(non-MVC) Realignment News

[VUGrad1314]

Also, given the Wright State just dropped three sports to drop below the D1 requirement for sports sponsorships. TIn Foil hat time: They are doing this as a ploy to drop out of D1 except for one sport and join the MVC as a baseball only affiliate. (No I don't actually believe this).

[squirrel]

We have one of the more bizarre memberships: Stony Brook is in the Valley for women's tennis. Since joining they've only had 2 league matches scheduled (this year and both were never played), and just participate in the individual and team championships. Yet they are included in the preseason league polling.

[mvfcfan]

I think we have poached the Horizon League clean. I'm going to go on record as saying that there are no Horizon League schools out there worth adding. Anyone outside of Murray State, USD, SDSU, and NDSU would be a mistake. I'm even willing to leave Murray State out if they can't be added without adding a HL school.

[VUGrad1314]

I struggle with the notion that USD especially is more valuable than NKU. I really don't think I agree with that. And Murray State is far and away the best option of those schools. We need to find the right 12th to go with Murray State (not a Dakota because having just one makes no sense) or we need to get over ourselves and embrace 11. Too many conferences are prepared to do it as a short term or perhaps permanent solution (The Big East Horizon and SWAC being just the most recent examples.) If they can make it work so can the MVC.

[patnb]

A Dakota school opens about 1500 other problems for MVC/MVFC schools not worth fighting.

However, if one is taken the only Dakota school worth looking at is SDSU. After that it's NDSU, but a ways back. The two UxD schools should be avoided at literally every single cost.

[VUGrad1314]

I agree by and large SDSU first NDSU second but I'm not totally opposed to USD. I think they have a good athletic profile and would bring strength to our conference especially in women's basketball. I know that's a secondary concern but I think there's a chance they could potentially become a productive member. They are well behind the top potential additions in my eyes but I do think there's some upside there. I'm far from advocating for their inclusion except WAY down the line when they either improve or we've exhausted a good number of our options but they do have some good meritorious points to their candidacy application.

[Buxcies]

I had been totally against the Dakota schools but does the fallout from Covid-19 change anything? SDSU and NDSU are their state's flagship schools. Northern Kentucky, Murray State, and Wright State are down the pecking order in Kentucky and Ohio. If state governments continue chopping budgets those three would get hit first.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

I'd add all 4. then i'd add all NKU, wright, and Murray + 1...Lipscomb if Belmont says no. Play each other once (17 games switch home/away each year) and then the 18th game will be seeded for at large potential. 1 plays 2. 3 plays 4, etc. with highest seed getting the home game. Strength in numbers.

[Drakey]

If you are going to make the conference huge, why not just go ahead and play every team twice. Scheduling non-conference games is getting more and more difficult. If we played 26 conference games we could play in a tournament and maybe one or two other games for the non-conference. I don't see how it would be detrimental.

[squirrel]

Even though it's gimmicky, who says the Valley can't play 20 games as is? Keep the double round-robin, but keep the last week of the season schedule open until you are two weeks from the end of the regular season.

Divide the league into 2 groups as the league sits at that point: Top 4 and bottom 6

Randomly draw the top 4 into A,B,C,D

Have A vs. D and B vs. C play, and then have C vs. A and D vs. B play. Each of the top 4 teams gets a home game and another Q1-2 game added to their schedule.

Then the bottom 6 you do some similar flipping of matchups and the home teams.

It would improve the resumes of the top 4 teams, and make the push to avoid the play-in round more interesting.