re: Florida wins the UAB lottery. Gators setting up a super tough schedule in '17

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Attendance is not an arbitrary standard at all. It is an NCAA requirement for a team to remain at the FBS level it must have either an actual or paid attendance average of 15,000 a game. If not for the City of Birmingham buying 5,000 tickets a year (1/3rd of the requirement), UAB football would have failed to meet this requirement a long time ago.

The others aren't particularly arbitrary either. Playing college football is expensive. In the last decade, half a dozen colleges have dropped their programs and there are many more teetering on the brink.

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The problem is and always was the way it was handled. If you are considering shelving a program, you should clearly define what they need to do to keep it. If they do not, that is that.

Honestly, it does not really matter who is buying the tickets as long as they are bought. This is pretty similar to UA basketball (at least during Grant tenure --- avery may change that) lots of tickets were purchased but not used.

Also, it is true that some schools have dropped football, but more university have started football programs.

Maybe one day the power 5 will break off. When that day comes I would love to see the other schools shift to Spring football, but again that is just because as a fan I am all for football all year.