Scuttlebutt is the MAC will stay with an 18-game schedule when UMass joins the league, which really sounds like a recipe for disaster in a league as tightly bunched 1-6 as the MAC usually is.

Consider just a couple of things: An 18-game schedule in a 13-team league means you will play 6 teams twice (12 games) and six teams once. Essentially what happened when the MAC had divisions, only now that could mean - in a given year - Ohio could play Akron, Toledo, BG, Miami, Ball St. and CMU twice, but Buffalo, NIU, Kent, EMU, Umass and WMU once. And three of those would be on the road (Umass, UB, NIU- YUCK).

Also, with an odd number of teams, there will always be a team on a bye week, including the last week of the year. Let's say that team is Toledo or Akron or UMass giving them more than a week of rest and prep for the MAC Tournament. How is that fair.

Let's say UMass slots in as a Top 4 team with Ohio, Akron and Toledo. That leaves (based on final 2024 standings) one of Miami, CMU, Kent, WMU, BG out of the MAC Tournament.

And realistically speaking, I doubt Ball State stays among the bottom four. Which begs the question, why aren't the coaches trying to get every team back to Cleveland for the Tournament.

Finally, as Ohio has proven several times (and Kent nearly proved last season) a solid MAC team/program playing its best at the end of the season is certainly capable of winning the MAC Tournament, regardless where it finishes in the standings.

I suspect the closer it gets to UMass joining the league, the more the coaches are going to cry for both a 20-game schedule AND a full tournament -- even if that means first round games on campus.

I'll repeat the fact that the larger the sample size the more likely that you'll determine the best team as much as anyone. But if you can't play all of the teams twice I think playing everyone once would be just as fair as playing half the teams twice. Then random draws in scheduling don't play a factor. I don't think we need 20 games. It won't help the fact that every weekend someone won't have a conference game.

If they get the MAC schedule out very early or at least let athletic departments know when their bye is maybe teams can schedule nonconference games on weekends where they have a bye. I wouldn't hold my breath.

8 or 10 team conferences where you play everyone in football and have a home and home with everyone in most other sports would be sensible in these terms. I wouldn't hold my breath on that either