Dear Friends,
I am not in favor of bringing Massachusetts into the MAC. Mostly, because they had their chance a few years back, and decided they would be better off not fully joining. I feel the same way about any other school that was here and left. That includes Marshall, Temple, Central Florida, whomever.
This also means greater travel costs, and what do they bring media wise? To me, there is no real benefit bringing Massachusetts into the fold.

There aren't a lot of teams in the MAC with a losing record against EMU - so I welcome the Minutemen.

This does give the MAC another major TV market in Boston. Plus, several of the CAA teams at the FCS level seem to have aspirations of moving up to FBS and would fit in the Eastern geographical portion of the conference.

I'm curious if the MAC found themselves uncompetitive on footprint when Delaware and JMU moved up and want to position the conference better to pick up future risers.

This does now make it 4 MAC schools with men's hockey which is promising, though every school is arguably in a better situation than a MAC Hockey conference would offer.

(02-27-2024 09:41 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  [quote='emussuperfan' pid='19485600' dateline='1709041280']
Which team/s will be asked to leave? Or are we going back to divisional conference?

No one has been asked to leave. Why would be go back to divisions? Divisionless play makes more sense this way. A UCONN, UMASS, Buffalo pod makes a ton of sense actually.
[/quote

14 schools or go to only the top 8 get tournament bids?

(02-27-2024 01:21 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 09:41 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  [quote='emussuperfan' pid='19485600' dateline='1709041280']
Which team/s will be asked to leave? Or are we going back to divisional conference?

No one has been asked to leave. Why would be go back to divisions? Divisionless play makes more sense this way. A UCONN, UMASS, Buffalo pod makes a ton of sense actually.
[/quote

14 schools or go to only the top 8 get tournament bids?

Are you talking about the basketball tournament?

Dear Friends,
Not convinced that Massachusetts gets great television coverage in Boston, and not convinced the printed media coverage is there either. Look at Eastern, do we get either coverage in the Detroit market? No.
Ask Northern Illinois fans what kind of coverage they get in Chicago. They will tell you it is pretty much non-existent. So, don't fool yourself about increased coverage with Massachusetts joining the MAC.

(02-27-2024 03:08 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Not convinced that Massachusetts gets great television coverage in Boston, and not convinced the printed media coverage is there either. Look at Eastern, do we get either coverage in the Detroit market? No.
Ask Northern Illinois fans what kind of coverage they get in Chicago. They will tell you it is pretty much non-existent. So, don't fool yourself about increased coverage with Massachusetts joining the MAC.

I'm sure there's a reason

(02-27-2024 04:10 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 03:08 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Friends,
Not convinced that Massachusetts gets great television coverage in Boston, and not convinced the printed media coverage is there either. Look at Eastern, do we get either coverage in the Detroit market? No.
Ask Northern Illinois fans what kind of coverage they get in Chicago. They will tell you it is pretty much non-existent. So, don't fool yourself about increased coverage with Massachusetts joining the MAC.

I'm sure there's a reason

Amherst is almost 100 miles from Boston.

(02-27-2024 02:00 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 01:21 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-27-2024 09:41 AM)dansplaining Wrote:  [quote='emussuperfan' pid='19485600' dateline='1709041280']
Which team/s will be asked to leave? Or are we going back to divisional conference?

No one has been asked to leave. Why would be go back to divisions? Divisionless play makes more sense this way. A UCONN, UMASS, Buffalo pod makes a ton of sense actually.
[/quote

14 schools or go to only the top 8 get tournament bids?

Are you talking about the basketball tournament?

What!

I only like it in the context that UCLA is in the Big Ten.

https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Northern Iowa has been way more successful in basketball than Illinois State and I doubt either one would leave the Missouri Valley Conference, unfortunately because I would love to have UNI.

https://youtu.be/SzUFz-58PPA

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

The Toledo area use to be part of Michigan until the Michigan/Ohio war. South Eastern Michigan university sounds good

(02-28-2024 01:29 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

The Toledo area use to be part of Michigan until the Michigan/Ohio war. South Eastern Michigan university sounds good

SMU (Southern Michigan University) - Toledo.

(02-28-2024 01:44 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 01:29 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

The Toledo area use to be part of Michigan until the Michigan/Ohio war. South Eastern Michigan university sounds good

SMU (Southern Michigan University) - Toledo.

Flashback to the Detroit 1-8-7 show pilot where the victim was a star player at "Southeast Michigan State University".

(02-28-2024 01:29 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

The Toledo area use to be part of Michigan until the Michigan/Ohio war. South Eastern Michigan university sounds good

Did Michigan win and ceded Toledo to Ohio?

(02-28-2024 12:42 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

I thought so too at first, but BG and Toledo aren’t even in the same division now.

(02-28-2024 04:26 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 12:42 PM)dansplaining Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 09:17 AM)Block_E Wrote:  

(02-28-2024 07:50 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  https://x.com/blue_eagle7/status/1762252...QE3wOSA7kQ

Take that with a grain of salt, but wouldn’t mind this at all. North Dakota State and Illinois State would be solid additions.

My pod guesses would be…

NDSU-NIU-Illinois State-Ball State
EMU-WMU-CMU-Toledo
BGSU-Miami-Ohio-WKU
Akron-Kent-Buffalo-UMass

Not bad!

Motion to rename Toledo for consistency, new name will be Southern Michigan University.

I have a hard time believing they'd split BGSU and Toledo

I thought so too at first, but BG and Toledo aren’t even in the same division now.

Here's what I would do:

Buff - UCONN - UMASS
Akron - Kent - Ohio
Miami - ISU - NIU
EMU - CMU - WMU
Tol - BGSU - Ball