Ohio can't pony up this type of money. Period. We need to compete with schools who have comparable potential regarding financially supporting a football program. A school and fan base can still have a lot of fun with football even if you're not at the highest level.
I don't know what playing in the MAC is supposed to mean anymore when a school from our conference makes the Orange Bowl and our own Bobcats are playing in the Independence Bowl after cruising to a 4-4 record in the MAC East. The apathy of MAC alumni hasn't changed but its no longer conference red headed stepchild. The bowls and talent level in the MAC today is where Louisville and Virginia Tech were in the in the early 90's; Independence Bowls and an occasional New Year's Day game. The days of the MAC as a defacto DII league are gone. The MAC of today is in the major college hinterland with leagues like the Big East and CUSA is even further out in the thicket. With individual donations to the school of 100 million for academics I don't know if we can say for sure there is a ceiling anymore with regards to anything dealing with the program.
So are you saying where the next Big East conference? This might be the start of some really great MAC football or it could be a fluke. I hope its not a fluke and I hope for some high intensity, bowl eligible MAC schools.
I guess what I'm saying is the MAC has pulled even on the football side of things with leagues like Conference USA and the Big East. The post season opportunities are about the same which is the traditional measuring stick of college football. That makes building up a football program in the MAC a lot easier and Ohio, Toledo and Northern Illinois have become consistent at the top and able to contend nationally which is normal for FBS leagues. The MAC had been a league where in any given year a school could win it with the right coaching and 10 game winners were rare prior to Marshall entering the league. Leagues like the WAC long had the an occasional major bowl game and Top 25 appearances while the MAC was considered a provisional member of the top level.