Put UMass in the West.  Why break-up anyone else.  I much rather see the Bobcats playing BGSU than having to travel all the way to Boston every other year.  Let the West travel--the East already has to go to Temple.

I've been saying BG west would make the most sense, but then BG would be west for football and east for all else.  Saw an idea today that actually makes more sense.

North: CMU, EMU, WMU, UMASS, Toledo, BG, Buffalo

South: BSU, NIU, Ohio, Miami, Kent, Akron, Temple

Then when you suck two out for other sports, things are balanced, and divisions match up between sports.

I agree that it needs to be 8 game conference schedule -- as a conference we can't afford to forgo the non-conference slots with paydays.

While I tend to agree that would make a lot of sense, I also think that the divisions and setup needs to favor the Ohio and Michigan teams that form the conferences core in all sports.  I'm not really concerned about Temple or UMASS getting the short end of the stick.

We're slowly spreading the footprint, and I honestly think the small footprint is one of a few things the MAC has going for it.

Back when Terd and UCF were in the MAC, they both were in the East and BGSUCKS moved to the West for football but stayed in the East for everything else.  I think having UMass in the East makes sense.  The upside for them is that Temps, Buffalo, Akron, Kent and maybe OU are bus rides, so it cuts down on travel expense.  The upside for the MAC is that BG and Toledo get to play their annual game without screwing up the scheduling for everybody else.  I hope it leads to dumping the divisions for the rest of the sports.  The core rivalries could remain, but there would be more flexibility in overall scheduling.

Nine conference games wouldn't be bad, so long as the 1AA games were all but eliminated; maybe have one when a team needs a sixth home game.  There's only a handful of 1AA schools that MAC fans give a hoot about and they never (or hardly ever) show up on schedules; it gets rather embarrassing to hear "Where are they from" (and have to look it up) when a 1AA school shows up on the schedule.  Three 1A schools and nine MAC games wouldn't be bad.

UMass has a full year in 2011 to add scholarships for FBS. A couple of really large classes of 30 players each in 2011 and 2012 should fit the bil along with transfers. The biggest question of competing in the MAC for a new team walking in is knowing how to coach in this league. Be familiar with the MAC opponents. Also I don't think success will be as automatic as it usually is for large market MAC teams like Temple or NIU. Boston is a large market but doesn't has a lot of local talent. Temple pretty much all things relative is picking up the same level of player that it did in the Big East, a clear step below Pitt recruiting, but enough to be easily competitive in the MAC. PA is a goldmine of talent, and New Jersey is not bad either. Its going to take UMass a few years like Buffalo to gain traction in the MAC. Personally I like the idea of having only 2 MAC West schools on the schedule.

I think your analysis is spot on.

Also, regarding an earlier comment, NJ has a wealth of talent.

Hard to say, but I think that we are absolutely a stepping-stone -- MASS is definitely trying to follow UCONN's lead.

If Temple is any kind of barometer, 94%.

They're definitely happy as a base from what I've seen, which is great.  The MAC is a step up for them, versus Temple moving the other way, and I think the base reflects that.  I don't think they'll be unappreciative or anything, but I think the commitment is there to move beyond the MAC -- I don't see them as long-term members (10+ years).

Like you, I'm sure, I'm hoping they'll stay so I can see the Bobcats more locally in the future.

Only since 2006 actually when all teams were able to get that extra non-conference game in. Made sense for them since nine games allows everyone to play everyone else once. In this case, you're still not going to come close to playing all the teams, so what would be the point? Financially, there's too much to lose in the MAC, which is why the MAC already has come out and said they are sticking to eight games.

It is worth debating. Because it's a bush league move to ask a school that's fully committed to this conference to play in the east in some sports but the west in another for the appeasement of a partial member.

UMass can play in the West, or Temple can move. I'd be happier if Temple moved simply for the deliciousness of watching them try and fail to win that division too.

And I don't think there's particular value to either fan base on which division they play in. It's not as if driving distance is ever going to be a factor in them deciding to go for road games. Eight hours Philly to Athens. Nine hours Philly to Toledo. Big Fat Hairy Deal. 

Bowling Green has been taking one for the team since the expansion to divisions. I don't care much for them, but they still deserve better than what they've been given the last 15 years.

Partial Membership means WE are letting THEM in our sandbox. And no matter how full of cat crap it is they need to understand that a full voice should only come with full membership.

The more I hear the concept brought up on other boards and here, the more I like the thought of eliminating the divisions in hoops and only retain them for FB, and removing some of the concerns of where the FB only schools land.  By reducing some of the non-cons in BB you can -

• start the conference season earlier and increase interest from the casual fan (especially once semester schedule kicks in)
• increase the importance of the regular season by play more games in conference, and once conference RPI status improves possibly allowing the MAC to be considered more seriously for two bids if the regular season champ doesn't win the tourney
• eliminate crossover divison schedule imbalance (who played whom home or away)
• remove the distractions of staff's need to schedule middle and lesser quality non-cons that might require some pay for play
• allow AD's and coaches to focus on "scheduling up" their remaining non-cons to boost RPI, which everyone here has been begging for

Probably should have posted this on BB, but the change in FB might just trigger a change in philosophy in hoops that would allow the MAC a more focused approach to improving the present non-con product.  Just a thought.