MVC going to 12 with UIC and UTA?

[TBS_20]

Looks like their message board wants football to be added.

[unipanther99]

I'll fight this until they prove me wrong.

Springfield, Des Moines, Bloomington, Peoria, Evansville, Nashville, and Chicago all have direct flights to DFW.

As does Cedar Rapids. I'm guessing most non-rev sports will fly commercially to UTA. Pretty reasonable.

As for attendance, does anyone remember what Gentile Arena looked like before Loyola joined the MVC? It was Sister Jean and her bridge club.

[RacerJoeD]

I find it hard for branch public universities to have the ability to amplify their spending the way that private schools can.

[VUGrad1314]

Loyola always had the money they just needed to wake up and use it. That much is very clear. Is that true for UTA? Is it worth the risk when there are better easier ways to secure the conference's future like Murray State\South Dakota State assuming they would be willing to break with NDSU? I'm not sure. Maybe UTA would be better in a non football conference with a tighter footprint but I'm unconvinced and I would rather go with largely known quantities if we can.

[DUBulldog]

Unless he is delusional, the commissioners statement that the conference will be deeper and stronger next year could only be arguably true if Murray were added. Any of the other schools definitely make the conference weaker. If Murray is not added, the commissioner is delusional unless he is adding some school we have not contemplated.

Your last sentence ties into something that I was thinking about earlier today.....is there any possible way there is a candidate school that has flown completely under the radar?

[BCPanther]

Unless he is delusional, the commissioners statement that the conference will be deeper and stronger next year could only be arguably true if Murray were added. Any of the other schools definitely make the conference weaker. If Murray is not added, the commissioner is delusional unless he is adding some school we have not contemplated.

Your last sentence ties into something that I was thinking about earlier today.....is there any possible way there is a candidate school that has flown completely under the radar?

Northeastern.

There were talks with them at the same time we were talking to Belmont per Matt Brown. They're not a bad institutional fit and, like Arlington, have very Valley looking facilities and budgets. Plus the CAA is dying a slow death so they might be looking for a life raft out.

Other than that, I can't think of anybody.

[VUGrad1314]

Unless he is delusional, the commissioners statement that the conference will be deeper and stronger next year could only be arguably true if Murray were added. Any of the other schools definitely make the conference weaker. If Murray is not added, the commissioner is delusional unless he is adding some school we have not contemplated.

Your last sentence ties into something that I was thinking about earlier today.....is there any possible way there is a candidate school that has flown completely under the radar?

I'm crossing my fingers hard for this to be the case and for that candidate to be South Dakota State. Matt Brown said something interesting in the message board thread I linked earlier that the Summit isn't really worried about losing schools like St Thomas Omaha and Denver but he didn't elaborate. That made me wonder if maybe the Dakotas are looking at going somewhere. I really hope we can get the Jackrabbits. I think adding Belmont Murray State and South Dakota State more than overcomes the loss of Loyola for the MVC as it adds three programs that have demonstrated Missouri State level floors (ie NET around 100) and Loyola or at least Drake of the 2020-2021 season like ceilings (Top 30-35 or better NET). This would be a great consistent multibid conference with Murray and SDSU added on the heels of Belmont and would make me very happy.

[All-MVC Fan]

Unless he is delusional, the commissioners statement that the conference will be deeper and stronger next year could only be arguably true if Murray were added. Any of the other schools definitely make the conference weaker. If Murray is not added, the commissioner is delusional unless he is adding some school we have not contemplated.

Your last sentence ties into something that I was thinking about earlier today.....is there any possible way there is a candidate school that has flown completely under the radar?

Northeastern.

There were talks with them at the same time we were talking to Belmont per Matt Brown. They're not a bad institutional fit and, like Arlington, have very Valley looking facilities and budgets. Plus the CAA is dying a slow death so they might be looking for a life raft out.

Other than that, I can't think of anybody.

Ick

[TOPSTRAIGHT]

If anyone on this board really thinks that NDSU is a possible to the Mountain West in any way--- you are misinformed.

You must have been reading delusional fans on their mess. board. NO WAY that happens.

[BCPanther]

Unless he is delusional, the commissioners statement that the conference will be deeper and stronger next year could only be arguably true if Murray were added. Any of the other schools definitely make the conference weaker. If Murray is not added, the commissioner is delusional unless he is adding some school we have not contemplated.

Your last sentence ties into something that I was thinking about earlier today.....is there any possible way there is a candidate school that has flown completely under the radar?

I'm crossing my fingers hard for this to be the case and for that candidate to be South Dakota State. Matt Brown said something interesting in the message board thread I linked earlier that the Summit isn't really worried about losing schools like St Thomas Omaha and Denver but he didn't elaborate. That made me wonder if maybe the Dakotas are looking at going somewhere. I really hope we can get the Jackrabbits. I think adding Belmont Murray State and South Dakota State more than overcomes the loss of Loyola for the MVC as it adds three programs that have demonstrated Missouri State level floors (ie NET around 100) and Loyola or at least Drake of the 2020-2021 season like ceilings (Top 30-35 or better NET). This would be a great consistent multibid conference with Murray and SDSU added on the heels of Belmont and would make me very happy.

There are approximately 12 other dominoes that would have to fall perfectly in order to even make them a candidate and even then you'd have to convince the presidents to greatly expand the footprint into an area with no people or athletes or regular students to recruit.

They aren't worried about losing those other schools because they can go out and grab Northern Colorado and the Montana schools who wouldn't think twice about leaving the slowly dying Big Sky.

And I totally agree that NDSU isn't going anywhere. They're closer to Winnipeg than they are to the Twin Cities and there's nowhere near enough population or TV sets to make them make sense for any league to take.