Toledo extends Tod Kowalczyk through the 2019 season

Assorted Mid-American-Conference sports news from the day:

φ Tod Kowalczyk got paid — And well deserved, too. The Rockets extended his contract through the 2019 season. Ever since moving to Toledo from Green Bay, which felt like as lateral a move as one could define, he cleaned up the program, purged the roster and made it his own. The program still feels in a very fluid state given all the transfers and departures but I think everyone can agree the program is in a much better place than when GENE was in charge.

There is still work to be done; a MAC West championship that the conference recognizes, for one. But they're almost there. And when/if that happens, Kowalczyk will likely be the next coach on bigger schools' radars. Lock him down while you can, and still be prepared to pay him even more if the Rockets ever made an NCAA tournament run.

φ Derek Toadvine really is an awesome name — and CBS dubbed him the former Kent State leadoff hitter the fifth best name taken in the draft. I like to think that in a dragon fantasy universe, Toadvine and Skulina are rival wizards.

φ More on the new Bowling Green AD — Chris Kingston is a military man and sees many parallels between that and being a college athletic director. Hope springs eternal for a new AD, and BGSU could certainly use a boost of enthusiasm wherever they can get it, being one of the weaker MAC teams in terms of resources, popularity and success.

φ The MAC/Group of Five may be looking at exotic bowl locations — If power conferences don't want you in their bowl games, then make up your own. Who says no? Reports are coming out that the AAC, MAC, MWC, Sun Belt and Conference USA are weighing their options, both foreign and domestic, and could potentially play postseason football in Toronto, Dubai or the Bahamas? Now they're just making up realities. I understand that the places exist, but how pumped are you for a UConn/Western Michigan bowl game in the Middle East? This will just promote overseas sports fans to play more soccer.

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