If Missouri State leaves, who do you add?

[Mikovio]

The good thing about 12 is in the event of a vacancy or two a move isn't necessary.
No to the Dakotas. Small budgets and will significantly increase the other schools' travel budgets.
St Thomas is premature.
I used to like Milwaukee but if they're not willing to commit and Kansas City is I'd go with the latter. Plus KC is improving on the court. I like NKU and appreciate it's metro Cincy but I don't think we need another directional, as superficial as that sounds.

[E-Villan]

That's rubbish. The MVFC is a totally separate entity that exists due to absolute geographic necessity. They aren't tied to the MVC, they shouldn't be tied to MVC membership and every football school should have the flexibility to make the best decisions for football and not be tied to a league that doesn't sponsor the sport.

We'll also add you to the list of people that have no idea how far away the Dakotas actually are.

I agree with you that any consideration to the MVFC is rubbish in regards to the MVC membership at this point. Two separate entities. Plus, with Murray, isn't the MVFC at an odd number now?

What's interesting is a few posts back, you claim the Indiana schools only want bus trips, yet here you are ragging on a fan of an Indiana school for wanting SDSU. Since you apparently think Murray and Belmont were only added due to their proximity to the Hoosier State, what schools closer to UNI would have been better adds than these two? We must of missed a great opportunity that I am not aware of.

Maybe we should add you to the list of people that posts from both sides of their mouth?

[BCPanther]

That's rubbish. The MVFC is a totally separate entity that exists due to absolute geographic necessity. They aren't tied to the MVC, they shouldn't be tied to MVC membership and every football school should have the flexibility to make the best decisions for football and not be tied to a league that doesn't sponsor the sport.

We'll also add you to the list of people that have no idea how far away the Dakotas actually are.

I agree with you that any consideration to the MVFC is rubbish in regards to the MVC membership at this point. Two separate entities. Plus, with Murray, isn't the MVFC at an odd number now?

What's interesting is a few posts back, you claim the Indiana schools only want bus trips, yet here you are ragging on a fan of an Indiana school for wanting SDSU. Since you apparently think Murray and Belmont were only added due to their proximity to the Hoosier State, what schools closer to UNI would have been better adds than these two? We must of missed a great opportunity that I am not aware of.

Maybe we should add you to the list of people that posts from both sides of their mouth?

I was fully in support of Murray and Belmont. Two best we could have added though I wish we would have gone UTA instead of UIC but I totally get why that decision was made.

It just gets frustrating from a UNI (and I'm sure Missouri State and Drake standpoint) that pretty much every trip that we take in the league is a plane while the schools that don't commit to the same budgets get to bus nearly everywhere. It totally negates the advantage of our budget commitments when we're burning it in jet fuel.

Long story short, if Missouri State leaves (which isn't imminent because they understand that CUSA is a dumpster fire) we don't need to replace them and if we do lets replace them with a school located in a place where people actually live regardless of whether or not you have to get on a plane to get there. Adding any of the Dakotas is a double whammy in that it's a flight for everyone AND nobody lives there.

[mvfcfan]

I've drove to Brookings and Fargo multiple times. I actually do know how far they are, and they're not all that far away. You act like they're in Rapid City and Williston, when they're both within 20 miles west of the Minnesota state line. If you left Des Moines or Waterloo / Cedar Falls at 6AM you'd get to Brookings before lunch (~11AM from both cities) just so everyone on here gets an idea of how far it actually is. But yes, please complain about bus trips for Indiana schools, when you oppose schools in your region. SDSU is also closer to both Iowa schools than Missouri State. Go figure.

As for the MVC and MVFC, besides some legal technicalities they really are the same conference. Same street address and same logo, except the MVFC has a football rested on top of "Valley" instead of the word "The". I guess the MVC should sue the MVFC for copying their name and logo, right? The old Gateway and MVC merged somewhere around 1992, which by all accounts makes it part of the MVC. The MVC just sees it as beneficial to keep them legally separate.

[Bulldog4life24]

Currently, St Thomas or no one.

None of the Dakotas are leaving alone, and the NDs can kick rocks. So, not relevant IMO.

Don't think there's anyone else within the Valley's reach, currently, I'd want.

[E-Villan]

Currently, St Thomas or no one.

None of the Dakotas are leaving alone, and the NDs can kick rocks. So, not relevant IMO.

Don't think there's anyone else within the Valley's reach, currently, I'd want.

I do not get the St. Thomas fascination on here. Yes, they are in a large metro (one that houses a Big10 program) and appear willing to invest. That's it. Until a year ago, they were D-3, and they don't have MVC level facilities. Totally unproven at this level. Why not discuss UIndy? Same scenario, except they have at least had some success at the D-2 level.

Northern Kentucky makes the most sense at the present time, if we have to replace. Large metro that they are actually relevant in. There are over 400K people on the Kentucky side of the river there alone. They have already had some success at D-1, and have MVC level facilities.

I would throw in UT-A, Bellarmine, Detroit, Denver and Milwaukee before I even looked at St. Thomas.

[siudawgs]

Currently, St Thomas or no one.

None of the Dakotas are leaving alone, and the NDs can kick rocks. So, not relevant IMO.

Don't think there's anyone else within the Valley's reach, currently, I'd want.

I do not get the St. Thomas fascination on here. Yes, they are in a large metro (one that houses a Big10 program) and appear willing to invest. That's it. Until a year ago, they were D-3, and they don't have MVC level facilities. Totally unproven at this level. Why not discuss UIndy? Same scenario, except they have at least had some success at the D-2 level.

Northern Kentucky makes the most sense at the present time, if we have to replace. Large metro that they are actually relevant in. There are over 400K people on the Kentucky side of the river there alone. They have already had some success at D-1, and have MVC level facilities.

I would throw in UT-A, Bellarmine, Detroit, Denver and Milwaukee before I even looked at St. Thomas.

One major difference is Indiana has a zillion D-I programs while Minnesota has one, so theoretically there is much more opportunity for St. Thomas to make inroads/gain attention.

My response to this would be whichever program or programs demonstrates the most tangible commitment to success. The reality is there are no midwest-sh programs left that the Valley could get that have so many pluses that they're a no-brainer, so at this point I'm onboard with potential upside gambles, of which I would consider St. Thomas a pretty attractive example (and Loyola in the very recent past).

That said, I hope Mo State stays, the current MVC programs improve and college athletics does not totally implode due to the rampant greed of the power programs.

[So iLL 24]

Currently, St Thomas or no one.

None of the Dakotas are leaving alone, and the NDs can kick rocks. So, not relevant IMO.

Don't think there's anyone else within the Valley's reach, currently, I'd want.

I do not get the St. Thomas fascination on here. Yes, they are in a large metro (one that houses a Big10 program) and appear willing to invest. That's it. Until a year ago, they were D-3, and they don't have MVC level facilities. Totally unproven at this level. Why not discuss UIndy? Same scenario, except they have at least had some success at the D-2 level.

Northern Kentucky makes the most sense at the present time, if we have to replace. Large metro that they are actually relevant in. There are over 400K people on the Kentucky side of the river there alone. They have already had some success at D-1, and have MVC level facilities.

I would throw in UT-A, Bellarmine, Detroit, Denver and Milwaukee before I even looked at St. Thomas.

One major difference is Indiana has a zillion D-I programs while Minnesota has one, so theoretically there is much more opportunity for St. Thomas to make inroads/gain attention.

My response to this would be whichever program or programs demonstrates the most tangible commitment to success. The reality is there are no midwest-sh programs left that the Valley could get that have so many pluses that they're a no-brainer, so at this point I'm onboard with potential upside gambles, of which I would consider St. Thomas a pretty attractive example (and Loyola in the very recent past).

That said, I hope Mo State stays, the current MVC programs improve and college athletics does not totally implode due to the rampant greed of the power programs.

People say St. Thomas because of the travel for the Iowa schools. Milwaukee is the same driving distance for UNI and only a little further for Drake but has better facilities, more success, and also a new big market to get into.

MVC hit a homerun in getting Belmont (good brand, big city and good success), Murray (Really good success and following), and UIC (keeping the Chicago market). Milwaukee was a player before and would have finished below those three anyways IMO.

Milwaukee will be a player if/when we expand or replace again.

In regards to the original post, UINDY has had some high success at the D2 level but all signs point to them joining the OVC within the next two years.

[ColonialBulldog]

In that scenario, I think the best option is to stay at 11. The best basketball options available appear to be SDSU or maybe NDSU. I don't see either adding an additional bid for the Valley. (Fwiw, I do think Belmont and Murray helped achieve that goal).

That being said, I won't be mad if there's a combination of UTA, UMKC, UST, and/or UWM added, because if the conference does that it will be for the purposes of additional exposure.

[BUFanatic]

Just moved to MSP. Can confirm that the most popular plates up here are Minnesota, N/S Dakota, and lesser extent Wisconsin and Iowa.

St. Thomas would likely play at XCel if they can configure it for basketball as Minneapolis already has UMN and (despite their shared inability to drive) they don’t seem to like each other too much.

PS I live in Minneapolis but St. Paul wins because of Alary’s GO BEARS.