2021-22 SBC

(11-07-2022 05:37 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 05:28 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 05:01 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 04:48 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-07-2022 03:10 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  Funny but the SBC folks said the same thing about the MAC. Check the RPI and you’ll see both one-bid conferences are usually pretty close. Last season the SBC was #17 followed by the MAC at #18.

2021-22 RPI

Yet the MAC's fifth best team (Akron), received a #13 seed in the NCAA Tourney while thr SBC Champ (Ga. State), received a #16 seed.

Akron was fifth or actually more like 2nd or 3rd in the conference? Ironically, SBCs representative was their 5th best team. It’s what you usually get when a one-bid conference has a lesser team win the tourney. Both lost first round games right? Really splitting hairs in response to somebody calling it a “garbage basketball conference”.

Akron was fourth and Ga. State was fourth. The bottom line is if the SBC was rated ahead of the MAC as a conference, then why did the SBC team receive a #16 seed and the MAC team a #13 seed? I'll tell you why, because top to bottom, the MAC is a stronger basketball conference.

Keep telling yourself that, when it actually means top to bottom SBC was better than the MAC if they rated higher conference to conference. Akron as the 3rd best MAC program was better than Ga. State who was the 5th best SBC program, but top to bottom (which is how this partnership is to play out for all of teams) the SBC was better than the MAC last season and helps all teams scheduling-wise..

2021-22 MAC
2021-22 SBC

Lol, you keep telling yourself that. Trust me, if the SBC was a stronger conference than the MAC in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee, then Georgia State would've been rated higher than a #16 seed.

Look at the conferences that received a #14 or #15 seed in this year's NCAA Tourney ahead of the SBC but behind the MAC.

Again, I think this challenge is great for both conferences, if for no other reason than to let the players and teams determine which is the better conference and not some computer data.

Linked below are the final 2021-22 MAC Men's Basketball Standings, Akron finishing fourth.

https://getsomemaction.com/standings.aspx?path=mbball