Ok, so Cornell is a "Mid Major" but what exactly does that mean?

There is no official definition of what constitutes a "mid-major" Division I college basketball program, but the Mid-Majority.com attempts to define it by using "the red line." According to the website, all conferences which fall below the above pictured red-line are considered mid majors.

Speaking of Mid-Majority, its editors, Kyle Whelliston (formerly of ESPN.com) and Damon Lewis discussed Cornell's big win over Alabama this weekend in Mid-Majority's "Red Line Lounge" feature. Here is an excerpt:

KW: OK, we also had some serious joy around Hoops Nation this weekend, as the Red Line Upsets started coming in. We had seven between Friday and Saturday: Texas A&M-C.C. (Oregon State), Rider (Mississippi State), Idaho (Utah), South Dakota State (Wyoming), San Diego (Stanford), Cornell (Alabama), Kent State (UAB) and Texas-Arlington (Iowa). Any of those catch your eye as particularly important as we move forward?

DL: The most eye-popping RLU was probably Rider over Mississippi State, but I want to save that for a later topic here in the Lounge. South Dakota State taking down Wyoming is probably the strangest of the group...they pretty much dominated from start to finish.

DL: The most important though may be Cornell knocking off Alabama. I know you're confident in the Big Red dominating the Ivy League again this year, but you probably noticed Harvard went to Holy Cross Friday night and won (a G!O!T!N! victory, no less). I think this is the year Harvard gives Cornell a run for their money...although I'm sure there are a lot of people in Ann Arbor who would warn Harvard fans not to get their hopes up with Tommy Amaker calling the shots. Which RLU caught your eye?

KW: I also noticed that Harvard had trouble getting by William & Mary on Sunday, as the Tribe brought all the power of men's tennis down upon the Crimson but came up short by two points in triple OT. I love the Rider upset, but my favorite was South Dakota State beating Wyoming by 16. It's a perfect example of how the Red Line shows where the real failures are; Wyoming spends almost three times as much on sports as Jackrabbit U. does, but it has a truly awful basketball program.