Is that true at the dregs of the P2 like Miss State and Purdue like programs?
You could almost argue the chance to be a star and put up big numbers in the MAC is worth more. You’ll maybe get drafted and for sure get camp invites. Those are worth money. Maybe you make a practice squad and then get called into a game at some point. That’s more than 100k I’m betting
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There are at least 18 colleges and universities in Boston, and the beanpot schools are the ones that get the media attention.
BC gets the media attention (not a ton, but at least some). The others? Eh, outside of those 2 Beanpot Mondays in February, not so much.
Correct. They use athletics to admit a few hundred affluent, white but underqualified students without having to call them legacy or Dean’s admits.
And the MAC should allow NIU to stay for other sports why? This sets a rather bad precedent if they do.
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They 100% won’t let them stay, NIU will probably have to go to the horizon league
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Nope! The Horizon League has plenty of teams. If NIU leaves with football, the MAC should kick ‘em to the curb in other sports. That’ll save on those traveling costs out to Illinois
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I saw MWC added UC Davis….that must be the non football 11th (also added GCU). So they’d need to add 3 football and 1 non to make an even dozen teams
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Then Miami will be verifiably Chicago’s MAC team!
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They added Davis, GCU and Gonzaga as non football members. Hawai’i is coming onboard in all sports.
Ahhh. Forgot about the Zags
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NIU leaving the MAC…if only for FB and somewhere else for the rest of their sports… begins to smell like the first inning of the MAC implosion as schools contemplate where the money will come from to keep the charade afloat.
Who’s next? Buffalo?, Toledo?, Miami? The clock is is ticking on the Titanic, the water is rising and the money is already underwater, yet the band plays on…
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I have a hard time believing NIU will earn enough money to offset travel expenses and other associated costs from joining a peer conference.
The MAC tv deal is terrible and still has years left on it. The commissioner really botched it. For football only, NIU is only travelling for 4 games a year, and its not like going to Air Force is that much worse than going to Amherst. A flight is a flight and the additional miles starts to become pretty marginal. NIU will almost certainly economically benefit from going to the MWC.
Honestly, it probably makes sense and with UMass joining, the MAC will still keep at 12. As far as this leading to the MAC imploding, there really isn’t anywhere else for most MAC teams to go. There isn’t much economic incentive for conferences to poach MAC teams. The MWC is kind of unique as they got raided and need teams to stay a conference.
Lets be real, NIU has always been a bit of an odd duck in the MAC and has been eyeing an exit since rejoining decades ago.
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This is what NIU would be leaving the MAC for, travel costs will be substantial for those 4-5 conference games a year: UC Davis (not for football) joins the conference that will include the United States Air Force Academy; Grand Canyon University; University of Hawai’i at Mānoa; University of Nevada, Reno; University of New Mexico; San José State University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Texas, El Paso and the University of Wyoming.
If I am the MAC, and NIU leaves, I immediately reach out to MTSU and WKU. Expands MAC to geographically logical markets in Tenn and Kentucky. Brings the conference to 14 and solidifies the MAC for the future.
And fuck NIU. MAC doesn’t need them.
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Gonzaga is going to the “new” PAC 10/12 not MWC
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Niu is only going for football if they do. The remaining teams in the MWC are “highlighted” by UNLV and Air Force. The other football playing MWC teams in 2026 are Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, UTEP, San Jose State and Wyoming.
There is no way that NIU would be staying in the MAC for basketball- dont worry about that