FMR

When you have partners with different agendas that makes for poor bedfellows. Add another $50-60 million to the price tag and you've got a lid! See bedfellows.

While you are watching the games this weekend, I thought you might be interested in a little reading. This is for everyone who:1. Wants a new Stadium2. Loves College athletics3. Wants to further their knowledge of the NCAAThe US House of Representatives has been looking into tax exemptions for the past few years. The copy provided is the original letter sent to the NCAA and the NCAA's response to that letter.What is at stake here is if the NCAA loses it's tax exemption, there will be big changes in college athletics. Donors already receive tax credits for donations, while the NCAA pays no taxes on the MARCH MADNESS that is going on. That's right, the $6 Billion dollar contract is tax free to the NCAA. But what if they lose that status...Read for yourself how the NCAA defends its position. And remember while you are reading it, they paid Big Bucks for the Attorneys who wrote their position for them, Tax Free!http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/media_and_even...aysandmeans.pdf

Straight out of the NIT Manual...General Principles for Selection, Seeding and BracketingThe NIT selection committee will abide by the following principles: At no point in the process shall a member vote for a team the individual has represented as a coach, athletics director or commissioner. All votes will be by secret ballot. Among the resources available to the committee are computer rankings, head-to-head results, chronological results, Division I results, non-conference results, home and away results, results in the last 10 games, polls and the coaches' regional advisory committee's rankings. The regular-season champion of any NCAA Division I conference (as determined by the conference's tie-break protocol) not otherwise selected to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship will secure an automatic qualification to the National Invitation Tournament. The committee shall select the best available teams to fill the NIT field. There is no limit on the number of teams the committee may select from one conference. It really makes for good reading...http://www.nit.org/about-nit/selection-procedures.html

Thanks GP1, I would like to add a couple of comments. The fear of the mid-majors of going from 40 to 32 teams was exactly what happened to UA, they got left out. So a part of the "deal" the NIT (NCAA) struck with the Mid-Majors was to give automatic bids to the regular season conference champions (those who did not win their tournament and go dancing). UA, by virtue of scheduling in the tougher Eastern half, was second behind Toledo. Although they only had an 18-14 record, their league record was higher, they got the automatic bid for the Conference.You should begin to see the patern that is setting up for the future for Mid-Majors. If you are not the Tournament or Regular season Champion, you stay home.With the BCS conferences, Missouri Valley and CAA dominating the selections, and the "proven" Mid-Majors of Gonzaga and Butler (Nevada will fade away again) there are not enough spots left to keep everyone happy.If we stay in the MAC, we will be faced with this every year. There are only two solutions to this problem:1. Win the Conference Tournament every year and we are in.2. Get out of the MAC and into a conference with multiple bids.

The NCAA bought the NIT because they (NCAA) were being sued by the NIT. Instead of settling, they just bought the competition. The NIT use to be THE tournament until the NCAA and CBS combined to make it into what it is today.So the NCAA can subsidize the NIT with all the cash it makes from March Madness. (NIT) Going from 40 to 32 teams this year made for interesting pairings. Only two BCS schools traveled the first round, NC State to Drexel and Alabama to UMASS. I am sure you all remember how hard it was going to Philly last year on Tuesday (right after the MAC Tournament) and playing in Omaha on Thursday. The travel for the team was brutal. The NIT is set up for the home team to win.http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_cho...df/2007-Bracket

Waste of time. He is lobbying for the Hall of Fame so it is not his year to soap box anything.

How can you influence the MAC? And why would you want to influence the MAC office? They are set on their agenda, what ever that is. Don't let me mislead you GP1, I don't think Mack Rhoades could influence anyone. But if he could expend any energy, it should be to get UA out of the MAC Conference. Hey Tommyboy, UA opted out of this. The current administration want to minimize the number of games played in the Rubber Bowl.

The MAC needs to host multiple championship tournaments so more teams can get in. That is the ONLY way the MAC will ever get team into the Dance (of course this cannot happen per NCAA rules). Face it, the MAC is not a BCS conference and will never be considered a power conference, the big boys will not allow that to happen, too much $$ riding.Unless UA wins the tournament, we will continue to stay home, as long as we stay in the MAC.We should be calling every conference in the country right now, lobbying for a spot.

Coach Dambrot for Athletic Director!!!! At least he has come forward during this weird time. I have been waiting for some response from Athletics, some sort of statement but only silence.As a fan, the least they could do is come forward and thank us for all our support. Maybe they are all on vacation...

Almost no influence? I wonder if he could even get UTEP to come play us. By the way, hasn't he been here a year now?

You should trash your trailer like the Stanford Band... or better yet, trash the Rubber Bowl, no, wait, it is already trashed!

He should get out of the MAC while the gettin' is good...