The problem with moving to the A-14 in basketball is that it jeopardizes our MAC membership.

I hate to tell you this but attendance numbers are quite honestly not very important when desigining a league anymore. Its all about TV markets; the most recent additions to the A10 have been St. Louis, Charlotte, Richmond, Fordham, Dayton, Xavier. All of those schools I've listed have metro markets of 1,000,000 or more people. To have any type of chance of upgrading the small market school needs to have a tremendous amount of success at their current level and OHIO doesn't have that.

That is troublesome plus the way the A-10 has their conference tourney in Atlantic City it isn't really easy for our alumni to get to. There is a whole host of things about a program you can upgrade (coach, recruiting budget, non-conference scheduling, facilities) that would have more of a positive effect then moving from 1 mid major conference to another. I'm not sure moving to the A-10 would help recruiting but I'm pretty sure it would lead to more conference losses. Ohio really needs to look at finishing in the top 3 or the MAC consistently for 5-6 years before it would be of any value to try to move to a stronger league.

What's the MAC going to do, kick us out? Really? They don't have the courage to insist two schools bring their bball teams from the A10 but will be brave enough kick out a founding member of the MAC because they moved bball only to the A10? Not a chance. 


How much of the NYC market has Fordham brought in with their 12-72 record over the last 3 years? Although I agree that TV market is important I don't think our location is a deal breaker but I agree we need more league success first.


I was reading an A10 message board the other day and there were a lot of complaints about Atlantic City, the concensus seemed to be that Pittsburg would be a better location. They referenced the high attendance numbers of the Ohio schools (XU/DU) as a reason to keep the tourney within driving distance of Ohio.

Obviously talk of conf. movement is completely hypothical and a way to pass the time until fball starts back up but I do think that inspite of our non-major TV market location that we still have the potential to be greater than the MAC, unlike our fball team which is doomed to suffer the effects of a failed BCS system.

They would, at the very least, reduce us to affiliate membership.  If there was no consequence to removing required sports, a lot of schools would have gotten rid of baseball.

Another factor is that if Ohio played in the A10, our attendance figure would probably increase...better opponents drawing more fans. 

Would like to see Ohio competing in basketball vs. these teams, but it seems unlikely to happen.  I haven't heard of any desire in the ath dept to compete in separate leagues for different sports;

Well, Jeff, I know it has been discussed and looked into.  That, of course, doesn't mean it's going to happen.  Jim, at least, does appear to have contingency plans, which I doubt that Kirby Howdoyoucut had.  His only contingency plan was how to exit stage left, IMHO.

There is no doubt--none at all--that we are going to end up in a much better conference in both football and basketball.  And soon.  Think SEC or BigTen+ or BigEast.  It will happen and it will happen definitely and right away.

So, keep banging away with these oh so right on threads.


In other news, Game Five He Quit announced that he will be rejoining the Cavaliers effective immediately and Auburn deciced it will emphasize integrity over athletic performance.

I think it would be a pretty significant increase...