Smaller schools like Troy State, San Jose State and North Texas aren't the only college football programs that could be affected by proposed NCAA legislation involving new Division I-A membership criteria.

Some believe a trickle-up effect, of sorts, would affect numerous schools from the six BCS affiliated conferences.

If the current proposal were put into effect, schools like Texas Tech, Arkansas, Iowa and Washington State, each of whom played host to big payout games against smaller Division I-A opponents this past season, would find it difficult to schedule games under the new criteria. That's because smaller schools still would need to play the required five home games against I-A opponents each season.

Why does it matter? It takes six victories against Division I-A teams to be eligible for bowl participation and many schools in the middle of the pack rely on nonconference games against smaller I-A schools in hopes of kick-starting the season with easy victories.

"If you take us teams in the MAC and eliminate us, who are you going to play?" said Kent State coach Dean Pees, a former Notre Dame and Michigan State assistant. "I know they like playing MAC schools because it counts as a I-A victory. And we like playing them because we make good revenues off those teams."

Pees noted the case of Iowa, which went 6-5 last season and will play in the Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech. Without a pair of victories against MAC teams, against Kent State and Miami (Ohio), the Hawkeyes would not have been bowl eligible.

"If they are 4-7, they don't go anywhere," Pees said. "So I can't imagine those teams would like to see the MAC teams eliminated from Division I."

Clearly, under the new legislation, becoming bowl eligible could be a greater challenge. There are 11 teams with 6-5 records playing in a postseason bowl this season. And that is not counting North Texas, which qualified for the New Orleans Bowl with a 5-6 record by capturing the Sun Belt Conference title.

"My sense out there now is that there are probably 25 or 30 schools in fact playing to be in the BCS," said Charles Harris, chairman of the NCAA's Division I Management Council. "They can schedule whoever they want. That leaves about 50 schools who are playing just to get in bowl games and 30 who are just happy to be here. The fray is going to come with that 30, which will trickle up and effect that middle 50."

A decrease in supply will lead to an increase in demand. And Troy State athletics director Johnny Williams said he believes the result will be a greater cost for these games, which eventually could lead to higher ticket prices.

"I'm entertaining contract offers now and I told schools that the only way I'll sign a contract for is if I have the flexibility to get out of this deal if I have to play five I-A home games," Williams said. "They understand. We could be left with only one or maybe two of those pay games. And if that happens, a game that we might get $500,000 for now could go for $700,000."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com.