The recent news of UConn deciding to leave the American Athletic Conference sent shock waves around the Group of 5. G5 programs unhappy with their current conference alignment (i.e. all of them), saw this moment as their big break. Finally, it is time for UMass to break out of independence limbo. Marshall fans are taking a victory lap, as surely the AAC would snatch up the most stable football program in the conference’s geographic footprint.
Unfortunately, this recent micro-wave of realignment may serve as just another reminder that college football is not a meritocracy. Winners and losers are so often determined by factors that have nothing to do with wins and losses or fan support.