With nothing good happening on the field, the mind starts to wander. At least we haven't seen how we're joining the AAC or the ACC.

The thing that kills me the most is these small conferences chasing the scraps that ESPN leaves behind when ESPN couldn't care less about how the product is presented to the masses. I think eventually they're going to realize that alienating their fanbase (further than they already have) simply isn't worth playing on a Tuesday night in front of a paltry crowd with a broadcast team watching the game in Bristol, CT over the same live stream we all are. There has to be a better option out there.

Eventually having a more packed house on a Saturday has to mean more. And lately, CBS Sports Network has produced way better content for the MAC than ESPN has. Even if they do move the bball games to Fridays, at least it's a quality broadcast. Hell, when they go to halftime of a MAC game on ESPN they don't even talk about the game at hand. They use it to advertise the Power 5 conferences or some UFC fight coming up that weekend. So why not work a better deal with CBS? This is especially annoying around MAC tournament time when CBS Sports Network produced the Semi-Finals and does a great job, but then the championship game is on ESPN2 at the same time as some power conference. So who the hell is even watching it besides us MAC fans?

And over-the-air CBS will be hurting for Saturday afternoon games in a couple of years when their SEC contract runs out. They've already started showing Army and some MWC games early on Saturdays in September. They might snatch up the B12 from Fox but without Okla and Tex, the B12 will be a glorified G5 conference. Putting a good G5 game at noon, instead of bull riding and "The Road to Wherever the CFP Championship Game is Being Held," might be in the cards.

BTW, for some reason our game with Toledo on 11/16 is already slotted for ESPN2. Seems kind of early, especially given that neither team has shown much this season. The other games that night are BG-MOFO and WMU-EMU

I don't think there's the demand by the viewing public that actually watches college football to watch G5 football that you guys think there is. My hunch is that most casual viewers would rather watch P5 games or nothing at all. Outside of alumni of the G5 school that's on TV, who else is watching a G5 game, other than true diehards? I think this is about as good as it gets for the G5 and if the MAC thinks it can do better than the weekday MACtion games (as far as TV viewership is concerned), well good luck with that.

I'm not saying the G5 is anywhere near going to compete with the P5 in terms of relevancy and audience draw. That's never going to happen. These conferences aren't popular enough to start their own networks, that's very clear. My issue lies with the powers that be basically just signing their livelihood to ESPN and being stuck with a terrible product because of it. What's going to happen when ESPN decides they no longer want to keep the MAC on TV for weekly MACtion games in November and it's relegated to maybe just the MAC title game and that's it?

Reality is that outside the top 2-4 teams in each conference (i.e., top 20), no one is clamoring to watch P5 games either. No one is glued to the TV (or computer) for Wake Forest, Ga tech, Ole Miss, Indiana, etc.

Gambling definitely draws in some people to random games...

C-USA is going to take a hit with Charlotte, FAU, UAB, North Texas, Rice, and UTSA all accepting invites from The American.

8 teams remain in FIU, La Tech, Marshall, MTSU, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, UTEP and WKU.

Looks like a big chunk of these schools are looking hard at the Sun Belt.

I wouldn't mind having MTSU and WKU in the MAC. Not sure if their old conference would have them back.

I have a feeling the league isn't going to do anything to jeopardize their current footprint they have in place and will keep it as easy as possible for travel in the future to keep costs low. The Temple and UMass stints were fun ideas, but having only one team on the East Coast made no sense for the league as a whole.

Really there are only a handful of schools they could go after while also slightly expanding the footprint: Marshall, WKU, MTSU and EKU. James Madison would be nice, but the MAC would probably need assurances that another school close by coming aboard would make it worth it. And I can't see them accepting an invite from the MAC over the Sun Belt if it came down to those two. Maybe you throw a bone at Army? But I think they like where they are as an Independent and also seeing what Navy has gone through they'd rather not.

North Dakota State is another pipe dream. It's too far. I don't even know any other FCS schools looking to move up other than schools in the South like Kennesaw State. I've always thought it would be really fun if Youngstown State raised the funds to become an FBS program and have a fun little three team rivalry with Akron and Kent State. But I don't think that's in the cards either.

Update on Marshall fan board (herdfans.com) sentiment. They still have a majority saying, "never MAC," but there are more and more posts saying that if WKU and MTSU come along with Marshall that it might make a good move. Also, it's been posted that Dan D'Antoni, head basketball coach, is lobbying for a return to the MAC. And, others are reporting that the Marshall administration is very hesitant about the Sunbelt, which seems to be preferred by the loudest voices on this Marshall board. So, what do I make of this? I think there must be some serious discussions going on between Marshall and at least WKU also about joining the MAC.

Would the Sunbelt take Marshall? Bit of an outlier geographically. The way CUSA is looking (with the cream of the remaining crop…and to call what’s left after the AAC raid “cream” is generous…openly eying Sunbet applications) at this point, It seems like Marshall is just about facing involuntary Independent status if they’re dead set against MAC membership

Edited to add that rumors (via Gabe McDonald and retweeted by rCFB) that Marshall to the sunbelt (along with JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss will be announced next week.

No way App and Coastal are gonna leave the Sun Belt to join the dregs of that conference. As it stands today, the SBC is way better than C-USA with all those schools leaving.

That letter that the C-USA commissioner sent to the AAC asking for an alliance makes so much sense now. They knew the inevitable was coming.

If Marshall wants compact, you can't get much better than the MAC or Sun Belt at this point. Geographically, the closest opponent in the Sun Belt would be App State, about 250 miles away compared to the 80 or so miles to Athens. In fact, they'd almost have 4 opponents (Ohio, Miami, Akron and Kent) closer than their closest SBC rival. Add WKU and EKU and that gets even greater.