[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I'm sorry, but you're just being disingenious here, trying to bring in stronger programs to reinforce a weak argument. The C-USA has fallen off from where it was (that's what happens when you lose four of your best five teams to the Big East), but that doesn't mean Memphis is a mid-major. Memphis is a high major program stuck in a once good conference that has fallen off. Memphis has never been a mid-major, and never will be.

Same with UNLV, back in the days of the Big West. First off, it's revisionist history to equate the Big West now with back then. The conference then was much stronger, and was also a football playing conference, which brought it a ton more revenue than it currently gets. In addition to UNLV during its hey day, New Mexico State was always very strong, and a group that included Long Beach State, Pacific, Utah State and UCSB always provided solid teams as well, year in and year out. The Big West has fallen off sharply from the UNLV days, but UNLV was not a mid-major in any way shape or form during those times. That program was big time.

Same thing with Utah during Majerus' reign there. First off, BYU was also always very good. So it wasn't just Utah. Wyoming, Colorado State, New Mexico, these were all solid programs when Utah was at its height, and this was (and still is) a football playing conference as well. These are big school, state schools, with large student populations and extensive alumni networks. The Mountain West was never a mid major, anymore than the A-10 is or was.

Mid majors are more generally non-football playing conferences (or not D-1 Bowl Division) that don't have a traditional history to elevate them above normally also-ran status. There are exceptions--the A-10 is not a football playing conference, but the longterm success of Temple, Xavier, Rhode Island, St. Joe's, UMass, as well as teams that defected to the Big East; the MAC has long played D1 football, but tend more toward mid-major status as a basketball conference, the Sun Belt might not even qualify for mid-major status in basketball despite playing football D1--but the top non-BCS conferences--CUSA, MWC, the WAC, have always enjoyed a heightened status next to other non-BCS conferences. And the WCC, Missouri Valley, Horizon, CAA, etc. are perfect examples of lower (or non) playing football conferences that are not considered on the same level as those three (or the A10), and so they are rightly labeled "mid majors".

I don't know what you're arguing. I agree with most of what you said. I wasn't saying Memphis was a mid-major program, I was saying they played in a mid-major conference.

Someone made a comment that insinuated that non-power conferences had no chance at winning a title. I was simply pointing out that there have been a lot of great programs that come out of the non-power conferences.

If you're trying to argue what the definition of mid-major, that's a whole other story. I was calling mid-major anyone who wasn't in the power conferences (traditional BCS). You can call them whatever, but my comment was in respect to the person who insinuated that non-power conference schools had no shot at titles.

Off Topic: I used to go to Northern Illinois football games as a kid when they were in the Big West. Leshon Johnson is still the best college back I've ever seen in person.