ColonialBulldog wrote:I have to imagine that the MWC would need to offer a pretty sweet deal to bring in Toledo and NIU as football only members. The watered down MWC might be better than the MAC, but it's certainly not head-and-shoulders above the MAC in quality.
Conversely, the MAC has a lot going for it. Geographically it's the best FBS conference for travel. Athletically, I'm not sure you increase your odds of getting a playoff spot in football if you go to the MWC. The pecking order for the 5th spot (while the current format still exists) is Pac-12, then AAC, then MWC. But the MAC isn't far behind the new MWC. Going undefeated in the MAC is possible and would likely get you a spot in the playoff. That's a long winded way of saying they're not terrible for football. I'm not saying the right move is to stay in the MAC for NIU and Toledo, but the MWC is going to really need to sweeten the pot to get them to leave.
Another question I have is, would the MAC allow those schools to stay for other sports? Reading the tea leaves, football could be breaking away from conferences anyways. But my guess is that you cannot allow a precedent of letting schools partially leave.
The MAC has literally nothing going for it.
It's the worst FBS football league by a wide margin. An undefeated MAC team would not get into the playoff over a 1 loss AAC/MWC/New PAC/CUSA team. It's got an awful TV deal that forces all of what used to be highly attended games onto Tuesdays and Wednesdays and doesn't pay enough to make up that difference. It's got very little access to decent bowl games with larger payouts and better geography and, frankly, should probably consider moving back to the FCS as a whole.
NIU and Toledo are doing exactly what they should be doing and that's looking for a life raft to get somewhere with a better TV deal and to get games back on Saturdays where they can sell tickets, increase sponsorships and get their communities invested, especially Toledo.
