I was talking with a buddy about this, and it really does make a lot of sense.
If Buffalo, EMU, Akron and Kent all head to D1AA because of the attendance thing, that is a GOOD THING. If that happens, I am all for staying in the MAC. Why? Let's look at it.
If UatB, EMU, Akron and Kent leave, along with Marshall and UCF already leaving, that leaves the MAC with eight schools:
UT
BGSU
MiamiU
NIU
OhioU
CMU
WMU
Ball State
That's a damn solid football lineup. Sure, I would love to have Marshall and UCF back at the expense of CMU and Ohio, but you can't have everything.
Which is better? The conference with teams in bigger markets (CUSA), or the conference with the better teams? If you have UT, BG, Miami and NIU battling it out every year, all of them playing all the rest every year, that conference gets attention. Plus, with most of the dead weight skimmed off, while it's only an eight team league with no championship game, it's also a league where half the teams are football powerhouses.
On top of that, an eight team league means you play seven opponents and get 5 non-conference games. You could schedule the old MAC teams like EMU, Akron and Kent to keep the rivalries going (especially for crap teams like CMU), or you could bring in big time teams from the Big Ten and Big East. For instance, UT could schedule Pitt every year and have that become a rivalry. The foundation was layed this year...
Further, when you get rid of Akron, Kent and EMU, you are also slimming down the number of schools that recruit in Ohio and Michigan. The Cleveland market would no longer have a D1 "home team," which would mean better recruits for the rest of us.
Eliminating crap teams like Akron, EMU and Kent would also add to the legitimacy of the league. People would start to realize that playing in the MAC is a battle, and the MAC champion has been tested. To make it through the MAC season would be tough, and I think that the MAC would actually get more bowl bids as an eight team league than they would as a 12 team league.
I think the whole travel expenses argument is overstated, but it would be a plus in the MAC's column.
As far as basketball is concerned, there is no saying that the MAC couldn't keep Akron and Kent. The Big East has plenty of great schools that don't have D1 football. the MAC could do it too. Keeping Akron and Kent in the MAC for basketball would be a good thing.
Of course, all of this centers around the NCAA enforcing that rule. If they don't enforce that rule, the MAC will remain bloated. In that case, I guess I would still be in favor of staying in the MAC, but only to attempt to dominate and hope a Big East invite would come soon.
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