Lack of Early Football Excitement

[Penguin Nick]

I know it's summer but this site is absolutely DEAD.  Football season is just around the corner and there is no excitement at all.  Perhaps it's because we have a lousy non conference schedule that no one cares about.  Not even playing at WVU is getting anyone excited - this is sad.  So let me get things started and hopefully I'll fire some people up.  If we were in the Mid American Conference we would be excited for the start of football season.  We would have rivalries.  We would be where we belong - a perfect fit.  One conference for ALL sports.  The MAC is not dropping down to 1AA, we need to figure out how to join and make things work economically.  What say you?

[ysuguins4]

I would rather the Guins be in the MAC also.  It would be great to play Akron and Kent every year, but unfortunately the economics don't make it feasible.  We would need a very wealthy alumnus to shell out the additional 10 million a year that it would require.  I believe at some point the majority of MAC schools will be forced to drop down to FCS, but not sure when that will happen.

[ytownchief22]

Things will start to pick up on here once fall camp starts. It comess down to money and we don't have enough of it to sustain being in the MAC.

[guinpen]

I would rather the Guins be in the MAC also.  It would be great to play Akron and Kent every year, but unfortunately the economics don't make it feasible.  We would need a very wealthy alumnus to shell out the additional 10 million a year that it would require.  I believe at some point the majority of MAC schools will be forced to drop down to FCS, but not sure when that will happen.

Spot on

[YSU1]

our fan base is too small for the MAC.  besides we can't beat teams in the sub-division.

[go guins]

our fan base is too small for the MAC.  besides we can't beat teams in the sub-division.

so is kent and akron.  they have huge financial problems.  the solution is NOT for us to move up, but for them to get real and move down.

[Penguin Nick]

Besides the extra 20plus scholarships and paying coaches more salary, what other costs are associated with moving up to Division 1A (FBS)?

[go guins]

Besides the extra 20plus scholarships and paying coaches more salary, what other costs are associated with moving up to Division 1A (FBS)?

Big issue is football attendance. Akron has huge issues with this and is forced to buy thousands of tickets for every game.  We are thousands below threshold also, so we would be doing the same drill as Akron.  FBS makes -0- sense for YSU, Akron, Kent, probably Buffalo.  (But does sound like the start of a great FCS conference with no trips to the Dakotas doesn't it?)

[IAA Fan]

Besides the extra 20plus scholarships and paying coaches more salary, what other costs are associated with moving up to Division 1A (FBS)?

Good question. The best answer that I can think of are additional requirements from the conference. The MAC sponsors Field Hockey, W Gymnastics, Men's Swimming and Men's Soccer ...which are sports that we do no have. AT first you can say "so whoct" and move anyway; but to properly compete for all conference trophy, you need to participate in all of these sports. They do not sanction bowling, so we may be forced to drop it ...mainly for scholarship reasons. There is also the loss of scholarship equivalents, which would hurt any FCS team moving up. There are also much more strict media requirements that we would only have been able to meet as of last year (TV lighting). There are much more in the way of marketing requirements, which can add up to quite a bit of our financial resources.

[YSUGO]

I keep hearing for 10 years that the MAC needs to move down.  Its not going to happen.   Sometimes I think we need to drop down to D2. 

[go guins]

I keep hearing for 10 years that the MAC needs to move down.  Its not going to happen.   Sometimes I think we need to drop down to D2.

Non scholarship 1AA would make more sense.  Taylor made for Pioneer conference with Dayton Valpo, Butler etc.

[guinpen]

I keep hearing for 10 years that the MAC needs to move down.  Its not going to happen.   Sometimes I think we need to drop down to D2.

May not be a case of some low end 1A schools moving down but rather the upper end 1A schools moving further up. Separation none the less.

D2 is not an option

[IAA Fan]

I have also said this before, but at least for me, weekday games (in the MAC) are terrible. I do not care that we are filling a spot on ESPN, I drive 3-hours to get to the games and could never make any weekday games. Also, people that work the next day are not really going to tailgate, nor will there be any real room because the school cannot afford to miss the parking space on a weekday with classes. Even if I lived close and worked 8-5, I am not going to tailgate for an hour or less...and if the game was on-the-road, I would be lucky to just make the game.

[go guins]

I have also said this before, but at least for me, weekday games (in the MAC) are terrible. I do not care that we are filling a spot on ESPN, I drive 3-hours to get to the games and could never make any weekday games. Also, people that work the next day are not really going to tailgate, nor will there be any real room because the school cannot afford to miss the parking space on a weekday with classes. Even if I lived close and worked 8-5, I am not going to tailgate for an hour or less...and if the game was on-the-road, I would be lucky to just make the game.

But you need to keep in mind, you are more the exception than the rule (number of guys driving 3 hours to YSU home games can't be many)  At least in the beginning, the MAC weeknight games we reminiscent of Monday Night Football, where it was an "event" more than just a regular season game.  This was a boost for the MAC, no question.   
BTW, I love your  "I would be lucky to just make the game" when you root for a team that plays most of there away games in the Dakotas, Iowa, Missouri!   That's why, when any of these "filler threads" get started to fill the time between FB seasons, I always go for the more local conference potential match-ups.  We are missing a TON not having regional rivals.  And playing FB in one conference and other sports in also costing us in match up enthusiasm.

[IAA Fan]

Yes I agree I am the exception with the drive for home games, but I am also closer to Miami and OU than the average Penguin fan. As far as these games being a big event... It could not possibly be any bigger than a good fall Saturday game at YSU. The missing component there there is to continue winning games. Factor in that most YSU fans would rather watch the game than freeze.

The better option is to try and schedule MAC games again (staying I-AA). The next thing is to see if Strollo is willing to go to 2 IA games, the second one being a MAC school which will not pay more than any I-AA team. Then petition the MAC to allow certain MAC schools to travel to YSU. I would be willing to bet that the MAC would would give consideration to in-state I-AA opposition. However, most MAC schools have no issue finding an extra power conference game, so there may be no interest from the schools.