Moorhead isn't saying a word he isn't contractually obligated to say. Only way he's announcing anything is if the MAC starts requiring it. One must keep their secrets close to the vest to get a 13-35 record, of course.
In my opinion they legitimately picked the winner at random, then chose those two and 7 other random people for the "final 10."
Of course with the referral bonus one of the two bigger names could have won.
But I believe the winner will be absolutely legitimate.
And 13 spots ahead of Washington State
I get it they're G6 now and completely irrelevant, but a likely bowl team from the PAC still shouldn't be in the 100s
This also increases the chances of Barstool promoting one of the Tuesday night games. Which, given they don't get the boost of playing Kent on a Tuesday, those garbage dates need all the help they can get.
This does two things.
1 - as you note before, absolutely that's a piece of it
2 - for effectively free, the Zips add another piece of the PR cycle and get even more coverage of the event. They're really playing this perfectly.
Kidding aside, with everyone playing everyone twice, taking the best record and giving them the berth makes the most sense...but the MAC tournament makes too much money to do that.