Let's say the playoff expands to 8 or 16... the best the G5 can hope for is one guaranteed spot for a G5.
8 team playoff: Auto-bid for P5, one G5, two at-large
16 team playoff (unlikely for years if ever): Auto-bid for P5, one G5, ten at-large
How does Marshall position itself to ever have a seat at the table?
1. Work for American invite. AAC will take the G5 bid most years... especially now with the possibility of Boise joining.
2. Come together with other teams to form a conference that makes sense geographically, would generate exciting match-ups... and may even grow to rival AAC.
My proposal: The Big 16
BIG 16 NORTH
Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
James Madison
Liberty
Marshall
Middle Tennessee State
Old Dominion
Western Kentucky
BIG 16 SOUTH
Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas State
Florida Atlantic
Georgia Southern
Louisiana
Louisiana Tech
Southern Mississippi
Troy
Football plays every team in their own division as well as one team from the other division. Conference championship would take place at the home of the highest rated division winner.
Exposure would be critical, and ESPN provides the most. With ESPN+ out now, this conference could leverage its size for a large swathe of content.
I know we have bigger fish to fry right now concerning coaching and a team which has come off the rails, but this seems like a topic still worth discussing.