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Did we pick up on any rumors of two of the three of these teams thinking of the MAC?

Lots of buzz about Temple and WKU ... my feelings are on record about them. MTSU is interesting, but didn't they spurn the MAC before? Geographically, I like the WKU/MTSU idea a lot. It's a nice evolution in the centralized feel that has served this conference so well for so long ... UCF excepted.

The Sporting News recently had a blurb reporting that Temple-MAC talks are very serious, and there are other corroborating reports on that. The Sporting News also said, a bit more speculatively, that Western Kentucky may come aboard to give us an even 14.

This is my assessment, based on the above and Internet chatter:

Last year, when the Western Kentucky-to-the-MAC rumors were popping, the MAC was considering bringing in Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee together. They would have made pretty good partners and rivals; the schools are only an hour apart.

But Middle Tennessee didn't want to sign up.

Western Kentucky does.

I think Western Kentucky and Temple are both coming to the MAC.

I expect we will get Western Kentucky sports except football, and football when its ready.

Temple may be just football at first, with a longer deadline to bring in all sports... by 2010, maybe.

That's good for both sides. The MAC has, on paper, Temple coming in all sports. Temple has a chance to break the agreement and back out if it wants to.

And I think all this will be announced by the end of February.

It is a shame about MTSU though, getting TN and KN would have been good.

On the other hand I'm just really not sure how I can deal with having two Bowling Green's located in the MAC. On the other hand, I can think of one other MAC school that might really hate travel to two Bowling Green's per year even. On the other hand, how can I say no, my daughter wants to marry him, and what is tradition......wait, no, that's something else.

NWLB wrote:http://groups-beta.google.com/group/MACsports

Did we pick up on any rumors of two of the three of these teams thinking of the MAC?

Temple figured after last season that they could compete better in this conference.

---MH

michhiker28 wrote: Temple figured after last season that they could compete better in this conference.

They need a home. We make the most sense.

Schadenfreude wrote:

michhiker28 wrote: Temple figured after last season that they could compete better in this conference.

They need a home. We make the most sense.

Actually, we are the only D-I option they have.

And, yes, I'm still against Temple in the MAC.

Temple should go I-AA or drop football. Isn't Villanova now playing I-AA?

orangeandbrown wrote:Temple should go I-AA or drop football. Isn't Villanova now playing I-AA?

Yep, Nova is I-AA, as is Delaware, which is right down I-95.

Yeah, we are their only option, except for the Sun Belt....

Temple Football in the MAC: Hey, at least it means losing in a 1A conference!

NWLB wrote:Yeah, we are their only option, except for the Sun Belt....

Temple Football in the MAC: Hey, at least it means losing in a 1A conference!

From what I've read, the Sun Belt isn't interested.

It's not beyond the realm of possibility that if Temple got some stability as far as a conference for the long-term that they could turn their program around.

I don't think anyone would have been successful in the short term getting tossed from a conference with nowhere to land. Not many recruits would step into that unknown.

Lord_Byron wrote:It's not beyond the realm of possibility that if Temple got some stability as far as a conference for the long-term that they could turn their program around.

I don't think anyone would have been successful in the short term getting tossed from a conference with nowhere to land. Not many recruits would step into that unknown.

Not beyond the realm of possibility, but not likely, either. That's based on the atmosphere here in Philly and, quite frankly, the general make up of the university.

1987alum wrote:Not beyond the realm of possibility, but not likely, either. That's based on the atmosphere here in Philly and, quite frankly, the general make up of the university.

I hear you, '87. From my recall, Temple is mostly commuters and I'm not sure there's a lot of school identity from its grads. (Except for Cosby).

However, in my small mind, I don't think it's much different than that school immediately north of us in demographics. Is it?

Lord_Byron wrote:

1987alum wrote:Not beyond the realm of possibility, but not likely, either. That's based on the atmosphere here in Philly and, quite frankly, the general make up of the university.

I hear you, '87. From my recall, Temple is mostly commuters and I'm not sure there's a lot of school identity from its grads. (Except for Cosby).

However, in my small mind, I don't think it's much different than that school immediately north of us in demographics. Is it?

RE: Demographics - Probably not.

But when it comes to football, it's in a pro football city (not nearby, like Toodaleedoo) that's obsessed with its team. We also have an incredible NY influence and an obscene amount of Penn State supporters. The lack of tradition and overwhelming percentage of commuters (I think there are only 2,000 people actually on campus) make Temple a football afterthought.

And for all its basketball success, it still battles Villanova and St. Joe (and, quite frankly, Drexel, LaSalle and Penn) for media and market attention.