MAC Bowls and G5 Bowl Games

[GP1]

Miami just lost in what was a great game. Both teams played hard and Miami just came up short. Well played game. 

 

More G5 vs G5 please. Less G5 vs P5 blowouts. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by GP1

[Blue & Gold]

Good game!  Miami, down by 4, was stopped on the UAB 2 yard line as time expired.

[Blue & Gold]

 

[GP1]

Spur of the moment trip yesterday. Great day for a game. Thousands of people got together and enjoyed themselves watching a competitive G5 game. The players enjoyed themselves, the students who came enjoyed themselves, alumni all over the place having fun, fans having fun and I'm sure the game benefited their local communities somehow. 

 

Someone needs to explain to me again how bowls are outdated and bad for college football because I just don't get it. 

 

 

 

 

[GP1]

Excellent performance by EMU. MAC holding it's own. More G5 vs G5 please. 

[GP1]

Toledo 21

Liberty 19

 

Another spirited game by two G5 programs (sort of). A solid win for the MAC against a good opponent. Currently 2-1 against some good teams.

 

G5 schools are playing very good football in bowl games. Are some of you so sure an expanded playoff is necessary just because P5 players are too lazy to play hard in bowl games?  Make no mistake, an expanded playoff will kill the bowls. But then again, playoff proponents will tell us the joys of watching that one G5 school get the crap kicked out of them by the #1 seed makes it all worth it. Or worse, the athletic directors say the paycheck is worth it. 

[LZIp]

Nice start for the MAC, as they'd be 3-0 if Miami didn't come up 2 yards short. I predict Ohio and Buffalo lose their bowl games, and BG beats NMSU, leaving us at 3-3 on the season.

[Blue & Gold]

54 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Nice start for the MAC, as they'd be 3-0 if Miami didn't come up 2 yards short. I predict Ohio and Buffalo lose their bowl games, and BG beats NMSU, leaving us at 3-3 on the season.

Too bad Ohio's QB Kurtis Rourke got injured. OU was rolling. Without him, yes, they probably lose.

[pdt1420]

I don’t think an expanded playoff kills these lower bowls. 

[Zipmeister]

3 minutes ago, pdt1420 said:

I don’t think an expanded playoff kills these lower bowls. 

 

You do realize you are disagreeing with the Grate One don't you?

[GP1]

1 hour ago, pdt1420 said:

I don’t think an expanded playoff kills these lower bowls. 

Depends on whether or not the G5 schools start their own division. If so, they will have their own playoff. 

 

I'd actually watch a G5 playoff. The schools can't buy wins so I would expect the competition to be very good, unlike the P5 schools. 

[ZippyRulz]

Well, the New Orleans Bowl is turning into a stinker with WKU leading USA 31-3 at halftime.

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, ZippyRulz said:

Well, the New Orleans Bowl is turning into a stinker with WKU leading USA 31-3 at halftime.

 

 

"bUt ThE mAc ShOlDn'T aDd WkU oR mTsU"

[GP1]

8 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

"bUt ThE mAc ShOlDn'T aDd WkU oR mTsU"

If the mac added them tomorrow, they would be gone by 2025 in a way that would make even Marshall blush. 

[LZIp]

I watched a little bit before going to bed. That WKU offense operates FAST. Faster than I recall Kent being under Lewis in 2020 and 2021.

[Blue & Gold]

2 minutes ago, LZIp said:

I watched a little bit before going to bed. That WKU offense operates FAST. Faster than I recall Kent being under Lewis in 2020 and 2021.

WKU looked tough 😳

[Let'sGoZips94]

39 minutes ago, GP1 said:

If the mac added them tomorrow, they would be gone by 2025 in a way that would make even Marshall blush. 

 

Then my question would be if all of these programs that are on par or superior to us in football/basketball would be looking to get the hell out of the MAC as soon as possible, why is not acceptable for us to do the same? What does that say about the MAC?

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Then my question would be if all of these programs that are on par or superior to us in football/basketball would be looking to get the hell out of the MAC as soon as possible, why is not acceptable for us to do the same? What does that say about the MAC?

WKU and MTSU just signed a grant of rights agreement with the CUSA so they're bound to stay for something like the next 8-10 years. Neither would have left the MAC. Not because they didn't have higher aspirations, but because where would they even go? 

 

The same is true for the MAC. If the AAC came calling for an Ohio, NIU, or Buffalo, they'd leave. They aren't calling and it doesn't make any sense for a MAC school to bolt for the SunBelt or this new C-USA. Akron probably would have gotten interest from the MVC if we didn't have an FBS program, but we do so that would limit our conference options.

[Let'sGoZips94]

17 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

WKU and MTSU just signed a grant of rights agreement with the CUSA so they're bound to stay for something like the next 8-10 years. Neither would have left the MAC. Not because they didn't have higher aspirations, but because where would they even go? 

 

The same is true for the MAC. If the AAC came calling for an Ohio, NIU, or Buffalo, they'd leave. They aren't calling and it doesn't make any sense for a MAC school to bolt for the SunBelt or this new C-USA. Akron probably would have gotten interest from the MVC if we didn't have an FBS program, but we do so that would limit our conference options.

 

My post was more directed at @GP1 and a previous discussion we had when the MAC was potentially looking at adding MTSU and/or WKU. There was supposedly mutual interest, but the MAC decided not to add anyone. GP1 did not want to add these schools, but has also posted that he doesn't believe Akron should look to leave the MAC. I was just trying to find some clarity and consistency in his point to be able to better understand his side of the discussion.

 

GP1: feel free to call out any inaccuracies in my assessment of our previous discussion here. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Let'sGoZips94

[GP1]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Then my question would be if all of these programs that are on par or superior to us in football/basketball would be looking to get the hell out of the MAC as soon as possible, why is not acceptable for us to do the same? What does that say about the MAC?

 

Why wouldn't Akron want to get out?  The MAC is the best fit for the athletes, students, alumni, fans and general community. Anytime Akron has made a unilateral move it fails. 

 

Since I don't care about what WkU and mTsU would do, I don't care what their short term decisions say about the mac. 

 

The changes the MAC needs to make have nothing to do with mTsU or WkU or any other outsider. 

 

So I just have a general question for anyone who thought adding WkU and mTsU was a good idea. If it was such a great idea, how come there weren't conferences begging them to come in?  They were the schools begging. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 minute ago, GP1 said:

 

Why wouldn't Akron want to get out?  The MAC is the best fit for the athletes, students, alumni, fans and general community. Anytime Akron has made a unilateral move it fails. 

 

Since I don't care about what WkU and mTsU would do, I don't care what their short term decisions say about the mac. 

 

The changes the MAC needs to make have nothing to do with mTsU or WkU or any other outsider. 

 

So I just have a general question for anyone who thought adding WkU and mTsU was a good idea. If it was such a great idea, how come there weren't conferences begging them to come in?  They were the schools begging. 

 

I don't think anybody has ever argued for Akron to make a unilateral move to exit the MAC. The only move that makes sense is the American Athletic Conference. There's no excitement for students/alumni/fans/general community with the MAC, so I don't see how it's "the best fit". The MAC doesn't say, "Come on out this Saturday, spend your day tailgating and watching Akron football." It says, "Stay at home this week and watch the game on Tuesday night from the comfort of your couch." Soccer just got into the Big East - there is legitimate excitement from this move. Nobody is mourning the loss of MAC soccer. The same would hold true with football, basketball, etc.

 

I can't speak for the other conferences. The only one that made sense was the Sun Belt, and geographically, WKU is a better fit for the MAC than the Sun Belt. MTSU is borderline for both, leaning towards the Sun Belt. What I can speak for is where WKU & MTSU would've slotted into the MAC from a competitive standpoint. WKU would've been a great add, as the Hilltoppers also have a solid fan base. Both schools would've improved the competitive balance of the league. 

[kreed5120]

37 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

My post was more directed at @GP1 and a previous discussion we had when the MAC was potentially looking at adding MTSU and/or WKU. There was supposedly mutual interest, but the MAC decided not to add anyone. GP1 did not want to add these schools, but has also posted that he doesn't believe Akron should look to leave the MAC. I was just trying to find some clarity and consistency in his point to be able to better understand his side of the discussion.

 

GP1: feel free to call out any inaccuracies in my assessment of our previous discussion here. 

What I've heard is that the MAC had interest in WKU and MTSU and those schools had interest in the MAC initially. CUSA managed to find enough schools to add that way the conference wouldn't fall apart and that made MTSU decide to just stay as they wanted to collect the buy out money from the other CUSA schools leaving. This made it so that MTSU will be getting paid several million to stay in CUSA, which they plan to use to upgrade their facilities.

 

WKU still had interest in joining the MAC, but the MAC didn't want to go back to being at an odd 13 members again. That has never worked for us in the past.

Edited December 22, 2022 by kreed5120

[GP1]

17 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 There's no excitement for students/alumni/fans/general community with the MAC, so I don't see how it's "the best fit". The MAC doesn't say, "Come on out this Saturday, spend your day tailgating and watching Akron football." It says, "Stay at home this week and watch the game on Tuesday night from the comfort of your couch." 

A major problem the mac needs to address.

[kreed5120]

25 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I can't speak for the other conferences. The only one that made sense was the Sun Belt, and geographically, WKU is a better fit for the MAC than the Sun Belt. MTSU is borderline for both, leaning towards the Sun Belt. What I can speak for is where WKU & MTSU would've slotted into the MAC from a competitive standpoint. WKU would've been a great add, as the Hilltoppers also have a solid fan base. Both schools would've improved the competitive balance of the league. 

WKU actually was in the SunBelt prior to joining the CUSA. Their departure rubbed many university presidents the wrong way. Similar to how Marshall leaving the MAC to go to the CUSA as it was Marshall saying we're too good for you. This is why WKU didn't get an invite to the SunBelt.

Edited December 22, 2022 by kreed5120

[Let'sGoZips94]

17 minutes ago, GP1 said:

A major problem the mac needs to address.

 

If they address this, I'd back off my hatred of the conference. I have my doubts, though.