dwj,
Regrettably, I think that your prediction about attendance will be accurate. Failure in 12 of the past 13 years will extract a heavy price on fan loyalty.
I disagree about the suggestion to leave the MFVC. That kind of reminds me of some local high schools that play in weak leagues, clobber their overmatched opponents during the regular season, then get massacred by the first strong team that they encounter in the playoffs. Is that what we really want?
The solution is to stay and become the dominant power in the best FCS league. We still have unsurpassed facilities. Ohio/Western Pennsylvania football might not still be elite on the national level, but it is light years superior to the high school game played in the Dakotas. Everything that we need to succeed is here, from Stambaugh to the Watts to media coverage to recruiting zones. The only question is the ability of those individuals at the top.