The champion of the overall highest rated G5 conference gets the 6th spot automatically. There will be a G5 school 'every' season. At large spots will be tougher to come by, though
Yes and No. The top P5 aren't going to take an unnecessary risk when they've already got a strong conference slate.
Especially not away from home. But they will sometimes schedule a "big time" game OOC like Notre Dame (who is more P5 than G5) as an ACC affiliate.
Alabama OOC: Utah St, ULM, Austin Peay at home, Texas away game
OSU OOC: Notre Dame, Arkansas St, Toledo at home, Maryland away game
One change happening is the P5 are looking to schedule more P5 games now overall.
Most of the G5 games will be buy games that they expect to win easily.
You know that I'm in your Amen Corner most of the time. But we're not getting into the current MWC. We're just not. If they only have a couple slots to fill, they ain't taking an FCS team. And if they have a ton of slots to fill in order to survive and we get in, it would no longer be the same MWC that would garner automatic respect as the best G5. I would, of course, take it at that point. But if we are going to be the best team in a depleted conference, we might as well do CUSA now and start the FBS era forthwith rather than wait for the MWC to implode later.
I don't care what Jim says. That is not the real Ben Franklin. I'm 99% certain.
The key is how the lower parts of the conference do in a given season. Every conference member has to contribute something to qualify for that auto slot..
Mountain West, hope for the best.