(03-21-2024 03:10 PM)e-parade Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 02:56 PM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 02:40 PM)e-parade Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 02:32 PM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 12:19 PM)e-parade Wrote:  I don't believe that's happening among the non-UMass MAC schools as well, though, to be fair.

Hopefully we can keep it up while in the MAC.

Ohio has a substantial pool and alums are talking going big.

Still the #1 basketball job in the MAC...

I mean it's fair if they do, just what I've heard so far is that our NIL is in much better shape than the rest of the MAC. Not sure if there's a good source to track it all though.

Ohio has traditionally had the biggest basketball budget in the MAC, has the biggest BB arena and the best BB fanbase. As it stands I think the NIL pool is 200k but there is talk of upping the ante.

UMass in BB could do to the MAC what Marshall did in FB raise the bar across the sport.

WKU I'm not sure their perspective on NIL but they would be walking into a more competitive BB situation in the MAC though the MAC only rated #24 this season because of where things are heading.

Okay, so then my point of the $500k that UMass has to play with is something the rest of the MAC isn't doing yet is accurate? I'm not sure what warranted your response if you were comparing $200k to $500k.

Overall investments, sure I suppose, but I thought we were specifically talking about the NIL stuff.

Also isn't Frank Martin about to be the highest paid coach in the MAC by a wide margin?

By the time UMass joins the conference we may be doing 500k+ in NIL which is my point on this. I could easily see that.

Ohio's basketball coach is currently the highest paid (750k base?) in the MAC so we may reup him to the level of Frank Martin once UMass joins. Akron's is #2 and is a former Ohio coach.

Its not accurate at all to say all MAC schools arent' serious about BB and willing to participate in an arms race for it. Even Central Michigan brought in Tony Barbee who earned MAC COY this year. WMU is getting a new arena downtown. Akron, Toledo and KSU are of course are regularly pretty good.

MAC has some high-mid major type programs in it. Its just been the lower half of the MAC where the sport isn't as big.

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

(03-21-2024 03:15 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 09:33 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 07:38 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  I mean there’s probably at least 2 more FCS teams coming to FBS if CUSA & MAC want to get to even numbers. I could see Missouri St. going CUSA but not sure what MAC will do.

The MAC played with 13 for something like 10 out of the last 25 years. Why do we think this is such a huge priority?

And while I think CUSA will probably go to 12 (although I strongly wish they wouldn't), it's not like there isn't a ton of precedent for operating with 11. Have we all forgotten the Big Ten logo with the little 11 hidden in it?

We can do this. We can just stick to 11 and 13. It's ok. The rules allow it.

100% you guys could do that but it just seems like a safe assumption to believe they will each expand to an even number. Whether it be TV inventory, scheduling, etc. it just seems even numbers have been the standard for the most part in recent history.

AAC had eleven from 2020 - 2022. That's fairly recent.

I'm not disagreeing with you about what they will do. I'm yelling at the clouds about what they should do.

(03-21-2024 12:40 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 12:03 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  an odd number still is not ideal.

Why not?

I'm not a math major, but it would make scheduling more difficult. Each week of conference play, someone would have to take a bye. I suspect nonconference games aren't easy to come by after Week 4.

(03-21-2024 12:51 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  everything else equal, they would rather be in Conference USA.

I'm not so sure about this. I really could imagine WKU's president looking favorably on an annual football schedule that includes Ohio, Miami, and Ball State.

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

Liberty is a horse of a different color. They can spend like a P4 team and their facilities show it. Big drop for the rest of the conference. JSU did well, but with weak CUSA competition. Think Jerry Kill leaving is going to hurt NMSU as well. The MAC teams regularly play P4 teams and they like scheduling with the Big Ten. Really do not know how the standings for the G5 performance pool is calculated or how the G5 will vote on the new CFP 2026 contract distribution.

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

(03-21-2024 07:01 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  I'm not a math major, but it would make scheduling more difficult. Each week of conference play, someone would have to take a bye. I suspect nonconference games aren't easy to come by after Week 4.

(03-21-2024 09:33 AM)inutech Wrote:  The MAC played with 13 for something like 10 out of the last 25 years.

The Big Ten had eleven for a really long time.

(03-21-2024 05:16 PM)inutech Wrote:  AAC had eleven from 2020 - 2022. That's fairly recent.

I don't think they're using slide rules and pencils anymore. It's not rocket surgery.

If I think about it really really hard, I bet I could even think of another example of a conference making it through a whole season with an odd number of teams fairly recently.

(03-21-2024 07:02 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

Liberty is a horse of a different color. They can spend like a P4 team and their facilities show it. Big drop for the rest of the conference. JSU did well, but with weak CUSA competition. Think Jerry Kill leaving is going to hurt NMSU as well. The MAC teams regularly play P4 teams and they like scheduling with the Big Ten. Really do not know how the standings for the G5 performance pool is calculated or how the G5 will vote on the new CFP 2026 contract distribution.

Every G5 league plays P2 and M2 games. Weak? CUSA was as strong as any G5 league last year. MAC was the weakest easily. The others were a battle but Liberty being the best G5 team would put CUSA on top. The other 3 were close behind and I would rank them MWC, AAC then SBC. This is on quality of play not brand value.

(03-22-2024 12:59 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 07:02 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

Liberty is a horse of a different color. They can spend like a P4 team and their facilities show it. Big drop for the rest of the conference. JSU did well, but with weak CUSA competition. Think Jerry Kill leaving is going to hurt NMSU as well. The MAC teams regularly play P4 teams and they like scheduling with the Big Ten. Really do not know how the standings for the G5 performance pool is calculated or how the G5 will vote on the new CFP 2026 contract distribution.

Every G5 league plays P2 and M2 games. Weak? CUSA was as strong as any G5 league last year. MAC was the weakest easily. The others were a battle but Liberty being the best G5 team would put CUSA on top. The other 3 were close behind and I would rank them MWC, AAC then SBC. This is on quality of play not brand value.

Drink another one

https://masseyratings.com/cf/fbs/ratings?c=1

SBC
MWC
AAC
CUSA
MAC

(03-22-2024 07:30 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 12:59 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 07:02 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-20-2024 09:26 PM)ThunderDent Wrote:  Would have been nice if they'd just have done that when everyone else left for AAC and SBC. Could have saved everyone the trouble of having an extra G5 conference full of bad FCS teams in it, that literally no one thinks is on the same level as the others. Actually, I digress, apparently the CFP committee did, because they picked LU last year even though they played no one.

Would have been much nicer just to kill off CUSA when we all had the chance.

Now we're going to get more Tarletons and Sam Houston's. And we wonder why the P4 wants to pull away more.

Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

Liberty is a horse of a different color. They can spend like a P4 team and their facilities show it. Big drop for the rest of the conference. JSU did well, but with weak CUSA competition. Think Jerry Kill leaving is going to hurt NMSU as well. The MAC teams regularly play P4 teams and they like scheduling with the Big Ten. Really do not know how the standings for the G5 performance pool is calculated or how the G5 will vote on the new CFP 2026 contract distribution.

Every G5 league plays P2 and M2 games. Weak? CUSA was as strong as any G5 league last year. MAC was the weakest easily. The others were a battle but Liberty being the best G5 team would put CUSA on top. The other 3 were close behind and I would rank them MWC, AAC then SBC. This is on quality of play not brand value.

Drink another one

https://masseyratings.com/cf/fbs/ratings?c=1

SBC
MWC
AAC
CUSA
MAC

But... but.... Liberty.... biberty

A few things not mentioned much, copying over from the CUSA realignment board.

Waiting is a solid option TOPSTRAIGHT. The media contract is important. It is also unknown on how the G5 will structure the CFP money. Specifically if there will be a performance pool. How much does WKU value basketball and what will it look like in 2-5 years. The MAC commissioner was specifically asked if their teams would increase their basketball investments with UMass coming in. His reply was he would hope so. How much does WKU value baseball to basketball. Baseball is big in CUSA, not as much in the MAC. Specifically CUSA universities invest more of their non football money towards baseball and in the MAC it would be towards basketball.

A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
University Presidents care about academics as well. What the conference's teams offer and what does the conference offer. Specifically student mental health, representation in the conference governance, and diversity. The academic consortium maybe important as well. There are two levels of this and our Chancellor is a production of such an academic consortium while at Arkansas, SEC. The academic consortium is explained at the 37-39 minute marks of the press conference.



The other MAC conference programs are mentioned after the 30 minute mark.

(03-22-2024 12:59 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 07:02 PM)Steve1981 Wrote:  

(03-21-2024 04:50 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  Bigger issue is the CUSA picked up teams to keep its status above the SBC and MAC. Just took one year with the new teams to get a NY6 bid while the SBC waits and waits.

Liberty is a horse of a different color. They can spend like a P4 team and their facilities show it. Big drop for the rest of the conference. JSU did well, but with weak CUSA competition. Think Jerry Kill leaving is going to hurt NMSU as well. The MAC teams regularly play P4 teams and they like scheduling with the Big Ten. Really do not know how the standings for the G5 performance pool is calculated or how the G5 will vote on the new CFP 2026 contract distribution.

Every G5 league plays P2 and M2 games. Weak? CUSA was as strong as any G5 league last year. MAC was the weakest easily. The others were a battle but Liberty being the best G5 team would put CUSA on top. The other 3 were close behind and I would rank them MWC, AAC then SBC. This is on quality of play not brand value.

Even for this board, this is an impressive level of delusion. Kudos.

(03-22-2024 12:59 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  ... Every G5 league plays P2 and M2 games. Weak? CUSA was as strong as any G5 league last year. MAC was the weakest easily. The others were a battle but Liberty being the best G5 team would put CUSA on top. The other 3 were close behind and I would rank them MWC, AAC then SBC. This is on quality of play not brand value.

Let's take Colley's on that ... not because it's the best, but because it's so favorable to Liberty:

#13 Liberty
#59 Jacksonville State
#60 NMSU
#61 WKU
#108 MTSU
#123 Florida Int'l
#121 UTEP
#127 Louisiana Tech
#128 Sam Houston

Far from Liberty's #13 place in Colley's converting CUSA into the best Go5 conference, what it does is pull CUSA from 4th place to 3rd place, with Liberty's ranking pulling CUSA ahead of the AAC, but still leaving it behind the SBC and the MWC.

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

(03-22-2024 10:52 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

That seems like a completely neutral and realistic and not at all biased "comparison of your best case against our worst case" argument.

I'd put a lot of stock in this logic. Not a bit of motivated reasoning here.

I bet WKU administration will also blindly make these same assumptions.

(03-22-2024 10:52 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

WKU was seeded fairly based off our schedule. I personally feel like we are better than a 15, but we didn't play anyone of note in OOC play (thank South Carolina for cancelling our game last minute), no marquee wins, we struggled in conference play, especially late as we were dealing with some injuries and growing pains.

(03-22-2024 11:14 AM)freshtop Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 10:52 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

WKU was seeded fairly based off our schedule. I personally feel like we are better than a 15, but we didn't play anyone of note in OOC play (thank South Carolina for cancelling our game last minute), no marquee wins, we struggled in conference play, especially late as we were dealing with some injuries and growing pains.

I don't believe the MAC has ever had a 15 seed though. In its history.

(03-22-2024 11:49 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 11:14 AM)freshtop Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 10:52 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

WKU was seeded fairly based off our schedule. I personally feel like we are better than a 15, but we didn't play anyone of note in OOC play (thank South Carolina for cancelling our game last minute), no marquee wins, we struggled in conference play, especially late as we were dealing with some injuries and growing pains.

I don't believe the MAC has ever had a 15 seed though. In its history.

2011 - Akron was a 15 seed

And a whole bunch of 14-seeds

Think about Murray State they moved from the OVC to MVC. They are not part of Arch Madness. They moved to a Midwest based basketball conference.

Same kind of move for WKU moving from CUSA to the MAC. They would move to a Midwest based basketball conference and particpate in a higher level confernce tournament in Cleveland. Something their fans upstate in Louisville or Covington can easily drive to. Same with a MAC Championship game in Detroit.

WKU can also use its southern recruiting focus as a bit of an edge like Marshall did while they were in the MAC. They can recruit Tennessee and Alabama effectively because they aren't that far away. MAC schools go into the south for players all the time anyways.

(03-22-2024 12:45 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 11:49 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 11:14 AM)freshtop Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 10:52 AM)Garden_KC Wrote:  

(03-22-2024 07:47 AM)Steve1981 Wrote:  A good tip off for someone at a high level is what seeds did the conference championship get. Both the MAC and CUSA did not have their highest Net teams win. Not a huge difference this year, but something to watch. CUSA 15 seed and MAC 14 seed. MAC was way down this year and of course CUSA as well with the migrations to other conferences.

The MAC was seeded like an average champ rated anywhere between #18-#21 ranked conference while WKU was seeded #22-#25 despite #15 conference ranking. The MAC finished #23 in the NET, BTW.

Once you get below the Top 12 rated conferences it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. The MWC, AAC, A10, MVC, WCC are consistently in that Top 12. The hope would be the MAC with UMass/WKU could get back into that Top 10-12 range.

CUSA 4.0 probably peaks out at Top 15 or so. This is another factor for WKU to consider is what the MAC could be compared to the CUSA 4.1 or 4.2 lineup.

WKU was seeded fairly based off our schedule. I personally feel like we are better than a 15, but we didn't play anyone of note in OOC play (thank South Carolina for cancelling our game last minute), no marquee wins, we struggled in conference play, especially late as we were dealing with some injuries and growing pains.

I don't believe the MAC has ever had a 15 seed though. In its history.

2011 - Akron was a 15 seed

And a whole bunch of 14-seeds

MAC is at least a regular 14 seed conference then.

Its not a historically 16 seed type conference which the NET ranking this year may infer it could be.