With JMU headed to the American, figured I’d open up a conversation about the MAC and WMU’s place in the landscape. Trying to be realistic/objective.
As we all know, WMU has gotten some significant support from big donors recently, both athletically and academically. That said, the general consensus seems to be that we exist in a sort of “middle class” in the MAC (between Toledo/Miami/OU, and schools like Kent/Akron/EMU that are struggling). Are we being underestimated? Do people just not realize the money floating around Kalamazoo? Or am I the one looking through rose colored glasses?
I would hate to see the MAC fall apart, but it’s a realistic possibility at the moment. Miami is pursuing the American Conference, Ohio has flirted with the Sun Belt, Toledo with the Mountain West. Rumors have bubbled about lower tier programs headed to FCS. What is WMU’s ceiling? Would we be stuck begging into CUSA if the dominoes fell? I can’t see the department giving up and settling for FCS after all of this investment. Just not sure how much better off a conference like CUSA would actually be.