Mid Majors should focus on basektball. Football will still bring in revenue. Just play two away P5 Games for $ every year.
Then spend the money on basketball. Conference championships and trips to the NCAA will build a brand and regional/national recognition way more than the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl.
So you are saying that Akron's conference championship and three consecutive trips to the Dance has built a brand for the Zips regionally/nationally? Fat chance.
OHIO's football bowl run may or may not have built a regional/national brand but it is a heck of a lot better chance it did than the Zips basketball results.
I will take victories against Penn State on the road and WVU at home even though years apart as brand builders vs the Zips three trips to the Dance. Heck, the loss to OSU this year added to OHIO's brand for a very good two plus quarters of competitiveness that a number of other OSU opponents didn't show even two minutes of playing with Goliath.
There is something to be said for taking advantage of the opportunities in the national spotlight. For MAC teams, that's winning in the NCAA tourney.
Miami did it in 99 with Wally World. Kent did it in 02 with their Elite 8 run. We did it in 12 taking Carolina to OT in the Sweet 16. Buffalo did it in 18 with their national ranking and Sweet 16 run. Miami did it this year being undefeated, nationally ranked and winning a game. While not a LOT - that's 5 times in 27 years, or about once every 5 years. Imagine if we spent just a LITTLE bit more and actually prioritized basketball?
Certainly for all the success Akron has had, it hasn't translated to the Big Dance and that certainly has squandered some of the national buzz they could have capitalized on.
But please. Nobody outside of SE Ohio even remembers that OU beat WVA last year. And nobody outside Ohio remembers (or cares) that we "almost sorta kinda played with but didn't completely get blown out for a HALF by" OSU.
But I think we beat Kansas once. No no no, not the basketball team. The football team. Yeah, they still have a football team. With uniforms and everything.
We've made 7 bowls in a row? I put a question mark because I honestly don't know. Here's a fun fact. I couldn't even tell you the names of the Bowl games. I think there was something about a John Deere Tractor and a Bubba's BBQ in there somewhere. I do know we didn't play anybody from the P4 of relevance. Nobody outside of degenerate gamblers and the schools themselves (go check out bowl game attendance - and TV ratings) cares about bowl games played in the afternoon or evening of a weekday in mid December when everyone is either at work or preparing for Christmas.
The NCAA tournament matters so much because all you have to do is keep winning and you win the national championship. And about every 5 years the MAC has had a team make a serious run with a legitimate shot, playing decisive games leading up to a championship.
The Potato Bowl winner gets....a bowl of potatoes. Call me when the MAC puts a team in the BCS/CFP playoffs with a chance to play nationally relevant games leading up to a championship.
Last Edited: 4/12/2026 10:48:08 AM by GraffZ06