MAC Still Playing NAIA Teams Without Hint Of Irony

I'm getting tired of these type of games. This isn't a new trend but it's one that I've ignored for some time now. But come the heck on. Toledo played Indiana-Northwest, an NAIA school, last night and won decisively, 107-43. It wasn't treated like an exhibition; it was displayed as an actual game with competition. Like WMU-Duke, right?

I get that UT was down in the dumps for a couple years, but one of their four wins last year was a 36-point wallopin' of IUN last year. Toledo had a bigger lead than that at halftime (66-24). This puts the Indiana-Northwest RedHawks at 2-12 on the season.

It's just all too silly. If the NAIA schools really want to play MAC teams, that's fine; who wouldn't? Play them at the beginning of the year. Or don't count it in the Rockets' win-loss record. They're now 8-6, which is a Winning Record thanks to two such victories; they also beat Victory University, an NCCAA institution. Toledo is the only MAC school to play two non-Division I schools this year. Everybody else except Buffalo has played at least one, so bonus points to the Bulls for their scheduling.

Although I really liked what Miami did earlier this year playing at D-II Saginaw Valley State and maybe that's something a MAC team should be mandated to do every three or four years; go to one of their gyms, just because. Let's not fall into the deer hunter pecking order, where the Big Ten never goes to MAC schools and in turn the MAC never goes to Division II or NAIA gyms. (And at that point, they really are gyms: IUN's home facility really is a gym with rollout bleachers). It'll also make these teams appreciate how good they have it, playing in 5,000+ arenas.

As for now I almost want to take a win away from everybody but Buffalo (and two from Toledo) just on principle. But the good news is they're all off the schedule now; nothing left but conference games (except for Ball State playing Florida A&M tonight).