Topic: It?s time for Marshall to return to MAC

[DJdaHERDfan]

It?s just time

The changing landscape is about to leave Marshall without any viable conference home and not enough tv money/conference revenue to offset the travel cost.

MAC provides a safety net and solid home with minimal travel expenses and a tv deal earning a modest income.
 Maybe get MTSU and Appy St to come along.

It?s obvious the CUSA experiment is a failure.

Time to go back home and be the big fish in the little pond.

[herd_67]

I have to admit I have often thought about that or even maybe the Sunbelt? ...Maybe some political forces like Manchin could help us to greener pastures but who knows....I am nowhere near privy to any inside info like some of you but I do love the info you provide....

Does Marshall have to have an AD first for any type of conference switch or is that up to the BOG?  While I am at it does anyone know if Marshall will hire O'Malley or is there a search in progress?

[herdfifteen]

It?s just time

The changing landscape is about to leave Marshall without any viable conference home and not enough tv money/conference revenue to offset the travel cost.

MAC provides a safety net and solid home with minimal travel expenses and a tv deal earning a modest income.
 Maybe get MTSU and Appy St to come along.

It?s obvious the CUSA experiment is a failure.

Time to go back home and be the big fish in the little pond.

10,000 times no.Being in the MAC and living in Ohio was pure hell. Do you understand they hate us?

[Herdalum83]

I personally have no desire to go back to the MAC.. Nothing about the MAC excites me and honestly, I'm not sure if I even want to travel to Ohio and Michigan in October and November even though the drives are easy. 

But, I agree it is looking more and more like the only option we are going to have.

I am still hopeful that we see some kind of shakeup happen that results in the creation of a new conference that is a mesh of our division of CUSA and some of the Sunbelt teams.

[Tim Hensley]

The best thing that could happen is for C_USA East and the Sun Belt East to merge.  Same for the western division of both conferences.   If we get an AAC invite, I guest we'd have to go.  But if if we go back to the MAC, I'm going to the house -- you can make book on it! 

[bbcard1]

Count me in the no to the MAC camp. I would love to see either a merger or exchange with the Sunbelt and for somebody to add Liberty. I know Liberty is a disruptive lot, but if they play good football, that's what we should be looking at.

[GreenDaddy]

A return to the MAC should be option No. 4 on a list of moves Marshall could make.

1. AAC
2. New breakaway conference.
3. Accept an outright SBC invite.
4. Accept an outright MAC invite.

I actually think the MAC is also the most unrealistic scenario out of those as well. They are sitting at 12 teams and have no reason to make the mistake of going to 14 like CUSA. A full blown invite to the SBC maybe the most realistic of the 4 simply because they have the room to expand. This is not a favorite option of mine just because they are spread out from us geographically too. I have seen over on the Sun Belt board though that there seems to be a lot support from App State fans wanting us to be invited. That would put Marshall back with ESPN so that would be a plus I guess.

A new breakaway conference always seemed like a pipe dream to me, but some more rumors are evidently floating around again that it may very well take place. Imo, this is the best option for Marshall as long as the teams added are solid football programs committed to winning and are a geographical fit. JMU and Liberty.

We do not make any moves until the whole AAC thing shakes out. I still have a good feeling we will be invited should any openings occur.

[Ovaltine Jenkins]

Not no, but Hell No!

[Gaylen]

Why go halfway with a step down going back to the MAC. Go all the way and join the Mountain East. We'd really be a big fish in that pond and travel would be nil.
If ya wanna go back skip the MAC and be the beast of the Mountain East!!!

[parshall2marshall]

[MUther]

A return to the MAC should be option No. 4 on a list of moves Marshall could make.

1. AAC
2. New breakaway conference.
3. Accept an outright SBC invite.
4. Accept an outright MAC invite.

I actually think the MAC is also the most unrealistic scenario out of those as well. They are sitting at 12 teams and have no reason to make the mistake of going to 14 like CUSA. A full blown invite to the SBC maybe the most realistic of the 4 simply because they have the room to expand. This is not a favorite option of mine just because they are spread out from us geographically too. I have seen over on the Sun Belt board though that there seems to be a lot support from App State fans wanting us to be invited. That would put Marshall back with ESPN so that would be a plus I guess.

A new breakaway conference always seemed like a pipe dream to me, but some more rumors are evidently floating around again that it may very well take place. Imo, this is the best option for Marshall as long as the teams added are solid football programs committed to winning and are a geographical fit. JMU and Liberty.

We do not make any moves until the whole AAC thing shakes out. I still have a good feeling we will be invited should any openings occur.

I agree, but note that the whole time we were in the MAC there were 13 or 14 teams.  UCF brought it to 14 and then we left.  That wouldn't be an issue for them for the right team(s)

[herdinphilly]

Return to the Southern Conference maybe? Still slightly better than CUSA.

[MUther]

Return to the Southern Conference maybe? Still slightly better than CUSA.

I think we can all agree staying put is the least desirable option on any list.

[coalherd]

It?s just time

The changing landscape is about to leave Marshall without any viable conference home and not enough tv money/conference revenue to offset the travel cost.

MAC provides a safety net and solid home with minimal travel expenses and a tv deal earning a modest income.
 Maybe get MTSU and Appy St to come along.

It?s obvious the CUSA experiment is a failure.

Time to go back home and be the big fish in the little pond.

Ahhhh, visions of virtually empty football stadiums in mid to late November Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at venues like at the directional Michigans, Muncie, Indiana, Kent, OH, somewhere along Lake Erie in Buffalo with icicles hanging from the goal posts.   Yea, that's the stuff that will definitely fire up the Fan base and no doubt rev up business BIG TIME at ticket offices, travel agencies, etc.

[Big City]

It?s just time

The changing landscape is about to leave Marshall without any viable conference home and not enough tv money/conference revenue to offset the travel cost.

MAC provides a safety net and solid home with minimal travel expenses and a tv deal earning a modest income.
 Maybe get MTSU and Appy St to come along.

It?s obvious the CUSA experiment is a failure.

Time to go back home and be the big fish in the little pond.

 ::)

[MUther]

Ahhhh, visions of virtually empty football stadiums in mid to late November Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at venues like at the directional Michigans, Muncie, Indiana, Kent, OH, somewhere along Lake Erie in Buffalo with icicles hanging from the goal posts.   Yea, that's the stuff that will definitely fire up the Fan base and no doubt rev up business BIG TIME at ticket offices, travel agencies, etc.

WTF is a travel agency?   ;D

[bbcard1]

WTF is a travel agency?   ;D

Look it up in your phonebook.

[GreenDaddy]

I agree, but note that the whole time we were in the MAC there were 13 or 14 teams.  UCF brought it to 14 and then we left.  That wouldn't be an issue for them for the right team(s)

I did not realize that and thanks for pointing that out. Regardless, back the MAC will always be the last option for me. If one was looking to play devils advocate though you could probably make a case to move back strictly on budgetary reasons. I have no clue about the inner workings of our athletic department or what kind of financial shape it is in, but let us imagine for a minute that we are strained to the max for money. Moving back to a league that could potentially save you 2 million a year in travel expenses would be very tempting. We can not keep living in a $500K house when we can only afford something in the $200K range. I am not saying that is what is happening, but rather just pointing to the fact I would rather play in the MAC than FCS.

[MUther]

Actually remembering back, Buffalo was added in 1999 to bring it to 13 teams. So it was 12 for two years.  But same difference.

[crawdad345]

A return to the MAC should be option No. 4 on a list of moves Marshall could make.

1. AAC
2. New breakaway conference.
3. Accept an outright SBC invite.
4. Accept an outright MAC invite.

I actually think the MAC is also the most unrealistic scenario out of those as well. They are sitting at 12 teams and have no reason to make the mistake of going to 14 like CUSA. A full blown invite to the SBC maybe the most realistic of the 4 simply because they have the room to expand. This is not a favorite option of mine just because they are spread out from us geographically too. I have seen over on the Sun Belt board though that there seems to be a lot support from App State fans wanting us to be invited. That would put Marshall back with ESPN so that would be a plus I guess.

A new breakaway conference always seemed like a pipe dream to me, but some more rumors are evidently floating around again that it may very well take place. Imo, this is the best option for Marshall as long as the teams added are solid football programs committed to winning and are a geographical fit. JMU and Liberty.

We do not make any moves until the whole AAC thing shakes out. I still have a good feeling we will be invited should any openings occur.

What would be the ramifications in basketball if we join a new breakaway conference? Would our NCAA credits follow us? And would a new conference have an auto bid to the tournament?

[GreenDaddy]

What would be the ramifications in basketball if we join a new breakaway conference? Would our NCAA credits follow us? And would a new conference have an auto bid to the tournament?

I think another poster can probably speak better to this than myself, but if the rumor is correct then it is agreed if the conference splits then each will retain an auto-bid. Supposedly that is something on the table.

[MUther]

As long as 5 contiguous members are in the conference it would have autobid
The credits would likely stay with the conference, which since it's Texas based, would not be the one we went to.  But may be worked out as an exit fee or whatever.  Especially if we're doing east/west musical chairs to build better conferences.  The only way I see that changing is if we blew up CUSA and then the credits would follow the teams.  Which might be an option considering our TV deal suckage.  Let the West teams negotiate their own deal with ESPN under a new conference and we'd move into the Sunbelt which has a decent contract, already.

[herdfan129]

Why the heck would you even mention going to the MAC when we are most likely one of the front runners to join the AAC?

Sure, some of the top AAC teams such as Cincy, Houston, and UCF will probably be gone but Temple, Navy, ECU, USF is still a solid group to make the AAC attractive.

[svherd]

Not that it?s my first choice but the MAC is better than our current situation. Anyone read comments in the national press lately about CUSA? It ain?t pretty.

[pdunn]

Look it up in your phonebook.

Well played, Sir, well played.