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Do you feel any connection to any school in the MAC or are all the MAC schools just some random teams we play?


dutchcountry7

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4 hours ago, promotherobot said:

Nothing for me. I'd prefer to see UB get out of the MAC and move up to the AAC.

We’d be the same there. Even if UConn stayed, they have half the old big east that they would call bigger rivals than us or another AAC.

MAC football - Ohio, maybe Akron 

MAC basketball (M) - Akron, Ohio, Kent in that order

MAC basketball (W) - CMU, Ohio in that order

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21 hours ago, dutchcountry7 said:

Are there any teams in the MAC that you consider rivals or teams that you get really excited to see the team play against?  Do any teams really move the needle or are they all just teams that we play with some being better and other ones not as good in any given year?

Since we have been in the MAC around 20 years, I can't say that these are "teams we just play" since we see them almost every year.  But as far as rivalries go, nothing really.   I mean, UB - Ohio may be more meaningful than the CIVIL CONFLICT, but it is orders of magnitude less than Texas vs OU, for example.

 

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For me, Ohio and Kent St. We have played them more then any other MAC squads, we have a winning record vs the Flashes, and we are the only MAC schools with enrollments over 30k. Through those early 2000 suffering years I could count on good (bad?) contests with those teams. So I looked forward to them. Our first MAC road win was at Kent. Our first 3 year streak defeating a MAC foe was Kent. After them I like playing Toledo, because of their yearly toughness and their nice stadium.

Being born in WV, I liked Marshall when they were winning 1-AA titles, but in the MAC and my attending UB, I grew to dislike them. Shady recruiting, bombing our early 2000 teams in football, but likely hurting our 2004 at-large MBB chances as their teams were so bad in RPI.

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For me it’s Ohio too. I know we aren’t really their rival but that’s the only team that I really can’t stand. 

Same thing with basketball...hate Ohio. I was in school during the dj cooper days and the almost fight that broke out after a home game the one time with javon McCreas mom apparently and then dj came to the student section and tried to rip apart the famous poster of him in the bikini that circulated the MAC student sections. 
Also for basketball is kind of Akron. I know they have the Kent rivalry but it’s always really competitive. The only difference is I’ve had really good experiences multiple times with Akron fans. From the many times I’ve been around their fans they’ve been really respectful so there’s not really the hatred involved there 

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I don't feel much connection to the football MAC teams.  I'll give a slight nod to Ohio since we were alternating wins with them for a few years.  Now they've won 2 in a row..  

I've said it for as long as we have been in the MAC.   The average WNY sports follower (who is not a hardcore UB fan) most likely thinks Kent State & Akron football are no different than Colgate and Villanova.  They probably have no idea the first pair are FBS and the others are FCS.  The MAC schools are just not well known and hence, not a big draw here.  

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1 hour ago, zigo230 said:

I don't feel much connection to the football MAC teams.  I'll give a slight nod to Ohio since we were alternating wins with them for a few years.  Now they've won 2 in a row..  

I've said it for as long as we have been in the MAC.   The average WNY sports follower (who is not a hardcore UB fan) most likely thinks Kent State & Akron football are no different than Colgate and Villanova.  They probably have no idea the first pair are FBS and the others are FCS.  The MAC schools are just not well known and hence, not a big draw here.  

And when you are winning, especially as we have seen in basketball, the fans come out to support a winner.  

When you are not winning or are middling, the fans are less likely to come out.    

In basketball, we had program-defining moments recently (e.g. getting to the tourney in multiple years, winning a few games, being ranked for almost the entire season).  That raises the knowledge level and we are now on the next step.

In football, we really haven't had a program-defining moment to raise nationally awareness.  And it ain't happening in the MAC.  If we were in the AAC and very good/hosting an undefeated conference foe, we might get Gameday to come (look at the SMU/Memphis tilt this week).   That's a program-defining moment for Memphis.

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2 hours ago, UB92 said:

In football, we really haven't had a program-defining moment to raise nationally awareness.  And it ain't happening in the MAC.  If we were in the AAC and very good/hosting an undefeated conference foe, we might get Gameday to come (look at the SMU/Memphis tilt this week).   That's a program-defining moment for Memphis.

This is diminishing Memphis and their accomplishments.

The last two years they have played in the AAC conference championship game. They beat Ole Miss at home in Memphis this year.

In 2017 they beat #25 UCLA at a game played in Memphis.  They also beat a ranked Navy team in Memphis.  So two games in front of their home fans that season where they beat ranked teams.

In 2016, they beat #18 Houston team in Memphis.

In 2015 they beat #13 Ole Miss at a game played in Memphis.  Memphis got up to #15 in the rankings.  

This is NOT the biggest moment in Memphis football in even the last five years.

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21 hours ago, dutchcountry7 said:

This is diminishing Memphis and their accomplishments.

The last two years they have played in the AAC conference championship game. They beat Ole Miss at home in Memphis this year.

In 2017 they beat #25 UCLA at a game played in Memphis.  They also beat a ranked Navy team in Memphis.  So two games in front of their home fans that season where they beat ranked teams.

In 2016, they beat #18 Houston team in Memphis.

In 2015 they beat #13 Ole Miss at a game played in Memphis.  Memphis got up to #15 in the rankings.  

This is NOT the biggest moment in Memphis football in even the last five years.

I have noticed, dutch, that you seem to be critical as a default...especially on my posts (but not limited to me).  

So...what did you do?  You picked a bunch of games they won and then concluded that "This is NOT the biggest moment in Memphis football in even the last five years".

Okay...I disagree.

Who can arbitrate this?  Let's ask the AD of the school.

"It is truly amazing and historic that ESPN's College GameDay is coming to Memphis to be an integral part of all of the positive energy at the U of M," said Laird Veatch, Director of Athletics of University of Memphis.    https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2019/10/28/espns-college-gameday-coming-to-memphis-on.html

“It really is an incredible opportunity. It’s almost hard to gauge or measure the amount of exposure and value that [GameDay] brings to this institution and to the city", said Veatch.    https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/10/28/espns-college-gameday-coming-memphis/

Before you start down a path and try to parse the words "program-defining" I used, let me get ahead of this.  For me, when Gameday comes on campus for the first time, it is checking a box and all the craziness that comes with it.  It is a milestone.  It "defines a program" in that they have never achieved this level prior to now.  I would argue that this is huge deal for all G5 schools.  Or, in the words of the AD, "incredible", "amazing" and "historic".   

 

 

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10 hours ago, UB92 said:

I have noticed, dutch, that you seem to be critical as a default...especially on my posts (but not limited to me).  

So...what did you do?  You picked a bunch of games they won and then concluded that "This is NOT the biggest moment in Memphis football in even the last five years".

Okay...I disagree.

Who can arbitrate this?  Let's ask the AD of the school.

"It is truly amazing and historic that ESPN's College GameDay is coming to Memphis to be an integral part of all of the positive energy at the U of M," said Laird Veatch, Director of Athletics of University of Memphis.    https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2019/10/28/espns-college-gameday-coming-to-memphis-on.html

“It really is an incredible opportunity. It’s almost hard to gauge or measure the amount of exposure and value that [GameDay] brings to this institution and to the city", said Veatch.    https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/10/28/espns-college-gameday-coming-memphis/

Before you start down a path and try to parse the words "program-defining" I used, let me get ahead of this.  For me, when Gameday comes on campus for the first time, it is checking a box and all the craziness that comes with it.  It is a milestone.  It "defines a program" in that they have never achieved this level prior to now.  I would argue that this is huge deal for all G5 schools.  Or, in the words of the AD, "incredible", "amazing" and "historic".   

 

 

Every AD will say the next game they are trying to hype is the biggest. 

 

Being the the first time game day is there makes it historic by default.  But it isn’t program defining and not their biggest game. 

 

 

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On 10/30/2019 at 10:05 PM, dutchcountry7 said:

Every AD will say the next game they are trying to hype is the biggest. 

 

Being the the first time game day is there makes it historic by default.  But it isn’t program defining and not their biggest game. 

 

 

 

I don't think Memphis wins that game at a neutral site.  The Game Day atmosphere for a fan base that is craving it like Memphis adds so much to the experience.  I think Vegas odds reflected that this was not just another road game for a higher-ranked team.  They routinely fill a 60k stadium.   Memphis may be in Tennessee, but it is a long way from Knoxville, and they own the town.  Plus, the Liberty Bowl does so much to bring college football pride to the city.  I've never seen a city embrace their bowl more than the Liberty Bowl.  

P.S.  Loved it when Jerry Lawler threatened Lee Corso after he threw off the Tiger head and put on a Mustang head.  

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