SSU joins "THE MEAC"

[B&GMM 80]

www.meacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=20800&ATCLID=204905645




Interesting!

[aggie62]

This is great news!!!!! I've been waiting for it to happen, particularly since Savannah State already has an FCS football program. I would also love to see Tennessee State join the MEAC.

[DOOMS]

62, I don't know about that. They're an fcs program in name only. They are in the middle of all kinds of strife and are most likely guilty of several racially motivated firings of coaches.. Academically, they're not so great. Athletically, even worse. The campus is not particularly inviting outside of the on-campus apartments. The stadium is sub-par. The athletics budget is preposterously low.

I don't think it's a good idea at all, unless of course your campus leaders have bought into leaving the playoffs altogether.

[Bornthrilla]

I personally don't see the value of adding them to our conference.

Maybe someone can enlighten me.

[Aggie Monster]

Their website is better than ours, LOL.

[Deleted]

Mar 11, 2010 8:18:54 GMT -5 DOOMS said:

62, I don't know about that. They're an fcs program in name only. They are in the middle of all kinds of strife and are most likely guilty of several racially motivated firings of coaches.. Academically, they're not so great. Athletically, even worse. The campus is not particularly inviting outside of the on-campus apartments. The stadium is sub-par. The athletics budget is preposterously low.

I don't think it's a good idea at all, unless of course your campus leaders have bought into leaving the playoffs altogether.

I think our presidents/chancellors have made up their minds already and have set the wheels in motion for a MEAC Champ. Game at least.

I am getting emotionally ready to kiss the Playoffs goodbye.

[oleschoolaggie]

maybe they accepted ssu just to appease famu and bcu. i think their long term plan is to go to divisional play in football so that the florida schools can drastically cut their travel costs. other than that, i don't see how ssu enhances the conference's profile at all.

the only other benefit i can think of is that it links the meac to the state of georgia, specifically atlanta. the atl is a hotbed for hbcu grads and hotel costs are reasonable. i could see a future football championship game and/or meac basketball tourney being held there...

[Bornthrilla]

Who would be the other MEAC teams to make up the south division?

I pray it wouldn't be us.

[ATLaggie]

I agrre with aggie62, I would love to see Tennessee St in the MEAC..I think they are more so ready to come into the MEAC than SSU

[DOOMS]

Don't get me to lying, but I think TnSU is stuck in the OVC due to the results of some litigation or something like that. It goes a lot deeper than them just getting to be in what conference they choose.

I've always felt the MEAC should be from NC to MD. The Alabama, Florida, Georgia and SC schools could form a separate conference, and Del State can join some Pennsylvania conference. Travel costs are cut for everybody, and we can still choose to play against whatever established rivals we want as out-of-conference games. There are enough schools in each footprint to populate a decent conference. Of course, it don't matter what I think.

As far as the layout of the conference now that powerhouse SSU has been added, of course we'll be in the south. This will cut us off from our natural established regional rivals from the ciaa days and we will go from benefitting from our location (for purposes of travel costs) to suffering from it.

It won't be pretty. But it won't matter it the long run because the writing is being written on the wall, one letter at a time.

[Bornthrilla]

If A&T had strong leadership it would insist that we be in the North division. Make NCCU take those long drives down I-85.

[oleschoolaggie]

Mar 11, 2010 10:39:21 GMT -5 ATLaggie said:

I agrre with aggie62, I would love to see Tennessee St in the MEAC..I think they are more so ready to come into the MEAC than SSU

it would be too expensive for tennessee state to join the meac. they wouldn't have any conference games on the road within 10 hours driving time of them. it would cost tsu more money than it costs famu and bcu to be in the meac and they'd have no natural rivals in the conference. and keep in mind that tsu doesn't own its home football stadium, they play at the titan's stadium. unfortunately, even though its a pwc, the ovc is the right place for tsu.

if anything, tsu would probably join the swac before joining the meac. but travel costs for them in the swac would be too expensive too. i think the next addition to the meac may be a pwc because i don't see wssu returning and no other ciaa school applying. or the league may just stand pat with an odd number of teams in divisional play. but i don't see tsu "ever" joining the meac...

[bluehaze]

Mar 11, 2010 11:10:11 GMT -5 DOOMS said:

Don't get me to lying, but I think TnSU is stuck in the OVC due to the results of some litigation or something like that. It goes a lot deeper than them just getting to be in what conference they choose.

That's correct...

[bluehaze]

Football
North:
Morgan State
Del State
Howard
Hampton
Norfolk

South:
A&T
NCCU
SCSU
SSU
FAMU
BCU

[ATLaggie]

Is UMES trying to re-establish their football program.