FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

It was brought up here, so just noting that we do indeed have a conference forming to snag a football automatic bid.
https://d3football.com/notables/2022/02/landmark-to-add-two-take-football-automatic-bid

Thanks, Pat. I reckon we get a couple of these events and then we'll see a conference break up to max post season opportunities.  A big change for D3, this policy.

FBS is going similar, guess. What do conferences there mean anymore?  They exist almost entirely to create post-season success and have little meaning in themselves as per tradition. The NCAA is now doing the same to D3.

[OzJohnnie]

The NCAA is to collegiate conference tradition as the strip mall is to neighbourhood shops.  It's progress, I guess.

[faunch]

It was brought up here, so just noting that we do indeed have a conference forming to snag a football automatic bid.
https://d3football.com/notables/2022/02/landmark-to-add-two-take-football-automatic-bid

Thanks, Pat. I reckon we get a couple of these events and then we'll see a conference break up to max post season opportunities.  A big change for D3, this policy.

FBS is going similar, guess. What do conferences there mean anymore?  They exist almost entirely to create post-season success and have little meaning in themselves as per tradition. The NCAA is now doing the same to D3.

Could the MIAC just split for football? Have each division be one conference and then play crossover non conference game and an end of season crossover?

[SagatagSam]

It was brought up here, so just noting that we do indeed have a conference forming to snag a football automatic bid.
https://d3football.com/notables/2022/02/landmark-to-add-two-take-football-automatic-bid

Thanks, Pat. I reckon we get a couple of these events and then we'll see a conference break up to max post season opportunities.  A big change for D3, this policy.

FBS is going similar, guess. What do conferences there mean anymore?  They exist almost entirely to create post-season success and have little meaning in themselves as per tradition. The NCAA is now doing the same to D3.

Could the MIAC just split for football? Have each division be one conference and then play crossover non conference game and an end of season crossover?

Could they? Sure. The conference would have to add two more teams in order to give the two new conferences six teams and capture the extra auto bid. I'm sure that would require some reworking of the rules to form these football only conferences that allow for affiliate members.

Then the question becomes who do you add? Northwestern? Crown? Martin Luther? UM-Morris? Do you go outside of the state and add non-Minnesota teams? Do they become members for other sports?

The UMAC is at seven football schools right now. If they lose two, then their auto bid is gone. If that's the case, then this is an exercise in robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[SagatagSam]

Moreover, what's the benefit for those schools coming into the split-up MIAC?

Stronger conference opponents? Yep. That can be a two edged sword though. Would Crown or UM-Morris really want to join a conference where they would have next to zero chance winning an auto bid?

Martin Luther was one win away from the top of the UMAC this year. I don't see them saying "yep, let's go to the MIAC where we will have a few good games against St. Scholastica and Macalester and then get beat by 45 every other week."

[OzJohnnie]

Moreover, what's the benefit for those schools coming into the split-up MIAC?

Stronger conference opponents? Yep. That can be a two edged sword though. Would Crown or UM-Morris really want to join a conference where they would have next to zero chance winning an auto bid?

Martin Luther was one win away from the top of the UMAC this year. I don't see them saying "yep, let's go to the MIAC where we will have a few good games against St. Scholastica and Macalester and then get beat by 45 every other week."

You play this out and it leads to a dumbing down, I think, of competition.  The only reason to join a manufactured conference is to have a chance at the postseason opportunities.  So weak teams are encouraged to play with other weak teams and strong teams are encouraged to stay away from strong conferences.

What makes the MIAC so good as a conference is that all the schools are, by agreement and charter, similar in mission: academic value with a well-rounded student experience.  That well-rounded experience lets some schools excel at football, some at tennis, some at soccer, some at band camp.  This postseason qualification change by the NCAA really puts the non-athletic objectives of the MIAC cooperative at odds with the athletic competition.  And if people think the non-athletic objectives are unimportant then we need only think back two years to #TEXIT.  Not only are the non-athletic objectives important, the are primary.

The NESAC isn't looking so unwise now, avoiding postseason involvement for football.  You want a horror idea?  What if someone in the MIAC (band camp!!!) got a similar idea...

[DuffMan]

Congratulations to Ravi Alston. Rumor is he's earned a full ride scholarship to Montana State for his final year of football.

Rumor confirmed; I don't think anyone has posted this presser yet:  MSU Football Add Transfers to Offense

[SagatagSam]

Congratulations to Ravi Alston. Rumor is he's earned a full ride scholarship to Montana State for his final year of football.

Rumor confirmed; I don't think anyone has posted this presser yet:  MSU Football Add Transfers to Offense

While I would have loved to see what Ravi could have done with another year at SJU, I am super happy for him. Bozeman is a pretty cool place and I think he'll like it there.

Perhaps we  will see Ravi and the Bobcats making another deep run in the FCS playoffs.

Go Johnnies (and Go Bobcats! Right?)

[OzJohnnie]

I had a bit of a drive this afternoon so tuned into the third period of the Johnnies v STO. VOJ was in good form. "The Olies are whinging about something down there."  He sounded like Jim Carr calling a game for the Chiefs.

[OzJohnnie]

Stafford has spent so many years at Detroit that he has little idea how to be clutch.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Stafford has spent so many years at Detroit that he has little idea how to be clutch.

The clutch was invented in Detroit!

I'm rooting for Stafford even though he couldn't get it done in Detroit.  Football is NOT a one person game - he had a sh!t team around him. 

And, at 73, I have basically NO hope the Lions will ever make the playoffs in my lifetime.

[OzJohnnie]

Stafford has spent so many years at Detroit that he has little idea how to be clutch.

The clutch was invented in Detroit!

I'm rooting for Stafford even though he couldn't get it done in Detroit.  Football is NOT a one person game - he had a sh!t team around him. 

And, at 73, I have basically NO hope the Lions will ever make the playoffs in my lifetime.

Barry Sanders...

[BDB]

When you have Eli Apple one on one with Cooper Kupp you're not setting yourself up for success.

[MUC57]

Stafford has spent so many years at Detroit that he has little idea how to be clutch.

The clutch was invented in Detroit!

I'm rooting for Stafford even though he couldn't get it done in Detroit.  Football is NOT a one person game - he had a sh!t team around him. 

And, at 73, I have basically NO hope the Lions will ever make the playoffs in my lifetime.

You think that's bad? At 86, I have basically NO hope the Browns will ever make the playoffs in my lifetime!
(OK, maybe a better chance than the Lions)

[SagatagSam]

Pretty decent Super Bowl. I wanted the Bengals to pull it out because I have a lot of friends back in Cincinnati from my time living in the Queen City. I don't think many of them expected to make the Super Bowl this year, but I think they've got some good mojo going with Joey B under center.