there was some debate among Marshall fans on whether Marshall should return to the MAC or not. At the time I don't think there was a huge difference between the MAC and the top FCS conference (i.e. Southern which I think Marshall was a member of).

Since C-USA has become basically the Sun Belt 2.0, is Marshall really in a "better position" than App State or Georgia Southern (who are both members of the Sun Belt)? I mean both C-USA and the Sun Belt have crappy bowl tie ins now. At one time the C-USA champion would face the MWC champion in the Liberty Bowl. This year UAB was C-USA's champion and they get to face the MAC Champion (No. Illinois) in the Boca Raton Bowl. Unfortunately, this may be the new reality when it comes to the G5 conferences especially for C-USA which at one time was on par with the MWC.

Tier 1: AAC and MWC
Tier 2: C-USA, MAC, and Sun Belt