Old Dominion has announced they are leaving the Colonial in 2013 and will join CUSA.

Turner Gill back to the MAC?

Maybe we could add The University of Phoenix as well! Sorry, but that school is not up to snuff. 

Well actually after looking into Liberty University, they're not too terrible of a program.

Their football program over the last 6 years went:
2007: 8-3 (4-0 Conf.)
2008: 10-2 (5-0)
2009: 8-3 (5-1) They kept their own against WVU, 20-33.
2010: 8-3 (5-1) This year they beat Ball St. 27-23.
2011: 7-4 (5-1)

I don't know about you, but that's pretty damn consistent.  Even if they are playing against less than stellar opponents, they can win on the FCS level. Basketball on the other hand...

'07-'08: 16-16 (7-7)
'08-'09: 23-12 (12-6) Made it to the CIT quarters.
'09-'10: 15-16 (10-8)
'10-'11: 19-13 (13-5)
'11-'12: 14-18 (9-9)

So they're not TERRIBLE.  They could probably hold their own against the MAC west on a consistent basis (I know that's not exactly shooting for the stars).  Academic rankings based on Forbes' 2012 List of America's Best Colleges:

278: Fiami
353: Ohio University
381: Buffalo
481: Bowling Green
535: Liberty University
560: Ball State
566: Kent State
610: Northern Illinois
620: Toledo
623: Akron
626: Central Michigan
641: Eastern Michigan
645: Western Michigan

While Forbes' methodology is doesn't count reputation or prestige, It shows that Liberty is actually ahead of the pack. Their athletics facilities are also pretty nice: http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=16998

Attendance: for football and basketball:

'07-'08: 14,190 football, 2,505 basketball
'08-'09: 13,147 football, 3,304 basketball
'09-10: 14,931 football, 1,285 basketball
'10-'11: 14,630 football, 2,819 basketball
'11-'12: 16,419 football, 1,431 basketball (my own calculation)

So not that bad actually.  Now I'll be the first one to say it, I don't want these guys.  But my prediction is that since the MAC has done pretty much nothing during the conference expansions, they're being pressured by... well themselves to add someone.  I bet in June the MAC will extend an all-sports invitation to Liberty, and they will accept.

I hope I'm wrong.

I am not entirely well-versed  in all of the philosophies, standards, profile etc. when it comes to the kinds of schools the MAC prefers to invite/hold as members but if I am not mistaken we currently have a membership entirely of public universities.   If we were to add Liberty it would, I believe, mark the first private school that we would ever have in the MAC. This may or may not matter as most conferences are a mix of both public and private but something to think about by the commish, presidents etc. 

Geographically we are the closest school at a mere 325 or so miles away.   Southwest Virginia to Northern Illinois is quite a footprint for a smaller, cash-strapped conference.  It could also discourage other potential members who are located in the states we already have a presence in (some have mentioned schools like Southern Illinois, for example). 

I also wonder what the impact culturally would be to have a school that I believe is Southern Baptist in their doctrine/educational philosophy when it comes to negotiating sponsorships, etc. with schools that, because they are public, have to uphold a broader range of beliefs and interests.  This obviously works in other places (i.e. BYU) but they are now in a conference that is made up primarily of other faith-based universities. 

I too am going to guess they will be invited to the Sun Belt.  

True UMass/Amherst/Foxborough is far away too......but that is one team, playing one game, once every two years. 

But if you send soccer, softball, baseball, etc. for any number of games it could add up, especially for the MAC West teams. 

While state schools have predominated in the MAC, three of the charter members were not state schools:

1.  Butler, private
2.  Western Reserve, private
3.  Cincinnati, city (now state)

Also, Toledo was for a number of years during its MAC tenure a city university.   This was also true of Akron, but that was before they joined the MAC.  Of course, Miami is a prep school for eastern snobs, but that's a whole 'nother story!