Another Expansion/Realignment Thread

[BCPanther]

Puts the MVFC in danger if the Summit schools decide they want to break off and sponsor football but you can always grab Robert Morris as an affiliate if you need to down the road and UNI, Illinois State, SIU, Indiana State, Murray, Youngstown and RMU is still a decent enough league at the FCS level.

All for NKU. But a serious question. Why the speculation on the Summit League will begin sponsoring football?

The Summit League is in trouble with some auto bids (especially baseball) and might need to add football under their umbrella to get a few more schools in. Northern Colorado, Southern Utah and Utah Tech would be the ones that they are targeting and that saves their baseball auto bid and gets them to 7 members with football so they wouldn't have the need for The Valley anymore.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

I wouldn't put so much stock into the schools the MVC is interested in on the previous page. Presidents are busy with commencements and everything, and as we all know it's only them who have the votes. This is going be a lengthy process like the last time, and this is extremely early in the process.

Matt Brown is almost certainly being fed information from ADs (who have way less power). I don't buy for a second that Little Rock and Central Arkansas are serious candidates. That came from an AD he has a relationship with and whoever that AD is has an agenda bringing those two up. There's no chance Little Rock and Central Arkansas are getting votes from the likes of Drake, UIC, Bradley, and Valparaiso.

I'd take Matt Brown's early update with a huge grain of salt. Listen to him later on, but this early he's just filling newsletters for subscriptions.

[ReZyNeZy]

I wouldn't put so much stock into the schools the MVC is interested in on the previous page. Presidents are busy with commencements and everything, and as we all know it's only them who have the votes. This is going be a lengthy process like the last time, and this is extremely early in the process.

Matt Brown is almost certainly being fed information from ADs (who have way less power). I don't buy for a second that Little Rock and Central Arkansas are serious candidates. That came from an AD he has a relationship with and whoever that AD is has an agenda bringing those two up. There's no chance Little Rock and Central Arkansas are getting votes from the likes of Drake, UIC, Bradley, and Valparaiso.

I'd take Matt Brown's early update with a huge grain of salt. Listen to him later on, but this early he's just filling newsletters for subscriptions.

I can attest that Hosmer and Padilla would not want those teams. Padilla, Hosmer, and Small (While he was there) were heavily invested in not repeating mistakes that had caused Valpo to decline into its sad state. Hosmer Small, and Padilla all share the same agenda when it comes to athletics. Raise the floor before the ceiling. Their votes will likely go toward NKU, or St Thomas if they are still in the running. Both provide a lot of upside with minimal downside. Both also have relationships with Valpo as both are members of former VU conferences. In my opinion, both schools are heavily invested into athletics, and VU (better late than never) seems to be going down this path as well.

That being said, once renderings are leaked, Im sure they will find their way here.

[BCPanther]

Need to keep our eyes on what is happening in the WAC.

SFA is headed back to the Southland and sounds like Tarleton and Abilene Christian aren't far behind and that basically kills the WAC since they're already losing Grand Canyon and Seattle to the WCC.

The 3 Utahs (SUU, Utah Tech, Utah Valley) most likely end up in The Summit. If the Summit were to grab Northern Colorado as rumored it gives them 7 football members (4 Dakotas, UNC, SUU, Utah Tech) and gets them their own auto bid to the FCS playoffs.

That destabilizes the MVFC and most likely brings football under the MVC banner. UNI, IlSU, InSU, SIU, Murray and Youngstown (affiliate) barely hold an auto bid and likely add Robert Morris as an affiliate but that really makes everything tight.

That puts the football schools in a place where there are going to have to be some hard decisions made.

[IllinoisState]

Need to keep our eyes on what is happening in the WAC.

SFA is headed back to the Southland and sounds like Tarleton and Abilene Christian aren't far behind and that basically kills the WAC since they're already losing Grand Canyon and Seattle to the WCC.

The 3 Utahs (SUU, Utah Tech, Utah Valley) most likely end up in The Summit. If the Summit were to grab Northern Colorado as rumored it gives them 7 football members (4 Dakotas, UNC, SUU, Utah Tech) and gets them their own auto bid to the FCS playoffs.

That destabilizes the MVFC and most likely brings football under the MVC banner. UNI, IlSU, InSU, SIU, Murray and Youngstown (affiliate) barely hold an auto bid and likely add Robert Morris as an affiliate but that really makes everything tight.

That puts the football schools in a place where there are going to have to be some hard decisions made.

That's fine. The FCS doesn't have many eyes on it so I'm not worried about where the MVC MVFC schools end up for football in this hypothetical.

[Chuck A]

Matt Brown says the league is looking at Northern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Little Rock and Arlington as possible replacements. Kansas City is not expected to be in the running and there's no mention of Omaha at all.

Don't be surprised if the Expansion Committee pulls another threesome and invites NKU, Arlington and Little Rock, all basketball schools, just to get ahead of the next wave of expansion/realignment.

Then they're done.

[mvfcfan]

If the Summit League starts football I bet they'd only take UNI, Illinois State, and SIU as affiliates to get to 10 for football. Meanwhile Indiana State (lack of success), Murray State (lack of success and travel), and Youngstown State (travel) would get left behind and probably end up in the OVC as football affiliates which would get that league up to 12 assuming the 2 Big South schools are there for the long haul.

The Summit League commissioner has stated in the past that he's interested in sponsoring football. The OVC obviously wants it. The MVC has never shown any sign of actually caring about football one way or another. Elgin went so far as to say that football doesn't affect the MVC's decision making.

[IllinoisState]

If the Summit League starts football I bet they'd only take UNI, Illinois State, and SIU as affiliates to get to 10 for football. Meanwhile Indiana State (lack of success), Murray State (lack of success and travel), and Youngstown State (travel) would get left behind and probably end up in the OVC as football affiliates which would get that league up to 12 assuming the 2 Big South schools are there for the long haul.

The Summit League commissioner has stated in the past that he's interested in sponsoring football. The OVC obviously wants it. The MVC has never shown any sign of actually caring about football one way or another. Elgin went so far as to say that football doesn't affect the MVC's decision making.

The MVC schools would not go to the Summit for football.

[BCPanther]

If the Summit League starts football I bet they'd only take UNI, Illinois State, and SIU as affiliates to get to 10 for football. Meanwhile Indiana State (lack of success), Murray State (lack of success and travel), and Youngstown State (travel) would get left behind and probably end up in the OVC as football affiliates which would get that league up to 12 assuming the 2 Big South schools are there for the long haul.

The Summit League commissioner has stated in the past that he's interested in sponsoring football. The OVC obviously wants it. The MVC has never shown any sign of actually caring about football one way or another. Elgin went so far as to say that football doesn't affect the MVC's decision making.

The MVC schools would not go to the Summit for football.

Absolutely not. The best thing that could happen any of us is getting rid of the Dakotas.

The 5 MVC school plus Youngstown and Robert Morris is just fine for an FCS league.

[Chuck A]

Matt Brown says the league is looking at Northern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Little Rock and Arlington as possible replacements. Kansas City is not expected to be in the running and there's no mention of Omaha at all.

Someone mentioned in another thread that Little Rock and especially Central Arkansas don't fit the criteria that the Expansion Committee/Presidents established in the previous Valley Expansion: population growth for regular student recruitment. One could say that that has been met with Nashville and Chicago. Now, however, with Missouri State leaving, another situation has come up. There is a now a void on the southwest side of the Valley and maybe the Presidents want to shore that up. I have mentioned previously about the MVC adding 3 teams: NKU, Arlington and Little Rock. Arlington is rumored to have contacted the Southland, maybe they're out this time. NKU is the presumptive add this time to bring the Valley to 12. Little Rock, while not Nashville & Chicago, is showing growth. With Central Arkansas just 35 miles away, that would fill that Southwest void and provide a partner for Little Rock.

I'm just throwing stuff out...just like everybody else!