I think the benefit is that Ohio has at least 2 in-state schools at home on the schedule every year and the games against Kent, BG, Miami, Akron do tend to draw better than out-of-state competition. We continue to beat those schools regularly and we keep them down (Kent is still an issue). Its agreed the MAC isn't the toughest non-BCS league so shouldn't then make it an easier road to a BCS game than playing in CUSA or going Independent? Note the negative effect on Marshall's winning percentage by moving to CUSA (which is basically a group of Southern Independents grouped together). I don't buy either that A10 BB is that advantagous. The A10 conference tourney is in Atlantic City where we have no fan support while the MAC plays in Cleveland. Then in the MAC I would put our program #3 of12 in the league in stength and fanwise in Cleveland behind Kent and Akron. Simply speaking, Ohio has the capacity with a 13,000 seat arena to run a higher profile hoops program and Cleveland could be a shoe-in tourney like the way that Butler controls the Horizon League. Its all about Ohio stepping up and maintaining a roster of 13 true D1 scholarship players instead of the 8-9 we regularly play at.

We have a chance to win something in the MAC. We are gonna be out spent in any other conference.  For our  budget the MAC allows Ohio to be competitive.  Marshall isn't competive in CUSA. They have made fewer bowls and no NCAA tournament since leaving the MAC.  From a competitive standpoint Marshall had struggled since leaving the MAC.  MAC is a pretty stable league. CUSA could fall apart if they lose key schools to the Big East, Big 12 or MWC.  MAC has been around for 63 years.  We play a title game in Detroit and the MAC tournament in Cleveland. Those are two cities close to majority of our alumi.  Staying independent is for Army, Navy and Notre Dame because they are unique schools and aren't defined by a state or a region of the country.  We are the state school. The MAC is exactly where we belong. We can't afford to operate in the Big East with our budget. A-10 is no better than the MAC.  A-10 is a church league. We don't fit in that league. MAC is public universities. 

With our $ problem here on campus, is there another league out there that we could fit into and serve us well?  I do not see it at the moment.  This is what we can afford at the moment.  Lets try to dominate this league before we jump to another.

I agree that the best option is to try to maximize MAC opportunities, and do what we can to strengthen the league. 

Another option would be to try to align with A10 for basketball and reclassify football, but I don't see that happening at Ohio.

An alignment with the Missouri Valley might work, but again, it would take a reclassification of football and I don't see that happening.   

Good point about travel. I think the MAC is pretty economical for us across sports.

Of the MAC East schools Buffalo is the furthest drive from Athens at around 6 1/2 hours. Everybody else is within 4. You can throw in EMU, WMU, Toledo and Ball State as pretty short west trips.

The closest MVC member is Indiana State at around 5 1/2 hours from Athens. Evansville is next at 6 hours.
In some sports the A10 has reasonably close schools, but not in others (football).

And, as Jeff notes, A10 and MVC affiliations would require a reclassification or elimination of football.

This doesn't address rules regarding which sports must/should be offered by either of these leagues.

if you've ever popped over to the Marshall message board some form of this topic seems to almost always be in discussion. There's a thread right now in fact- http://marshall.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2236&tid=156650840&mid=156650840&sid=1082&style=2

Marshall was dominant in the MAC, multiple conf championships, multiple bowl wins, multiple top 25 rankings. How bad can the MAC be if you're able to finish the season ranked 10th in the country? Since leaving the MAC the Terd has has one winning season (7-6). 

So their fanbase goes through this circular discussion where they hug each other and reafirm that the move to CUSA was so much better for them and bad mouth how bad the MAC supposedly was for them. They say things like "more prestige" and "bigger budgets". But, as one WVU fan tried to delicately point out, nobody really sees CUSA as being head and shoulders above the MAC or any other non AQ conf. They scoff and call him crazy but they know its true.

This is the false idol that Temple is praying to now. Somehow they'll be this great national power... if they could just leave the MAC. They completely look over the fact that their success is a result of playing the bottom of the MAC, nothing more.

The reality is that if OHIO left the MAC they would have 3 options- BCS, Indy, or CUSA/Sun Belt. I'd love to get a Big Ten/Big East/ACC invite, but it ain't happenin. Indy is a death wish, we don't have a national fanbase to be a Notre Dame/Army/Navy. That leaves CUSA or Sun Belt. Marshall fans like to bemoan playing directional MAC schools like its so beneath them but does anyone really give a flip about UAB or UTEP?

That brings right back to where we started- The MAC. If we want to follow in Marshall's footsteps we should start with dominating the MAC, and then have the wisedom to see that the grass isn't always greener. 

Can there be any doubt but that we'll be in the SEC, PAC-10 or BEast within two years?!

Sorry, these much-more-than-perennial 'better conference' threads are 100% unrealistic.  And quite tired.

There's not a shred of sensible, credible evidence of anything other than MAC.

Our tradition is in the MAC. It would be a huge mistake for Miami, Ohio, Toledo, BGSU, Akron, Kent State to leave the MAC like Marshall did.  We are fortunate to have Solich as coach who would be worth well over a million at a BCS school. Solich has taken Ohio to three bowls in six years. 15 years ago we were dead last in the country. Now we are a contender for MAC titles. Bobcats have played more games on national TV in last six years than ever before.  No one is laughing at Ohio anymore. Those of us that attended Ohio during the Lictenburg era are amazed at how things are for Ohio football.  If we keep getting bowls in the MAC we will earn respect nationally. That is how BYU, TCU, Southern Miss, and Boise St did it. They all reached bowl 10 years in a row. If Ohio can be the program that leads the MAC every year it will be recognized. Troy out of the Sun belt is doing exact this. The are new to FBS, but have made a name for themselves.  We need to win our first MAC title since 1968 and our first bowl game ever. I think those dominos will fall very soon for this program.  

I hate to give them any kind of credit, but the Terd did have several significant BCS wins while they were in the MAC: South Carolina and Louisville (bowl) in '98; Clemson and BYU (bowl) in '99; Cincy (bowl) in '00; Louisville (bowl) in '02; #6 Kansas St. in '03; Cincy (bowl) in '04.  But you're right about the MAC championships; the big reason they were in the MAC is their deal to have the MAC championship played in Huntington.  They left shortly after the league office decided to have it elsewhere.  I wonder, too: they jumped to CUSA in '05, which was Solich's first year at OU.  Coincidence?

And, don't forget that Marshall was one last second 54-yard Luckeye field goal away from taking the Evil Empire into OT in that same time period.  It's the closest a MAC school has ever come to beating A&M.  

Hmmm...you might be right, but my oft-leaky memory says the closest call was 21-17 over BG when a wide open BG receiver dropped a pass on the OSU goal line in the closing seconds that would have put the W next to BG. 

That 'greatest day scorebard' must be a mistake--it had 'kron with a win.

It has very little to do with what conf we're in.  It's all about us putting up huge W's.  The first three games this year are absolutely critical.  Must get the W's and get the casual fan excited.