Hustle Belt: FanPosts

The solution to making MAC football a BCS conference?

2013-02-26T05:09:18Z

First and foremost I am in no way saying that the MAC will ever be the SEC, though one can dream. But I do believe that the MAC could become the new Big East. It seems when I talk to people they all have the same argument about the MAC and its problems.

There are 3 solutions to making the MAC a overall better conference.

1) Every time I brought up how good the MAC was in 2012 someone always posted a strength of schedule from fbschedual.com and went out of there way to point out that the MAC was always ranked with the easiest scheduling. Why? Because the bottom tier of the MAC was absolutely terrible. There are 13 teams that are in the whole conference. Take out the bottom 3 (Akron, Umass, EMU, or Buffalo) One could argue to even scout out each school and get rid of the schools with the worst fan base. No offense to Umass fans but I absolutely hated the addition of Umass. It was not-needed with the lose of Temple. The MAC decided it was a good idea to add a school that had no stadium that fit NCAA D1 football standards, which would ultimately make them have to play 2 hours away in Gillette Stadium for a couple years. Not only was that an inconvenience for fans, but Umass was not even ready to be apart of the FBS. Get rid of 3 teams and merge the conference into 2 (5-team divisions) or into one 10 team conference.

2) Stop scheduling so many away games with powerhouse schools. Granted a paycheck comes with it, but every year it seems like the MAC has the toughest non conference schedule. Slowly start bringing schools to us.

3) The fan base and facility's are terrible. Start investing more money into the football programs and stadiums. If you build nice facility's, have good promotions at the events then the fans will come. (Tailgating Events, Bus rides to away games, etc) Seriously, the games are no one near as close as going to even a semi decent school. The school spirit in the MAC is absolutely terrible. (Note: I am basing this as the MAC as a whole)

Thoughts? suggestions?

There are 3 solutions to making the MAC a overall better conference.

Thoughts? suggestions?

The Akron Zips And Why You Should Cheer For Them

2013-02-26T00:27:12Z

Brown and Gold implored us to root for Ohio during football season...I'll return the favor, a Buffalo fan telling us all to Root for Akron Basketball.

Akron is #24 in USA Today poll and in first place in the MAC, they are 4 games away from finishing the regular season 26-4 riding a 22 game win streak. They are primed to make the MAC's second straight deep run into the NCAA tournament. Here is why you should cheer for their success.

Because MAC Basketball still isn't respected. With two 20 win teams already, Ohio and Akron should both be in the tournament discussion, this is a red hot Akron team, and the Ohio team that went to the sweet sixteen in 2012. However, both ESPN and SB Nation have only one MAC team in the tournament conversation. If Akron is dominant, and beats Ohio twice more, once regular season, once MAC tournament, it actually makes room for Ohio to possibly sneak in. If Akron loses, expect only one team in.

Because MAC Champions still aren't respected. Ohio as a very good 13 seed ran to the sweet 16. It's a very hard road as a high seed to get to the final four. Both bracketologies currently place Akron at...the 13th seed. Akron is the lowest seeded team out of all 25 teams ranked in the USA Today poll. #20 Notre Dame is a 6 seed, #21 Butler a 4 seed, #22 Marqutte a 5 seed, #23 Saint Mary an 11 seed and #25 VCU a 9 seed. More Akron wins could led to a better seed and a better chance at a lower seed.

Your team will lose in the first round of the tournament. Of course, unlike football it's anyone's game, any team can go to the Q win 2 or 3 or 4 games and punch their ticket to the dance. But know, the dance will be short, and everyone is going to hate you. I mean if Javon "That S**T" McCrea" decides to go full Tim Duncan and take Buffalo to the dance, I won't cry, but I do know this Buffalo team has no shot in the big boy tourney.

Ohio had their chance, like twice. Ohio greedy cats. They made a great sweet 16 run in 2012, they flirted with a BCS bowl game, they lost money on the game they ended up going to. They are living the big college dream. Let someone else get a taste. Akron lost to UMass, IN FOOTBALL, they deserve this one.

Just as Brown and Gold did, I'll personalize the reasons:

NIU Fans

You get another season of Jordan Lynch: Who cares about basketball when your going to Orange Bowls.

Toledo Fans

Sanctioned:

Kent St Fans

Yes hated rival, Wagons and Wheels and what not: Yes you also only lost 3 games to Ohio and Akron by a total of 8 points. Still, this is about the MAC. Kent State will be back someday, and would you rather be a 13 seed or a 9 seed?

BGSU Fans

Look at the Stroh Center, now look at the JAR; Let Akron have something nice for a change.

WMU Fans

Sure you're "in the hunt" but on the Westside is that really a thing to be proud of?

Buffalo Fans

We already pulled the code red at the JAR: What's the point of beating them now?

Ohio Fans

Not Very Impressive on National TV, might be better to stay out of the limelight: Two Words: Vince Gill

So here's hoping the Zips can get to 26-4, win two more in the tourney, and head to the dance 28-4 riding a 24 game win streak. Zip it up, and Zip it out!

Brown and Gold implored us to root for Ohio during football season...I'll return the favor, a Buffalo fan telling us all to Root for Akron Basketball.

Just as Brown and Gold did, I'll personalize the reasons:

NIU Fans

You get another season of Jordan Lynch: Who cares about basketball when your going to Orange Bowls.

Toledo Fans

Sanctioned:

Kent St Fans

BGSU Fans

Look at the Stroh Center, now look at the JAR; Let Akron have something nice for a change.

WMU Fans

Sure you're "in the hunt" but on the Westside is that really a thing to be proud of?

Buffalo Fans

We already pulled the code red at the JAR: What's the point of beating them now?

Ohio Fans

Not Very Impressive on National TV, might be better to stay out of the limelight: Two Words: Vince Gill

So here's hoping the Zips can get to 26-4, win two more in the tourney, and head to the dance 28-4 riding a 24 game win streak. Zip it up, and Zip it out!

Plan for MAC football expansion

2013-02-12T02:10:47Z

The MAC and football expansion so far the Eastern expansion brings short term members .There are to many Eastern FBS conferences to compete with .The MAC should try a four corners approach adding NMSU , Idaho , and ARMY for football only to go along with UMASS. ARMY has joined a conference before as long as the conference schedule is 8 games then they would fit nicely. The MAC would have a following in every region and different time zones for better options for T.V. games.Let members play each other in non conference games if they wish allowing rivalries to stay intact. The football only members would add exposure in different regions with a real chance of staying a while.

Toledo Women Winning Despite Horrific Shooting

2013-02-06T17:43:09Z

Toledo opened up their contest against Western Michigan this past Sunday with an absolutely dreadful display of turnovers and poor shooting. It was so bad that one of the Rockets mascots came over to our row, where former UT three-point specialist Courtney Ingersoll was sitting, and practically begged her to go put on a uniform and storm the court.

Last year Ingersoll led the entire nation in three-point percentage at 44%. Andola Dortch and Haylie Linn were the other best deep threats on the team shooting 37% and 35% respectively. Toledo finished the 2011-1012 season shooting 36% from three. The Rockets are devoid of any kind of outside threat this season and are shooting under 30%. With Ingersoll and Linn lost to graduation, the remaining players from last year's squad are not performing well at distance. Dortch is connecting at just over 32%. Naama Shafir is shooting 32% and Inma Zonguera is just hovering over the 30% mark. The only other option has been Riley McCormick (35%) but she's seeing limited minutes in the rotation.

It's not just long range shooting that's been bad this year. Toledo's overall field goal percentage since the start of MAC play is an abysmal 39.1% heading into Wednesday night's contest at Miami. Toledo was shooting better in non-conference play but word has now gotten out throughout the MAC that the Rockets struggle against zone defenses and the shooting slump has been in full force ever since thanks to the lack of a decent mid-range shooter on the team.

Long stretches of Toledo's play has been almost unwatchable this year with their two main ball handers, Dortch and Shafir, both averaging under 39% from the field. The one bright spot has been Yolanda Richardson. She is shooting nearly 60% from the floor so far this season, and leads the conference, but she's only the third highest scorer on the team because the Toledo offense is having such a hard time feeding her the ball. Couple that with Shafir's reluctance to drive as much as she did two years ago, before her knee injury, and you have a recipe for shooting woes.

Fortunately for Toledo, the drop in shooting accuracy hasn't been reflected in the standings because UT is playing some of the best defense in the MAC right now. Opponents are currently averaging 49.8 points per game since conference play started. All of Toledo's hopes on wining the conference tournament right now rest on their defense. If teams begin to figure out how to crack Toledo's stalwart defense the Rockets are going to be in big trouble unless they can improve their performance on the offensive end to help compensate.

Akron holds crown of the MAC for now

2013-02-03T00:56:08Z

The Akron Zips continued their undefeated run in the MAC with an impressive 86-72 victory over the Ohio Bobcats avenging last season's MAC championship defeat. The Zips got off to a slow start as the Bobcats took a 23-10 lead quieting the sold out Akron crowd. The Zips picked it up the rest of the half led by Alex Abreu who hit a pair of lay-ups and a pair of three's to give Akron a 5 point half time lead. The Zips would go on to hold the lead for the rest of the game and extend their now Division I leading winning streak to 13 games. The defensive stalwart Zeke Marshall showed off his offensive game today going 8-for-8 from the field with an array of dunks, post moves, and short jumpers. Alex Abreu finished the game 7-for-10 and clearly had the point guard advantage against the Bobcats' D.J. Cooper. The Zips gave some extended minutes to the team's freshmen, with Reggie McAdams showing off a nice shooting stroke with three 3-pointers.

On the Ohio side, D.J. Cooper struggled from the floor taking some erratic shots and finishing 3-for-10 with four turnovers. Walter Offutt also struggled from the floor finishing 3-for-13 from the floor and four turnovers. Ivo Baltic was invisible on the floor only taking 1 shot and finished with 2 rebounds. The Bobcats will have another crack at the Zips on their home floor come February 27th and potentially again in the MAC tournament. They will need to solve the inside presence of Zeke Marshall and Demetrius Treadwell who dominated in the paint and on the glass if they expect to return to the dance.

Naama Shafir Apologetically Breaks Assist Record

2013-02-01T15:21:56Z

On February 11th of last year, Toledo hung a banner inside Savage Arena honoring former Rocket Dana Drew for her standout career. In four years at UT, Drew led the program to three NCAA tournament appearances and finished among school leaders in a slew of statistical categories including the most assists (659) in school history.

Last night, almost one year removed from Drew's banner honor, Naama Shafir dropped nine dimes on a hapless Ohio Bobcats team to bring her career assist total to 667. According to her post-game comments, Shafir was seemingly unaware (or, perhaps more modestly, uninterested in acknowledging) how close she was to breaking Drew's record heading into the game and suggested she should apologize to Drew for passing her in the books.

Naama has ample opportunity to put the career assist record away for quite a long time. Toledo has at least nine games left on the slate and Shafir is on pace to finish her career as a Rocket with over 700 assists. There are no other active players on the current roster that can even come close. Andola Dortch will most likely break into the top ten list before her career is over but the odds of her getting close to Shafir's final number seems impossible.

Shafir is in the top ten of a number of different career statistical categories at this point in the 2012-2013 season. While her per-game scoring average has taken a drop this year she has still climbed to 5th on Toledo's all-time scoring list with 1,689 points. Dana Drew once again is Naama's next target with 1,919 career points for fourth all-time but Shafir will need to return to the form she had before her knee injury to slip past Drew by year's end.

Before the fifth year senior hangs up her Rockets uniform for good, Naama will figure prominently in the following categories: the aforementioned points, scoring average, free throws made, free throws attempted, free throw percentage, steals and minutes.

While Naama won't leave Toledo with the kind of NCAA Tournament success the Drew led teams of the early 1990s had, the Toledo Athletic Department have probably already set aside the spot next to Dana Drew's banner for Shafir's #4.

Something that hasn't happened in men's MAC basketball since before the turn of the century

2013-01-31T19:18:19Z

On Saturday, February 2nd, something wll happen in MAC men's basketball that has not happened in at least a dozen years when two undefeated conference opponents will face-off as the Ohio Bobcats (6-0) travel to Rhodes Arena to take on the Akron Zips (7-0). While there have been other 7-0 starts in conference play, Toledo in 06-07 and Kent in 05-06, neither faced an undefeated conference foe this late in the season. Even during Kent's outstanding 16-1 season in 01-02, the Golden Flashes started 1-2. Akron and Ohio have been quite sucessful over the last few years, alternating NCAA tournament appearances over the previous four years. The Zips own 6 straight MAC championship game appearance while the Bobcats have three NCAA tournamment victories. They also know each other quite well, having faced each other twice a year in the regular season and in two of the last three years in the MAC Championship game. Both are led by recognizable star players, the Zips 7'0" senior center, Zeke Marshall, who is the MAC's all time leading shot blocker and the Bobcats senior point guard DJ Cooper who is the MAC's all-time assists leader. Not surprisimgly, the Zips lead the MAC in blocked shots and the Bocats in assists. These teams are far from a one man show, however, with 10 players on each team averaging more than 10 minutes per game and 7 Zips averaging at least 6 points per game, led by Marshall's 12.8, while Ohio counters with five players averaging at least 8, led by Coopers 14.6. The two teams are neck and neck in overall scoring offense with 74.8 for the Zips and 74.5 for the Bobcats. The defense is almost as close with Akron giving up 62.3 per to the Bobcats 63.3. Ohio is the best 3 point shooting team and Zips are tied for the leading rebounding team. This should be a down-to-wire contest, with the winner getting a leg up on the race for the #1 seed in the MAC tournament, but more importantly in the players minds for who the best team in the MAC is this year. The winner could potentially run the table in the MAC, and as good as these two teams are neither is likely to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament no matter how the rest of their seasons go so this one could be a critical determining factor on who gets to participate in March Madness.

A Two-Bid Conference

2013-01-31T01:54:45Z

The MAC thus far has been a conference dominated by the Akron Zips and Ohio Bobcats who are both off to 6-0 starts. Last season, these two teams met in a thrilling MAC championship game that sent the Bobcats dancing and the Zips to the NIT. This year is seemingly set for a collision course that will likely end with the same result of one team dancing and one team in the NIT as Saturday begins a potential three game showdown of Akron Zips vs. Ohio Bobcats.

There is always the possibility of the MAC being a two bid conference, although research shows this is unlikely. The NCAA selection committee has traditionally favored the high majors with 10-12 losses over mid-majors with single digit losses in their selection process. While some of the stronger mid-major conferences have seen at-large bids in the past, the MAC has always been a one-bid conference. Looking at the current RPI ratings, Akron sits at #68 and Ohio sits at #99. Both teams can presumably climb the rankings if they continue their flawless MAC records. Digging deeper, we see that Akron is currently sitting at a 1-2 record vs the RPI top 50 and a 2-3 record vs. RPI top 100 while Ohio has a 0-2 record vs. the RPI top 50 and a 2-3 record vs RPI top 100. Five games is not a large sample size versus top 100 teams and shows the weak schedule that both teams have played up to this point. Playing up to three games versus each other will improve each team's strength of schedule and allow them to gain quality wins.

Seeing as Akron currently has the slight edge in RPI over Ohio, they seem most likely to earn a potential at-large. I only see one way of this being a possibility. Akron running the table and earning two wins over Ohio and a potential bracket buster win would put them at 26-4 heading into the MAC tournament. A loss in the MAC Championship would give them a final record of 27-5. It is not unheard of for a 27-5 team to be left out of the tournament, but Akron would certainly make a strong case for a tournament bid with an undefeated regular season in the MAC. Ultimately, I think they failed to earn that defining win in early season games versus Oklahoma St and Creighton that could have solidified a potential at-large bid and the MAC will almost certainly be a one-bid conference once again.

Zips Twitter Frenzy

2013-01-31T00:48:25Z

The Zips of Akron have created the rare national buzz for a MAC team after unveiling their plans to hold a social media night for their game vs. Ohio University February 2nd. The team planned to wear a new Nike jersey with the team's Twitter handle (@ZipsMBB) on the back of the jersey. The initial excitement was euphoric as I thought each player would have their Twitter handle on the jersey and the chance for @Tall_Ass_Tree (Demetrius Treadwell) to be introduced was something that the world could not miss.

The NCAA, hater of all things fun, decided the Twitter handle would not be allowed to be worn Saturday. The promotion denial worked as a benefit to the Zips as the national media wasted no time to bash the oft-criticized NCAA for another harsh crackdown on a meaningless rule. ESPN's Jay Bilas has consistently been outspoken on the NCAA's archaic rule and he was no different on the Twitter handle ruling. The Zips took notice of Jay's backing of Akron in their NCAA dispute and decided to send him his own jersey.

via i.imgur.com

Today, Jay received the jersey and it led to a slew of tweets.

via i.imgur.com

While it may not seem like much, it provided some national exposure to have Jay Bilas and his 434,000 followers with their eyes on the Akron Zips and their rejected jerseys. This additional exposure will hopefully lead viewers to Saturday's game (televised on ESPN U) which is surely to be highly competitive. The match-up with the Bobcats is a rematch of last year's MAC Championship game. Both teams are off to a 6-0 start in the MAC this season and are heavy favorites to return to the MAC Championship again.

via i.imgur.com

Today, Jay received the jersey and it led to a slew of tweets.

via i.imgur.com

The MAC is as apathetic about its teams as the rest of the nation.

2013-01-05T20:16:54Z

The college football season isn't over yet. Kent State is playing one of the most important games is its history. And the rest of the MAC, and the Hustle Belt? They obviously couldn't care less.

Not a single article about KSU since December 18th. Apathy by the MAC and the Hustle Belt is the only description that fits the situation.

How does the MAC, and supposed MAC blogs, expect to gain respect for the programs when they ignore their own and thumb their noses at an MAC team like Kent State?

Parades may not be necessary, but some support from the "home crowd" would have been highly recognized by the college football world. Someone dropped the ball, and it wasn't Kent State.

The college football season isn't over yet. Kent State is playing one of the most important games is its history. And the rest of the MAC, and the Hustle Belt? They obviously couldn't care less.

Not a single article about KSU since December 18th. Apathy by the MAC and the Hustle Belt is the only description that fits the situation.

How does the MAC, and supposed MAC blogs, expect to gain respect for the programs when they ignore their own and thumb their noses at an MAC team like Kent State?

Parades may not be necessary, but some support from the "home crowd" would have been highly recognized by the college football world. Someone dropped the ball, and it wasn't Kent State.

The Fairy Tale of a MAC BCS Bid

2012-11-25T10:07:07Z

"The highest-ranked champion of a non-AQ conference will receive an automatic berth if:

It is ranked in the top 12, or
Ranked in the top 16 and higher than at least one AQ conference champion."

Now read that again. Look at the bottom clause of this rule. Call me crazy, but the MAC could actually fulfill this criteria and after some of today's results, it becomes even more possible. As of this posting, here is how the area looks affecting the chances of us getting in along with the results of this week.

BCS Standings

15. Oregon St. (Loss)

16. Texas (Loss)

17. UCLA (Loss)

18. Rutgers (Loss)

19. Michigan (Loss)

20. Louisville (Loss)

21. Oklahoma St. (Loss)

22. Boise St. (Win)

23. Kent St. (Win)

24. Arizona (Loss)

25. Washington (Loss)

I'm sure that Northern Illinois is right on the bubble too of the top 25. That's a lot of losses in that bubble zone for Non-AQ teams and that means they are bound to jump up a few spots. We shall see for sure how much they jump this week in the polls when they come out later today. This also leaves us one last week for some shake ups and dominoes to fall our way. Now here are some possible scenarios that get one of our teams into a BCS bowl.

Best Chance:

Louisville/Rutgers are in the running for the Big East Championship (whatever that's worth these days). They keep on self imploding as the season goes on further lowering their ranking. Seeing as they remain an AQ conference right now, one of our teams (NIU/Kent St.) can reasonably be expected to finish above them. They face each other for their final showdown. One can only hope that the lower ranked team (whomever it may be) wins that game further improving our odds.

Moderate Chance:

Wisconsin isn't a bad team and they face a beatable Nebraska team. Wisconsin almost even beat them losing only by a field goal. This time, it's on neutral ground instead of Nebraska getting the home field advantage. Because Wisconsin isn't even ranked, if they become the conference champion, one of our teams can again get in being ranked higher than the conference champion.

Lowest of Low Chances:

Much like the Moderate chance, there is one other championship game where the winner would be ranked lower than one of our teams. That's the ACC championship game with Florida St. taking on Georgia Tech. Seriously, the odds of GT winning is like 2%. But hey, stranger things have happened right?

This also hinges on Boise St falling behind one of our teams. Right now, they are slightly ahead of Kent St. and are co-champions in the MWC. I'm honestly not sure how the BCS rule applies to co-champions but my guess is that it still applies since they are still technically champions of their conference. They do have one game left, however, and it is against a pretty good Nevada team at Nevada. Losing that game assures we would jump ahead of them and takes them completely out of contention.

So let's assume for a moment now that Kent St. or NIU is able to reach 16 in the BCS polls after next week and the rest falls into place. What does the BCS landscape look like and which AQ teams are going to be seriously, SERIOUSLY, burned that a MAC team is in over them. Here is my closest guess of what it would look like.

NC Game: Notre Dame/Alabama

BCS 1: Pac 12 (Champion)/Big Ten (Champion)

BCS 2: Big 12 (Kansas St.)/SEC #2

BCS 3: ACC (Champion)/Pac 12 #2

BCS 4: Big East (Champion)/Non-AQ (Boise, NIU, Kent St.)

So who get's left out if a non-AQ gets in. Of course that depends on who wins in their championship game. Nebraska gets kicked out if Wisconsin wins and the non-AQ gets to 16. If some miracle happens and GT beats FSU, then FSU gets bumped out if a non-AQ gets to 16. They are the team that would be outraged by the situation the most too. I just don't see them getting a second bid if they lose to GT. Even if Stanford loses to UCLA, they are at least both still ranked and don't see Stanford dropping below FSU. Oklahoma also would get bumped out as I don't see them passing Stanford in the polls.

Right now for the MAC, Kent St. is in the best position to do this incredible feat. They are already ranked in the BCS but they would still need things to go their way. Wouldn't that be the most amazing thing ever for this program to go from no bowl for over 30 years to a jump into a BCS bowl. HOLY COW! That would almost assure that the coach would be poached too but that is for another discussion. Okay so this is a lot of wishful thinking but on the other hand, it is clearly a possibility too. Long shot sure, but as I said before, stranger things have happened. GO MAC! :-D

*Please let me know if I'm widely missing something here though. Still, it has been fun researching this possibility for the MAC*

"The highest-ranked champion of a non-AQ conference will receive an automatic berth if:

It is ranked in the top 12, or
Ranked in the top 16 and higher than at least one AQ conference champion."

BCS Standings

15. Oregon St. (Loss)

16. Texas (Loss)

17. UCLA (Loss)

18. Rutgers (Loss)

19. Michigan (Loss)

20. Louisville (Loss)

21. Oklahoma St. (Loss)

22. Boise St. (Win)

23. Kent St. (Win)

24. Arizona (Loss)

25. Washington (Loss)

Best Chance:

Moderate Chance:

Lowest of Low Chances:

NC Game: Notre Dame/Alabama

BCS 1: Pac 12 (Champion)/Big Ten (Champion)

BCS 2: Big 12 (Kansas St.)/SEC #2

BCS 3: ACC (Champion)/Pac 12 #2

BCS 4: Big East (Champion)/Non-AQ (Boise, NIU, Kent St.)

*Please let me know if I'm widely missing something here though. Still, it has been fun researching this possibility for the MAC*

Future Viability of MAC Football

2012-11-24T09:22:35Z

In wake of the news that more conference realignment is on the horizon (thanks B one G) coupled with the announcement of the new playoff system and access bowl to the "Group of Five", it leads one wonder how does all of this affect the Mid-American Conference? The answer in short is: that when all the dust settles, the MAC may be one of the strongest and most stable conferences in the land, dangerously close to the "BCS" conferences.

The way I see it the moves by a certain ~~pretentious~~ conference (which the MAC has had a fair amount of success against)has shaken the college football world. In a move that can only be described as money-driven, the Big Ten has grabbed two mid-level programs to further extend their Big Ten Network brand in the Mid-Atlantic and New York markets. On the surface, you can't blame the Big Ten too much, while neither school has a strong athletic reputation both fit the overall package that defines the conference; academic standards, steady success, and lack of NCAA snooping. Under that surface though, these moves stink of Jim Delaney acting like a child, upset that Notre Dame has joined the ACC in all non-football sports and needing the last word in the conference realignment conversation. What does all this mean? In reality we don't know yet what these moves mean, hypothetically we can infer that the dominoes will continue to fall with more schools moving to different conferences. Potentially, ultimately leading to my worst fear: superconferences comprised of 16 teams.

The Fallout. The addition of Rutgers and Maryland, along with moves made by the Big East in the last go round, point to geography bearing no weight anymore. I mean San Diego State is in a conference called the Big East and would play UConn on a regular basis. There's no good natured debate between friends in neighboring states or towns even. No natural rivalries, just manufactured ones spawned from greed. And if the superconferences were to transpire, you have essentially watered down the product. Missouri in the SEC is a good example, while the Tigers have performed better than some mainstays (Auburn, Vandy, Tennessee, UK), it is obvious that they don't belong in big boy football. This has also led to accusations that the schedules in the SEC have softened. How can the effects not be felt when conferences push towards 16 teams and potentially four divisions? And until these superconferences are achieved there will remain a constant unrest and fear of conference jumping.

We now come to how MAC football plays into these new/anticipated changes to the college football landscape. If the dominoes even slightly fall they way the experts predict them to, you are left with the MAC as the only conference representing traditional football. That's Right! The MAC! The MAC with its geographically close opponents, state schools of similar size, in similar towns, and similar fan bases. The MAC with its comfort level at 12/13 schools in football. The MAC who seems to be stepping up the competetion and putting more teams in the polls. When the dust settles after the last round of conference realignment, the MAC will be unchanged in number of schools only. Every game will still matter the same, every rivalry still highly anticipated, potential to automatically qualify for a major bowl every year is attainable, and member size big enough to provide quality competetion where every conference victory is earned, not skirted. Yes, I believe the MAC could come out the other end of the conference shuffle stronger and the most stable.

Afterword: The UMASS Situation

Scenario 1: I believe the most likely scenario is that UMASS eventually leaves the MAc with 12 teams and joins another conference during realignment within the next five years (perhaps some C-USA/Big East merger). This leaves the MAC with its original 12 teams and still in great shape from a stability and competetive standpoint.

Scenario 2: In the opposing scenario the MAC could jump on the expansion bandwagon and add a 14th member while making UMASS a full memeber. If the MAC were to do this I think the candidates should include Western Kentucky and Missouri Valley schools. Western Kentucky - geographically a little more south, but similar size and history of MAC schools. Indiana State - historical rivalry with Ball State, adds a basketball dimension, would need to upgrade stadium. Southern Illinois - good track record, long history, recent success, natural rival to N. Illinois. W. Illinois - large stadium, recent success, competed against similar non-conference opponents.

BCS 6 bowls playoff

2012-11-12T21:43:07Z

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8624387/six-bowls-pool-college-football-semifinal-games

The BCS commissioners and Presidential Oversight Committee have settled on a rotation of six bowls (three "contract bowls" and three "host bowls") for the semifinals of the upcoming college football playoff system.

Also, the highest-rated champion from the "Group of Five" conferences -- the Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Mid-American -- will receive an automatic berth in one of the host bowls.

"Today's meeting is a unanimous ratification of what we announced last June in Washington, D.C.," Charles Steger, the chairman of the Presidential Oversight Committee, said in a release. "I'm delighted that additional details have been resolved and that everything is on track so fans can enjoy the postseason they've been asking for. College football, with its great regular season, is strong and popular -- it's about to get stronger and more popular."

With the Group of Five earning an automatic bid, that will lock up seven of the 12 berths in the six access bowls along with the Rose (Pac-12 vs. Big Ten); Sugar (Big 12 vs. SEC) and Orange (ACC vs. Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame). The other five berths will be filled with at-large teams chosen, based on their final rankings, by a yet-to-be-formed selection committee.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8624387/six-bowls-pool-college-football-semifinal-games

The BCS commissioners and Presidential Oversight Committee have settled on a rotation of six bowls (three "contract bowls" and three "host bowls") for the semifinals of the upcoming college football playoff system.

Also, the highest-rated champion from the "Group of Five" conferences -- the Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Mid-American -- will receive an automatic berth in one of the host bowls.

"Today's meeting is a unanimous ratification of what we announced last June in Washington, D.C.," Charles Steger, the chairman of the Presidential Oversight Committee, said in a release. "I'm delighted that additional details have been resolved and that everything is on track so fans can enjoy the postseason they've been asking for. College football, with its great regular season, is strong and popular -- it's about to get stronger and more popular."

With the Group of Five earning an automatic bid, that will lock up seven of the 12 berths in the six access bowls along with the Rose (Pac-12 vs. Big Ten); Sugar (Big 12 vs. SEC) and Orange (ACC vs. Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame). The other five berths will be filled with at-large teams chosen, based on their final rankings, by a yet-to-be-formed selection committee.

Making MAC Bowl Eligibility History

2012-10-31T00:00:35Z

I was recently looking at the overall standings on ESPN, checking out who was bowl eligible and who had already been ousted with 7+ losses when I noticed that the MAC still had 3 uncertains left. It got me to thinking, would it be possible for those three teams (WMU, CMU, Miami) to all make it to be bowl eligible? After some research into their remaining schedules, they all three still could! That would make for an unprecedented NINE MAC teams being bowl eligible. That's more than the Big East and on par with what the ACC and SEC normally send. Here is how it could work.

Western Michigan:
Current Record (3-6)

For them to become bowl eligible, they would need to win out. They have two road games and a home game but looking at who they play, it is certainly doable. A win against Central Michigan, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan are all within reach and can bring WMU up to a 6-6 record and make Cubit's seat a little less toasty.

Central Michigan:
Current Record (3-5)

They have a one game loss buffer and could still reach bowl eligibility. For this perfect scenario of 9 teams becoming bowl eligible, that buffer is gone with a loss to WMU this weekend. But then looking at the rest of the schedule, much like WMU, they have 2 away and a home game. Again, each of them are winnable with games against EMU, Miami and UMass. Their toughest challenge will be against Miami but if they can over come it, they too will be bowl eligible at 6-6.

Miami:
Current Record (4-4)

With four games left, they just need to win 50% more of their games. We've already established that they would need to lose to CMU for this magical MAC season to happen. Their other three games? Two home games and an away game. With as up and down as Miami has been this year, it's really hard to gauge which team will show up to each of them. I believe it is safe to say though that their 6th loss would have to go to Kent St. That means they would win their games against Ball State and Buffalo. Both possible but certainly not going to be easy.

So if those three teams can pull that off, the MAC will have 9 eligible teams for post season bowl play. Will they all get a bowl bid? Great scott no. But just making it to the .500 mark is still an achievement to be proud of while getting some coaches another year to prove themselves. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Western Michigan:
Current Record (3-6)

Central Michigan:
Current Record (3-5)

Miami:
Current Record (4-4)

Ridiculous MAC football expansion suggestion

2012-10-23T22:33:25Z

What if Army joined? I know it's probably a crazy idea since West Point is swimming in tradition and pride and doesn't need to join a conference to make itself feel better. But what if MAC leadership somehow convinced them to do it?

I think it would make sense in a lot of ways. First, Army is clearly a mid-major in terms of talent, so they won't risk getting creamed every weekend by joining. It's also obviously an academically strong school, so the MAC will have no problems there. And there would be huge benefits for MAC in terms of national exposure, seeing as service academy games get significant TV time. Plus it would continue the conference's eastern expansion, providing a little geographic link between Amherst and Buffalo.

Like I said, probably nuts, but I felt I had to express my latest MAC fantasy. And now I'll leave you all to...

...talk among yourselves.

Like I said, probably nuts, but I felt I had to express my latest MAC fantasy. And now I'll leave you all to...

...talk among yourselves.