First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

They're moving to the Big East so they won't be seen as cupcakes when they go undefeated.

I'm not so sure about that. It's the Big East. It's a borderline mid-major itself for football. Only in West Virginia and Connecticut would you get a majority of people that follow CFB to convince themselves the Big East is any better than a mid-major. There just aren't enough dopes in the rest of the CFB savvy states to eat up anything the whackos at ESPN say (which happens to be in the state of CT, no conflict of interest or anything).

[CLS]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

I'm not so sure about that. It's the Big East. It's a borderline mid-major itself for football. Only in West Virginia and Connecticut would you get a majority of people that follow CFB to convince themselves the Big East is any better than a mid-major. There just aren't enough dopes in the rest of the CFB savvy states to eat up anything the whackos at ESPN say (which happens to be in the state of CT, no conflict of interest or anything).

Regardless of their reputation, they (BE) are a BCS Conference. That's what really matters.

[kingdobbs]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

Not to mention, objectivity vs. subjectivity in determining a national champion. They're moving to the Big East so they won't be seen as cupcakes when they go undefeated.

First poster to bring up KRACH in response to what I said gets a cookie.

It's less the reputational factor and almost entirely the autobid.

TCU, as a member of the Mountain West, has to do the following things to get a guaranteed BCS spot:
1) Win its own conference.
2) Be the highest ranked team in a conference that does not have an automatic bid.
3) Be ranked in the top 12 (or, be ranked in the Top 16 and higher than a BCS AQ; 4 times since the institution of that AQ has that situation arisen - Connecticut in 2010, Virginia Tech in 2008, Florida State in 2006, and Pittsburgh in 2005, but it has never triggered an autobid from a non-AQ conference team who was ranked 13-16).

TCU, as a member of the Big East, will have to do the following:
1) Win the Big East.

Number of times a non-BCS AQ has achieved access with one loss on their record: 0
Number of times a BCS AQ has achieved access with three or more losses: 10 (Stanford 1999, Purdue 2000, LSU 2001, Florida State 2002, Kansas State 2003, Pittsburgh 2004, Florida State 2005, Illinois 2007 (as an at-large, even!), Virginia Tech 2008, Connecticut 2010)

It's clear TCU wants to be able to insulate itself against the "Any Given Saturday" effect.

[giwan]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

It's less the reputational factor and almost entirely the autobid.

TCU, as a member of the Mountain West, has to do the following things to get a guaranteed BCS spot:
1) Win its own conference.
2) Be the highest ranked team in a conference that does not have an automatic bid.
3) Be ranked in the top 12 (or, be ranked in the Top 16 and higher than a BCS AQ; 4 times since the institution of that AQ has that situation arisen - Connecticut in 2010, Virginia Tech in 2008, Florida State in 2006, and Pittsburgh in 2005, but it has never triggered an autobid from a non-AQ conference team who was ranked 13-16).

TCU, as a member of the Big East, will have to do the following:
1) Win the Big East.

Number of times a non-BCS AQ has achieved access with one loss on their record: 0
Number of times a BCS AQ has achieved access with three or more losses: 10 (Stanford 1999, Purdue 2000, LSU 2001, Florida State 2002, Kansas State 2003, Pittsburgh 2004, Florida State 2005, Illinois 2007 (as an at-large, even!), Virginia Tech 2008, Connecticut 2010)

It's clear TCU wants to be able to insulate itself against the "Any Given Saturday" effect.

Winner winner chicken dinner. Now get back to hockey, that's a whole other issue.

[Osorojo]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

Attention, prospective DI expansion hockey programs:

Following North Dakota government's endorsement of the unauthorized use of American Indian Tribal names in conjunction with penalized behavior, I have applied to copyright the following names for hockey teams:

The Boarding Blackfeet
The Charging Chippewa
The Cross-Checking Comanche
The Delay-Of-Game Delaware
The High-Sticking Havasupai
The Holding Hopi
The Interfering Iroquois
The Kicking Kickapoo
The Slashing Seneca
The Spearing Soshoni
The Tripping Tuscarora
[I have decided to leave butt-ending in the public domain.]

If you wish to use one of these nicknames for your team they are for sale.

[yooper(UP) hockey]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

Only UMass football is going into the MAC. The other teams will be in the A-10 still. If the school was moving all of its sports that would be a different story.

This league will not happen.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: First the Big 10, then how about the Mid-American Conference Hockey League.

Let's just put it this way, the only way the MACHL forms is under the following three conditions:

(1) The CCHA folds.
(2) Miami never jumps out to form the BHHC with the best remaining WCHA and CCHA schools.
(3) Some combination of at least three of the following schools get varsity teams:
Buffalo
Northern Illinois
Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan
Ohio University
Kent State
Akron
Toledo
Ball State