I've always agreed with those who argue the split is coming.

Where I have always disagreed is what side of the table Ohio will fall on when it is all said and done. We are clearly on one side now. Expanding is the key factor to moving us to the other side.

Goodness, pessimists abounding on here. From all indications, we have more season ticket holders and are making more $$ than ever. I don't know where they went, but they're probably sitting with me up in the Tower Club :)

And...the thought of paying NCAA athletes is the most asinine idea I have ever heard. 99% of all schools participating in the NCAA lose money...and LOTS of it. The perception of this being "big business" where the schools are making $$ off of the poor little athlete is crazy. NO ONE is making money save for the absolute blue-bloods (O$U, Texas, Nebraska, etc). Beyond that, everyone else is either in the red or milking student fees to make budget.

Adding the expense of cost of attendance will bankrupt the Indiana's and Georgia Tech's of the world just as much as it will the MAC. The only way it could work is if all non-revenue sports are dissolved and the big boys just play football and basketball. Even then, I'd wager 50% of them are still losing $$$.

The entire system is a money-losing proposition. Any opinions to the contrary are simply perpetuating a myth. I hope somebody starts to wake up before there are 5 schools left to compete while the rest are playing glorified intramurals.

Those schools won't have nearly the trouble of those on the fringe like UC, UConn, ECU, Houston, etc. At least GT, Indiana and Purdue are already in conference getting the television dollars. That's money in the bank they can count on year-in and year-out.

Folks, Ohio and the MAC made their own bed with this by standing pat once expansion started. They knew where they stood in the pecking order and didn't do a thing. And it was probably for the better. If Ohio was serious about competing at that level, they would have invested heavily into Peden Stadium upgrades years ago.

But Ohio's investments into the IPF and Academic Center could bode well down the road if they are shuffled to a lower division. Personally, I wouldn't mind Ohio being an NCAA championship caliber team at a level on par with MAC, C-USA, Sun Belt, AAC or MWC schools. Sure it would be great to be at the level of the P5, but it ain't happening unless there is a MAJOR investment made. Like 100 million range or more. So, someone go play the lottery, win it, and then talk to President McDavis and Jim Schaus.

I'll agree there. The only thing I would point out is that the MAC is a helluva lot closer to the AAC and MWC than it is the P5, by a long shot. Besides, I can't imagine every school in the AAC or MWC is on the same level as SDSU, Boise St, ECU, UConn, UCF, and UC. I'd be interested to see where Ohio stands against schools like Utah State, Wyoming, Tulsa, SMU, etc.

I fixed that for you.

I agree completely. They got what they wanted, their own group, and now it will get worse. How fast depends on how much control the Indianas, Iowa States, and Wake Forests have. If the Texas-Ohio State-Alabamas have the power, I can't even imagine where it will end up.

The difference with football is that it's such a giant money maker compared to other sports. Especially for those schools that seat 80,000+ people in their stadiums. That's eight games at the Convo! (if you use 10,000 as an average attendance)

The only way I can see the P5 regulating basketball the same way as football is if they break away from the NCAA altogether and create their own tournament in March. As much as the P5 schools whine about not enough spots in the tournament and all of the upsets, the NCAA loves that because that's how the NCAA makes so much money. The Tournament would not be as popular as it is today if it weren't for the teams like Ohio, Wichita St, Xavier, Gonzaga, Butler, Creighton, George Mason, etc.

Now, they could theoretically try to control this too, but I think it would be much, much harder unless they broke away.

Thanks L.C., I was trying to be optimistic 'cause I know some people think I am always pessimistic!

It seems that most posters in this thread are taking a hard-eyed look at the future of intercollegiate athletics. I see some but not much evidence of posters peering through rose-tinted lenses.

I know that a certain university president who is in Indy now for a board meeting regards as constructive the dialogue in this thread.

Many if not most things in life move in cycles. Most of us, though, aren't smart enough to predict accurately the completion of those cycles. That said, the damage that will result from the P-5 getting to set their own rules might prove lasting but not necessarily permanent.

Ridiculous. We just built a rather nice IPF and the Academic Center is on the way. Those are the two key improvements necessary to go head to head with American programs. We don't have to spend dollar for dollar with Cincinnati to play in the same conference.

We needed an IPF
Check
We need an upgraded stadium. The academic center is a part of upgrading Peden to a level necessary to compete in the AAC.

I'm not even going to address basketball spending. We have significantly upped our spending in men's hoops. We are on a COMPLETELY different level of spending than the rest of the MAC. Literally, 1 million higher than anyone else. We would fit in fine in the AAC.

Numbers, please.

I can't open the posted link at the moment, but if recall correctly from earlier today the money came from a private donor/sugar daddy type