I guess my question is if it would cost Ohio more money to be in C-USA. There would be some incremental travel costs but I would think C-USA revenues would be higher. So it could be a wash. 

The question is whether Ohio can position itself as a viable candidate. If I'm C-USA, I'm looking for Toledo, Buffalo and Temple/UMASS. After that, Ohio has to use attendance to make a case and the fact that it could get some play in the Columbus market.. One major positive I see is the Convo, it's a big-time hoops venue. I also wonder whether Marshall would support or not support Ohio in C-USA? 

Agree, there are easier and better ways for C-USA to “fix” itself – and I’m sure Memphis isn’t dying to be lumped in with us or the MAC.

 

Makes sense that C-USA will probably switch UAB and S. Miss to the west division and add Temple and UMass to the east (and hold onto Memphis).  Then they only need one more “east” team.  Ohio brings little value by itself.  Toledo, Buffalo bring better TV markets.  UNC-Charlotte would be ideal if its football team was 10 years older. 

UNC-Charlotte is still in the womb. No downs of football played. UMass I believe has to stick in the MAC to complete its FBS transition. Buffalo I like and makes a lot of sense. They have a pro stadium in town to host larger opponents if they need be. I think if you go the Buffalo route Temple or some other MAC schools must be included. Buffalo alone just doesn't work. Toledo alone could work. If you really want to talk about a program with inelastic football success in the MAC that would be Toledo. I am familiar with both and Toledo is about the same size as Memphis. Memphis is slightly better in night life but not by much with Beale Street. Memphis is flat and has an outer belt with distribution centers. A southern Toledo.  

Just to clarify, I was not referring to the stadium upgrade or the IPF.

My theory on Ohio to the Big XII or ACC is that Cincinnati beat Ohio to the race for Big East membership using its basketball program but Ohio with a really good football team could become more attractive later down the road when those conferences are looking to Ohio for a team. Ohio doesn't have to get that much bigger in support either to do it so long as we are more popular than UC. The Big XII only has 10 schools and may be looking at growing to 12 or 14. My point is if Big East schools are leaving for the Big XII why would we want to be aiming for the Big East at this point any more?

All the conference talk cracks me up.  Go to the Temple board and there are 20 conference reallignment discussions for every one discussion pertaining to the game tonight or anything relating to the football team.  The Marshall board is similar talk...people focusing on which schools CUSA should add to replace what they are losing...... "Get Temple so that we get the Philly TV market", or "go after FIU so we can get the Miami TV market."   What nonsense.  If they want the Philly market they should seek out Penn State...and having grown up in Philadelphia, I recall Delaware football(not to mention Widner and Cheney State) getting as much interest in the media as Temple.  As far as FIU is concerned, they are 4th or 5th in level of interest in greater Miami behind Fla, FSU and the U, not to mention the Dolphins.  A lot of deep thinkers on these message boards.  

What they all say about these conferences is to improve revenue add states. If that school is in a big market in that state then its an additional positive. A lot of leagues feel that its a must to have a presence in California, Texas, Florida as huge states. Or if you are going to have an East Coast presence how can you do it without a PA team. Could the same go for a Midwest presence needing Ohio? Take a look at the Big XII's move they added a state team in West Virginia. They could have taken UC or Louisville but they elected for a statewide institution. If Morgantown I'm wondering why not Athens?

Holy hell, man.  I thought the DC area housed some of the best and brightest.  I'm surprised they let you live that close.  The Big XII or ACC!!!  Are you out of your mind?  (No need to answer that -- you already have)

Conference expansion is happening, and here's what OU should do about it:  NOTHING!  In the end, you'll have 4 super conferences, a few teams who think they can go independent until they realize they're as dilusional as Uncle Wes, and then a lower rung of teams (including Ohio) that will not play into the national title race at all.

Guess what?  That sounds exactly like . . . . . . . . right now.  Focus on winning some MAC titles.  Appear in some bowl games here and there, and hopefully win one someday.  Enjoy it for what it is.

Stephen Kopp. Marshall president, and Rod McDavis are good friends.  As you may recall, before Kopp took the presidency at Marshall he was provost at Ohio.  Before that he was provost at CMU.  I would be very surprised if the two are not talking about what all this realignment means to both schools.  If the time ever came where Ohio was to be voted into the C-USA, I think Marshall would vote "aye."  This is despite the fact some of their most partisan fans (those old enough to remember) still hate Ohio for Vern Alden convincing the MAC presidents not to readmit Marshall circa 1973.   Marshall had been given every indication that they were going to be readmitted and then the door was slammed in their face by this unexpected negative vote.  Happening just a few years after the plane crash, it was perceived like a bully hitting a person who is already down and trying to get up.  That being said, I think Kopp would support Ohio's move into C-USA if that was on the table.  For my part, I'd only want in C-USA if there was a definite Eastern Division that included enough schools in the Eastern Time zone so that travel costs would not be excessive.  In some of the restructuring scenarios advanced this would be the case.

ozcat, as usual you take the status quo as indicative of all possible futures.  You remind me of the guy at the savings and loan when my wife and I got our mortgage on our first house.  They had a very attractive interest rate (for those days) of about 10.5 percent.  I asked him about taking out the pre-payment penalty clause for early payoff of the loan, because I wanted to have leverage to renegotiate the loan should interest rates drop.   He said I shouldn't worry about the prepayment penalty because interest rates were only going up.  Only dreamers, he said, thought that there was any chance of interests rates ever going down again.  I told him he was a stupid idiot and that interests rates since the Civil War had been all over the place from one decade to the next and that he didn't have a crystal ball that I would trust.  Needless to say, we got our loan from another bank that did not have a pre-payment penalty for early payoff.  And, of course, within a year or two, interest rates did fall and we did re-negotiate the loan.