Someone did the analysis on here a while back and found out that if we would join C-USA and find a "sugar daddy" to pay the entrance fee, and nothing else changed, Ohio would actually have an athletic budget that would need less student fees -- even at an increased C-USA middle of the pack budget level -- because of greatly increased revenue, especially from TV contracts.  This was done several years ago, before the crash, but I'd be surprised if the overall conclusion would be much different today.  Now, if Temple joined C-USA with us that might decrease brand value to the point that we'd need a federal bailout or at least some stimulus money! 

Brian, you certainly are right that there is a coming public funding apocalypse. However, OU is right where it needs to be. Let me explain; seeing as that people like E Gordon Gee actually makes more money in one year than the combined yearly salraies of Governor Kasich and former Governor Strickland since 2006. Add to that the salary of former Coach Tressel and current Ohio State Basetball Coach Thad Matta. We are talking about millions of dollars in one year. Now keeping that in mind think about the money pumped into places like the UC Bearcats Athletc Dept, the fact that Ohio has three major public universities (Akron, Kent & Youngstown State) very close to each other in the state's most unhealty region. Add to that the cost it took to build Shawnee State which was the branchild of former Speaker Rife, and caused a rift in Appalachia because the money should have gone to OU and her branch campuses.

The point I am getting at is that OU is sitting very pretty here President McDavis (whose salary is one fourth of E Gordon Gee,) Coach Solich and Coach Groce's salaries (10% of what Urban Meyer and Thad Matta make) compared to what one sees at Ohio State or even Cincinnait. We are the oldest school in the state with the strongest and most giving alumni (financially for any school our size.) Even the self described "elite Miami Redskins er Redhawks" well heeled alumni don't give as much as OU alums. We have strong political ties on the political left and political right in Columbus, Washington, NYC etc. In addition, we have great ties with the corporate community who continues to pump in millions to OU, since for all practical purposes college campuses are the nation's research facilities for corporations. The public will not turn on OU, there are many larger targets for them to vent their anger. The MAC and her Ohio schools can claim to be good public stewards of the state's money We don't have high end big ticket projects that lose money like the Shottenstein Center, let alone the money it took to build Shawnee State.

Now for those who think it would be crazy for Marshall to return or East Carolina to enter the MAC. You don't think stability means anything to Herd fans or ECU fans?  I see Marshall fans who bring up the fact that they shouldn't have letf the MAC everytime I see them. Right now smaller schools, especially CUSA schools long for stability, which is the hallmark of the MAC.