Ohio, Buffalo, and Toledo are firmly in the top five. 5-10 years ago, I would have also said Akron, but now I think the university overall is on thin ice that I would have pause as a prospect to play there or as a coach to go work there. For that reason, I think Ball State and Kent State round out the top five.

The amazing thing is that no one mentioned Miami and it didn't even create a ripple in the water. 25 years ago they would have been #1 by a wide margin. Now they aren't even in the conversation for top 5.

Ohio
Toledo
Ball State
Buffalo
Western Michigan

Miami an afterthought? Directly related to the retirement of Charlie Coles. May never be the same program again.

It actually started before Charlie retired. His final year they were 9-21 overall, 5-11 in the MAC (broke a string of eleven straight seasons that they were at least .500 in the MAC). Cooper about matched that his first year (9-22, 3-13). But, yeah, they haven't been competitive in the MAC since he retired; no winning seasons and a 49-93 regular season record.

My Top 5 focuses on recruiting territory, budgets, and facilities. Mine goes a little something like this:

1. Ohio-To me it's the cream of the crop when it comes to what someone wanting to make a run at the title should look like in terms of the resources. As someone said to me once, "Win Columbus and you win the MAC." Having it now nearly an hour up the road has helped make recruiting the metroplex easier. And with Columbus's star on the rise in terms of recruiting, it makes the philosophy a lot easier to execute. And let's be real, anytime the Convo is filled to the brim, it rivals any facility in the country for loudness and atmosphere.

However, the part that hurt from Ohio's end is the misfiring on the recruiting trail after the Dartis, Block, Simmons, Taylor class was brought in. In addition, let's not lose sight of the lost momentum from the Sweet 16 that culminated with coaching changes and philosophy changes. Combine that with the lack of a proper practice facility, it makes continual program development a challenge.

For all the challenges, Ohio won't be afraid to write the checks for its basketball program when it wins. Will it do that if Boals puts together a killer team in a few years?

2. Buffalo
3. Toledo
4. Fiami
5. BGSUcks

I think in this century they been in more MACCs than any other team. I didn't go back and count, but that's my impression. I know in recent years their attendance has waned, but I think there's a lot of potential there for the right coach to build the program back up to the point where it would get much better fan interest again. So, this vote was for potential and, I think, a potential coach recruit would be able to see that.

Here's a question: if not for the proximity and program resources coming from LeBron's influence in the past, would Akron even be in the conversation? Their past success, hell just last season winning the regular season title, could be a mirage for what a top program should look like if not for the SVSM influx.

Ohio
Buffalo
Toledo
Kent State
Ball State

Yes, I guess that this is in the basketball forum. With so little activity in either place now, it's easy to forget which forum you are reading as none of them have posts that deal with actual OHIO games! Ok, with that mea culpa out of the way, let me revise and extend my remarks specifically for basketball: OHIO, UB, UT, Akron (until they fold or merge into KSU), and Ball State. Sound better?

Edit: On second thought I might substitute BG for Ball State. Kind of a close call, IMHO.

When I read threads like this, I often wonder how we don't have a ton more MAC titles to our name in football and basketball.

Would argue Toledo and Miami are in their own zip code when it comes to resources in football at the moment. Bowling Green, CMU, and NIU would be on that next tier. Western is about to be in pieces here shortly from everything I'm hearing up there, but that's just me.

NIU I think will be saddled with debt shortly, but the fact they get the Chicagoland to themselves if they recruit right can be a dangerous team. But otherwise, Toledo and Miami have the best facilities in the league and it's not even close.

Ohio would probably be the #7/8 job in the league, with clearly Akron, Kent, Ball State, EMU occupying its own tier. EMU though might be ahead of the other three jobs at the moment, but will wait and see what Tom Arth does at Akron

Otherwise, let me go create a thread over there and we can have that discussion there.

From the fact that its in Athens with total college town atmosphere makes a Ohio a Top 5 job in any sport. That its a major state university instead of an overgrown teacher's college goes along with that edge.

The Convo, tradition of success and the ability to project its support in Cleveland at a level only a few can do arguably places it in the overall top spot.