havoc wrote:TheAsianSensation wrote:As a comparison, the MAAC has a 20 game conference schedule, and I'd argue it cost Manhattan an at-large bid in 2016, and maybe a couple others this decade as well.
I'm guessing you mean Monmouth as I can't imagine the 6th place team in the MAAC is typically in at-large contention.
It is all hypothetical as you don't know who Monmouth would have scheduled in place of 2 MAAC games. However, I don't see many fans of current MVC schools being upset at the prospects of playing a non-conference game against Valpo or Murray State recently. At best it is a resume helping win, at worst it is much better than a SWAC game.
crap dangit all to hell how do I mix up Manhattan and Monmouth
I know it's all hypothetical, but the issue with Monmouth was losing 3 league games on the road at sub-200 teams. By having to play each team twice, you absorb every single bad opponent in the league twice. By having an 18-game schedule, you can manipulate it to help the top teams avoid the calorie bombs in conference. This is what the AAC will likely do with Wichita, making them play all the top teams twice and USF/UCF/Tulane once.