The Blue Hens of Delaware?

Deleware is at the top of my list.

Appy State is interesting.

Drop UMass then start the search for only all sports schools.

The time to do the following has probably already passed, but we should have been getting together with a few of the MAC top schools along with the best from CUSA, especially eastern CUSA schools as well as independents (Navy & Army) and looking at forming an entirely new league.  No offense ment, but the schools being suggested on here for membership in the MAC will only insure we remain a joke of a conference.  Sorry, but I see the MAC falling farther behinid.

Marshall, East Carolina, Army, Northern Iowa, Murray State, Morehead State, Eastern Illinois, Middle Tenneessee.  Maybe Youngstown State.  The problem isn't who does the MAC want, it's who wants to be in the MAC. I think the MAC needs to look at current members, see if anyone needs to improve to stay in the league, then look at adding a few teams.  The MAC is close to being left out of any conference re-alignment if they don't get active.  I have no illusions of being a AQ conference, I just want to maintain our place in the world.

How about UNC Charlotte?  There starting a football team.  I'd like to expand more south than anything.  I think it would be close enough for fan travel and the area is beautiful.

How about Old Dominion? Up and coming football program...great basketball program. Seems like a good fit to me.

The reason for so many opinions, I think, is that people seem to have differing goals. Some would like to see Ohio continue to become more competitive, and more significant on a National scale. For those people, either the MAC needs to upgrade, Ohio needs to move up from the MAC, or a new conference needs to be formed. Others seem to believe that there is not really any hope for a significant upgrade, or national significance, and therefore the MAC is the appropriate place to be, and the focus of the MAC should be to remain regionally competitive, and low cost from a travel perspective.

I have no stake in this, so I'm just watching the interesting debate, a debate that has been going on here for a long time. Both sides make good points. On the one hand, because of not being in a major metro area, there is some doubt that Ohio could ever have competitive game day fanbases if they were in a larger conference. On the other hand, Ohio is a major University, and has a huge alumni base, that, you would think, would, over time, gradually increase in their support for the program. Those that focus on the limited game day fanbase, conclude that a limited regional conference is appropriate, and that the focus should be on managing costs. Those that focus on the large alumni base believe that there is no hope of enhanced alumni support without being in a more significant conference.

I can't really argue with either view. That leaves open a hypothetical question. Suppose that Ohio somehow got invited to join the Big East, and it remained an AQ conference, so Ohio was suddenly a BCS team. If that happened, what would happen to Ohio support? Would alums who live in the region shift support from the evil empire back to Ohio? Or would nothing change? Would alumni giving increase? Would the extra revenue from the conference be enough to pay for the extra travel expense? Or would losses increase? Again, different answers to these questions will lead to differing conclusions about what path Ohio should be seeking.

None of the potential expansion schools named above are perfect fits for the MAC.

Western Kentucky, while in the geographic footprint of the MAC, has already been considered and dissed by the MAC presidents for academic reasons.  They seem content with the Sun Belt.  I can't see them considering the MAC, which would largely be only slightly more than a lateral move.

Delaware would be a fine addition, but travel would be a problem.

The schools in Virginia would have the same barriers with travel...getting over those mountains in the Winter would be a bear. 

One of the current Missouri Valley schools wanting to move up to FBS status in football might make a good fit for all sports. 

If, in your scenario, we were to join the Big East, I don't think there would be an instant surge of new interest.  There would be some, but it would be a gradual process to build us up.  Living in Cincinnati I remember when UC first joined the Big East that interest in the football program was not any stronger than it was when the Bearcats were in Conference USA.  Then they starting winning a lot, got the back to back Big East Championships and BCS bids and interest started to take off.  This probably resulted in an additional 8-10,000 fans in attendance at an average home game (at least against BCS teams).  Attendance really swelled for home games against Oklahoma and others at Paul Brown Stadium.  There is more of an interest and fan support for the football program now-you see UC football merchandise for sale in the area, people talk about the team more, the Enquirer puts more effort into their coverage-than I had ever seen prior and I have lived here my whole life (sans 4 years in Athens).  It also didn't hurt that they play in a major media market with a large population around. 

I'd rather not take UMASS and keep it at 12. No sense in adding teams just for the sake of adding them...

Agreed. The travel wouldn't be a problem, but I don't think that Delaware would be interested in joining the MAC anyway so to me it's a moot point.

The Philly paper is reporting the MAC can't drop UMass for two seasons. Is that true?