When you see these type of numbers in black and white you really have to question why any conference outside of the AAC or MWC would even bother to stay at The FBS Level? They are far closer to the top of The FCS than they are to even the bottom of The P5. I'd wager many of the traditional power schools of The FCS such as Eastern Washington, Montana, or NDSU would clean the clocks of much of The G5 Roster. Why not drop back to FCS and play a regional schedule that makes financial sense for your AD?
These schools could immediately shave 20 scholarships off of their bottom line, with the possibility of 20 more if they want to make Title 9 cuts on the women's side. Yes this sucks for student athletes, but regular students shouldn't have to go broke subsidizing teams they clearly don't care about. Many of these schools draw under 20,000 people to their games on a regular basis, if they remain playing many of the same teams what difference does it make?
Most people aren't stupid, if your team is UMASS or FIU, you know that they aren't competing for the same thing as Alabama or Oklahoma. Why not make these teams' contests carry some actual value by integrating them into the FCS Playoff? I know that if I was a fan of one of these schools, I'd rather my team be able to play in a tournament of similar programs that actually crowns a champion on the field, as opposed to keeping my fingers crossed that our 8-9 win season will be good enough to play a 6-6 B1G Team in freaking Detroit over Christmas.
