The top tier teams are much improved but the rest is just awful. Really need to move the Miami's and CMU's of the world along so that we have a much more balanced SEC layout of a conference. 

In the SEC you have your top tier (Bama, Florida, UGA, LSU), your second tier (Miss St, USC, Tenn, Auburn) and your bottom tier (Mizzou, Vandy, Kentucky, Ole Miss). A better balance elevates our conference and allows us to not have to much of a down turn when one team takes a nose dive... I'm looking at you EMU...

I think most MAC team rankings right now would have Miami and CMU at 8 and 9.  Miami beat us when we were ranked and CMU at least beat Iowa.  The conference does have a top tier.  It has 4 schools getting votes which is great by traditional MAC standards.  The middle tier is also full of schools with wins over decent AQ teams which is good by our traditional standards.  The problem, and the thing that is killing the MAC in the computer averages, is there is a huge dropoff from the middle tier to the bottom tier.  Buffalo, Akron, UMass, and EMU have one 1A win between them and even after beating each other will probably end up with only 4 total.

I do see some light at the end of the tunnel in this regard though.  If memory serves Buffalo didn't have a a lot of seniors in their starting lineup, Akron has a coaching staff that will probably make them better, and UMass will get its 1A depth setting in.  All three could take a step up next year without any of the nine above them taking their place at that level of awfulness.  EMU may very well still be EMU next year though.

I wouldn't hold my breath for most of them.  When the offseason comes rolling around, those big schools with big wallets are going to take up as many MAC coaches as possible with their recent success.

It's really a shame, but that's just how the coaching game is played.  Unless current coaches have some kind of undying loyalty towards their school, I'd imagine at least 2 of the top 4 MAC teams this year get picked up by other schools.