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Ohio Football Topic
Topic: If all other 1A conferences play football this fall, what should the MAC do?
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Pataskala
9/16/2020 10:15 PM
Now that B10 is starting up in late Oct and the Pac-12 and MWC are considering playing this season, what should the MAC do if it's the only 1A conference not playing? I've offered some suggestions above. Response #4 might not be an option because of the contract with ESPN, which I think includes (and may require) midweek games in November. Any thoughts?
Last Edited: 9/16/2020 10:17:02 PM by Pataskala
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ytownbobcat
9/16/2020 11:44 PM
I think ESPN has filled the weekday slots we usually fill. I don't know if there is TV money that we can capture by deciding to play this fall.
Just play, bite the bullet and move on. If we wait until spring we are swimming upstream.
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
9/17/2020 9:53 AM
I'd need to better understand the financials to make this decision.
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OU_Country
9/17/2020 10:29 AM
ytownbobcat wrote:expand_more
I think ESPN has filled the weekday slots we usually fill. I don't know if there is TV money that we can capture by deciding to play this fall.
Just play, bite the bullet and move on. If we wait until spring we are swimming upstream.
Assuming that is the case, a conference only, Saturday only schedule seems good to me. Of course we won't get to go, so who knows what impact that happens in Ohio's decision to go along with this.
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SBH
9/17/2020 10:45 AM
This ship has sailed. We're not playing until late February.
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bobcatsquared
9/17/2020 11:47 AM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd need to better understand the financials to make this decision.
Probably no need to put too much thought and time into this poll.

<20 have participated and those that will be making the decisions could care less about those votes.
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UpSan Bobcat
9/17/2020 1:03 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
This ship has sailed. We're not playing until late February.
Exactly. The Big Ten has spent several weeks putting together a plan. If the MAC started now, it wouldn't be ready to play until Thanksgiving. It's too late.
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The Optimist
9/17/2020 1:04 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd need to better understand the financials to make this decision.
Financials? What about the safety of the players?

...

The MAC should play immediately. With fans.
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
9/17/2020 1:11 PM
The Optimist wrote:expand_more
I'd need to better understand the financials to make this decision.
Financials? What about the safety of the players?

...

The MAC should play immediately. With fans.
The choices available assume football is being played, it's just a question of when. Thus I'm suggesting that we should consider the financial aspect, as well. But I guess for the purposes of this conversation the only two options are Covid is Bad or Covid is not a problem?
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SBH
9/17/2020 1:22 PM
Keep in mind that we had two university presidents state unequivocally that their football teams would not play this fall. Hint: One is in Illinois the other in New York. Without those holdouts, we'd be playing our third game this weekend.
Last Edited: 9/17/2020 1:23:52 PM by SBH
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BillyTheCat
9/17/2020 2:10 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
This ship has sailed. We're not playing until late February.
I would not be too sure about that. Presidents talking yesterday. I would give a 40/60 right now.
Last Edited: 9/17/2020 2:11:48 PM by BillyTheCat
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OU_Country
9/17/2020 2:13 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
This ship has sailed. We're not playing until late February.
I would not be too sure about that. Presidents talking yesterday. I would give a 40/60 right now.
Here's some commentary on the matter:

https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/college/2020/09/17/MAC...
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bobcatsquared
9/17/2020 4:24 PM
Are BTC's sources better than SBH's?
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CatsUp
9/17/2020 4:35 PM
My son sent me a link to ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg who is reporting MAC presidents to meet Saturday to review possible fall season.
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Ted Thompson
9/17/2020 4:36 PM

 

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UpSan Bobcat
9/17/2020 5:32 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
This ship has sailed. We're not playing until late February.
I would not be too sure about that. Presidents talking yesterday. I would give a 40/60 right now.
That is a pretty sudden change from a statement just yesterday that there are no plans to play a fall season and they concentrating on efforts to play on the spring.
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SBH
9/17/2020 6:32 PM
If we play, it will be without NIU.
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Maddog13
9/17/2020 6:54 PM
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-lsu-football-pla... /

Wow! It's good to know that the welfare of the players comes first in all of this!!
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Pataskala
9/17/2020 7:08 PM
At the moment, the only flat-out travel restrictions that would affect MAC conference games are between NY & Illinois and NY & Indiana. Under NY's restrictions, travelers coming into NY from Illinois and Indiana must quarantine for 14 days. That would apparently put the kibosh on games between Buffalo and either NIU or BSU (not sure how they'd view a neutral site game in Ohio or Michigan). Ohio is now off NY's list and none of the MAC states are on Ohio's list. Illinois, Indiana and Michigan don't have interstate travel restrictions.

That makes positive tests among players probably the big obstacle. At least three games this week have been postponed due to positive covid tests, and the UNC-Charlotte game was cancelled because Charlotte's roster is so depleted (especially the O-line) due to positive tests and contact tracing.
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BillyTheCat
9/18/2020 12:01 AM
bobcatsquared wrote:expand_more
Are BTC's sources better than SBH's?
Always!

However why I only give it 40% regardless of the Presidents decision, currently 4 of the MAC teams are shutdown due to their county health departments. But never doubt my sources (plural). Again I’m still giving this a 40% chance.
Last Edited: 9/18/2020 12:04:04 AM by BillyTheCat
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BillyTheCat
9/18/2020 12:02 AM
CatsUp wrote:expand_more
My son sent me a link to ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg who is reporting MAC presidents to meet Saturday to review possible fall season.
That’s true, and daily talks are ongoing, maybe some money available to offset testing cost. Also, this is football only, no other fall sports at this time.
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BillyTheCat
9/18/2020 12:06 AM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
At the moment, the only flat-out travel restrictions that would affect MAC conference games are between NY & Illinois and NY & Indiana. Under NY's restrictions, travelers coming into NY from Illinois and Indiana must quarantine for 14 days. That would apparently put the kibosh on games between Buffalo and either NIU or BSU (not sure how they'd view a neutral site game in Ohio or Michigan). Ohio is now off NY's list and none of the MAC states are on Ohio's list. Illinois, Indiana and Michigan don't have interstate travel restrictions.

That makes positive tests among players probably the big obstacle. At least three games this week have been postponed due to positive covid tests, and the UNC-Charlotte game was cancelled because Charlotte's roster is so depleted (especially the O-line) due to positive tests and contact tracing.
Have you seen the Big12’s rules regarding canceling games? Talk about no concern over players safety.
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Mike Johnson
9/18/2020 10:03 AM
USA Today and NYT both excoriating Big 10. NYT says Big 10 using football players as "lab rats."
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BillyTheCat
9/18/2020 10:20 AM
Mike Johnson wrote:expand_more
USA Today and NYT both excoriating Big 10. NYT says Big 10 using football players as "lab rats."
Face it, the Big10 Presidents in many of these states cannot deal with the pressure from the political leaders and their need for future state funding. If the MAC comes back, it will be football only. I hope I am not the only one who sees that as a problem.
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