That list has no legitimacy whatsoever.  With the home record NIU has had, teams should probably fear us more.  And it looks like Ohio has done similarly at home. 

I don't see how the Glass Bowl would make the list at all.  In the last decade or so, just from memory, I can think of several BCS teams that came to Toledo and left with an "L" -- Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota.

I do think that the list factored in winning percentages at home, but not just over 2 years, rather more like over the last decade. That is the only explanation for Miami not being on the list. I think it is clear that attendance was also a major factor in the ratings, because virtually everyone on the list had attendance under 25k.

By the way, besides fearing to play you at hone, another problem with getting teams to come to "your place" is the risk-reward comparison. Let's say that a Top 25 team came to NIU, (or to Ohio), there would be a non-zero risk of losing. If they lose, that hurts their reputation a lot, but if they win, they gain little, as the perception, fair or not, is that they "should" beat MAC teams. The more credibility that your program can establish on a National stage, the less this will be a factor. Toledo has a fair amount of credibility, and therefor they have had more luck than most MAC teams at getting 1-1 deals. That doesn't mean people fear them less, it just means there is more to gain from beating Toledo, and less to lose from losing to them.

If Ohio and NIU can continue to play at a high level for a number of years, they should both see an improvement in the quality of teams they can get to come play them. Some people want to put the cart before the horse, but it doesn't always work that way.

+1 This. Seriously, this is it. Everyone needs to read this

Since 2000, Toledo is 90-58, NIU is 90-59, and Ohio is 60-79. From 1990-1999 Toledo was 72-38-3, while NIU was 33-77 and Ohio was 34-74-3. That's not a good sign - it may mean that 10 years of winning isn't enough. Ohio only has 6, unfortunately, so they may have a ways to go.

Perhaps there are other indicators. I wonder, in the last decade, how many times each of these schools have been on National TV? Perhaps Toledo, by winning in the 90's was on TV more in the early 2000's than either Ohio or NIU, and thus had a credibility head start. Hopefully TV exposure is the explanation, because these days many more games are on national TV than a decade ago. Thus, NIU and Ohio may be able to close the credibility gap much faster now, and it won't take another decade of winning.

There are signs that Ohio is closing that credibility gap. They recently signed a couple 1-1 deals with BCS schools (Kansas and Cincinnati), and hopefully we will see more to come.  Going 5-1 on national TV last year no doubt helped, with NIU being the lone loss. Also, Ohio winning 3 games in the tournament the last two years in BB-Ball can't have hurt, as those wins no doubt dramatically increased awareness of Ohio.

That was going to be my other answer. I do think having credibility helps when it comes time to try to schedule 1-1 series with BCS teams. I also think that the AD matters, because he's the one that has to make the deal happen. If scheduling them isn't a priority, they aren't going to happen. I know that Ohio wasn't trying to schedule them until recently, but obviously now they feel they are ready to play at that level.