The Hilltoppers had no idea just how good they had it.

By approving the upgrade of Western Kentucky University's football program to I-A status, the board of regents may believe they have created progress. In reality, they cemented the Hilltoppers' fate as a I-A doormat for the next three years. [Yes, yes, mixed metaphor, keep moving, keep moving...]

After this season, WKU will trade in their membership with the always competitive Gateway Conference for a slot in the Sun Belt, a conference that houses former I-AA squads still riding with their I-A training wheels.

The Hilltoppers will also wave good-bye to the only level in Div. I football that believes in a playoff system. The 2002 I-AA champions will now be at the mercy of the not-so-user-friendly Bowl Championship Series.



The opportunity for good programs to climb to the next level of competition is tempting, but rarely does it reap benefits.

Too often these top ranked I-AA teams end up fading as I-A squads.

Few programs have found success in the upper tier.

However, there are exceptions to every rule.

Marshall University and Boise State University have combined for 11 conference titles and 15 bowl appearances.

The Broncos and Thundering Herd are the only squads - out of the 18 that have made the switch since 1987 - to flourishing in the I-A ranks.

That's good for an 11 percent success rate.




Despite how "awesome" it would be to follow Western Kentucky to the top of the college football hill, it would be in the best interest of Youngstown State University to remain in I-AA.

Just as the Hilltoppers will find themselves stuck in the Sun Belt, the Penguins would more than likely fall into the "Rust Belt," which is officially known as the Mid-American Conference.

The MAC is one book that deserves to be judged by its cover. Marshall, the only bright spot in recent years, has moved on to greener pasture.

Not only is the MAC filled with underachieving mid-major squads, the conference is no direct ticket to a national title, or anything remotely close to it.

The Penguins staying in I-AA allows every year to be another opportunity to compete for the national championship.

Every new season as a MAC member would mean competing for a bowl game bid.

The best obtainable bowl for MAC constituents is the second-rate Motor City Bowl.

The Penguins would have to rule with an iron fist for years before they could crack into the national title scene.

The BCS ranking system, which is too ridiculous to describe, rarely helps mid-majors climb to the top. [This says it better than I've ever seen it said; and everyone says it. BCS is too ridiculous to bother describing.]




Aside from the anguish that is competing in I-A, there is also the issue of funding the changeover.

Where would all that money come from?

Western Kentucky will take it from the students by increasing their tuition to the tune of $70 a semester.

Most likely, YSU would have to impose the same tactic.

Simply put, upgrading to I-A means downgrading from a respectable program to a woebegone cupcake.

Universities should remember there is no shame in playing under the I-AA banner. This season saw six I-A teams fall to I-AA squads.

And, the I-AA level may not be as competitive in the eyes of the fans, but it has something the I-A rank can only hope for.

An undisputed champion.