Conference expansion.

[GorillaTeacher]

Maybe we should add two more football schools and adopt a similar structure to this?
https://www.espn.com/college-footbal...tball-thoughts

[Farmer 40]

Pretty good article! Thanks for sharing that!!

[Brandon]

When the MIAA expanded they considered a pod system that I proposed. I (obviously) thought it was great. I think UCO voted against it because they would have had to play SBU late in the year or something like that.

[BearcatDude]

When the conference originally expanded into the megaconference - the excuse that was given was because it was needed to cut down on expenses of travel. Naturally, using that reasoning, most people thought that they would institute a pod structure (like this article talks about) - but they didn't. Absolutely nothing that they did cut down on travel expenses, in fact it probably increased them. The MW AD at the time was the ONLY one who came out publicly against the expansion.

[Brandon]

When the conference originally expanded into the megaconference - the excuse that was given was because it was needed to cut down on expenses of travel. Naturally, using that reasoning, most people thought that they would institute a pod structure (like this article talks about) - but they didn't. Absolutely nothing that they did cut down on travel expenses, in fact it probably increased them. The MW AD at the time was the ONLY one who came out publicly against the expansion.

I think Jerry Partridge did as well.

[GorillaTeacher]

The Pods that you do home-and-home with "could" be like this

Pods-
NWMSU- PSU, MOWest, Lincoln
PSU- NWMSU, MSSU, UCO
MoWest- NWMSU,UCM, LU
UCM- MoWest, NKearney, WU
UCO- NSU, Ft. Hays, PSU
NKearney- ESU, WU, UCM
ESU- NKearney, WU, Ft Hays
WU- UCM, ESU, Kearney
Ft. Hays- ESU, UCO, Lincoln
MSSU- PSU, MoS&T, NSU
NSU- UCO, MSSU, MoS&T
Lincoln- NWMSU, Ft. Hays, LU
LU- MoWest, Lincoln, MoS&T
MoS&T- MSSU, NSU, LU

It could also still be SILO, you just play 8 of the 10 teams that are left, in a rotation.
The PODS are, of course negotiable and could be optimized for region and traditional rivalry, so are the two teams that would be added. I just did MoS&T and Lindenwood for an example. We could try and snipe some of the top teams from GAC or other teams from the GLVC.

You could also make it 7 out of the other ten, and get an OOC game scheduled if they decide to do that.

[GreenwoodBearcat]

It's all wishful thinking and just messageboard fodder...

[BearcatDude]

I think Jerry Partridge did as well.

Very well could be - I was thinking about the meeting that they had with the schools Presidents and AD's. MW's AD was the only one who came out speaking against it. Everyone else just toed the party line.

[GorillaBred]

When the MIAA expanded they considered a pod system that I proposed. I (obviously) thought it was great. I think UCO voted against it because they would have had to play SBU late in the year or something like that.

Play SBU late in the year?! What a catastrophe that would be!

I'd be in support of pods, divisions or shrinking the conference, whatever gets us some OOC games--assuming it allows the Pitt State-NW series and the Pitt State-MoSo series to be preserved.

There's been a decent amount of talk over the course of the years that the GAC and the NSIC only went to silo scheduling because the MIAA switched to it and that made OOC scheduling less practical. I really think there is a hunger with a decent share of conference at the program/school level (and obviously, at the fan base level) for a return to OOC games. However, I've kinda caught the impression that at least part of the conference would only do it in conjunction with at least the GAC switching back. Does anyone know if those other conferences have much interest in returning to the OOC game?

[GorillaTeacher]

Play SBU late in the year?! What a catastrophe that would be!

I'd be in support of pods, divisions or shrinking the conference, whatever gets us some OOC games--assuming it allows the Pitt State-NW series and the Pitt State-MoSo series to be preserved.

There's been a decent amount of talk over the course of the years that the GAC and the NSIC only went to silo scheduling because the MIAA switched to it and that made OOC scheduling less practical. I really think there is a hunger with a decent share of conference at the program/school level (and obviously, at the fan base level) for a return to OOC games. However, I've kinda caught the impression that at least part of the conference would only do it in conjunction with at least the GAC switching back. Does anyone know if those other conferences have much interest in returning to the OOC game?

Jesse's first MIAA-weekly touched base on OOC matchups, and the task committee basically said that there would have to be an inter conference contractual agreement to get those games. Instead of whichever schools could schedule which ever schools... So it wouldn't really allows for the money making games against FCS schools to happen, but I generally think they are a waste of time, anyways.

[GorillaTeacher]

Pretty good article! Thanks for sharing that!!

I really just want the SEC to stop scheduling powderpuff football teams in the middle of the season, and then be all high and mighty about the depth of the conference, when they play the least amount of conference games a long with the PAC-12

[GrifFan]

When the conference originally expanded into the megaconference - the excuse that was given was because it was needed to cut down on expenses of travel. Naturally, using that reasoning, most people thought that they would institute a pod structure (like this article talks about) - but they didn't. Absolutely nothing that they did cut down on travel expenses, in fact it probably increased them. The MW AD at the time was the ONLY one who came out publicly against the expansion.

I don't remember travel expenses being a big driver in the silo schedule - it was the difficulty of scheduling games. Missouri Western's AD was opposed to adding Lincoln as an 11th football school because that meant one team would have a bye every week. If your bye fell outside of the first couple of weeks of the season, filling the hole in the schedule would be virtually impossible.

Having said that, I find it hard to believe that travel expenses haven't been reduced or at least neutral since the change to the silo schedule. We've got more in-conference road games that are overnight trips than we used to, but we went considerably further for non-con games back in the day. Before the silo schedule, Missouri Western had non-con road games in (off the top of my head) Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato, Winona, Durant, Oklahoma, Grand Junction, Colorado, Vermillion and Aberdeen, South Dakota.

[BearcatDude]

Play SBU late in the year?! What a catastrophe that would be!

I'd be in support of pods, divisions or shrinking the conference, whatever gets us some OOC games--assuming it allows the Pitt State-NW series and the Pitt State-MoSo series to be preserved.

There's been a decent amount of talk over the course of the years that the GAC and the NSIC only went to silo scheduling because the MIAA switched to it and that made OOC scheduling less practical. I really think there is a hunger with a decent share of conference at the program/school level (and obviously, at the fan base level) for a return to OOC games. However, I've kinda caught the impression that at least part of the conference would only do it in conjunction with at least the GAC switching back. Does anyone know if those other conferences have much interest in returning to the OOC game?

the thing is, even if they aren't - if there are two weeks of non-con games, one of those weeks they can schedule those other teams. The old GSC used to due that before they split and formed the GAC.

[GorillaBred]

the thing is, even if they aren't - if there are two weeks of non-con games, one of those weeks they can schedule those other teams. The old GSC used to due that before they split and formed the GAC.

So you're imagining a scenario where Pitt State and NW don't play a conference game, but schedule each other as an OOC opponent? Wouldn't that undermine much of the appeal of OOC games?

[GorillaTeacher]

the thing is, even if they aren't - if there are two weeks of non-con games, one of those weeks they can schedule those other teams. The old GSC used to due that before they split and formed the GAC.

I'd be open to not playing MOSO every year. The "coal bucket" isn't that appealing.