as an independent we've played big-money neutral site games (WVU, LSU, etc.) that pay a couple million bucks. We didn't get many of those types of games before going independent. So, the media money alone would be greater than $3million. But then there's also the question of the increased donations that were/are a direct result of trying to step up to play with the big boys. A lot of that money would dry up if we leave that path. We've also been able to jack up ticket prices due to bringing in bigger names. Wouldn't get away with that with a G5-heavy schedule.

I don't know exactly how much of a financial hit we'd take, but it's significant. In the first couple of years as an independent, our revenues jumped by about $15million. It wasn't coincidence. The jump in revenue is directly related to our status as an independent. Maybe we don't sink all the way down to previous levels, but let's not pretend that it would only be a measly $3million (our next ESPN contract is likely to be more than that anyway due to our much-improved inventory of games coming up).