I always thought they might be headed for the MAC at some point. In comments someone asked when Illinois State would be joining the MAC.
Been pretty adamant about this but I’m confident we won’t take an FCS school. Doesn’t make sense for the conference right now
3 Likes
So what FBS team is coming to balance us out at 14. The only FBS independents left are UConn and Notre Dame. UConn makes sense to us but probably not to UConn. Before UMass I assumed we’d eventually add Illinois State and Missouri State. ISU has invested in some nice facilities, would make a companion for NIU and it sits within our footprint in a MAC-like college town.
If you cut and paste MSU to Northeast Missouri or the St. Louis metro it’d maybe be a nice fit for the MAC, but they’re not a strong enough athletic program to justify 10+ hour bus rides to Springfield.
Balance would make scheduling easier but why does the MAC have to be balanced?
If we get another team to balance us out it will be from the CUSA
1 Like
Western Kentucky and new member Delaware are the only two that make sense.
2 Likes
To keep it from wobbling, I suppose.
Except three of the latest adds (NIU, UB UMass) came up from FCS.
Like the big ten adding Rutgers, I think an add by the MAC has to bring a market. Regardless if it’s FBS or FCS
2 Likes
Makes sense, but still not sure the MAC needs to add members just to be balanced, should be teams that make geographical and economic sense.
1 Like
Agree. Even numbers facilitate scheduling. That’s a plus.
NIU had been FBS. They were independent for a while after being in the MAC and then ??Big West for a bit and then Indy again before rejoining the MAC.
Once Missouri St formally moves up and joins C-USA, 24.1% of FBS membership will be a current or former member of C-USA. No consistent long term identity unlike the MAC (although the MAC would benefit from making a stable expansion into new areas IMO)