December 3, 201212 yr It's a bummer that Kent State could have been that team in the BCS bowl game if the ball had bounced a little differently in the MAC title game. Hopefully Hazell sticks around and can turn the Flashes into a perennial MAC contender that can occasionally make a play at busting the BCS. Although if I were to guess, I suspect he's getting a lot of phone calls and may be given an offer he can't refuse. Anyways, how cool would it have been for Kent to get into a BCS game? That would mean that in about the span of a decade, they would have been to an Elite Eight, a College World Series, and a BCS game. Would any other non-BCS school be able to lay claim to such a breadth of success in the major sports?
December 3, 201212 yr ^The Northern Illinois/Kent State winner did get a BCS bowl. Northern Illinois will be playing Florida State in the Orange Bowl. That was quite a MAC Championship Game. Kent State had 3 TD's in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime. NI finally won 44-37 in 2 OT's. Kent State finished 11-2 (BCS ranked #25) and will play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on January 6. Typical game for the MAC! You almost always get your money's worth for the championship game.
December 4, 201212 yr kent state ended up 25 too. too bad the coaches for NIU and KSU are moving on to greener pastures.
December 5, 201212 yr I suspect he's getting a lot of phone calls and may be given an offer he can't refuse. He's off to Purdue. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/67253/sources-purdue-hires-hazell-as-coach
December 5, 201212 yr ^The Northern Illinois/Kent State winner did get a BCS bowl. Northern Illinois will be playing Florida State in the Orange Bowl. That was quite a MAC Championship Game. Kent State had 3 TD's in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime. NI finally won 44-37 in 2 OT's. Kent State finished 11-2 (BCS ranked #25) and will play in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on January 6. I shut that game off because I didn't think Kent had a chance to come back! Oops... I suspect he's getting a lot of phone calls and may be given an offer he can't refuse. He's off to Purdue. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/67253/sources-purdue-hires-hazell-as-coach Until MAC teams can hang on to their good coaches, the continued rise of the MAC is going to be slower than I would like. It's a lot better conference than when I was at KSU in the 80s. But that was 25 years ago. Does it really have to take this long to be able to stand in the tall grass with the big dogs? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 6, 201212 yr yeah people are talking about niu. they really put the mac in the spotlight this year didn't they?
December 6, 201212 yr yeah people are talking about niu. they really put the mac in the spotlight this year didn't they? It'll be interesting to see how the teams can perform in the Bowls if their head coaches aren't there. I think Hazell is on the fence about it. Oh, and re: the MAC, there's been a huge push amongst Akron fans to lobby the Big East (and even Conf. USA) for consideration. Now the MAC looks much better off than both of those...what a difference a few months can make in this age!
August 31, 201311 yr So..how many games do you think the Rockets will win this season? Schedule: @ Florida @ Missouri vs Eastern Washington @ Central Michigan @ Ball State vs Western Michigan vs Navy @ Bowling Green vs Eastern Michigan vs Buffalo vs Northern Illinois @ Akron Additional Games: MAC Championship Game Bowl Game
October 19, 201311 yr After Toledo's thrilling double OT win over Navy, will headline writers say "Rockets sink Navy"?
December 7, 201311 yr bgsu whips #14 n. illinois in mac championship & ruins their bcs hopes! well done beegee. well done: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/gamecast?gameId=333402459&version=mobile&appsrc=sc&ex_cid=espnapi_internal
December 11, 201311 yr ^ I saw that game. Great win for the Falcons. Unfortunately leading to this . . . BGSU FOOTBALL BGSU's Clawson going to Wake Forest Coach leaves Falcons after 5 years BY JOHN WAGNER, BLADE SPORTS WRITER Published: 12/10/2013 BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University football coach Dave Clawson has agreed in principle to become the next coach at Wake Forest, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Wake Forest is expected to introduce Clawson as its next coach late today in Winston-Salem, N.C. Clawson is expected to begin recruiting for the Demon Deacons immediately. The Falcons are preparing to play in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit after winning the Mid-American Conference title Friday night with a victory over Northern Illinois. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/BGSU/2013/12/10/BGSU-s-Clawson-going-to-Wake-Forest.html
December 27, 201311 yr ^ eh, i dk, there is usually not enough news for a bg thread. what about a mac sports news thread instead? unfortunately, bg lost the little caesars bowl game in detroit to a mediocre pitt team: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/gamecast?gameId=333600189&version=mobile&appsrc=sc&ex_cid=espnapi_internal
December 28, 201311 yr And not only that, but the fact that BG knocked NIU out of a BCS game cost the MAC a lot of money.
August 20, 201410 yr Cleveland Scene @Cleveland_Scene now Kent State Football Player Dies Unexpectedly http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2014/08/20/kent-state-football-player-dies-unexpectedly … @KentState @ericsandy "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 19, 20159 yr Congrats to Toledo on their upset of Arkansas last weekend. Having a MAC team beat an SEC team is great. Having a MAC team beat hateable head coach Bret Bielema is a bonus: http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2015/9/16/9338519/rex-ryan-cracks-on-bret-bielema-says-hes-not-gonna-pull-an-arkansas
December 23, 20159 yr Congrats to you folks who went to the U. of Akron. First bowl win ever. Congrats to U. of Toledo folks as well. Opened a can of whoop-ass on a ranked Temple team despite losing their head coach. Toledo should be ranked again for the final poll after beating Arkansas and Temple.
December 23, 20159 yr Maybe the MAC can run the table this bowl season! BGSU and NIU still have games.
December 23, 20159 yr Too bad OU already lost to App St. It was a game they had in hand. Oops, forgot about that. Right, I watched a bit and they should not have lost.
March 8, 20187 yr The MAC college basketball tournament is going on at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena right now and this weekend: http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2018/03/mac_tournament_2018_mens_quart.html
March 9, 20187 yr Why the MAC basketball tournament should return to Toledo By David Briggs | BLADE SPORTS COLUMNIST Published on March 7, 2018 | Updated 4:46 p. m. CLEVELAND — Six years ago, the man in charge of the Huntington Center stood before the dozen athletic directors of the Mid-American Conference and made his pitch. The MAC basketball tournament should return to our open arms. First the women’s games, then perhaps the men’s, too. “Toledo would be perfect,” Steve Miller said. In a 35-minute presentation at a Cleveland hotel, he laid out the city’s selling points. The central location. The modern venue. The head-over-sneakers spirit for women’s hoops. Rather than play in front of several hundred fans scattered in a 20,000-seat arena in Cleveland — where, let’s be real, the four-day event moves the needle less than a broken sewing machine — Toledo offered the promise of several thousand fans packed into an 8,000-seat noise trap. Continued: http://www.toledoblade.com/DavidBriggs/2018/03/07/Why-the-MAC-basketball-tournament-should-return-to-Toledo.html
September 10, 20195 yr Miami (aka The U) broke out the turnover chain in 2017. Then other schools started their own turnover totems. Last weekend, one of Ohio's MAC schools - the University of Akron - started their own turnover totem. Behold, the Turnover Pencil (!) https://www.elevenwarriors.com/college-football/2019/09/106530/behold-akrons-turnover-pencil-college-footballs-most-amazing-sideline-prop
November 20, 20195 yr How the Rise of MACtion Forever Changed MAC Fandom Midweek football games are great for TV viewers. They’re less great for fans and students of teams in the MAC. Here’s how a scheduling quirk became a national phenomenon—and how it’s affected those who stand in mostly empty stadiums in freezing temperatures. By Rodger Sherman Nov 19, 2019, 2:14pm EST I have been in love with Mid-American Conference football for about eight years now. This may seem strange, because I did not attend a MAC school, nor did any of my family members or close friends. I went to college in northern Illinois, but have never met anyone who went to Northern Illinois University. My closest connection to MAC football is my girlfriend’s former roommate. When she told me that she vaguely knew Dri Archer during her time at Kent State, I felt compelled to ask her dozens of questions about it. I’d like to think my love for the MAC blossomed out of its many beautiful, unusual football phenomena. I got deeply invested in the 2011 Toledo team that lost a nationally televised game 63-60 one week, then won another nationally televised game 66-63 the next. I stumped for NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch’s 2013 Heisman Trophy campaign. I told anyone who would listen that 13-0 Western Michigan deserved a spot in the 2016 playoff. And I made the case that Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson should have been a first-round NFL draft pick this spring. I even tried to train my dogs to high-five me like former Northern Illinois mascot Diesel the Husky high-fived his trainers. https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/19/20972679/mac-midweek-games-maction-television-networks-fan-experience
December 21, 20195 yr Apparently Akron's backup QB Robbie Kelley came in FOURTH in Heisman online voting. Congrats Akron on the only highlight to the season. And begrudging congrats to the Golden Flashes on their first bowl win over Utah State. #MACtion #returnofthemac
February 1, 20205 yr 6 hours ago, Sapper Daddy said: Another fantastic game from college hoops best mid-major rivalry ? Boooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 24, 20204 yr Recently @mrnyc wondered why MAC schools in general - and his BGSU in particular - scheduled football games with teams like Ohio State in the OSU thread. MAC schools also schedule non-conference games with other Power Five conferences, but the majority are with Big Ten schools, since they are geographically co-located. The Columbus Dispatch ran a couple of articles recently about how the Big Ten's decision to go conference-only this fall (plus the likelihood that all Power Five conferences might do the same to preserve fall CFB play) would impact the athletic budgets of some MAC teams: -- https://www.buckeyextra.com/sports/20200719/mid-american-conference-athletic-finances-threatened-by-football-cancellations -- https://www.buckeyextra.com/article/20200712/SPORTS/200719719 -- Smaller nonconference schools like Bowling Green rely on game payday Unfortunately, both these articles are behind the Dispatch paywall and I can't provide an alternate site where it is fully viewable. So here are the numbers provided in those two articles for MAC schools: -- Bowling Green was scheduled to receive $1.2 million from Ohio State and $1 million from Illinois for 2020 non-conference games. BGSU’s reported athletic department budget is $25.7 million. That combined $2.2 million in revenue from playing Big Ten teams would account for nearly 10% of its budget. -- Kent State was set to play 2020 non-conference games with Penn State, Alabama and Kentucky that would bring in a combined $5 million. The articles didn't give Kent State's athletic budget, but it seems like that $5 million would be greater than 10% of its budget.
July 24, 20204 yr 49 minutes ago, Columbo said: Kent State was set to play 2020 non-conference games with Penn State, Alabama and Kentucky that would bring in a combined $5 million. The articles didn't give Kent State's athletic budget, but it seems like that $5 million would be greater than 10% of its budget. Kent and EMU consistently have the smallest athletic budgets in the MAC. A couple guys I played with in college coach at various colleges now, and one Ohio school in particular is in real danger of going to FCS or even Division II from the MAC
August 9, 20204 yr I've seen a good deal of fans lamenting the loss of the "MACtion" televised weeknight games.
September 25, 20204 yr The MAC is back: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29971477/source-mid-american-conference-play-six-game-football-season-starting-nov-4
December 31, 20204 yr i’m glad to to see glory back for bg hockey - they are off to a great start at 9-1 and ranked 7th in country: https://bgsufalcons.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey
January 26, 20214 yr beegee hockey scored their overall 1000th win, one of only a handful of teams to have that. more importantly, despite two recent losses to bemidji the falcons are 5th ranked in the country: https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/icehockey-men/d1/uschocom
March 21, 20214 yr OU doing Ohio and the MAC proud with a first round upset over #4 Virginia: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401310926
March 21, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, Columbo said: OU doing Ohio and the MAC proud with a first round upset over #4 Virginia: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401310926 That was a great game. They play my Alma Mater, Creighton, next round. I'm excited to watch that matchup.
July 14, 20213 yr Ohio University football coach Frank Solich retires after 16 seasons to focus on health Frank Solich is stepping down as Ohio University’s football coach in order to focus on a cardiovascular health issue, the school announced Wednesday. Solich, 76, leaves as the winningest coach in Mid-American Conference history after leading the Bobcats to a 115-82 record over 16 seasons. His tenure included 12 winning seasons, 11 bowl appearances and four MAC East Division titles. The Bobcats had only twice been to a bowl game prior to Solich’s arrival in 2005. Ohio won division titles and reached the MAC championship game four times under Solich. The Bobcats never did break through and win it all under Solich, but the program never won more consistently than it did under the Cleveland native who played fullback at Nebraska. Solich’s first head coaching job was at Nebraska, where he replaced Hall of Famer Tom Osborne in 1998. Solich went 58-19 with the Cornhuskers, but following Osborne’s long stretch of lofty achievements, that wasn’t good enough. Solich was fired after going 9-3 in the 2003 regular season. Solich will be replaced by offensive coordinator Tim Albin, who has agreed to a four-year contract. Albin has been an assistant under Solich at Ohio since 2005, directing some of the most prolific offenses in school history and also worked under Solich at Nebraska. MORE: https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/07/14/ohio-university-frank-solich-retires-after-16-seasons/7962519002/
November 14, 20222 yr Mid-American Conference suspends support of men's soccer https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2022/11/11/mid-american-conference-will-no-longer-sponsor-mens-soccer-akron-western-michigan-mac-ncaa/69641561007/ The current Mid-American Conference men’s soccer season will be its last, the league announced Friday afternoon in a news release. The MAC will suspend sponsorship of the sport after the University of Akron and Western Michigan play in the MAC Championship Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at FirstEnergy Stadium. Four full-time MAC members and one affiliate participated in men’s soccer this season. However, not having more participants put the conference in a precarious situation with the NCAA and the looming loss of an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, which requires six teams. ... The immediate impact on Akron is that it must now look for a new conference home for men’s soccer. ... Akron has recorded a winning percentage of .749 since 2007, has played in 19 NCAA Tournaments, five College Cups and won the national championship in 2010. The Zips have won 21 regular-season MAC titles and rank No. 12 in the country heading into Saturday's game. ==================================== I have to admit I jumped to the worst-case conclusion first (that the Akron men's soccer team would be disbanded when MAC soccer disbanded, which would have been a terrible end to a team that won the 2010 NCAA title and has been nationally competitive year in and year out), but I see that the real issue now is that Akron needs to find a men's soccer home outside the MAC. The article suggests the Big East as a likely home, which I get, but I still just can't believe that so few MAC teams are interested in fielding a men's soccer team. I know it's not a big revenue sport, but it also doesn't seem like it would be that expensive of a sport--one of the reasons it became so popular globally is that the basic setup you need to play is dirt cheap. Akron and Bowling Green are the only Ohio MAC schools that field teams. I'd really be interested in knowing why Miami, OU, Kent, and Toledo wouldn't field teams. Is there really so little interest in D-I soccer?
November 14, 20222 yr I have always been surprised that Miami of all places did not have a men's varsity soccer program (they had club soccer when I was a student and I imagine they still do). My guess it has something to do with balance with women's sports because of Title IX.
November 14, 20222 yr BGSU Soccer to join the Missouri Valley Conference: https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/bgsu/2022/11/11/bowling-green-mens-soccer-missouri-valley-conference/stories/20221111108 BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green’s men’s soccer program will join the Missouri Valley Conference in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a Friday athletic department release. The move comes on the heels of the Mid-American Conference’s announcement that it would no longer sanction men’s soccer following the 2022 season. “It is obviously sad to say goodbye to the Mid-American Conference, but this is an incredibly positive move for our program,” coach Eric Nichols said in the release. “It has been a struggle to get the programs needed to sustain a viable conference, and the Missouri Valley has stability with quality programs from top to bottom. This is an exciting time for our program.” The Falcons played men’s soccer in the MAC for 30 years, winning three MAC tournament titles and four MAC regular season championships. The expanded conference will include Bowling Green, two other MAC exiles in Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, and the current MVC lineup of Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois Chicago, Missouri State, and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
November 15, 20222 yr On 11/14/2022 at 9:42 AM, Htsguy said: I have always been surprised that Miami of all places did not have a men's varsity soccer program (they had club soccer when I was a student and I imagine they still do). My guess it has something to do with balance with women's sports because of Title IX. That was my first thought. Also, with only five schools playing the income is virtually nil, and while the sport itself is cheap scholarships and insurance are not. It's also not considered a major sport in this region, and that will impact recruiting except for Akron. A lot of high schools don't even have teams. For example, only five of eight Lake Erie League schools do. Even back in the days of the GCC, 7/8 schools had teams.
November 18, 20222 yr it looks like they had to rally to do it, but like the browns beating the steelers, anytime bg beats toledo its considered a winning season no matter what else happens. 😅 https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401416642
June 22, 20231 yr On 11/14/2022 at 9:27 AM, Gramarye said: Mid-American Conference suspends support of men's soccer https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2022/11/11/mid-american-conference-will-no-longer-sponsor-mens-soccer-akron-western-michigan-mac-ncaa/69641561007/ The current Mid-American Conference men’s soccer season will be its last, the league announced Friday afternoon in a news release. The MAC will suspend sponsorship of the sport after the University of Akron and Western Michigan play in the MAC Championship Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at FirstEnergy Stadium. Four full-time MAC members and one affiliate participated in men’s soccer this season. However, not having more participants put the conference in a precarious situation with the NCAA and the looming loss of an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, which requires six teams. ... The immediate impact on Akron is that it must now look for a new conference home for men’s soccer. ... Akron has recorded a winning percentage of .749 since 2007, has played in 19 NCAA Tournaments, five College Cups and won the national championship in 2010. The Zips have won 21 regular-season MAC titles and rank No. 12 in the country heading into Saturday's game. ==================================== I have to admit I jumped to the worst-case conclusion first (that the Akron men's soccer team would be disbanded when MAC soccer disbanded, which would have been a terrible end to a team that won the 2010 NCAA title and has been nationally competitive year in and year out), but I see that the real issue now is that Akron needs to find a men's soccer home outside the MAC. The article suggests the Big East as a likely home, which I get, but I still just can't believe that so few MAC teams are interested in fielding a men's soccer team. I know it's not a big revenue sport, but it also doesn't seem like it would be that expensive of a sport--one of the reasons it became so popular globally is that the basic setup you need to play is dirt cheap. Akron and Bowling Green are the only Ohio MAC schools that field teams. I'd really be interested in knowing why Miami, OU, Kent, and Toledo wouldn't field teams. Is there really so little interest in D-I soccer? BIG EAST Adds Akron For Men’s Soccer https://www.bigeast.com/news/2022/11/16/big-east-adds-akron-for-mens-soccer.aspx
September 10, 20231 yr i see 1-1 bgsu gets michigan next weekend — who scheduled that lamb to the slaughter? 😂
September 10, 20231 yr 16 minutes ago, mrnyc said: i see 1-1 bgsu gets michigan next weekend — who scheduled that lamb to the slaughter? 😂 Ugh, I still vividly recall Akron nearly beating Michigan, but for a deflected short pass into the endzone as time expired. :-(
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