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The State of the MEAC
By THOMAS GRANT JR. T&D
Senior Sports Writer
The Times and Democrat
Sunday, October 3, 2010 4:00 pm
It's time for a little honesty.
Raise your hand if there was an urge to chuckle after watching the closing part of the MEAC commercial aired during Saturday's tape-delayed showing of the South Carolina State-Florida A&M football game. You know, the part where Commissioner Dennis Thomas says "athletic excellence" about the MEAC?
When it comes to football, the only "excellent" part being exhibited is the 20-game conference-winning streak by the Bulldogs and Bethune-Cookman's dominating 4-0 start. Aside from those two developments, there's truly not much for Thomas to hold his head proudly about this season when discussing the current bad state of football in the MEAC.
How bad? It's the only conference in all of Football Championship Subdivision play which still has three winless teams (North Carolina A&T, Delaware State and Savannah State) through a month of football. It also has just three of the 11 teams playing above .500 and a first-place team in Hampton whose 3-0 record was built on beating three winless teams (Howard, North Carolina A&T and Delaware State) at the time who currently own a combined record of 1-12.
What's also damaging the conference's brand is the questionable addition of perennially underachieving Savannah State. At a time where the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences promote expansion for teams which offer stability, a winning tradition and strong media markets, Savannah State only qualifies barely in the third criteria and has provided further embarrassment with the current lawsuit involving former head coach and S.C. State offensive coordinator Robby Wells and the reverse discrimination claims made against them by former white players.
If anything, Savannah State's addition is helping to accomplish what many believe the Legacy Bowl would do - bring the MEAC down to a level where it's viewed in the same non-serious manner as its HBCU brethren the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The most recent FCS power ratings I was able to locate has the MEAC ranked near the bottom with the Patriot League and SWAC, all but eliminating the possibility of an at-large berth to go to the FCS playoffs with the automatic qualifier.
This is unfair for a school like S.C. State which has done everything possible to build itself into a national championship contender, but is held back by how the conference performs in total. Even if S.C. State continues to win, it may not move past its 9th ranking in the Top 25 poll and ahead of the likes of William and Mary, Villanova, Delaware and James Madison who receive a major boost as members of the ultracompetitive Colonial Athletic Association.
No wonder a frustrated S.C. State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough made the following assessment during his Sept. 27 press conference.
"I know, but I'm not gong to say," he said. "But it's tough times out there and football is a sport where in tough times cutting corners will stick out like a sore thumb and the fact that I think we've got some people who are not actually obligating their full resources, who's not doing all they can to make football come together it's pretty obvious."
Unfortunately, most schools seem willing to sell everything about the "black college football experience" except the football. I remember listening to commercials listing five reasons to attend the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the football game barely was mentioned behind the parties, cookouts, bands and concerts surrounding the event.
It's evident the passion to field championship quality teams doesn't appear there for the Howards and Savannah States as compared to S.C. State and Florida A&M, but it's only serving to drag down the entire conference. Somehow, I doubt Southeastern Conference commissioner Michael Slive would sit idly and allow football programs to skate by and not pull their weight. That, along with the passionate fan base is why the SEC is considered the best football conference in all FBS.
Perhaps it's time Commissioner Thomas and the fan bases outside of Orangeburg and Tallahassee adopt the same mindset or else respect will continue to elude the MEAC.
http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinio...cle_bf7e310e-cf31-11df-92fa-001cc4c002e0.html
By THOMAS GRANT JR. T&D
Senior Sports Writer
The Times and Democrat
Sunday, October 3, 2010 4:00 pm
It's time for a little honesty.
Raise your hand if there was an urge to chuckle after watching the closing part of the MEAC commercial aired during Saturday's tape-delayed showing of the South Carolina State-Florida A&M football game. You know, the part where Commissioner Dennis Thomas says "athletic excellence" about the MEAC?
When it comes to football, the only "excellent" part being exhibited is the 20-game conference-winning streak by the Bulldogs and Bethune-Cookman's dominating 4-0 start. Aside from those two developments, there's truly not much for Thomas to hold his head proudly about this season when discussing the current bad state of football in the MEAC.
How bad? It's the only conference in all of Football Championship Subdivision play which still has three winless teams (North Carolina A&T, Delaware State and Savannah State) through a month of football. It also has just three of the 11 teams playing above .500 and a first-place team in Hampton whose 3-0 record was built on beating three winless teams (Howard, North Carolina A&T and Delaware State) at the time who currently own a combined record of 1-12.
What's also damaging the conference's brand is the questionable addition of perennially underachieving Savannah State. At a time where the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences promote expansion for teams which offer stability, a winning tradition and strong media markets, Savannah State only qualifies barely in the third criteria and has provided further embarrassment with the current lawsuit involving former head coach and S.C. State offensive coordinator Robby Wells and the reverse discrimination claims made against them by former white players.
If anything, Savannah State's addition is helping to accomplish what many believe the Legacy Bowl would do - bring the MEAC down to a level where it's viewed in the same non-serious manner as its HBCU brethren the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The most recent FCS power ratings I was able to locate has the MEAC ranked near the bottom with the Patriot League and SWAC, all but eliminating the possibility of an at-large berth to go to the FCS playoffs with the automatic qualifier.
This is unfair for a school like S.C. State which has done everything possible to build itself into a national championship contender, but is held back by how the conference performs in total. Even if S.C. State continues to win, it may not move past its 9th ranking in the Top 25 poll and ahead of the likes of William and Mary, Villanova, Delaware and James Madison who receive a major boost as members of the ultracompetitive Colonial Athletic Association.
No wonder a frustrated S.C. State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough made the following assessment during his Sept. 27 press conference.
"I know, but I'm not gong to say," he said. "But it's tough times out there and football is a sport where in tough times cutting corners will stick out like a sore thumb and the fact that I think we've got some people who are not actually obligating their full resources, who's not doing all they can to make football come together it's pretty obvious."
Unfortunately, most schools seem willing to sell everything about the "black college football experience" except the football. I remember listening to commercials listing five reasons to attend the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the football game barely was mentioned behind the parties, cookouts, bands and concerts surrounding the event.
It's evident the passion to field championship quality teams doesn't appear there for the Howards and Savannah States as compared to S.C. State and Florida A&M, but it's only serving to drag down the entire conference. Somehow, I doubt Southeastern Conference commissioner Michael Slive would sit idly and allow football programs to skate by and not pull their weight. That, along with the passionate fan base is why the SEC is considered the best football conference in all FBS.
Perhaps it's time Commissioner Thomas and the fan bases outside of Orangeburg and Tallahassee adopt the same mindset or else respect will continue to elude the MEAC.
http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinio...cle_bf7e310e-cf31-11df-92fa-001cc4c002e0.html
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