With this weeks C-USA, SunBelt, and MWC expansions, along with the previous Big East, B1G, SEC, ACC and PAC12 expansions and the collapse of the WAC... would the MAC continue the trend?

There have been some threads on the ESPN and CBSsports sites where users have strongly suggested Army should join the MAC?  With smaller suggestions of Marshall rejoining and leaving the C-USA mess, WKU, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and for Grand Valley State to finally stop dominating DII and joining DI... others?  Even talk of kicking Eastern Michigan out because well... you know

Thoughts?

I continue to think that adding schools like James Madison and Delaware is a good idea, but I think it is more important to shed the teams that are keeping us down. Not to cross-pollute threads, but when you have Kent, EMU, etc., continually failing to meet the minimum attendance requirements but for some shady accounting magic, there is a problem in continuing your relationship with those programs.

I do find the CUSA move funny, though. As much as that conference likes to look down on the lowly MAC, the new CUSA, across the board, is not materially better than the MAC on or off the field. Neither conference is going to get a seat in this "playoff" until and unless it expands to 16 to make conference champs automatic qualifiers. And the Grand Alliance is dead, so there goes their vision of a nationwide cable network. They are a regional conference, like us, which will always be less prominent than the SEC/ACC/Big 12 in their respective markets. We only have to compete with the B1G for attention.

Given that CUSA is primarily a Deep South conference, I doubt that Marshall has much clout.  And Sun Belt is also looking for teams in their geographic footprint, which rules out the MAC.

I wouldn't say no MAC schools are attractive to other conferences.  The ones in or near larger cities would be: Toledo, NIU, Buffalo (though they would really need to upgrade facilities) and maybe BSU.  If they can get TV coverage into the larger markets (a la NIU's contract with Comcast in Chicago), other conferences might bite. 

I've often thought Army would be a good fit for the MAC.  But I'm not sure they can get past the fact that their days as a football powerhouse are long over.  Plus, they were really soured by their experience with CUSA.  That was never a good situation due to geographics.

OUr only hope of conference prominence is if the new playoff/BCS retains some form of the big east, and we could join that as a football school. Unlikely we'd get the invite, but winning cures all things. And ESPN has an interest in the big east because they could provide TV coverage. Short of that we just dont have the money in the MAC to compete on a national scale. Especially when you think about the big ten network paying out $15 million annually to its members. CUSA or sunbelt would a lateral move at best. It would be best to stand pat and see how things end up with the new ESPN/playoff/BCS deal. We have a generation or so still at the kids table.

Looks to me like CUSA has taken a page from the "MAC-model":   Lose from the Top and Add to the Bottom!  When you look at who they lost and who they gain this saying comes to mind: "you gotta be kidding me"!  A whole bunch of soon to be (UTSA, Charlotte) and wanna be (UNT, FIU, LaTech) football schools.  If I was Marshall or ECU, I would get out quick.  I cannot believe the MAC does not approach those two schools NOW!

Thanks for the responses.... newby, first post!

Also saw Army's 2011 schedule included Northern Illinois, Ball State, Miami, and Temple.... with NIU, BSU, EMU, Kent, and Temple for this years 2012 schedule.

Are they testing out the MAC, pretty much their home conference last and this year?!  MAC East - Ohio, Miami, UMass, Buffalo, Army, Kent, and Akron.... geographically fits...  East coast and Great Lakes flare.  With the possibility of Marshall, ODU, ECU?

Big East Commissioner Resigns

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7899745/big-east-commish-john-marinatto-quits-amid-shifting-landscape

the best part

"We're excited about where we are right now," Williams said. "We feel the conference is stronger than it's ever been. We have some great new teams we are bringing in, there's a huge opportunity for us to build, so we're looking for someone who can facilitate that and make that happen."

HAHA
The Big East is dead

Sounds like he was set up for failure:

http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/18985030