Cherry pick to stay in the game, just as the AAC will cherry pick C-USA, and the ACC to the AAC. That's the only way to close the gap. I think the MWC has sort of plateaued in that nobody else wants any of their schools. Still a darn good conference on its own merits. It's still going to come down to MWC vs AAC and who can position themselves to capture an AQ slot for itself down the line after 12 years time, or whenever the contract is renegotiated. Heck, it may come down to MWC vs ACC when all is said and done, if the ACC continues to get raided.

I don't think the MAC and Sun Belt can ever close the gap to that second tier, given their situations. MAC just doesn't have the foot print. I believe Conf-USA can surpass the AAC assuming the ACC continues to raid its best programs and the AAC cannot supplement effectively, in terms of choosing the wrong schools, or sustaining enough damage that schools no longer deem the AAC desirable. Losing UConn/UC, or UCF/USF, and Houston basically kills the AAC.