That's important, but the conference, for its athletes' sake, should never lose sight of the quality of the experience.

But this season, there is concern that the 10-team conference, for all its parity, may have lost some of its prowess.

After nearly a decade of stability and 1A basketball dominance, the conference lost one school, Albert City-Truesdale, in 2004.

The conference has lost two schools in the years since, both left for the Mid-Southern Conference.

Tranghese said he was not aware of the amount of revenue the conference and its members would lose.

The conference would lose schools in the 1980s, eventually ending up with six members (five in football).

In 1998 the conference lost university funding when it was unable to find a sponsoring department, and its advisory board established itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Moreover, the conference could lose its rights to a coveted bowl game, which brings money and national exposure.

But Kosar can offer no explanation why his old conference has lost nine straight to his new conference.

Perhaps it's too harsh to suggest that a conference may be losing its grip because none of its teams reached the Final Four.