since things are slow this time of year re football news, i came across this article and found it interesting and thought i'd share

http://www.footballfoundation.org/nff/stor...-football-teams

That’s an interesting article. Thanks for posting. I guess it means that despite increasing concerns over player safely, the appetite for college football still remains rather healthy even at the lower levels. The newest programs, while concentrated in the south, are also spread around the country somewhat.

One significant thing to me is the attendance figures for some of the newer programs. UTSA, a program who many here scoffed at when they got the call to join C-USA, averaged over 35,000 fans last year! It’s pretty hard to argue against adding a school with that kind of support, IMHO.

JZ84, I thought the same thing about the injuries. Unless i missed it, no mention of concussions, head injuries or concern of injuries in general.

UTSA is going to do well in San Antonio. That is a huge market with only the Spurs for competition.

People in the south are crazy about college football. I went to a game last year at App State and it was completely sold out. In fact, they sold standing room only tickets. They were playing UTChat that day for first place in their conference. Parking in the town of Boone was $25 and nobody complains because it isn't about the cost of the game, but the game itself. One of the best times I've ever had going to a college football game.

Wow, those attendance figures make you look at Akron (and other MAC schools) and shrug your shoulders.

Pretty neat how things work out when you have a plan, eh?

I think it's a symptom of the general despair that's taken hold of the so-called Rust Belt since the late 1970s. There's a foreboding sense of pessimism (some self-hatred, even), and there just isn't the community pride that there used to be... certainly here in Akron but really across the entire region. Throw in the losing, and you have a perfect storm of apathy and disinterest. That depressingly negative background is virtually non-existent in a city like San Antonio.

Thank God for Terry Bowden. If anybody can right this ship and start making headway, I believe he can.

We have had plenty of plans in the MAC. The problem is, the plan is usually as follows:

1. Hold hand grenade with both hands. One hand holding the release handle closed and the other grasping the release pin with one finger.
2. Pull out release pin.
3. Allow the release handle to open.
4. Throw pin.

As an example, the MAC whores itself out to ESPN and plays on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in front of a few hundred people. Leaders of the MAC really believe this is good for the Conference so they throw the pin because they don't know any better. UTSA, App. State, etc. don't care about TV and only desire to put a good product on the field and they play in front of tens of thousands of people. MAC leaders believe in the illusion they might be able to create. App State, UTSA believe in the reality of what they have and maximize their ability the best they can and lots of fans respond to that. The UTSAs of the world are willing to throw the grenade. Even if they don't hit anything, they have tried their best and at least didn't blow themselves up.

The reality is as follows. If the MAC or 90% of their athletic directors believe something will work, the opposite is true. They have so overthought things, they no longer know what a good decision or bad decision is. They only believe more is better. By more, they mean more stadiums and more lines on their resumes saying what they did to build those stadiums. More teams in the conference. More indoor training arenas.

What makes me sad is the MAC can be everything the Southern Conference is and better if they would just put a better product on the field at a time when people can go to the games. They play mostly afternoon games. Every SoCon school is in a state that has at least one BCS team in it just like the MAC. In those states, the fans of the BCS teams are just as passionate about their BCS team as they are in the midwest. Those schools also have alumni that follow both their SoCon school and a BCS school. Many SoCon schools get huge crowds and aren't located anywhere near a major city. Anyone know where App State is or Western Carolina? You damn near need a mule to get you there. We have tons of excuses for why we fall short. They pull up their pants and get to work putting a good Conference together.

I don't hate the MAC. In fact, it could be a much better conference and I wish that was the case. I absolutely can't stand the leadership of the Conference and their self serving ways that are complicating our ability to be a better Conference.