My theory is this: Ohio being relegated to a different/lower conference is a bad thing only in our minds and in our minds only, it really doesn't change reality.  Hang in there with me on this.

What does this division reclassification really mean for Ohio?  How does this change things?  I think it doesn't, except in our own perception.  Our schedule mainly consists of MAC competition now anyway and that won't change.  We will still get to play one big AQ team a year-like another poster said, the AQs have to schedule us non-AQs occasionally just to complete their schedule.  So I see our schedule still basically staying the same.  Our bowl possibilities will probably stay the same.  There was a quote in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer that there could be upwards of 40 bowls in 2014 and afterwards!  We still should be able to have the bowl experiences afforded by Mobile, ALA, Shreveport, LA, New Orleans, etc.

I see what Mike's saying but I posit this: once we get over the shock of not being in the elitist of elistist football divisions we will find out that our football experience won't change a bit, at least not for the negative. 

That being said, I could be very wrong.  It's all semantics anyway-football as we know it won't exist within the next 30 years given what we're finding out about the damage concussions caused by football does to the players that play it.

My theory is this: Ohio being relegated to a different/lower conference is a bad thing only in our minds and in our minds only, it really doesn't change reality.  Hang in there with me on this.

What does this division reclassification really mean for Ohio?  How does this change things?  I think it doesn't, except in our own perception.  Our schedule mainly consists of MAC competition now anyway and that won't change.  We will still get to play one big AQ team a year-like another poster said, the AQs have to schedule us non-AQs occasionally just to complete their schedule.  So I see our schedule still basically staying the same.  Our bowl possibilities will probably stay the same.  There was a quote in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer that there could be upwards of 40 bowls in 2014 and afterwards!  We still should be able to have the bowl experiences afforded by Mobile, ALA, Shreveport, LA, New Orleans, etc.

I see what Mike's saying but I posit this: once we get over the shock of not being in the elitist of elistist football divisions we will find out that our football experience won't change a bit, at least not for the negative. 

That being said, I could be very wrong.  It's all semantics anyway-football as we know it won't exist within the next 30 years given what we're finding out about the damage concussions caused by football does to the players that play it.

Good post, Mark L.

Let me play devil's advocate.  Isn't your argument true for any school--it takes less budget to compete in hoops than football.  Given that there are about 3 times as many hoop teams as football teams, maybe football is a good way to go.  I suppose one has to factor in the value of making the NCAA's vs. making a BCS bowl.  I don't know the answer...just providing a different perspective.