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From collegefootballnews.com:

The Mid-American Conference is a likely destination for conference-less Temple at the end of this season. After the MAC’s Bowling Green garroted the Owls 70-16, the rest of the league ought to pool their money together, and pay the beleaguered program’s entry fee.

Boy, there's a good way to build up the conference

From what I understand, Temple has a dynamite schedule in '05. They have six or seven home games, and will get at least three trips to their place by ACC teams,

I don't see how they can keep that up, though.

My money says they stay independent in '05 and come to us in '06. The only question is how many home and home basketball games we get out of the deal. Rumor was Chryst wanted two home and homes each year. Maybe we have to settle for three games a year, balanced between Philadelphia and MAC campuses.

I'd take em. Really, I would. Put 'em in the East and let them get well playing Kent State, Buffalo and Akron...

I thought right away also about moving them in and putting them in the East to replace UCF and Marshall. But that wouldn't help with the division breakdown for all the other sports. It would still be seven teams in the West and only five teams in the East. And I don't know how an unbalanced conference schedule would work if Temple was the only team added. I think we need to have an even number of teams in each division for it to work fairly for football. Maybe Army will join with Temple. Then the East could be really loaded!

There are a few sticking points, the main one being basketball. Temple wants to stay put with hoops. There want to stay in the A-10 and in the "unofficial" Big Five (that's a Philly thing). I can't see the Temple hoops faithful getting geeked up about a schedule full of Kent State, Buffalo, Akron, etc.

As for football ... let's just start with attendance. At home, if anyone actually starts counting people instead of making up numbers out of thin air, there's no way they average more than 5,000 per game against MAC competition. As for travelling, ugh. They will be no help for MAC schools because no one, I mean, no one is going to travel out of the Philadelphia city limits to see them play.

From everything I've read, Temple will NOT be joining the MAC in '05. However, the possibilty of them joing in '06 is very strong. There are two things holding up a move to the MAC, and those would be to get Temple to move all of their sports, especially hoops, to the MAC and to get an additional team to join the MAC in football to even out the conference divisions. And odd number of teams makes it difficult on scheduling, but this would not necessarily stop the MAC from accepting Temple into the MAC. The last I read was that the MAC was looking for prospective members for '06 and not planning on replacing Marshall and UCF for '05.

I recall the 1st time we played Temple ( and won something like 63-10), they'd been putting out feelers to join the MAC. After that game, the rumors quickly died out.
Admittedly, their basketball program and reputation would be somewhat of an asset, but football? Don't we already have too many teams at or near the bottom 10? ("directional Mich. etc.) What would we gain by adding this program, which seems to be sinking deeper into a quagmire, to the league?
Funny thing is that Wallace came to Temple with a solid reputation from his former school in Ala., if I recall correctly... so if a solid coach can't get the job done, who's gonna? 8)

One of the reasons (excuses??) for admitting Buffalo was that was a major, at least more major, of a media market. I think the same woudl hold true with Temple and Phila as for reasoning.

I think a lot of things have to fall into place to get this done and I don't expect to see it happen.

I think we need to regain some of the television market potential we are losing with the loss of Marshall and Central Florida. I also recognize the attendance rules may be tricky for some of us. So, by expending, we can help ensure we have enough for a conference championship game.

In my fantasy world, I'd concentrate on the east: Temple, Army, Navy and Delaware or Massachusetts. But, looking south, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee are possibilities. Hard to know if the Sun Belt is going to surivive.

My theory on Temple: They'll get better playing a MAC East schedule. If they can start posting winning seasons, I think the fans will come back.

So, no I'm not advocating a 13-team league in football. If we add Temple, we'd have to bring someone else in.

Vandelay said at one point that discussions with Army were relatively serious. I have my doubts about that, but I do trust him. He hasn't elaborated.

Army would be ideal -- perhaps the best we could expect to do. If we could add Army and Temple for football only, I think ESPN would be happy. And if ESPN is happy, Rick Chryst would be happy.

I think adding Army and Navy should be a priority.

I love these types of discussions!

Philly is a big media market, to be sure. That being said, Temple football gets next to ZERO coverage. Hoops is a different story, of course.

If we add Army and Temple, we'd be adding to football programs at or near the bottom of the ladder. Not a good sign.

In my little dream world, I'd make a major push for Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. I know Memphis is in Convict-USA and it would be next-to-impossible to pry them out, but I certainly like the geography.

If we make that leap of faith, the MAC could look like this ...

NORTH: BG, Toledo, Northern Ill., Ball State, Directional Michigan

SOUTH: Miami, Ohio, Memphis, MTSU, Akron, Kent, Buffalo

I think that we should try to get [The sword of} Troy to come in with Temple. They are on the rise, and with sunbelt being, well, sunbelt, I bet they would at least be interested. They are a distance away, but so was UCF, the difference is Troy can beat Buffalo.

When the Big East football schools look around for new football schools to join them, Memphis will be at the top of their list.

Memphis knows this.

Memphis ain't comin' to the MAC.

And Memphis' hoops program would add to an already stocked Big East.

I like the exposure to the north east coast. I personally think there is a ton of untapped resourses over there. Look what UCONN has done. Temple and Army would be great additions in my book because they both play in cool places (if you haven't been, Army has a mystique to it), Army gets national coverage every year and they stink, Army / Navy, and Army / Notre Dame. I would not want MTSU. I thought they were 1-AA. Temple has serious work to do.