I was merely pointing out that 1) we don't know the reasons behind the schedule, be it budget or whatever, 2) you or someone could go to a Caravan stop and try to get it right from the source, or use some other way, and 3) the other reasons I mentioned were throwing thoughts out there about why they ended up with SWAC teams, not that they were actually real reasons. I don't have a clue.

Based on your posts, you appear to more angry about it than I am worried about who is on the schedule. I'm not sure where I'm showing "extremism"?

Maybe you're right, maybe I should quit defending it, and commenting on it. After all, it's basic SSDD, broken records, or Groundhog Day from a few on here about the schedule.

Good point. Ball State and Akron are both playing at Dayton this year (without a return visit). Why can't Ohio do something like that (with UD, UC, or X), particularly in light of the new NCAA selection procedures emphasizing road games.

No return game to the Mount. It was a buy-game. I loved going to games there when ol' Jimmy Bow Tie Phelan was running things. They had some fun teams when I lived over there in the late 90's/early 2000's.

Loss of Fuss may have had some impact this year - eh?

New Mexico State was the bracketbuster return game, Temple was mandated a home/home with every MAC team as part of joining for football (same deal happened with UMass), and St John's and St. Mary's were part of the Hawaii tournament. We sort of lucked into good games. That was also the year we played AT St. Francis (NY).

Agreed 69 - There's plenty in this year's schedule to get a team ready for the MAC.

4 game series. Ohio balancing road/home non-con, gets home games for 1 and 4 https://t.co/euegPvBRv2

— Jason Arkley (@JasonAmessenger) August 10, 2017

Thanks. I guess that makes sense?

Shut your mouth. Alabama A&M, Coppin State and Prairie View will all provide an ELECTRIC atmosphere in the Convo!

And don't sleep on that NW Ohio game in late December. That one will pack the house!

You will NOT find four better non-conference games to fill out MORE THAN HALF of your non-conference home schedule.

You just won't.

That's a great question. Quite honestly, Ohio (and the rest of the MAC) have a better chance to dent the national scene in basketball. That's just the reality.

Now...let me preface this with NO MAC TEAM WILL EVER WIN THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. But...there is a much, much better chance a team catches lightning in a bottle and makes it to the Final Four than a MAC team EVER cracking the College Football Playoff (CFP).

So realistically, it makes more sense to me to invest in hoops.

But the devil's advocate will say .... there's more $$$$ in football. Yes...football certainly brings in more money than basketball. But the best Ohio probably can ever ascend in CFB is a G5 bowl game like WMU had last year. And that's tough to replicate year after year.

Not that making the NCAA tournament is easy to achieve every year ... but it's far more realistic than earning a G5 bid or CFP bid.

So I'd lean basketball ... but I understand the football argument.

Honestly, I'd love to have an open and honest discussion into the finances that go into football scheduling and find out how much more it costs to play at Temple than it does to play at UMass? Or even a home-and-home with Memphis compared to Idaho? Are we scheduling these dogs based on money? Or based on racking up wins so we can be bowl eligible every year?

Same goes for hoops? How much does it cost to have Robert Morris or MSM or even Valpo come to the Convo compared to the SWACsters that we seem to welcome in every year? Are we scheduling cheap wins ... or just avoiding good competition?

So long answer to short question .... considering Ohio and most mid-major's positions' that have both football and basketball, I'd invest more in hoops.

I haven't checked in a few years, but they used to sell away tickets up until about a week before the game date. But I'm not sure if they have any individual game tickets, home or away, on sale at all yet.

Awesome, thanks!!!

What is this other school's basketball budget?