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I still don't get how the two conference honchos have so totally screwed up this challenge series year after year. It could have been a great success with the right match ups. I guess both tried to protect some teams and took a limit the damage approach, whatever, it has ruined the whole purpose of building fan base excitement, inter conference rivalries and larger nationwide exposure.
If I had set up this year's match ups, (and other than my team, I don't even know who the rest of the league is playing, but I'm assuming most of the match ups are as stupid as WSU v Co.St., if I'm wrong about that I'm sure some of you will set it straight), here is what I think would have been great match ups:

WSU and SDST
ISUr and UNLV
NIU and NM
SIU and Fresno St.
MSU and Co. St. (or how about Nevada here just to build some drama)
ISUb and Boise St.
LU and Utah St.
BU and Nevada
UE and Wyoming
DU and Air Force

Perhaps a few of these are actually occurring, but again I don't know because they killed the excitement of this challenge series for me several years ago, or they might be precluded due to being matched up last year, though on that point I say, who cares, it should be match ups that try to come close to first to tenth best in each conference being set to play each other. Sure there is room for some variance from what I have suggested as the order, but WSU and Co.St.???! etc. Wasted effort and so long challenge.

For the record here are the Redbird games

New Mexico @ ISUr this year
ISUr @SDSU last year

Right, so who did you guys pay to get those match ups, would be my question.

shockalot wrote:I still don't get how the two conference honchos have so totally screwed up this challenge series year after year. It could have been a great success with the right match ups. I guess both tried to protect some teams and took a limit the damage approach, whatever, it has ruined the whole purpose of building fan base excitement, inter conference rivalries and larger nationwide exposure.
If I had set up this year's match ups, (and other than my team, I don't even know who the rest of the league is playing, but I'm assuming most of the match ups are as stupid as WSU v Co.St., if I'm wrong about that I'm sure some of you will set it straight), here is what I think would have been great match ups:

WSU and SDST
ISUr and UNLV
UNI and NM
SIU and Fresno St.
MSU and Co. St. (or how about Nevada here just to build some drama)
ISUb and Boise St.
LU and Utah St.
BU and Nevada
UE and Wyoming
DU and Air Force

Perhaps a few of these are actually occurring, but again I don't know because they killed the excitement of this challenge series for me several years ago, or they might be precluded due to being matched up last year, though on that point I say, who cares, it should be match ups that try to come close to first to tenth best in each conference being set to play each other. Sure there is room for some variance from what I have suggested as the order, but WSU and Co.St.???! etc. Wasted effort and so long challenge.

Nice matchups. I like the MSU Nevada matchup.

glm38 wrote:Nice matchups. I like the MSU Nevada matchup.

Would have been especially fun since Marcus Marshall plays for the wolfpack this year (as well as Jordan Caroline).

Aces host Boise St. on Dec. 3rd. Not sure if there is a MWC team that they could beat this year. We shall see.

UNI goes to Wyoming this year. They were picked 10th in the MW.

I get that its a tournament rematch from when we piss pounded them two years ago, but Larry Nance and the one decent guard they had are gone and their coach retired. So if UNI goes and loses a game a 8000 feet elevation it kills them and a win does absolutely nothing.

There were several factors on why it's taking time to get the better-prioritized matchups.

Several schools had previously scheduled games against teams from either league, those were grandfathered into the series.

Additionally, Bradley, though not deserving, were given a prime matchup against Boise St for a couple reasons, it figured to be Geno's best team that *might* (likelihood is obviously debatable) have been a postseason-level team, and they had been guaranteed a spot because they did not participate for merit reasons in the last year of the previous challenge (part of the deal is the same team could not miss two consecutive seasons).

The best teams in both leagues have enjoyed the matchups about as much as a colonoscopy.

This event is a great idea with a lot of potential, nearly all of which has been flushed completely by the organizers. Frustrating.

I do hope it gets renewed and some level of competence is innovated w/r/t scheduling, but I am not holding my breath on either.

Tongue in cheek but how about the MVC #10 SOS in from the year before has to play the #1 MWC SOS from the year before and it is this way all the way to the MVC #1 SOS playing the MWC #10 SOS. That way the MVC overall SOS of the lesser MVC scheduling teams gets a boast since that is such a hot topic. The elite of the MVC will schedule an excellent Non-Conf schedule on their own - I have read it on here a hundred times.

At least those #4 / #6 and #5 vs #5 matchups will hopefully be acceptable.