This may have been discussed elsewhere but here's an interesting article on the NCAA's study on moving from 1AA to 1A.  The major downside is that expenses go way up, but for some it's offset by the exposure and solidifying the perception that other sports compete on the D1 level.  Apparently, one drawback to the FBS and FCS labels was that many do not perceive FCS as being D1.

There are sports fans who know the difference between us and nuts, and there are the uneducated masses who don't know and don't care. Their world is pretty simple, don't confuse them by letting them know the difference. I wouldn't expect non-OU people to ever be big contributors to the school. OU grads have to earn respect in the marketplace to get support from non-OU people, but again most of them are going to support their own schools.

You may not have had the same confusion as I did but just to clarify:  The person was referencing our BBall win over Michigan, not mistaking us for OSU who beat Michigan in Football.

Alan, as you know, you and I have not always been completely on the same page in this debate.  But your post here is very fair and I think you raise good points about analyzing this question.  

Let's not forget the ego factor.  In business we worry about the Benjamins.  Short of founding a company, there aren't too many big shots who go down in the annals of history.  Even then, does anyone remember who Mr Proctor or Mr Gamble were?

In academia, every building is named after someone who did something for the university.  Every building has a name.  So do scholarships, professorships, colleges.  Even wings of buildings.  I bet somewhere there's a crapper named after someone (well.. besides Thomas Crapper).

If you take your university to the promised land (say, UBuff to THE State University of New York at Buffalo), you're gettin' your name slapped on something.  Every President wants that.  Alden, Ping, Baker, etc etc.  I think Glidden even got his name on N700U, the Glidden Memorial King Air.  Books, gym rats, freshmen who haven't discovered beer yet, or 1700 horsepower in twin turbine engines... who's laughing now?

I also did an analysis of changes in University Endowments, and it is clear that schools with academic success are seeing significantly more general donations that those without it. A few top universities like U. Chicago and MIT do fine in this regard without athletics, but below those top schools it is a very different story. Endowment growth is critical to the long term health of a University. Odd as it may seem, athletic success may well help the Classics department in more ways that one, because it may lead to more endowment, and better students.

Everything is market based now. The days of the conferences being primarily an academic and regional consideration are over. With the small market if Ohio wasn't in the MAC I don't know if the school would be accepted to move up. You've got to wonder what our potential is in a small market 60 miles away from a school that draws 100,000. Ole Miss has a market our size and they draw 55,000 but in a state with zero pro competition and playing in the SEC West where 10,000 visiting fans can be expected to travel. A while back before the SEC West became a dominant division attendance was under 40,000. Marshall in a far bigger market than Ohio only drew 24,000 last season in a far nicer stadium. It leaves me questioning the potential at Ohio when even the Texas State Bobcats have a stadium beyond the potential of Peden.

Don't we have an advantage on the back end, also?  I don't know if there are studies on this, but I'll bet that we are at the very top for 'happiness with the experience' for those who graduate for Ohio University Athens Ohio.

So, pride of graduation/experience gets carried forth, building recognition which, in turn, can help attract newbies to enroll.  Then, the newbies get a solid education and enjoy the experience and spread the word more, attracting more newbies, etc, etc.

If Ohio's market is just Athens or SE Ohio, we have no shot at moving up.

Fortunately, we have the potential to have the entire state of Ohio as our market. The biggest asset we have at this school is our name. We are O-H-I-O. Not SE Ohio State or Athens College. Yes, we are located in (beautiful) Southeastern Ohio... But where do we get most of our students from? The 3 C's.

Yes, Ohio State has a stranglehold on the sports market right now. We are gaining though, and fast. If I wasn't going to the Louisville game, I bet I'd have multiple options to watch the game up here in Cleveland..  We are not centrally located like State is, but we are still Ohio.