Pods?

[GP1]

I saw something about Pods next year. Can someone please explain what is and why it matters?

[catdaddyp]

8 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I saw something about Pods next year. Can someone please explain what is and why it matters?

Sounds like it’s just a way to make sure rivalries stay intact and each team plays each other at least once in 3 years time. 
 

Supposedly:

Buffalo, Akron, Kent State
Ohio, Miami, Ball State
Toledo, Bowling Green, NIU
EMU, CMU, WMU

Edited November 30, 2023 by catdaddyp

[Reslife4Life]

Ah yes the age old OU and Ball State Rivalry

[GP1]

1 hour ago, catdaddyp said:

Sounds like it’s just a way to make sure rivalries stay intact and each team plays each other at least once in 3 years time. 
 

Supposedly:

Buffalo, Akron, Kent State
Ohio, Miami, Ball State
Toledo, Bowling Green, NIU
EMU, CMU, WMU

So, do they play the same pod plus two other pods? Not sure how they figure out the other six mac games. 

[catdaddyp]

1 minute ago, GP1 said:

So, do they play the same pod plus two other pods? Not sure how they figure out the other six mac games. 

Sounds like they play their own pod every year and it’ll be some type of rotation against the other pods each year. So we’ll play Buffalo and Kent every year no matter what.

[Zipmeister]

If they want to keep an 8 game conference schedule the following might work. Every year - AKR v KSU, AKR v Buff, and first year AKR v first 2 teams in each of the other 3 pods (second year the 2nd and 3rd team in each of the other 3 pods - third year 1st and 3rd team in each of the other pods. Just thinking about how every other teams schedule would fit into this model makes my head hurt.  

[MangoZip]

I think the B1G will do this very soon also. 

[Blue & Gold]

I hope we keep our yearly game vs. Ohio. We haven’t been keeping up our end of the bargain but it’s still a good rivalry whose fan bases don’t care much for each other. Gotta keep rivalries like these alive.

[LZIp]

4 hours ago, MangoZip said:

I think the B1G will do this very soon also. 

They are next year (at the least getting rid of divisions part).

[Let'sGoZips94]

Ah yes, Kevin Stefanski - I mean Steinbrecher - strikes again. The guy who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room thinks this makes the MAC better. Every G5 conference is adding schools, getting more competitive, etc. The MAC? Our schedules will be pod-based because nothing says we love mediocrity more than making sure Akron plays Buffalo every year, OU plays Balls every year, and the Directional Michigans stay in their worthless hole. 

 

I hate this conference and I loathe Steinbrecher. 

[zippy5]

8 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Ah yes, Kevin Stefanski - I mean Steinbrecher - strikes again. The guy who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room thinks this makes the MAC better. Every G5 conference is adding schools, getting more competitive, etc. The MAC? Our schedules will be pod-based because nothing says we love mediocrity more than making sure Akron plays Buffalo every year, OU plays Balls every year, and the Directional Michigans stay in their worthless hole. 

 

I hate this conference and I loathe Steinbrecher. 

almost every conference is doing this now

[Let'sGoZips94]

21 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

almost every conference is doing this now

 

Conferences are going division-less, which I like, but largely because they're growing. The MAC is putting lipstick on a pig, polishing a turd, etc. No growth whatsoever. 

[MDZip]

On 11/30/2023 at 5:51 PM, catdaddyp said:

Sounds like it’s just a way to make sure rivalries stay intact and each team plays each other at least once in 3 years time. 
 

Supposedly:

Buffalo, Akron, Kent State

Buffalo fans have gotta love this. 

[GP1]

On 12/1/2023 at 12:00 AM, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Ah yes, Kevin Stefanski - I mean Steinbrecher - strikes again. The guy who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room thinks this makes the MAC better. Every G5 conference is adding schools, getting more competitive, etc. The MAC? Our schedules will be pod-based because nothing says we love mediocrity more than making sure Akron plays Buffalo every year, OU plays Balls every year, and the Directional Michigans stay in their worthless hole. 

 

I hate this conference and I loathe Steinbrecher. 

The MAC has 12 schools. That's more than enough. Athletic Directors are some of the most recklessly stupid executives in the USA. They love conference expansion.  That tells me it's a recklessly stupid idea and contrary to college athletics benefiting athletes students alumni fans and general communities. 

 

Our problem isn't the number of schools. Our problem is we don't do whatever is necessary to make the MAC interesting to outsiders or to insiders at this point. Bringing in the Jacksonville States of the world doesn't make it interesting. Maximizing better competition through better scheduling resulting in the opportunity for more wins and post season games is interesting. It creates meaningful games in November. 

 

Is there a conference like ours maximizing opportunities and making themselves interesting? Hell yes!  It's called the Sun Belt!  By eliminating one money game a year, going to a nine game conference schedule, playing one FCS team and playing one MAC like team, they open up interesting opportunities. 12 of their 14 teams will be going to a bowl game. 7 of 12 teams have 6-6 records. Think eliminating a money game is a bad idea? The Sun Belt is a conference that understand winning and going to the post season benefits the athletes students alumni fans and general communities around their universities. They are an interesting conference doing interesting things. The MAC is the conference that plays on weeknights. 

 

I hate the MAC leadership also and it has nothing to do with expansion. There is a complete failure to understand what really matters to schools like ours. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

3 hours ago, GP1 said:

The MAC has 12 schools. That's more than enough. Athletic Directors are some of the most recklessly stupid executives in the USA. They love conference expansion.  That tells me it's a recklessly stupid idea and contrary to college athletics benefiting athletes students alumni fans and general communities. 

 

Our problem isn't the number of schools. Our problem is we don't do whatever is necessary to make the MAC interesting to outsiders or to insiders at this point. Bringing in the Jacksonville States of the world doesn't make it interesting. Maximizing better competition through better scheduling resulting in the opportunity for more wins and post season games is interesting. It creates meaningful games in November. 

 

Is there a conference like ours maximizing opportunities and making themselves interesting? Hell yes!  It's called the Sun Belt!  By eliminating one money game a year, going to a nine game conference schedule, playing one FCS team and playing one MAC like team, they open up interesting opportunities. 12 of their 14 teams will be going to a bowl game. 7 of 12 teams have 6-6 records. Think eliminating a money game is a bad idea? The Sun Belt is a conference that understand winning and going to the post season benefits the athletes students alumni fans and general communities around their universities. They are an interesting conference doing interesting things. The MAC is the conference that plays on weeknights. 

 

I hate the MAC leadership also and it has nothing to do with expansion. There is a complete failure to understand what really matters to schools like ours. 

 

You use the Sun Belt as the model. They just added 4 schools - Marshall, James Madison, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss. All but Southern Miss are bowling. They added Texas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and App State all in the last 10-11 years. There may be others that I'm missing, too. Point being, they are the exact model for how to make expansion work. 

 

I agree with your assessment of their 9 game conference schedule, creating scenarios for more teams to go bowling, etc., but that all started with expansion for the Sun Belt, and the MAC is failing to do that. Western Kentucky would've been bowling for the MAC had we added them. 

 

You mentioned Jacksonville State not making the MAC more interesting. Newsflash - they're bowling this year and have been a phenomenal story all year. What happens when Rich Rod leaves? Who knows. But they're a school that is showing they want to be competitive by bringing in Rich Rod in the first place. 

 

The MAC is made up of a bunch of schools with P5 schools as their neighbors. They have to find a way to add schools that break that mold and take the MAC to new heights. 

 

Adapt or die. The most dangerous words in business are "We've always done it this way." That's MAC's motto under Steinbrecher, except he uses slightly different verbiage. "We pride ourselves on our history and tradition." 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[GP1]

2 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

You use the Sun Belt as the model. They just added 4 schools - Marshall, James Madison, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss. All but Southern Miss are bowling. They added Texas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and App State all in the last 10-11 years. There may be others that I'm missing, too. Point being, they are the exact model for how to make expansion work. 

 

I agree with your assessment of their 9 game conference schedule, creating scenarios for more teams to go bowling, etc., but that all started with expansion for the Sun Belt, and the MAC is failing to do that. Western Kentucky would've been bowling for the MAC had we added them. 

 

You mentioned Jacksonville State not making the MAC more interesting. Newsflash - they're bowling this year and have been a phenomenal story all year. What happens when Rich Rod leaves? Who knows. But they're a school that is showing they want to be competitive by bringing in Rich Rod in the first place. 

 

The MAC is made up of a bunch of schools with P5 schools as their neighbors. They have to find a way to add schools that break that mold and take the MAC to new heights. 

 

Adapt or die. The most dangerous words in business are "We've always done it this way." That's MAC's motto under Steinbrecher, except he uses slightly different verbiage. "We pride ourselves on our history and tradition." 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

A lack of schools isn't our problem. 

 

I guess the question is, who is out there worth adding?

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 hours ago, GP1 said:

A lack of schools isn't our problem. 

 

I guess the question is, who is out there worth adding?

 

Western Kentucky is the most obvious one. 

 

Part of the problem is, other conferences got ahead of the times and added quality programs like JMU, ODU, etc. The list of "who is worth adding" is much smaller for the MAC because they've been way behind the times. 

[GP1]

30 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Western Kentucky is the most obvious one. 

 

Part of the problem is, other conferences got ahead of the times and added quality programs like JMU, ODU, etc. The list of "who is worth adding" is much smaller for the MAC because they've been way behind the times. 

So, nobody and the recent past wasn't realistic. You're asking me to believe something conjured up by athletic directors was something other than reckless and stupid?

[Let'sGoZips94]

13 hours ago, GP1 said:

So, nobody and the recent past wasn't realistic. You're asking me to believe something conjured up by athletic directors was something other than reckless and stupid?

 

I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm simply pointing out that the standard you set - the Sun Belt Conference - was built with expansion. Expansion has put the Sun Belt ahead of the MAC; the next round of media deals will prove that most likely. Hard truth to deal with for those clutching their "history & tradition" pearls. 

[Spin]

On 11/30/2023 at 11:22 PM, Blue & Gold said:

I hope we keep our yearly game vs. Ohio. We haven’t been keeping up our end of the bargain but it’s still a good rivalry whose fan bases don’t care much for each other. Gotta keep rivalries like these alive.

My thoughts too.

 

Buffalo? Not so much…

[Spin]

MAC expansion. Do we search for MAC-like schools in the region? Are there any? Or do we add teams outside the region like when we hosted Central Florida, Temple, and Umess?

[johnnyzip84]

Put me in the "no need to expand" column, but for the sake of the discussion the Missouri Valley Football Conference is already on equal footing with the MAC at this point, regardless of division. It used to be North Dakota State and the rest, but recently all four Dakotas have been playing some really good football. I theorize the Bakken Oil Field even had an impact on local sports for the region.

 

So I realize the Dakotas are pretty remote to the MAC, but some conference is going to dip into the Dakotas at some point.

Edited December 3, 2023 by johnnyzip84

[GP1]

4 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm simply pointing out that the standard you set - the Sun Belt Conference - was built with expansion. Expansion has put the Sun Belt ahead of the MAC; the next round of media deals will prove that most likely. Hard truth to deal with for those clutching their "history & tradition" pearls. 

No. The Sun Belt success in recent years has been about scheduling and generation of fan interest through smart scheduling leading to winning. 

[GP1]

1 hour ago, johnnyzip84 said:

Put me in the "no need to expand" column, but for the sake of the discussion the Missouri Valley Football Conference is already on equal footing with the MAC at this point, regardless of division. It used to be North Dakota State and the rest, but recently all four Dakotas have been playing some really good football. I theorize the Bakken Oil Field even had an impact on local sports for the region.

 

So I realize the Dakotas are pretty remote to the MAC, but some conference is going to dip into the Dakotas at some point.

Maybe short term. Long term the direction of college football is to separate out 30-40 teams for their own division. 12 or 14 schools won't make a difference for Mac schools. We'll be on the second level. 

 

Someone needs to explain something to me. How does conference expansion benefit the athletes students alumni fans and general communities around MAC schools? Financially, expansion only divides up the TV money by more schools resulting in less money per school. This doesn't make sense. 

 

The expansion in expansion is a trend. What is the evidence it's making a different for athletes students alumni fans and general communities?

[GP1]

2 hours ago, Spin said:

Central Florida, Temple, and Umess?

The thought of  playing these schools makes me want to.........., fall asleep.