Conference going to 22 games

[OSUFALCON]

I’m hearing that next year the league schedule will consist of 22 league games. This will allow each team to play the entire league home and away. The NCAA is also allowing for a 32 game schedule vs the current 31 game schedule. I welcome this over playing NAIA teams or division III schools. Thoughts on this?

[guest44]

Good idea. MIami only playing Akron once in the regular season this year is obnoxious. Getting back to even 12 teams is much better also. My fear is the NAIA, Lourdes colleges still show up on the schedule for coaches to inflate the record and cost saving. Either way league play is 10 times more interesting than anything out of conference these days.

[BillyLP]

Agree this is good and makes sense with NIUs departure and getting back to 12 teams. I think guest's fear is justified and that most teams will still have cupcake OOC schedules, but hopefully they are pushed by the top MAC teams who actually schedule competitive games, especially if the conference continues to get stronger like they have this year.

[Matty B]

This is absolutely necessary. Especially when you look at this year's schedule, where BG only plays each of the 3 worst teams in the MAC (CMU, Northern, Ball St) one time each.

[hammb]

Agree this is good and makes sense with NIUs departure and getting back to 12 teams. I think guest's fear is justified and that most teams will still have cupcake OOC schedules, but hopefully they are pushed by the top MAC teams who actually schedule competitive games, especially if the conference continues to get stronger like they have this year.

To the topic of this thread, I fully support longer and balanced conference schedules. The OOC schedule rarely compelling, it's the MAC season that is fun. Although I do have to say it kinda sucks that we're already playing multiple MAC games during Christmas break, this will likely increase the number of conference games played without Students around campus, but is what it is. The nature of basketball season, you've got the major holiday breaks right in the middle of it.

But you also mentioned something that maybe we don't talk about enough. The MAC this year (at least to my eyes) has some real quality basketball teams. I think this BG team is light years better than Simon's first 2 teams, and yet we're still only 3-3 in conference. The RPI metrics tend to agree. Where the MAC has historically lived in the top 12 (often even in the top 10) conference rankings, since COVID those rankings have tanked. The past 5 years the conference has been 17th-23rd in conference RPI. This year we've rebounded back to 12th.

We know this is unlikely to ever again be a 2 bid conference. Even Miami at 19-0 has next to no shot at an at large berth with a 90+ kenpom. Still, the conference is better, and it's making for a much more entertaining product at the Stroh.

[Falcon Commander]

Where’s deep state 33?
Time to jump OU to Miamiass
Finally in Rankings 🫣

[mbenecke]

He's an Akron fan in basketball.