Personally, I don't share that perception . Obviously there are a couple situations that are fluid , most likely at SIU and possibly Indiana State; others would seem less likely either by coaching termination or coaches being poached. Like wise , rosters could fluctuate a bit, as we saw the spring transfer situation explode last year and there's always late HS and juco signings to come. But in general, I see the Valley as poised to take a step back up next year because of the returning and incoming talent, and the increased stability of the coaching situations. Teams like UNI and Bradley have almost everyone of consequence back under veteran coaches. Valpo likewise has almost a complete return of their roster and had A-10 and Big East transfers sitting out this year. Loyola and MSU have several upper tier players back, along with well regarded recruiting classes, and MSU also had a pair of seasoned transfers sitting out. Illinois State while losing it's core, had 3 D-1 double digit scorers sitting out , ready to go next year. Evansville , has a pair of transfers sitting out plus the possible addition of their top recruit from last year who was ineligible this season. Drake has 3 starters back , a transfer sitting out and a decent recruiting class signed. And on and on. Simply, I see an awful lot of young talent returning and being added that more than compensates for the senior class losses. And of course as noted, there will be more by the start of classes next Aug/Sept.
The point is, I think the last couple years were the down years as we had at least 5 programs trending with negative coaching situations, a brand new member, and a couple of our upper level programs who seemed to be treading water a bit. While I do expect the conference season to be brutal again next year , I think we will see a number of teams much more competitive out of the gate in the noncon portion, and that will help negate the impact of beating up each other. Anyway, looking forward to laying some of this out in detail and then of course getting feedback , additions and corrections from the home team fan bases as the spring and summer proceed. But I think the league will be significantly better next year.
Valpo should have most of their team back. Indiana State should be better with another year of Barnes, who will get back on track, and Key. Not to mention Neese and Williams are really good. I have no idea what to expect out of Evansville but they were competitive in a lot of games this year when Marty Simmons' teams would have rolled over. SIU should be in rebuild mode but after this season, maybe new coaches have luck in this league. SIU loses a lot in their senior class. 
