Post by cbcjanney on Mar 10, 2024 21:26:09 GMT -6
In regards to the UMass addition, I think the MAC is hoping to self-preserve the conference with 8 teams in the (likely) event that 5 teams don't choose to make the additional investment to be required over the next couple of years. Per NCAA chief Charlie Baker's proposal presented in other threads here, which is a blueprint for what's probably going to be modified but in the end approved, to remain in the top tier of D-1 football approx $4-6M (depending on # of sports and # of scholarships offered) will need to be placed into a trust fund for athlete "compensation". I expect BSU and Akron to be for-sure non-participants in that endeavor unless 1-2 donors fork over the whole amount year after year. Probably Kent, Buffalo, and EMU would likewise be highly questionable. But with the MAC now at 13 after UMass, they may look to poach a couple from Conf-USA which currently has 10 schools but likely a few lower-resourced ones not expected to pay the higher future investment. If the MAC can get to 15 current members they could survive nearly half the current schools opting out and still qualify with 8 teams to be a viable conference.
I think the reality is that the goal of the top-tier-schools is to eliminate about 1/2 of the current FBS members, so if "too many" schools fork up the $4-6M off the bat, then the Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, etc minimums will rise significantly until the total school number attritions down to about 70, which would be the ones with the tv contracts paying tens of millions and a few that have extremely wealthy donors who choose to spend it that way.
If around 10 MAC schools opt out right away which they really should, the remaining few really have nowhere to go and no conference who'd want them - thus real difficulty in assembling a full FBS schedule.
I think the reality is that the goal of the top-tier-schools is to eliminate about 1/2 of the current FBS members, so if "too many" schools fork up the $4-6M off the bat, then the Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, etc minimums will rise significantly until the total school number attritions down to about 70, which would be the ones with the tv contracts paying tens of millions and a few that have extremely wealthy donors who choose to spend it that way.
If around 10 MAC schools opt out right away which they really should, the remaining few really have nowhere to go and no conference who'd want them - thus real difficulty in assembling a full FBS schedule.
