Playing on ESPN+ is not a pro. It's a con.
Bowl alliance doesn't matter as there is always an excess of bowl games. If we win 6 games as an independent, math dictates we will play in a bowl.
Conference schedule does not make it easier to schedule 7 home games a year. It is the same difficulty. The only reason we haven't scheduled seven home games yet is because we have/are playing a pay day away game in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025. We don't need to play those anymore. If we play 5-6 P4 H/H series and 5-6 G5 H/H series every year, we will get a 7th home game on average every other year.
Winning the MAC or CUSA doesn't mean anything to me, and there is no guarantee we will run through the MAC. If we don't, people will be mad. Going 8-4 in the MAC is not an accomplishment.