MAC is poised and ready
The Mid-American Conference is better than the Big Ten.
These words are much closer to being true then you would expect.
This past Saturday Mt. Pleasant was the latest stop on Chester Taylor’s road to the NFL.
Mr. Taylor, as we should all call him, blew the Chippewas out for 168 yards rushing and an unheralded five touchdowns.
There are backs in the nation, and the Big Ten who won’t score five touchdowns in a season.
When the Chippewas visited Big Ten pseudo-powerhouse Michigan State they held preseason everything T.J. Duckett to 120 yards and one touchdown.
Now, Head Coach Mike DeBord will yell and say the Chippewas missed tackles on Taylor, but one has to give credit where credit is due.
Chester Taylor is just that good. He makes everyone miss tackles. He made players miss tackles last year at Linebacker U. AKA Big Ten power Penn State. He did this as a junior.
If Penn State linebackers can’t tackle you, can any college team?
The parallels don’t end at football. Look at the Big Ten’s other major sport, (source of revenue) basketball. Granted the Big Ten sends countless schools to the NCAA tournament.
How many of those are tenured in?
The MAC, on the other hand, has an annual dogfight over its one spot.
Last year it was CMU that witnessed the against of being a great team that unfortunately is in the MAC.
Unfortunately, when it comes to basketball, the MAC has one of two things wrong with it.
Either the MAC is home to the world’s biggest and most unnecessary inferiority complex or it’s just scared of how big things could get.
Why does the MAC continue to play second fiddle to the Big Ten or Conference USA schools like Southern Mississippi and East Carolina.
Look at the markets they play in Toledo, Ohio vs. Greenville, N.C.
CMU is home to one of the smallest enrollments of the MAC and it boasts over 19,000. At Texas Christian, Conference USA’s latest acquisition, there is a whopping 7,050 Horned Frogs.
The MAC just needs to realize its potential. We could someday see teams like CMU and Marshall at the same national level of Cincinnati.
The TV markets are there to support the teams. How many viewers are there for CMU in the Midland, Bay City, Saginaw area. Remember CMU is a, “small town school.”
Just look around, the facilities are definitely there. Come this spring CMU will be home to the finest college-only baseball stadium in the state and possibly the region.
Anyone who has ever watched a football game at the 40,000 seat Marshall Stadium knows there are a few MAC schools that have the right idea and are ready for the move.
While we may not be treated to a Toledo vs. Fresno State Rose Bowl, the wheels are in motion and the future is not far.
