Herrion certainly did start a recovery, and had good teams...
I agree 100% that C-USA, with it's far-strung opponents, is the major problem with MU football today. When we win folks aren't even excited about the win unless it is one of only a few teams. We get more excited about the OOC than the league; which I think would always be that way if you only see the competition as being a national event.
I don't have any answers, nor do most of us on here. But I stay enthused when the games start and I'm in the Joan; regardless of who the opponent is. It's Marshall playing in green. Those players don't choose who they play, they choose to play for Marshall. So I'll do my best to stay excited for them, with the team and the school. That is the same approach I used in basketball for 30 years.