Why are some MIAA schools fighting so hard to keep silo scheduling?

[Brandon]

I would guess most of the opponents where a game was not returned.

[backintheday]

Anyone defending silo is doing so because, despite what Western's AD says, the MIAA hasn't been close to only having one team make the playoffs. In fact, in the 6 years of complete silo scheduling, the MIAA has never had a team that lost 2 games or less fail to make the playoffs. In 2016, CentralMO got in at 9-2 as the 3rd MIAA team. That probably wouldn't get a team in under the current regional configuration (Henderson this year) but most aren't going to feel sorry for a 3rd place team that doesn't get in.

So to summarize your answer, the status quo is working all right in the eyes of those defending the status quo?

[backintheday]

Because no one from these other conferences will play the top tier teams in the MIAA. Northwest, Central, Hays and Pitt will have trouble scheduling D2 programs unless they pay them. I think the only way they could get it done is if they worked a deal with a conference like the LSC to ensure all teams in the MIAA were guaranteed a game. I think it could be done because there are a lot of those other conferences that need games. And the MIAA is more centrally located than some of the teams they are playing. Example. Midwestern State went to Western Oregon.

I don't think for a minute that is true.

[backintheday]

Which schools are fighting to keep it?

I think you can get a good sense of who is pounding the table to keep the status quo from the nature of the responses on this board. I know they square with my understanding of who the roadblocks are.

[Randy]

So to summarize your answer, the status quo is working all right in the eyes of those defending the status quo?

You asked for a reason and I gave you one, because it hasn't mattered yet. I don't care whether the MIAA plays non conference games or not. Even if I did care, I would never follow your suggestion in the first post and attempt to tell Jim/Jerry how to run the football program. I would just complain on here. Kinda like men's basketball.

Also, when the conference does finally get only one team in, I won't blame silo scheduling. I'll blame the bad loss someone took or the lack of big wins, such as Henderson this year.

[TSU_Mike59]

I don't see why the MIAA couldn't utilize a scheduling alliance with the GAC like the GLVC will be starting soon with the GMAC. Two games a year are guaranteed, and, like the GLVC and GMAC set it up, the "top" teams play the other conference's "top" teams in a home-and-home over a two year cycle. This would help sort out the SOS issue because every team wouldn't have a .500 anymore, provide at least some non-conference comparison, and it would allow the teams to possibly play their way into a 3-bid league for their conference.

Here's the GLVC/GMAC alliance as an idea: https://greatmidwestsports.com/news/...-alliance.aspx

[the Northeasterner]

There are legit arguements for silo
1. Everybody gets a full schedule of 11 games
2 AD's don'thave to work hard to fill schedule with d2 opponents for po criteria
3 because miaa is centrally located. Travel costs are equalized ovrer twoyear window

Here are popular reasons defending silo.
1 we get a true conf champ .
2 the strength of schedule is .500 for everyone
3 we protect brand name with no niaa or paycheck games
4 we get better crowds with miaa only opponents

??????

Now I have made my argument s numerous times before . But I will summerize it up . I believe silo is going to slowly destroy the miaa. And create a situation where the top is inflated the bottom is devestated. The teams will all look the same offensively and defensively. The recruiting area will slowly shrink . And the conf will slowly but surely see a loss of play off domination. The very cornerstone of it's reputation.

I have been consistent in my arguments and my nightmare scenario for future. But if nw and central fail to make semifinals it is beginning to show now.

[Micheal]

UNK would like a couple non-conference games as then could play in state D2 schools, and old rivals, in Wayne State and Chadron State. For the Kansas schools they would have to go a bit further for non-conference games. Missouri and Oklahoma have other D2 schools so might be able to pick up some of them.

[Techster88]

There are legit arguements for silo
1. Everybody gets a full schedule of 11 games
2 AD's don'thave to work hard to fill schedule with d2 opponents for po criteria
3 because miaa is centrally located. Travel costs are equalized ovrer twoyear window

Here are popular reasons defending silo.
1 we get a true conf champ .
2 the strength of schedule is .500 for everyone
3 we protect brand name with no niaa or paycheck games
4 we get better crowds with miaa only opponents

??????

Now I have made my argument s numerous times before . But I will summerize it up . I believe silo is going to slowly destroy the miaa. And create a situation where the top is inflated the bottom is devestated. The teams will all look the same offensively and defensively. The recruiting area will slowly shrink . And the conf will slowly but surely see a loss of play off domination. The very cornerstone of it's reputation.

I have been consistent in my arguments and my nightmare scenario for future. But if nw and central fail to make semifinals it is beginning to show now.

[Gorilla John 92]

I don't see why the MIAA couldn't utilize a scheduling alliance with the GAC like the GLVC will be starting soon with the GMAC. Two games a year are guaranteed, and, like the GLVC and GMAC set it up, the "top" teams play the other conference's "top" teams in a home-and-home over a two year cycle. This would help sort out the SOS issue because every team wouldn't have a .500 anymore, provide at least some non-conference comparison, and it would allow the teams to possibly play their way into a 3-bid league for their conference.

Here's the GLVC/GMAC alliance as an idea: https://greatmidwestsports.com/news/...-alliance.aspx

This would not work in for the MIAA. Why? Conference depth and who would play whom within the conference. One will recall that Emporia had couple of playoff runs due to the fact they weren't playing the top teams in the league and beat up on the bottom of the league. Now look at Lwood and Truman. They struggled to compete in the MIAA and left. Lwood finished 10th last year in the MIAA and now is in the playoffs. Why? Because they are not in the MIAA any longer. UCM has a bad year last and finished at 5 - 6. Now this year in the playoffs. Say they didn't have to play NW in the conference rotation and got to beat up on the lower half of the GAC due to this was the year things rotated. An 11-0 season, a possible bye this week and a home playoff game the following week. Can you imagine the uproar if NW was still to have lost to UNK and dropped a game against an upper GAC team and is sitting with two losses and possibly staying at home?

If anything, this really helps the middle of the road team. Pull an upset within the conference and make the playoffs.

[Predatory Primates]

This would not work in for the MIAA. Why? Conference depth and who would play whom within the conference. One will recall that Emporia had couple of playoff runs due to the fact they weren't playing the top teams in the league and beat up on the bottom of the league. Now look at Lwood and Truman. They struggled to compete in the MIAA and left. Lwood finished 10th last year in the MIAA and now is in the playoffs. Why? Because they are not in the MIAA any longer. UCM has a bad year last and finished at 5 - 6. Now this year in the playoffs. Say they didn't have to play NW in the conference rotation and got to beat up on the lower half of the GAC due to this was the year things rotated. An 11-0 season, a possible bye this week and a home playoff game the following week. Can you imagine the uproar if NW was still to have lost to UNK and dropped a game against an upper GAC team and is sitting with two losses and possibly staying at home?

If anything, this really helps the middle of the road team. Pull an upset within the conference and make the playoffs.

I used to think this. Now, a few years in, I can see that the conference as a whole has become appreciably worse. The top teams haven't been nationally relevant and the bottom feeders are some of the worst teams I have ever seen. Ideally, I would love to see NSU and Lincoln get the boot. I know that isn't going to happen, though.

[Brandon]

There are legit arguements for silo
1. Everybody gets a full schedule of 11 games
2 AD's don'thave to work hard to fill schedule with d2 opponents for po criteria
3 because miaa is centrally located. Travel costs are equalized ovrer twoyear window

Here are popular reasons defending silo.
1 we get a true conf champ .
2 the strength of schedule is .500 for everyone
3 we protect brand name with no niaa or paycheck games
4 we get better crowds with miaa only opponents

??????

Now I have made my argument s numerous times before . But I will summerize it up . I believe silo is going to slowly destroy the miaa. And create a situation where the top is inflated the bottom is devestated. The teams will all look the same offensively and defensively. The recruiting area will slowly shrink . And the conf will slowly but surely see a loss of play off domination. The very cornerstone of it's reputation.

I have been consistent in my arguments and my nightmare scenario for future. But if nw and central fail to make semifinals it is beginning to show now.

I agree with your assessment.

I am going to provide some counter arguments to the positions you listed that are often cited:

A 1/2. They are the same thing. What is one of the main jobs of an AD if not scheduling? In fact, when I was talking to a current AD about this he interrupted me and said, "It's their job."

I recognize the difficulties. Even though it's only one or two games a year, they can only occur on a Thursday or a Friday. There isn't as much flexibility as there is with other sports. It is harder for teams like Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays to schedule. A big reason guarantees were paid in the past at Pitt and Northwest was because of commitments to the suite holder to have x amount of games on campus each year while also playing the Arrowhead game. I believe those commitments have expired and there is more flexibility. So yes, there are difficulties but we need to quit pretending that it's impossible or even extremely difficult to accomplish. I understand that it makes the AD's job easier and they likely don't want to face the wrath of finding the perfect opponent for their head coaches, but they usually get paid a very nice salary.

A3. This is exactly the reason that the MIAA should have non-conference games - not only for itself but for Division Ii as a whole. There are 15+ potential non-conference opponents closer to Northwest than Central Oklahoma. The MIAA is in the best location in the country to play non-conference games.

B1. There have been two trophies handed out each of the last two years.

B2. Can be a negative as well. Lindenwood's SOS was higher than all the MIAA teams.

B3. I can make a case for the name brand being harmed by this scheduling arrangement.

B4. I don't know that this is the case. I have thought about researching this.

I will expand more, later.

[the Northeasterner]

[QUOTE=Techster88;n457605]

[backintheday]

You asked for a reason and I gave you one, because it hasn't mattered yet. I don't care whether the MIAA plays non conference games or not. Even if I did care, I would never follow your suggestion in the first post and attempt to tell Jim/Jerry how to run the football program. I would just complain on here. Kinda like men's basketball.

Also, when the conference does finally get only one team in, I won't blame silo scheduling. I'll blame the bad loss someone took or the lack of big wins, such as Henderson this year.

First, I hope to make clear my prior response was not sarcastic but an attempt to summarize what I took from your message.

There is no way one can know that "it hasn't mattered yet". Who can say the MIAA wouldn't have gotten 3 teams into the playoffs instead of 2. It is unknowable what effect jettisoning 2 wins against Northeastern State, Missouri Southern, Lincoln this year, UNK any of the last several years prior to this season and replacing them wins against winning teams from outside the conference. What would that do to any team's strength of schedule for whom that occurs?

Like you, I would never suggest "telling an AD/Coach how to run their football program" either so I'm sorry my question (not suggestion) was misinterpreted. What I would do and have done is say I'd much rather pay to see competitive games than 60 or 70 to 10 blowouts. That is a perfectly appropriate discussion to have in my opinion given we pay the bills including their salary.

[backintheday]

There are legit arguements for silo
1. Everybody gets a full schedule of 11 games
2 AD's don'thave to work hard to fill schedule with d2 opponents for po criteria
3 because miaa is centrally located. Travel costs are equalized ovrer twoyear window

Here are popular reasons defending silo.
1 we get a true conf champ .
2 the strength of schedule is .500 for everyone
3 we protect brand name with no niaa or paycheck games
4 we get better crowds with miaa only opponents

??????

Now I have made my argument s numerous times before . But I will summerize it up . I believe silo is going to slowly destroy the miaa. And create a situation where the top is inflated the bottom is devestated. The teams will all look the same offensively and defensively. The recruiting area will slowly shrink . And the conf will slowly but surely see a loss of play off domination. The very cornerstone of it's reputation.

I have been consistent in my arguments and my nightmare scenario for future. But if nw and central fail to make semifinals it is beginning to show now.

I know it's not your argument but as you state, a "popular reason for defending silo" but can anyone tell me who the true conference champion was in 2014, 2018 or 2019? Three of the last six seasons and both of the last two have resulted in a split championship.