Info from MAC Media Day

[BGSU33]

This was posted on the MAC board, there some interesting info here.

Just back from day one of MAC media days here in Detroit and thought that I would pass on what I was able to gather in the way of news:

BOWL CHATTER

1) Motor City Bowl - had a chance to discuss the MCB with MCB Executive Director Ken Hoffman. He states that the deal with the MCB and the Big Ten will be finalized and announced in the next few weeks. It will still be the #7 Big Ten team with the Big East for contingencies.

States that the MAC and the Big 10 are in the midst of putting together several scheduling opportunities and the bowl deal will be announced after these deals are signed. Both the MAC and the MCB remain very happy with each other. According to Hoffman the MCB has had an average economic impact on the City of Detroit of $13.5m per year. Ratings on ESPN have been steady, averaging 2.4 over the past eight years.

2) GMAC Bowl - nothing new to report. Deals are the same. However, GMAC Bowl will be expanding on-campus promotions this season, dedicating one week of promotions to each MAC school with student contests, etc...

3) Toronto Bowl - look for this to happen soon. It is anticipated, according to both Hoffman and Chryst, that approval will be given next year and the new bowl will be announced April '06. MCB is very active in working to secure this third bowl deal for the MAC. It was felt that the Toronto Bowl did not get approved for this season as the NCAA wanted to keep the number of Bowls at 28 for this year. The only new bowl approved was the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego and the door was opened to them by the demise of the SVC.

ESPN News
Dan Shoemaker of ESPN Regional was at the Football Summit also. Many here are already familiar with Shoe. Some interesting notes.

ESPN will be launching something called ESPN360 this season. This will be a service available to broadband cable/internet customers and will offer games delivered to your PC desktop that are not otherwise televised. The first game that ESPN360 is planning to offer is the Central Michigan vs. Penn State contest. It is also likely that the Akron vs. Purdue game will be offered via ESPN360 as well. Many details to be worked out and it will depend on ESPN securing deals with the various high speed internet providers around the country. Apparently Adelphia Cable is already on board.

Shoe also states to be patient with the ESPNU rollout as the network is still working with cable providers to provide the service

Also ESPN will be offering service to cell phone subscribers to deliver highlights of games directly to cell phone users of games televised by ESPN and ABC.

INSTANT REPLAY

The Commish states that 36 of the 48 MAC conference games are slated for commercial broadcast. Of the games that are not being broadcast, the MAC has contracted with ESPN to provide replay services.

Replay will be identical to the system used in the Big 10. It will be controlled by an official in the booth. There will be no on-field challenges and no "going under the hood" to view replays as in the NFL.

Some interesting stats about instant replay as used last year by the Big Ten: 57 games were subject to instant replay review. Out of that total, only 43 plays were reviewed and only 21 of those were overturned. The average length of time for the dealy to reveiw replay was 2:39.

Also, all 28 bowl games will have instant replay available for review.

FORD FIELD OFFERING "COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET"

A very innovative approach to ticket sales for MAC events at Ford Field has been introduced. They will offer what they are calling the "College Football Season Ticket" and will include tickets to the following contests:

1) Collegiate Clash (EMU will host this each season. This year they will play CMU)
2) MAC Championship Game
3) Motor City Bowl

This is similar to the packaging of ticket sales for college hockey at Joe Louis Arena which has been very successful. Starting next year, Ford Field will offer this deal also to Lions Season Ticket holders at renewal time.

That's about it for now. I hope I did not leave anything out, but it's been a long day. I thought I would post this here because it will probably be a few days before I can get it on my website.

[UK Peregrine]

This article is a little long and repeats a little from the post by Dave Ruthenberg (http://www.macreportonline.com/) on MACbbs, but it does have some interesting quotes and tidbits not included in the post.

http://www.mlive.com/sports/sanews/inde ... thispage=3

DETROIT -- The transition continues...The Mid-American Conference may never get to walk with the big boys on the block, but each year brings it closer to at least walking on the same block.

Five MAC football teams went to bowl games in 2004, but not to any Bowl Championship Series bowls. That could change in the future thanks to the expiration of the current BCS contract, said MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst Monday at a first-day summit for the Mid-American Conference Football Preview in Detroit.

The MAC does not get automatic qualifier status, making it almost impossible to get a BCS bid. For now.

"You will see some changes for the major bowl games," Chryst said. "I believe you will see any Top 12 team get in a BCS bowl, plus any Top 16 team that is ranked ahead of an automatic qualifier. In that system, we would have had two teams in the last six years going to a major bowl."

The transition of the MAC to a potential major bowl conference is nothing short of incredible. Nine years ago, the Motor City Bowl came to the MAC's rescue, giving the conference at least one bowl for the conference champion. Before then, there were no guarantees after the Las Vegas Bowl folded. Now, the MAC has tie-ins to two bowl games, the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field on Monday, Dec. 26, and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

"There's no question the MAC deserves a third and fourth and fifth bowl," Motor City Bowl Chairman Ken Hoffman said. "We will do everything we can to help the MAC get a third one. The Motor City Bowl got lucky. We came on the scene just as the MAC was gearing up. It's a well-oiled machine now."

Marshall was largely responsible for giving the MAC a national spotlight, with players such as Randy Moss and Chad Pennington ushering in a new era in the conference. Marshall, however, has left the conference, moving to Conference USA. But a funny thing happened. Other programs began producing players to match the Marshall stars. Ben Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the AFC title game one year after quarterbacking Miami (Ohio). This year, Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs and Toledo's Bruce Gradkowski are considered two of the top quarterbacks in the country.

"When CMU got into the MAC in 1975, it already had a great reputation," Central Michigan University Athletic Director and former football coach Herb Deromedi said. "But it has created for itself a national reputation. It's not just a regional conference anymore. Now the nation knows what the conference is about." And that has led to a multitude of changes on the horizon. A third bowl, based in Toronto, is working to establish itself, with a tie-in to the MAC.

The NCAA kept its bowl limit at 28 games this season, with the Silicon Valley Bowl dropping out and the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego taking its place. "The Toronto Bowl is still in place and we're hoping to get it approved at the April bowl meetings," Hoffman said. "I know the Big East is very excited about getting a pairing with the MAC for the Toronto game."

A reason for enthusiasm is the ratings for the Motor City Bowl. Even though it is not a major bowl, it has still produced an average rating of 2.4 over the past eight years, which means approximately 2 million households have watched. The bowl has also had two crowds of more than 50,000 people. That has attracted the attention of ESPN, according to ESPN Regional Director Dan Schumacher. "I used to call the MAC the best-kept secret," Schumacher said. "Today, I don't think it's a secret. A lot of things can get that credit, especially the players on the field, plus the MAC's willingness to play on different nights to get on ESPN. The MAC will be the most exposed conference in the country on ESPN."

MAC football will become a common feature on ESPNU, an ESPN college sports network trying to establish itself. "It will take some time for ESPNU, and its growth will be very ragged," Schumacher said. "There are only five major cable companies in the country, and it's not like they jump to put new networks on."

This year, ESPN will show 34 MAC games, plus two more on ESPN360.
"ESPN360 goes straight to the desktop computer," Schumacher said. "The games are not going to be on television, but will go directly on broadband internet to the computer." CMU's Sept. 17 game against Penn State is scheduled as one of the games on ESPN360.

The MAC will also go through two more positive changes. The conference will adopt instant replay, with an identical system used in the Big Ten last season. An official in the booth will determine if a replay is needed and will then judge on it. There are no requests by the coaches or field officials with their heads stuck on a screen on the sideline. In the Big Ten last year, there were 43 replays in 57 games with 21 calls reversed. The average time of the replay was 2 minutes, 39 seconds.

The other good news for the conference came from the NCAA's attendance requirements for Division 1 status. The NCAA redefined its requirement of an average of 15,000 fans per home game. Instead, the NCAA changed it to 15,000 fans in one of two years, using either actual attendance or ticket sales. Several programs were hurt by poor weather in 2004, shrinking its actual attendance figures.

And while Marshall and Central Florida left the league, Temple joined it, with its first official season coming in 2007. Until then, Bowling Green moves back into the East Division and off of CMU's schedule. That, too, is a nice change for the Chippewas.

[MiamiBando]

Why does everyone seem to hate Josh Betts? He really wasn't bad. In fact if he hadn't followed Ben, he would have set the school record for passing yards in a season. I think that BG will be in Detroit come November, facing UT or NIU.

[Schadenfreude]

I'm not sure where the Saginaw News got the idea the Las Vegas Bowl folded.

Good read, though.

[UK Peregrine]

Why does everyone seem to hate Josh Betts? He really wasn't bad. In fact if he hadn't followed Ben, he would have set the school record for passing yards in a season. I think that BG will be in Detroit come November, facing UT or NIU.

What are you responding to in this thread? I don't even see Betts name mentioned anywhere in this thread. :shrug:

[mk455]

i think thats why he said that... because there was no mention of betts. because he sucks. and so does miami.

[UK Peregrine]

MAC Media Day Photo of PJ, Omar and Coach Brandon

[Bleeding Orange]

MAC Media Day Photo of PJ, Omar and Coach Brandon

http://www.daveruthenberg.com/gallery/M ... Media_Days

This was my favorite. Way to dress it up, Flashes.

[Pete Segaard]

that of Parrish looks like he was just bailed out of jail.

[duckunder53]

I agree, KSU didn't show any class there. The least the University could have done is rent the guy a tux or a suit.

Also, is it just me or does Gradkowski look like he has a tiny head? No, wait! Toledo Tom just has a huge head.

Miami's QB looks old, at first I thought it was two coaches.

[jacojdm]

Why isn't gradkowski wearing a jacket? they must've used all of the available fabri for Amstutz's clothes.

it also looks like amstutz used the skin of an Alaskan King Salmon (or four) for his tie.

[kdog27]

that of Parrish looks like he was just bailed out of jail.

Look at his stomach. It looks like he just ate wings and did not have a napkin.

[kdog27]

Why does everyone seem to hate Josh Betts? He really wasn't bad. In fact if he hadn't followed Ben, he would have set the school record for passing yards in a season. I think that BG will be in Detroit come November, facing UT or NIU.

What are you responding to in this thread? I don't even see Betts name mentioned anywhere in this thread. :shrug:

I am guessing that he feels like Betts should have been mentioned in this statment, "This year, Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs and Toledo's Bruce Gradkowski are considered two of the top quarterbacks in the country." He doesn't realize this is the BGSU board and nobody really cares. Betts isn't even close to one of the best QBs in the nation anyway.

[UK Peregrine]

I am guessing that he feels like Betts should have been mentioned in this statment, "This year, Bowling Green's Omar Jacobs and Toledo's Bruce Gradkowski are considered two of the top quarterbacks in the country." He doesn't realize this is the BGSU board and nobody really cares. Betts isn't even close to one of the best QBs in the nation anyway.

Right, Betts is a fine QB, but he is not even the best QB in his division. Hell, both Nande and Nance are better football players than Betts. Sure you can argue that PJ is better than Omar, which I would normally be so bold to do. But still, I see no reason why Betts should be included in the above statement about two of the top QBs in the nation if he's not even the best in the MAC East. Again, Betts is a fine QB, but so is Bohnet and I don't see anyone complaining he wasn't mentioned.

[TG1996]

Again, Betts is a fine QB, but so is Bohnet and I don't see anyone complaining he wasn't mentioned.

I was just about to comment that Bohnet may be a better QB than Betts, but Betts has a much better system around him (especially defensively).