(05-05-2014 01:07 PM)The4thOption Wrote:  

(05-05-2014 11:27 AM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(05-05-2014 09:09 AM)JSUFan Wrote:  The MAC has a lot of schools in Ohio and Michigan. Why can't the Sun Belt have 3 in Alabama?

Ohio has 11 million people. Michigan has 9 million people. Alabama has 4 million. Big difference.

Alabama has more football fans. In the south "It's a Religion"

Question is, how many left over when the Tide and Auburn are factored out?

And using the legacy schools in the MAC from Ohio and Michigan doesn't really bolster the argument, since the MAC alignment was born in a different era, with five of the Ohio schools and all three Michigan schools having been members of the MAC for 40+ years now ... those five Ohio schools and one of the Michigan schools for over sixty years. And so online commentators are always talking about "kicking out" one or two of the Ohio or Michigan teams as a way to modernize the old-fashioned MAC alignment.

As far as the politics off it, if the Tide and Auburn don't want it to happen, I have to think that they'd be able to swing a couple of fence sitting votes, which together with USA and Troy would make a definitive block.

Now, just as the Old Big East broke down USF's opposition to UCF when things got bad enough, a disruption of the Sunbelt when Jax is the best option on the table might overcome that, but then supporters of existing Sunbelt members would be hoping it doesn't come to that.