There is no conceivable way for a MAC team to win a national title in college football's current structure, and with the rise of the superconference and the growing potential of a four-team playoff (perhaps comprised of major conference champions), that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. It is difficult to think of any group of teams, in any American sport, that begins each season without clinging to even the slimmest possibility of winning a national championship. Which begs the question: What is the purpose of 'mid-major' football supposed to be? Is it enough to subsist in the gray area between small-time and big-time, or do these schools eventually have to choose a direction?"

We've debated this often, but this is maybe the first time I've seen it in print somewhere else. 

• Put more pressure on the NCAA to fix the problem? That pressure should come from a consortium of "mid-majors." Fixing the problem might include a guaranteed position in a playoff system, much like basketball.
• Emulate the Ivy League, that is, play in the MAC Conference in D1, but make it understood for all MAC participants that the ultimate goal is the MAC Championship. Thumb your noses at "big" programs by maintaining higher collective GPAs and graduation rates.

Last Edited: 4/24/2012 3:58:22 PM by Brian Smith (No, not that one)