[ballcoach15]

Sign with a school, play 4 seasons, get your degree, and move on with life. That's the way it should work. Not spend 5-9 years in school, playing for 3 or 4 teams.

[JK37]

Sign with a school, play 4 seasons, get your degree, and move on with life.

It will never be this way again. Better get used to it.

[ATrain]

Sign with a school, play 4 seasons, get your degree, and move on with life. That's the way it should work. Not spend 5-9 years in school, playing for 3 or 4 teams.

Hate to break it to you, but scholarships (with rare exceptions) are and always have been one year contracts. Circumstances can change in 4 years that necessitate a change in where they attend school. An academic program gets cut, there's family issues that require them to be closer, the coach goes on to a bigger and better school and a good working relationship doesn't develop with the new coach, etc...

Family, academics, and a whole host of other factors take - and rightfully so - priority over playing a game.

[aj7]

With UMass incoming the MAC could stand pat if they lose NIU. Not sure they'd want to take WKU and MTSU to be at 13.

[Sly Fox]

NIU is a weird situation. They don't have the long history with the MAC and don't really feel like other MAC schools. That victory at Notre Dame seems like a million years ago with the way they have played since.

I see the MWC working but I am not sure that NIU is the value add they believe it to be. And I am not sure any tears will be shed by other MAC members if they leave.

[cruzan_flame13]

https://wccsports.com/news/2024/12/11/g ... tract.aspx

[Sly Fox]

A jilted Stu Jackson can be a costly proposition for our for-profit friends out in Phoenix.

[ATrain]

UC Davis joining Mountain West for everything except football

[LUOrange]

UC Davis joining Mountain West for everything except football

They've got a decent FCS Football team. The MWC not bringing in their football team is dumber than them not considering NMSU, who is already fully FBS. IMO, it doesn't say much about the MWC leadership.

[ballcoach15]

Most conferences have bad leadership. CUSA probably has best leadership of any conference, all things considered.

[Ill flame]

NIU is expected to join MWC as a football only member now. That's a better add than UC Davis in football.

[LUOrange]

NIU is expected to join MWC as a football only member now. That's a better add than UC Davis in football.

UC Davis was 11-3 & lost in the FCS semis & their in the Sacramento metro, the largest metro in the US without FBS or an NFL team. I'd say that adding the all-sports is much better than NIU as a football only, as they're both schools no one really cares about. NIU all sports would be a different argument.

[Ill flame]

NIU is expected to join MWC as a football only member now. That's a better add than UC Davis in football.

UC Davis was 11-3 & lost in the FCS semis & their in the Sacramento metro, the largest metro in the US without FBS or an NFL team. I'd say that adding the all-sports is much better than NIU as a football only, as they're both schools no one really cares about. NIU all sports would be a different argument.

NIU has been one of the top football programs in the MAC over the last 15 years including a NY6 bowl and is in a metro that's 3x bigger. NIU is absolutely pathetic in every other sport so I get why they only wanted to pursue them as football only members. I get the impression the intent is to add UC Davis as a full time member down the road when they get poached again but they aren't ready to move football up right now and won't be for awhile unless a large sum of money fall in their lap.

[Sly Fox]

Is NIU in the Chicago metro? Perhaps technically. No Chicagoan considers Dekalb in Chicago. Chicagoland? Maybe. NIU is closer to Beloit, Wisconsin than Chicago. This is nearly identical to Sam Houston and Houston. The difference being SHSU doesn't claim the Houston market.

Sacramento State is in the heart of a major metro. They are getting their funding together as we speak. They have recognized the opportunity in front of them and the Cal State System is finally onboard with their aspirations athletically.

[Ill flame]

Is NIU in the Chicago metro? Perhaps technically. No Chicagoan considers Dekalb in Chicago. Chicagoland? Maybe. NIU is closer to Beloit, Wisconsin than Chicago. This is nearly identical to Sam Houston and Houston. The difference being SHSU doesn't claim the Houston market.

Sacramento State is in the heart of a major metro. They are getting their funding together as we speak. They have recognized the opportunity in front of them and the Cal State System is finally onboard with their aspirations athletically.

I don't think it's technically part of the Chicago metro. They just get the majority of their students, faculty (and historically) players from the Chicagoland area.

UC Davis athletic facilities are a mess and it'll take years before they are FBS ready. They announced the new football stadium but were vague about where the money will come from. They added a student athletic fee that will go toward the stadium but that only covers a fraction of the cost. Beyond that they are relying on donors and businesses to donate that haven't really done so before so im not convinced its a winning strategy. If they find the money the MWC can always add their football program later but it would be a very risky move to add them now. In the meantime at worst NIU will hover around 6-6 and won't be a net negative for the conference.

[Kricket]

Looks like NIU has been officially added as football only to the MWC in 2026.

[ATrain]

Yep. Now where will they park basketball and the Olympic sports, and who will the PAC add to get the requisite number of members?

[Sly Fox]

The announcement on the Huskies joining the Horizon should be coming shortly. It makes too much sense.

[ATrain]

The announcement on the Huskies joining the Horizon should be coming shortly. It makes too much sense.

I agree, but this is conference realignment, where things no longer make sense.

Sac State is still saber rattling about moving up. The new PAC still needs members, and NMSU is itching to join a more geographically friendly conference.

[Sly Fox]

The MWC has gone out of its way to bring in anybody BUT NM State. They may have a better shot at the NewPac at this stage.

Oregon State & Wazzu are not acting like schools ready to allow the Pac to offer big bucks to bring in any new AAC schools. They have been shedding salaries and cost-cutting across their athletic depatments. So I suspect that Memphis, Tulane & USF may just sit tight until they see what happens when the inevitable ACC shakeout goes down.

The idea of a desperate of a desperate offer to LU from the Pac grows less ridiculous by the day. While it remains highly unlikely it is not exactly insane.

[Ill flame]

The MWC has gone out of its way to bring in anybody BUT NM State. They may have a better shot at the NewPac at this stage.

Oregon State & Wazzu are not acting like schools ready to allow the Pac to offer big bucks to bring in any new AAC schools. They have been shedding salaries and cost-cutting across their athletic depatments. So I suspect that Memphis, Tulane & USF may just sit tight until they see what happens when the inevitable ACC shakeout goes down.

The idea of a desperate of a desperate offer to LU from the Pac grows less ridiculous by the day. While it remains highly unlikely it is not exactly insane.

We haven't heard the last of the pac 12 chasing those top AAC schools. Once they have more firm numbers from tv networks they will re-engage those schools and then we'll have a better idea which direction the new pac 12 is heading in. I'm with you though. I think the AAC schools just sit tight and wait to see what happens in the next round of musical chairs before making a commitment. I imagine if the pac 12 can't get any of the AAC schools they'll add the minimum needed for auto bids and ride it out to the next round of realignment as well. There doesn't seem to be enough upside to make a coast to coast G5 league like the original AAC pursued.

[LUOrange]

There are several PAC12 X-Twitters Fan accounts that say/swear that the PAC12 is still negotiating with Memphis, USF, Tulane, UTSA & Texas State. I think there'll be some more movement before July.

[Sly Fox]

There are no high profile TV windows on the major networks available other than the after-dark slot that doesn't generate major revenue. The Pac dropped the ball when the windows were still available. That's how the league fell to just two teams. The CW doesn't bring the type of revenue necessary to attract the top AAC schools. Unless Amazon or Apple or Meta come to the rescue, it doesn't look promising.

I can't emphasize just how important it is for the House Settlement to get figured out. Then you add in the speculation that NIL could be brought in-house ... everyone in college football is still trying to figure out their own situation much less how they fit into the ecosystem. Now is not the time to make dratic or risky decisions.