DrTorch Wrote:Therefore, I'd say that until fan interest at these schools catches up to the quality of the product, there's going to continue to be a huge gap between conferences like the MAC and conferences like the Big Ten in terms of exposure and prestige, no matter how many MAC teams beat Big Ten teams on the field.
The MAC can't really catch up.
And here is why:
1.Second tier conference in the Midwest. If you are an causal fan wanting to spend a hundred bucks on a game, what team do you go to see in Ohio. Answer Ohio State. The Big 10 has the lionshare of the exposure which leads the common fan to believe the only true big-time college football experience is held at a Big 10 stadium. All the big TV dollars and premier bowls are predicated on first-tier regional conferences.
The best the MAC can do is maybe an ESPN game of the week, with the better MAC football programs that season playing on National TV 5 times a year. When a team is down like Buffalo or KentSt they'll lose the decent media coverage to the next flavor of the month MAC football team.
2.School size. MAC schools range from 15,000 to 25,000 in enrollment. The Big 10 minus Northwestern enrolls 35,000-50,000. Having 2 to 3 times more students allows for bigger crowds, more alumni, and more monetary contributions with the additional alumni.
3.School location. MAC towns are smaller and more difficult for the causal fan to get to than their Big 10 counterparts. Also with many MAC schools they have alumni bases that aren't concentrated in the immeadite region by which to draw upon. Ohio State is in the center of a state with a high number of alumni within a convenient drive.
4.Pro Sports. Having pro football nearby makes it even less likely the causal fan shows up at a MAC stadium. Tulsa, ECU, USM, and Marshall of CUSA don't have to fight the draw of pro sports. Except for the NBA, UCF and Memphis don't really have to either. Rice, SMU, Houston, and Tulane do compete with the pros and like MAC schools they struggle with attendance.
Between the Bills, Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Colts, Lions, Bears, and Packers thats 8 NFL teams within 2 hours of MAC schools compared to just three or four near CUSA (Cowboys, Texans, Saints, maybe Buccaneers).
5.Weather. Its tough to motivate the causal fan to sit in a MAC stadium during rainy 45 degree October afternoons. It would help the MAC to have a mild dry fall climate like the Southwest, but reality is reality.