An objective look at Ohio's FBS Football Teams

[ksu sucks]

It's Saturday morning and the world cup pregame isn't on for an hour. Here's how I wasted my time:

With a population of 11,542,645 Ohio is the seventh largest state in the US. It has a total of eight football teams competing at the FBS level. The only state with more FBS teams is Texas(10). Texas also has twice the population. For comparison, Pennsylvania has roughly 1 million more people than Ohio, but only three FBS teams. This combined with Ohio's slow growth rate(yes, contrary to popular belief Ohio IS growing) makes it apparent that having eight FBS schools in Ohio is unsustainable. With the current conference shakeup it's not hard to imagine that some of these schools might drop down to FCS or D-II. But who?

Much to the dismay of most MAC fans Ohio State is here to stay. Cincinnati has found a comfortable spot as Ohio's second fiddle. They are safe as well.

Now the hard part. The MAC.

Akron, Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio, Can't State, and Miami. Who gets the axe? Obviously there is no real answer to this question- it's subjective. Almost all of these schools have a long history of division 1 football. Those that don't have much history have made up for it by pumping tons of money into their program. That said, when they play similarly(read: crappy) they draw about the same number of fans. So there's not very much separation in terms of fan following.

So to evaluate each school objectively it's going to require some sort of common form of exchange that documents the willingness of each school to stay in FBS. In other words, money.

All of my data came from this site. Just type in the school of interest and boom, you get everything. I believe that most of this is from 2008-09.

So in my (bored)mind, there's only three ways to rank each of these schools: Football expenses, Football Facilities, and location. For location the main question is If ____ cracked the top 25, would people go to watch? Here's my breakdown:

Akron

Football Expenses= $4,788,604(rank: 4 of 6)

Football Facilities= Best in the conference. State of the art stadium and indoor practice facility.

Location: The heart of one the 20 largest metro areas in the country. The Cleveland/Akron area has a population of over 2 million. There isn't a single major college football team located in the region. Think Cincinnati before the Big East.

If Akron cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Most definitely. This area of the state has been feeding off a team in Columbus for years because there hasn't been a proven winner...ever. They might be fair weather but they would show.

Bowling Green

Football Expenses= $4,197,503(rank 6 of 6)

Football Facilities= Mediocre at best. There is the Perry field house, a 127,000 square foot multi-use facility with a turf practice field. It was built in 1993. On the other hand, Doyt-Perry field underwent renovations in 2007 that reduced it's capacity from 30,599 to 23,724.

Location: Close to Toledo, but located in a rural college town with a small population. With UT in town, I don't really see BG grabbing the Toledo market anytime soon. Also, the entire NW Ohio region only contains 1,639,144 people. This makes it smaller than other regions of Ohio.

If Bowling Green cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yes, but the smaller population of NW Ohio is a set back. Besides, I again feel that Toledo has a much better chance of taking this market than BG. Why drive all the way to rural Ohio when there is a strong team right down the street from downtown. BG is going to have rely on their alumni fan base. And being one of the smaller schools in the conference with a shrinking enrollment that's not going to work to their advantage.

Toledo

Football Expenses= $5,857,513 (rank: 2 of 6)

Football Facilities= Top of the conference. Their stadium is not quite as new as Akron's but certainly on par. And as far as I know Toledo broke ground on a brand new IPF last year. I'd imagine that's finished by now.

Location= Probably the second best market for a MAC team. Although NW Ohio is much less populated than NE Ohio, there is still a large number of people without a major football team. Once again, think UC before the Big East. According to Toledo posters, the Detroit market is there for the taking as well. I find that one to be a stretch but who really knows?

If Toledo cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yes, for the same reasons NEO would watch Akron. There are a number of similarities between both schools. It's also important to remember that Toledo has already had success in the past. They have proven that they can sell out their stadium.

Ohio

Football Expenses=$5,869,228(rank: 1 of 6)

Football Facilities= Peden is above average. It's capacity is 24,000 and they still don't have an IPF. Their football facilities are average overall.

Location= Worst location of any school in this group. They are located in the hills of Appalachia with the nearest large city being over an hour away(and completely saturated with Buckeye madness). Like BG, they will need to rely on their alumni, who are actually pretty supportive. The alumni support can make up for the lack of population but it drastically lowers their programs ceiling.

If Ohio cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yeah, definitely. The have a strong alumni following for a MAC school but they will still hit a ceiling before other urban Ohio schools(UC, UA, UT).

Miami

Football Expenses=$5,356,706 (rank 3 of 6)

Football Facilities=Yager stadium seats 24,286 and is similar to Ohio's Peden in that it's historical but outdated. As far as I can tell, they don't have an IPF. They do have a 'student athlete development center' with weight rooms and so on. Overall I'd consider their facilities average.

Location=SW Ohio, which is very populated but already taken by other BCS schools. Unlike the rest of Ohio, Miami has to compete with both Ohio State and UC.

If Miami cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch?Sure, especially when they are so close to Cincinnati. They are in a better situation than Ohio in that sense. But they couldn't routinely attract casual fans due to competition from UC.

Can't State

Football Expenses=$4,203,789 (rank 5 of 6)

Football Facilities=Poor. Perhaps the worst in the group. No IPF. A stadium that's seen upgrades similar to Bowling Green: In 2002, seating was reduced from 30,520 to 29,287. In 2008 capacity was again reduced to 25,000.

Location=This could be Can't's saving grace. As a suburb of Akron, Can't is also in the Cleveland/Akron metro. But with the dwindling support of the football team(monetarily and in the stands) I don't see Can't with any plans to capitalize on this.

If Can't cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch?Definitely, but the support from the university just isn't there. None of the schools listed here are currently very good(certainly not BCS busters) but most of them have continued support from the University. Can't State does not. They have been in "FBS" much longer than their neighbor Akron, and have amounted very few

winning season since 1980.

My final decision?

Can't and BG drop and end the overlap between NE and NW programs. They have the weakest university support and the weakest facilities. K-ent's drop would go much smoother than BG. Bowling Green alumni would probably through a fit at first. In reality, if neither team drops to FCS or D-II on their own it's very likely that Akron and Toledo will join a C-USA type conference and repeat the 'squeeze out' affect that UC created in the SW region. In other words, Akron and Toledo will start winning with the increased resources that a larger conference offers. In the process, you will see BG and Can't State take on a secondary role in their region.

If this happens, then Ohio will have one FBS team in every region of the state. Still too many? Yes.

Of course, all of this is meaningless if the BCS mega conferences push the entire MAC into FCS. Then again, this post is meaningless regardless. Just speculation. Any opinions?

[Zipmeister]

It's Saturday morning and the world cup pregame isn't on for an hour. Here's how I wasted my time:

With a population of 11,542,645 Ohio is the seventh largest state in the US. It has a total of eight football teams competing at the FBS level. The only state with more FBS teams is Texas(10). Texas also has twice the population. For comparison, Pennsylvania has roughly 1 million more people than Ohio, but only three FBS teams. This combined with Ohio's slow growth rate(yes, contrary to popular belief Ohio IS growing) makes it apparent that having eight FBS schools in Ohio is unsustainable. With the current conference shakeup it's not hard to imagine that some of these schools might drop down to FCS or D-II. But who?

Much to the dismay of most MAC fans Ohio State is here to stay. Cincinnati has found a comfortable spot as Ohio's second fiddle. They are safe as well.

Now the hard part. The MAC.

Akron, Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio, Can't State, and Miami. Who gets the axe? Obviously there is no real answer to this question- it's subjective. Almost all of these schools have a long history of division 1 football. Those that don't have much history have made up for it by pumping tons of money into their program. That said, when they play similarly(read: crappy) they draw about the same number of fans. So there's not very much separation in terms of fan following.

So to evaluate each school objectively it's going to require some sort of common form of exchange that documents the willingness of each school to stay in FBS. In other words, money.

All of my data came from this site. Just type in the school of interest and boom, you get everything. I believe that most of this is from 2008-09.

So in my (bored)mind, there's only three ways to rank each of these schools: Football expenses, Football Facilities, and location. For location the main question is If ____ cracked the top 25, would people go to watch? Here's my breakdown:

Akron

Football Expenses= $4,788,604(rank: 4 of 6)

Football Facilities= Best in the conference. State of the art stadium and indoor practice facility.

Location: The heart of one the 20 largest metro areas in the country. The Cleveland/Akron area has a population of over 2 million. There isn't a single major college football team located in the region. Think Cincinnati before the Big East.

If Akron cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Most definitely. This area of the state has been feeding off a team in Columbus for years because there hasn't been a proven winner...ever. They might be fair weather but they would show.

Bowling Green

Football Expenses= $4,197,503(rank 6 of 6)

Football Facilities= Mediocre at best. There is the Perry field house, a 127,000 square foot multi-use facility with a turf practice field. It was built in 1993. On the other hand, Doyt-Perry field underwent renovations in 2007 that reduced it's capacity from 30,599 to 23,724.

Location: Close to Toledo, but located in a rural college town with a small population. With UT in town, I don't really see BG grabbing the Toledo market anytime soon. Also, the entire NW Ohio region only contains 1,639,144 people. This makes it smaller than other regions of Ohio.

If Bowling Green cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yes, but the smaller population of NW Ohio is a set back. Besides, I again feel that Toledo has a much better chance of taking this market than BG. Why drive all the way to rural Ohio when there is a strong team right down the street from downtown. BG is going to have rely on their alumni fan base. And being one of the smaller schools in the conference with a shrinking enrollment that's not going to work to their advantage.

Toledo

Football Expenses= $5,857,513 (rank: 2 of 6)

Football Facilities= Top of the conference. Their stadium is not quite as new as Akron's but certainly on par. And as far as I know Toledo broke ground on a brand new IPF last year. I'd imagine that's finished by now.

Location= Probably the second best market for a MAC team. Although NW Ohio is much less populated than NE Ohio, there is still a large number of people without a major football team. Once again, think UC before the Big East. According to Toledo posters, the Detroit market is there for the taking as well. I find that one to be a stretch but who really knows?

If Toledo cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yes, for the same reasons NEO would watch Akron. There are a number of similarities between both schools. It's also important to remember that Toledo has already had success in the past. They have proven that they can sell out their stadium.

Ohio

Football Expenses=$5,869,228(rank: 1 of 6)

Football Facilities= Peden is above average. It's capacity is 24,000 and they still don't have an IPF. Their football facilities are average overall.

Location= Worst location of any school in this group. They are located in the hills of Appalachia with the nearest large city being over an hour away(and completely saturated with Buckeye madness). Like BG, they will need to rely on their alumni, who are actually pretty supportive. The alumni support can make up for the lack of population but it drastically lowers their programs ceiling.

If Ohio cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch? Yeah, definitely. The have a strong alumni following for a MAC school but they will still hit a ceiling before other urban Ohio schools(UC, UA, UT).

Miami

Football Expenses=$5,356,706 (rank 3 of 6)

Football Facilities=Yager stadium seats 24,286 and is similar to Ohio's Peden in that it's historical but outdated. As far as I can tell, they don't have an IPF. They do have a 'student athlete development center' with weight rooms and so on. Overall I'd consider their facilities average.

Location=SW Ohio, which is very populated but already taken by other BCS schools. Unlike the rest of Ohio, Miami has to compete with both Ohio State and UC.

If Miami cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch?Sure, especially when they are so close to Cincinnati. They are in a better situation than Ohio in that sense. But they couldn't routinely attract casual fans due to competition from UC.

Can't State

Football Expenses=$4,203,789 (rank 5 of 6)

Football Facilities=Poor. Perhaps the worst in the group. No IPF. A stadium that's seen upgrades similar to Bowling Green: In 2002, seating was reduced from 30,520 to 29,287. In 2008 capacity was again reduced to 25,000.

Location=This could be Can't's saving grace. As a suburb of Akron, Can't is also in the Cleveland/Akron metro. But with the dwindling support of the football team(monetarily and in the stands) I don't see Can't with any plans to capitalize on this.

If Can't cracked the top 25, would many people go to watch?Definitely, but the support from the university just isn't there. None of the schools listed here are currently very good(certainly not BCS busters) but most of them have continued support from the University. Can't State does not. They have been in "FBS" much longer than their neighbor Akron, and have amounted very few

winning season since 1980.

My final decision?

Can't and BG drop and end the overlap between NE and NW programs. They have the weakest university support and the weakest facilities. K-ent's drop would go much smoother than BG. Bowling Green alumni would probably through a fit at first. In reality, if neither team drops to FCS or D-II on their own it's very likely that Akron and Toledo will join a C-USA type conference and repeat the 'squeeze out' affect that UC created in the SW region.

If this happens, then Ohio will have one FBS team in every region of the state. Still too many? Yes.

Of course, all of this is meaningless if the BCS mega conferences push the entire MAC into FCS. Then again, this post is meaningless regardless. Just speculation. Any opinions?

Interesting post.

I must have missed something though.

What was the "'squeeze out' affect that UC created in the SW region"?

[Zipsrifle]

Hmmm...interesting analysis. I will pose these questions.

1) Ask someone from out of state who historically has a better Football Team BG or Akron? I think the answer will come back BG. They have had some pretty solid years and even gotten to some bowl games in years when they weren't so good. I don't see them going without a fight.

2) Ask the average Joe in Cleveland to name local colleges. I bet quite a few of them would put Can't before Akron. I also suspect that if you asked who had a better athletic program, the responses would be close to even (with Can't possibly winning). They had a pretty good run in BB a few years back and anyone who follows them will know about their successes in sports other than Football.

I say this because in observing the local news (TV and Radio) Can't gets a lot of play. UA gets it's fair share as well, much more that what we used to get, but right now I'd call it an even split. Lets face it, our FB team hasn't been very good. We've got good facilities but the reshuffle is going down NOW! We can't wait another 5 years to get good if teams are going to get pushed out in the near future. Even with a shiny new stadium, people want to watch a winnner, and I don't think we really put a scare into any FBS teams at this point.

[ksu sucks]

What was the "'squeeze out' affect that UC created in the SW region"?

Northern Kentucky women often have troubles "squeezing" in and out of their tube tops. UC created a lubricant for that purpose. I have also heard that it's a hot item in Huntington, WV.

p.s: I elaborated a little bit in the earlier post.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

The best that any of the MAC schools can hope for as this latest big bang creates mega conferences is that a few schools that would otherwise be way too good for the MAC get left out of current conferences, and that a few lucky MAC schools are given opportunities to glom onto newly created/retooled conferences. I think it's more likely that the new mega conferences will greatly decrease exposure to, interest in and interaction with MAC programs. I think it's very likely that bowl opportunities will shrink and that it's a matter of time before most MAC schools are reduced to FCS level.

[ksu sucks]

Hmmm...interesting analysis. I will pose these questions.

1) Ask someone from out of state who historically has a better Football Team BG or Akron? I think the answer will come back BG. They have had some pretty solid years and even gotten to some bowl games in years when they weren't so good. I don't see them going without a fight.

2) Ask the average Joe in Cleveland to name local colleges. I bet quite a few of them would put Can't before Akron. I also suspect that if you asked who had a better athletic program, the responses would be close to even (with Can't possibly winning). They had a pretty good run in BB a few years back and anyone who follows them will know about their successes in sports other than Football.

I say this because in observing the local news (TV and Radio) Can't gets a lot of play. UA gets it's fair share as well, much more that what we used to get, but right now I'd call it an even split. Lets face it, our FB team hasn't been very good. We've got good facilities but the reshuffle is going down NOW! We can't wait another 5 years to get good if teams are going to get pushed out in the near future. Even with a shiny new stadium, people want to watch a winnner, and I don't think we really put a scare into any FBS teams at this point.

Although much of that is debatable you still make some good points. Something that I want to make clear is that my decisions were based largely on how much money each school is spending on football. The history of each program wasn't weighted much because even the most storied MAC programs have very little reputation among the casual football fan--especially out of state.

In conference expansions it's obvious that winners are preferred. But currently the differences in the on-the-field product are so minimal among Ohio MAC schools that history is somewhat irrelevant. As you said, the conference realignment is now. What are you doing right now? Well, Ohio is the only MAC school that I listed that had marginal football success last year. Marginal because they lost the Pizza Pizza bowl.

Competitively, the schools that I compared are about even. Facilities(and it's affect upon recruiting) along with football budgets are the deciding factor for what the future will look like. K-ent and BG are the bottom rung in both of those departments.

[Darkwaters1122]

Hmmm...interesting analysis. I will pose these questions.

1) Ask someone from out of state who historically has a better Football Team BG or Akron? I think the answer will come back BG. They have had some pretty solid years and even gotten to some bowl games in years when they weren't so good. I don't see them going without a fight.

2) Ask the average Joe in Cleveland to name local colleges. I bet quite a few of them would put Can't before Akron. I also suspect that if you asked who had a better athletic program, the responses would be close to even (with Can't possibly winning). They had a pretty good run in BB a few years back and anyone who follows them will know about their successes in sports other than Football.

I say this because in observing the local news (TV and Radio) Can't gets a lot of play. UA gets it's fair share as well, much more that what we used to get, but right now I'd call it an even split. Lets face it, our FB team hasn't been very good. We've got good facilities but the reshuffle is going down NOW! We can't wait another 5 years to get good if teams are going to get pushed out in the near future. Even with a shiny new stadium, people want to watch a winnner, and I don't think we really put a scare into any FBS teams at this point.

You make valid points. But...just because a teams football program drops to Div 1A (or FCS) does not mean all other programs must follow. Dayton went through the same process and the BB team remains Div 1. Also...Dayton's football program gained support after they dropped down.

Without any bias...I think some of the MAC schools would benefit dropping to FCS. It may even serve the MAC to facilitate the transition by creating a FCS division. They could then ad many new schools that would love being associated with the MAC. It may require going to 20 schools for other programs. Just a thought...

[Zipmeister]

What was the "'squeeze out' affect that UC created in the SW region"?

Northern Kentucky women often have troubles "squeezing" in and out of their tube tops. UC created a lubricant for that purpose. I have also heard that it's a hot item in Huntington, WV.

p.s: I elaborated a little bit in the earlier post.

I read the elaboration. The tube top answer makes more sense.

[mes102]

Hmmm...interesting analysis. I will pose these questions.

1) Ask someone from out of state who historically has a better Football Team BG or Akron? I think the answer will come back BG. They have had some pretty solid years and even gotten to some bowl games in years when they weren't so good. I don't see them going without a fight.

2) Ask the average Joe in Cleveland to name local colleges. I bet quite a few of them would put Can't before Akron. I also suspect that if you asked who had a better athletic program, the responses would be close to even (with Can't possibly winning). They had a pretty good run in BB a few years back and anyone who follows them will know about their successes in sports other than Football.

I say this because in observing the local news (TV and Radio) Can't gets a lot of play. UA gets it's fair share as well, much more that what we used to get, but right now I'd call it an even split. Lets face it, our FB team hasn't been very good. We've got good facilities but the reshuffle is going down NOW! We can't wait another 5 years to get good if teams are going to get pushed out in the near future. Even with a shiny new stadium, people want to watch a winnner, and I don't think we really put a scare into any FBS teams at this point.

You make valid points. But...just because a teams football program drops to Div 1A (or FCS) does not mean all other programs must follow. Dayton went through the same process and the BB team remains Div 1. Also...Dayton's football program gained support after they dropped down.

Without any bias...I think some of the MAC schools would benefit dropping to FCS. It may even serve the MAC to facilitate the transition by creating a FCS division. They could then ad many new schools that would love being associated with the MAC. It may require going to 20 schools for other programs. Just a thought...

They have a national championship 16 team playoff also...and all the playoff games are on television also...can win a national championship unlike in the FBS...and if all people care about is a winning team and making it far in playoffs, maybe attendance will go up for the Joe Akron?

[Darkwaters1122]

Hmmm...interesting analysis. I will pose these questions.

1) Ask someone from out of state who historically has a better Football Team BG or Akron? I think the answer will come back BG. They have had some pretty solid years and even gotten to some bowl games in years when they weren't so good. I don't see them going without a fight.

2) Ask the average Joe in Cleveland to name local colleges. I bet quite a few of them would put Can't before Akron. I also suspect that if you asked who had a better athletic program, the responses would be close to even (with Can't possibly winning). They had a pretty good run in BB a few years back and anyone who follows them will know about their successes in sports other than Football.

I say this because in observing the local news (TV and Radio) Can't gets a lot of play. UA gets it's fair share as well, much more that what we used to get, but right now I'd call it an even split. Lets face it, our FB team hasn't been very good. We've got good facilities but the reshuffle is going down NOW! We can't wait another 5 years to get good if teams are going to get pushed out in the near future. Even with a shiny new stadium, people want to watch a winnner, and I don't think we really put a scare into any FBS teams at this point.

You make valid points. But...just because a teams football program drops to Div 1A (or FCS) does not mean all other programs must follow. Dayton went through the same process and the BB team remains Div 1. Also...Dayton's football program gained support after they dropped down.

Without any bias...I think some of the MAC schools would benefit dropping to FCS. It may even serve the MAC to facilitate the transition by creating a FCS division. They could then ad many new schools that would love being associated with the MAC. It may require going to 20 schools for other programs. Just a thought...

They have a national championship 16 team playoff also...and all the playoff games are on television also...can win a national championship unlike in the FBS...and if all people care about is a winning team and making it far in playoffs, maybe attendance will go up for the Joe Akron?

I don't see Akron going to FCS while Proenza is President. I think the Zips will give it more time as they have invested heavily in athletics in hopes of improving the university's image. I am thinking Kentt and BG as well as the directional Michigan schools.

Unlike many here, I think the MAC can regain it's lost reputation. How long ago was Ball State in the top 20?? I plan to post an analysis of the conference ratings. In the past...the SEC was the most overrated and the MAC the most underrated. Not sure where that stands the last 3 years. I do think Miami needs to get back on track as it sets the tone for the conference. But I don't see that happening soon with the current coaching staff there.

Let's give iCoach and his staff some time before we rush to judgement. Some one wrote that the offense was hindered by having too many OCs...Montgomery, Harris and JD. Did anyone find it unusual that there was no BIo for Montgomery last year?? A D1 OC with no Bio?? Something always seemed wrong with that picture. I just don't think JD ran a tight operation. iCoach may be ruffleing some feathers but I think some of it is due to the stark changes in style. I am willing to see the results before making any criticism.

[Spin]

One thing not brought up with so many schools in so little space is the spread of available talent. By lopping off 2 or 4 schools into FCS, the rest will have a bigger local talent pool to draw from.

If/when the mega-conferences come about, you're going to be playing the same caliber of opponents either way. Do the fans care whether we play Northern Iowa or Northern Illinois? Using my well worn baseball analogy, do Aeros fans care whether they play Reading or Lehigh Valley? They win, they have a comfortable park with good food that's inexpensive, and the kids can get a new glove or jersey and get it signed by Orbit or the left fielder.

If we lose the annual "get stomped for cash" game against the Big Ten, and our chance to make the Bob's Bail Bonds Bowl, what do we have to lose by going FCS?

Plus like already said, the chance to win a national championship. We all know there are only about 12 legacy schools that are "eligible" to play for a BcS title. Winning a national championship is more attainable and more fun than being the "best of the rest (Boise, Tech) in fBS. Mount U has been having a lot of fun down there in Alliance. Imagine the fan base we would have with a Division I (FCS) title contender. If we built one of course.

[ksu sucks]

One thing not brought up with so many schools in so little space is the spread of available talent. By lopping off 2 or 4 schools into FCS, the rest will have a bigger local talent pool to draw from.

Exactly. That's one of the reasons having so many FBS teams in Ohio is unsustainable. I don't see that as a reason for Akron to drop to FCS. Proenza didn't build a stadium to watch FCS games.

If/when the mega-conferences come about, you're going to be playing the same caliber of opponents either way. Do the fans care whether we play Northern Iowa or Northern Illinois? Using my well worn baseball analogy, do Aeros fans care whether they play Reading or Lehigh Valley? They win, they have a comfortable park with good food that's inexpensive, and the kids can get a new glove or jersey and get it signed by Orbit or the left fielder.

A lot of this depends on how the realignment works out.

Once again, do you think Dr. Proenza pushed for a 30,000 seat stadium for FCS football? There is no way in hell we drop to FCS without being forced. The key word there is forced.

[jeaglet1]

You make valid points. But...just because a teams football program drops to Div 1A (or FCS) does not mean all other programs must follow. Dayton went through the same process and the BB team remains Div 1. Also...Dayton's football program gained support after they dropped down.

Without any bias...I think some of the MAC schools would benefit dropping to FCS. It may even serve the MAC to facilitate the transition by creating a FCS division. They could then ad many new schools that would love being associated with the MAC. It may require going to 20 schools for other programs. Just a thought...

Dayton was DIII before they were forced to move up to D-1AA in order to keep the basketball team at D1. I don't think they were ever D1A in football.

[Spin]

Once again, do you think Dr. Proenza pushed for a 30,000 seat stadium for FCS football?

You're right, this is all based on having four 16-team mega conferences and then everybody else, where the "mid-majors" would lose their Big Ten payday game$ and their bowl slots. Which right now seems it won't happen, with Texas saying they will stay in the Big 12. All the other Texas schools will do likewise, and rumor now is the B12 picks up TCU as a replacement.

So this in all probability never get to this point.

But, if it did, once some hardcore fans got past the FBS stigma, you'll sell as many tickets to a quality FCS program as you could a quality FBS program left out of the mega-conferences. You're going to be playing the same caliber of teams anyway.

My comparison is Aeros fans don't care that the team isn't in AAA. Gladiators fans didn't mind the team wasn't in the NFL. The teams play well, play for titles, the venues are comfortable, and the games are a good time. Does anyone really care whether we play Northern Illinois or Northern Iowa? Kentucky or YSU?

Anyway moot point at the moment.

[skip-zip]

I only have a couple of thoughts here....

1) We have waaaay too much invested in facilities at this point to go back to playing 1-AA. If something happens to the MAC, I'd be satisfied with going back to being a Independent if there were no other conference options in 1-A.

2) If some teams need to get booted, I'm afraid to say that I think we would be at a disadvantage in a lot of respects. We're one of the most recent additions to the MAC, we've been 1-A for a relatively short period of time, and we don't have the traditions and history that many of the other schools in our conference have built over decades and decades of playing in this conference, and as a top division program. Yes, we now have great facilities. But, if it comes down to some other factors, I'm wondering what we really have to solidify our standing at this point, other than the facilities.