This why the MAC sucks....

[Falcon137]

Yea, the new deal is worth roughly, $800,000 per school (10 million a year for 10 years, in 3 years). I think the current deal is 1 million a year. I still think it's interesting the MAC won't release the details or go into any specifics. The money number was reported by Brent McMurphy, it wasn't released by ESPN or the conference. In a conference supported by tax payers and student fees, we should at least be able to see what was asked for.

Here are the viewership numbers. Interestingly the MAC was above CUSA last year, who opted for coverage on Fox Sports 1 and CBS College Sports.

http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/ ... in/5798770" target="_blank

In 2012 with the MAC East on the line, on a gorgeous November Saturday, the BG Kent game drew 15,000 and change and was seen on the MAC network.

Tomorrow night the game will have probably 2-3k actual butts in seats maybe more depending on the student turnout, announced probably at around 12, And will have a TV audience of roughly, 200,000.

For all the complaining about it, this will be BG's 2nd home "MACtion" November game in 3 years. Some people say they won't buy season tickets because of them, ok then....

I like the midweek games. This past weekend, I slept in on Saturday went and played golf, watched games I normally don't get to see. I have this Thursday and Friday off. Next week I'm taking another long weekend, going to the game, staying with a friend, going to the casino and making a weekend out of it.

[Flipper]

I understand the $$$ behind the decision to become a mid-week league...I guess we're whores like the power conferences that broke apart traditional geographic alignments to chase the $$$....we just charge less. I tend to think it makes us look like some beer league...like we're going to play softball or go bowling.

That said...I have a list of crap to do around the house and yard as long as my arm so I probably wouldn't go to the games if you played them at the HS down the street.

[hammb]

I understand the $$$ behind the decision to become a mid-week league...I guess we're whores like the power conferences that broke apart traditional geographic alignments to chase the $$$....we just charge less. I tend to think it makes us look like some beer league...like we're going to play softball or go bowling.

That said...I have a list of crap to do around the house and yard as long as my arm so I probably wouldn't go to the games if you played them at the HS down the street.

I agree. I hate the midweek games. Obviously I like them when they're on the road so we can watch the games on TV, but I feel for the fans that would like to attend the games.

Maybe I'm an old fogey but I hate going to the weeknight games and I can see the lights from the Doyt in my back yard. I'll go because I got season tickets, but now that we're back to these crappy games I'm back to regretting my decision to buy the tickets again. And oh yeah if anybody actually WANTS to go to this game my group of friends and I have about 10 extras because we cannot pay people to actually sit out in the cold until midnight on a Wednesday to watch these games.

[bgsufalcon24]

Eastern Michigan plays all the games on Saturday (except for the final game of the season). I rather be in our situation

So does Miami. Within the last few years, the MAC has basically picked out its 4 or 5 teams that they expect to be horrible at the start of the year, and have not put them on during the midweek...allowing those teams to play all their games (aside from the final week) on Saturday. This is why our winner-take-all game for the MAC East title 2 years ago was on a Saturday and not midweek...BG and especially Kent were not expected to be good in 2012, but they both were and it worked out in our favor.

This year, EMU, Miami, and WMU, the 3 worst teams from last year, are not playing any games in the midweek, and the MAC threw CMU into that group as well. Of course, WMU has been much better than anticipated, meaning that their game against CMU on 11/22 could have major divisional implications just like our game against Kent did 2 years ago.

Bottom line, if you're expected to be good at the start of the season...you're going to be on tv a lot in November. NIU, Toledo, Bowling Green, Akron, Ohio, Ball State, Buffalo...these are the teams that have usually been showcased during the midweek by the conference. If you're Miami or EMU, you're so bad that the conference doesn't want you on ESPN so you get to play on the weekend on November. It's kind of a double edged sword, but honestly, do you really think we would be selling out this game against Kent if it were to be played on Saturday 11/15 instead of tomorrow? I don't. The Toledo game next week will probably be sold out or damn close to it even though it's going to be played on a Wednesday. Don't get me wrong...there are definitely situations where playing in the midweek hurts attendance, but I feel that only applies when you are still in the divisional hunt and playing a non-rival opponent that isn't horrible. Rivalry games will draw regardless of when they are played, and games against bottom dwellers generally won't draw ever.

[mscarn]

Don't get me wrong...there are definitely situations where playing in the midweek hurts attendance, but I feel that only applies when you are still in the divisional hunt and playing a non-rival opponent that isn't horrible. Rivalry games will draw regardless of when they are played, and games against bottom dwellers generally won't draw ever.

Even though I abhor the midweek games (and the ESPN contact generally) that was definitely part of the calculation and probably the reason why the AD's didn't raise too big a stink when it was imposed on them. College football games should absolutely be played on Saturday, but if you're only going to get a few thousand anyway because of the weather, why not a few thousand plus a few hundred thousand on network TV for the better programs? The degree to which we had to contort the schedule and prostitute ourselves still isn't worth the tradeoff for the exposure, especially when there are so many other options out there, not to mention being confined to ESPN3 (and the same 3 network promos they substitute for commercials and incessantly repeat) for the bulk of the season.

I think Kent or Akron agreed to play a basketball game at 4 or 6 AM in order to get on ESPN. Whatever exposure you might be getting by this arrangement is offset by the whiff of desperation it exudes and the diminishment of the reputation of the conferences that partake in it. Like Flipper said, this is still major Division I athletic competition which should come with some measure of pride and prestige attached to it.

[bgsufalcon24]

Don't get me wrong...there are definitely situations where playing in the midweek hurts attendance, but I feel that only applies when you are still in the divisional hunt and playing a non-rival opponent that isn't horrible. Rivalry games will draw regardless of when they are played, and games against bottom dwellers generally won't draw ever.

Even though I abhor the midweek games (and the ESPN contact generally) that was definitely part of the calculation and probably the reason why the AD's didn't raise too big a stink when it was imposed on them. College football games should absolutely be played on Saturday, but if you're only going to get a few thousand anyway because of the weather, why not a few thousand plus a few hundred thousand on network TV for the better programs? The degree to which we had to contort the schedule and prostitute ourselves still isn't worth the tradeoff for the exposure, especially when there are so many other options out there, not to mention being confined to ESPN3 (and the same 3 network promos they substitute for commercials and incessantly repeat) for the bulk of the season.

I think Kent or Akron agreed to play a basketball game at 4 or 6 AM in order to get on ESPN. Whatever exposure you might be getting by this arrangement is offset by the whiff of desperation it exudes and the diminishment of the reputation of the conferences that partake in it. Like Flipper said, this is still major Division I athletic competition which should come with some measure of pride and prestige attached to it.

Every year around opening day of the college basketball season...ESPN runs a "24 hours of hoops" program, where they have basketball on at all hours of the day. They usually put mid-major schools on in the morning and early afternoon and showcase big teams in the primetime slots. As you can imagine, this leads to east coast schools playing at 6am, and west coast and Hawaii drawing the 2am and 4am slots. Akron and Kent State have both been featured as part of that program in the recent past.