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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Mar 2, 2024 14:30:01 GMT -6
Getting run off our own court by a lousy WMU squad. Bummer.
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 29, 2024 8:35:51 GMT -6
Another view of MAC expansion - Expand the conference while it is possible before some conference contraction happens. We don't know the long term effect of NIL on the weaker G5 conferences, so the MAC better expand now with the anticipation that not all schools will remain. If this is the case, then I feel they have started expansion way too late. That's a reasonable point, but I think history has demonstrated that the teams most likely to leave are the teams that don't actually fit and join randomly. Marshall, UCF, UMass in football before. I have a hard time seeing anyone else bouncing. If one school dominates both sports for a while, maybe they'd be a candidate for a better conference, but I don't see another conference wanting to raid the MAC in any serious way. All any of us could bring to the table is what I hate about this current expansion, bringing in a better team where the only upside for the existing team is another roadblock. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 28, 2024 14:13:31 GMT -6
I hope we get to Cleveland. If nothing else for the prestige.
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 22:36:23 GMT -6
Can’t get too excited about the win as I know they’re just setting us up to miss the tournament in the most painful way possible.
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 18:22:56 GMT -6
We have no mojo. Even wide open threes are off.
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 14:55:17 GMT -6
Lots of arguing but tge answer is simple for the MAC to remain in the fight it has to expand. This is not about the schools in the mac its about survival of the conference. If the conference survives we survive inside of it. Now we all know the MAC will eventually lose but the front office is the Alamo Why? |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 14:13:48 GMT -6
It does appear that ESPN will shell out more money for larger conference inventories, aka more teams. Perhaps that is what our MAC leadership is thinking? Obviously the question of quality vs quantity will be weighed as well. Our conference “quality” is not necessarily the caliber of athletes and teams, it’s the willingness to play football games on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. So far the MAC's contracts with ESPN have been for relative pennies. Adding more schools might up the ante, but it would still have to be spread amongst more schools. I doubt the contract the MAC could get would result in significantly more dollars, unless somehow the commish convinces ESPN that extremely mediocre teams playing in empty stadiums in bad weather on week nights will be super lucrative... Yeah, "we get more money from this" would be the most persuasive argument yet for this. But if it's actually that the conference gets a little more money that gets spread among more parties resulting in no actual additional money coming to us, then it's a nonstarter. Granted I have no idea how the TV contracts work, but I don't see why ESPN is going to roll out the red carpet to get the rights to put EMU vs. UMass on the internet. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 13:47:59 GMT -6
If you don’t understand that right now, then I can’t help you. Look at every other conference in collegiate sports at the FBS level. There have been 15 schools jump up from FCS to FBS over the past handful of years. With Delaware and Kennesaw state for sure moving up and now Tarlton State being rumored as well. With the Big 10 moving up to 18 schools, and all of these FCS schools moving up it’s inevitable. I’m more traditional, and would prefer 12 member conferences with divisions, but everything is moving away from this, and I don’t want to get left behind. Arguably we already have by the Sunbelt. I remember when the Sunbelt used to be the bottom feeder and now they’re the top group of five school in football. And your whole mentality of why even expand has us in the position we’re in now. Is UMass a great ad no. But reading through some of their stuff. It sounds like they actually have a decent head coach now, and they have money being invested into the football program. More than us. Additionally, Frank Martin is their basketball coach right now and they seem like they have a lot of potential. Ok. You asked me to think critically. So let's pick this apart. Look at every other conference in collegiate sports at the FBS level. We already covered the weakness of the "everyone else is doing this" argument. Is there more to this point that I'm missing? There have been 15 schools jump up from FCS to FBS over the past handful of years. With Delaware and Kennesaw state for sure moving up and now Tarlton State being rumored as well. I'm not sure why this mandates conferences to expand. Sure there might be good fits that mutually benefit all parties where an upcoming school needs a home and brings value to the table, but all the schools we're discussing here are already D1. I'd evaluate any school on an ad hoc basis, and support it if it benefitted us. With the Big 10 moving up to 18 schools, and all of these FCS schools moving up it’s inevitable. I don't understand how it becomes inevitable. First of all, the B10 is a totally different beast. People actually want to see UCLA vs. Michigan. They actually generate money via their programs. Second, how do FCS schools moving up mean that we have to give them a shot at our conference title? I’m more traditional, and would prefer 12 member conferences with divisions, but everything is moving away from this, and I don’t want to get left behind. How is continuing as we are "being left behind"? Arguably we already have by the Sunbelt. I remember when the Sunbelt used to be the bottom feeder and now they’re the top group of five school in football. First, how did the Sun Belt reach this majestic mountaintop of being the top G5 conference? Second, that is all great for fans of the "Sunbelt," but I'm guessing there are few fans who particularly care about the conference itself. Do the fans of the bottom feeder schools in the Sunbelt receive any real benefits by their top teams having the prestige of being the top G5 conference? And your whole mentality of why even expand has us in the position we’re in now. I said I'm willing to have my mind changed. I'm not opposed to expansion, I'm opposed to expansion for expansion's sake. I literally have not seen a single persuasive argument how this actually benefits us. Well then by all means, full steam ahead. But reading through some of their stuff. It sounds like they actually have a decent head coach now, and they have money being invested into the football program. More than us. Good for them, how does that benefit us? Additionally, Frank Martin is their basketball coach right now and they seem like they have a lot of potential. Good for them, how does that benefit us? Was that thinking critical enough for you? |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 13:18:50 GMT -6
If you don’t understand that right now, then I can’t help you. Look at every other conference in collegiate sports at the FBS level. There have been 15 schools jump up from FCS to FBS over the past handful of years. With Delaware and Kennesaw state for sure moving up and now Tarlton State being rumored as well. With the Big 10 moving up to 18 schools, and all of these FCS schools moving up it’s inevitable. I’m more traditional, and would prefer 12 member conferences with divisions, but everything is moving away from this, and I don’t want to get left behind. Arguably we already have by the Sunbelt. I remember when the Sunbelt used to be the bottom feeder and now they’re the top group of five school in football. And your whole mentality of why even expand has us in the position we’re in now. Is UMass a great ad no. But reading through some of their stuff. It sounds like they actually have a decent head coach now, and they have money being invested into the football program. More than us. Additionally, Frank Martin is their basketball coach right now and they seem like they have a lot of potential. If your entire argument is "everyone else is doing it" then you're right, you can't help me. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 13:05:07 GMT -6
What exactly does that improve though? That seems like an argument against bringing them in. First, if we bring in a random outside school that immediately dominates the entire conference, that supports the argument that our conference sucks. Second, they will be a permanent roadblock to BSU winning. All I really care about is BSU winning. To what end? BSU being at the bottom of a better conference doesn't give me much solace. Bringing in non-MAC schools that are better than us isn't really moving the MAC forward though. If we just bring in a bunch of better teams and all the existing teams still suck, we're just giving those teams what would have otherwise been our auto-bid. if you’re against adding other good schools because they’re going to be better than us and beat us, then that’s a really bad look for you I'm against adding other good schools because they're going to be better than us and beat us and offer us no benefits in return. I'd join the B10 and take our regular ass whoopings from OSU and Michigan in exchange for the money and benefits you get from being a middling B10 team. If UMass and WKU were bringing those benefits I'd be much more open to it. I've not heard a single argument that offers some realistic benefit from this. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 13:03:10 GMT -6
Honest question, not trying to be combative: how is WKU a home run? What does it improve? name any other established FBS school that geographically makes sense, has FBS football, that we could get right now. Why expand at all? |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 11:01:43 GMT -6
There will never be a direct 1:1 positive correlation for us and conference realignment. Adding a non-MAC school like WKU is good because it exposes BSU has a brand to more eyeballs (the state of Kentucky in this case). We have to hope that expanding our footprint in different markets leads to a benefit down the line, not in the immediate future. That’s why Stony Brook is intriguing. NYC market for the MAC? Worked out well for the Big Ten and Rutgers. For basketball specifically I’d think that could be a selling point. I know it’s Long Island and not downtown NYC, but we can’t be picky. This makes more sense than "UMass and WKU are good to add because they can defeat you on their way to winning what used to be your conference championship" but having fans of WKU sports realize Ball State exists seems like a heavy price to pay. I should also say that I'm not looking for any 1:1 correlation. I just seriously can't understand why anyone thinks this is a good idea. Bringing eyeballs does have value. If Ohio State and Michigan joined the MAC they'd bring their eyeballs and we'd get to share in their largesse like IU currently does. But when UMass and WKU are most likely in the identical dire financial situation we're in while also most likely bringing only a comparable amount of eyeballs that each member currently already brings, it seems pointless. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 10:41:13 GMT -6
I think quite a bit looking specificly at Football and Basketball. Football: Only 3 losing seasons the past 10 years. So you're pulling in a G5 program that should compete at the top of the league right away and would boost the overall league strength. They're a team that could be in the conversion for a G5 playoff spot or can help make your case if you beat them. It also weakens CUSA by taking them down to 8 members which can reduce competition for a G5 playoff spot. Setting aside the argument that 7 winning seasons in 10 years equals a good program. Why would I want to bring in a new conference member who immediately competes for championships? How is my life improved by UMass playing in the MAC championship? Also what benefit is received by boosting overall league strength? How does it help us for UMass to "be in the conversation" for a playoff spot? Assuming UMass gets in the playoffs, how much actual money does that put in our pockets? I remember someone on the MAC board before the 2020 MAC championship game saying that even BSU fans should be rooting for Buffalo because it strengthened the MAC's argument for something. As if BSU losing that game would have been justified by the righteous indignation we would have received when Buffalo didn't get whatever that guy thought they'd have a stronger argument for. This seems a lot like that. Basketball: They've been at or near the top of CUSA pretty consistently in recent years and are 144 in Ken Pom right now which would put them in line with Toledo. So again you have a program who would likely be able to compete at the top and improve the league a bit overall. What does that improve? How does giving UMass the MAC's auto bid make any of our lives better? From there maybe you try to pull over 2 solid MVC schools from a pool of say NDSU, SDSU, Ill St, IN St, or SIU, you have a shot of pulling in some programs that are performing better than most of the MAC in basketball right now and could compete and are spending around what most MAC schools spend on football. Why would we want to bring in a bunch of schools performing better than we are? |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 27, 2024 8:49:58 GMT -6
WKU has developed into a top tier G5 program in football. They have always had a good basketball program that would be upper tier MAC. What exactly does that improve though? They would dominate the MAC in both FB and basketball. That seems like an argument against bringing them in. First, if we bring in a random outside school that immediately dominates the entire conference, that supports the argument that our conference sucks. Second, they will be a permanent roadblock to BSU winning. All I really care about is BSU winning. Indiana State and Illinois, with the addition of WKU and UMass would greatly enhance our basketball status. To what end? BSU being at the bottom of a better conference doesn't give me much solace. Would love to see that. The MAC has been moving backwards in both BB and FB this past decade! Bringing in non-MAC schools that are better than us isn't really moving the MAC forward though. If we just bring in a bunch of better teams and all the existing teams still suck, we're just giving those teams what would have otherwise been our auto-bid. |
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Post by JacksonStreetElite on Feb 26, 2024 21:23:52 GMT -6
western Kentucky is where the MAC hits a home run, then by hopefully that pulls middle Tennessee with them. Then we’re in a position to get picky for the 16th team. Then we have a chance to compete with MW and SB again Honest question, not trying to be combative: how is WKU a home run? What does it improve? |
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