MVC going to 12 with UIC and UTA?

[TBS_20]

There's nowhere else to go that isn't a serious downgrade. That's the issue.

We're stuck with each other, for better or worse, and I think we make a lot more if it on this board than the league and the presidents do.

That talks to the poor vision our presidents have. Just keep letting the good ones and now we're down to s***. I just can't believe murray is gonna get screwed again when they clearly ha e the best fans. Sometimes it's more than market. Murray actually brings in money for the conference.

[DUBulldog]

I believe the answer is no for ISU because they're letting private universities truly make the decisions. The privates make all the decision regarding sports.

I've seen this stated a lot on this board, but what evidence is there that the privates make all the decisions regarding sports? There is an even split between privates and publics in the MVC. Do the private school's votes count more than the public school's? This whole argument about the privates controlling everything just makes no sense to me.

It seems so easy in our society these days to blame everything you don't like on "those other guys". In this case, for fans of the public schools, that would be the private schools.

If the private schools control everything, why is every school being considered a public school?

[SalukiWorld]

I believe the answer is no for ISU because they're letting private universities truly make the decisions. The privates make all the decision regarding sports.

I've seen this stated a lot on this board, but what evidence is there that the privates make all the decisions regarding sports? There is an even split between privates and publics in the MVC. Do the private school's votes count more than the public school's? This whole argument about the privates controlling everything just makes no sense to me.

I'm not sure how many votes it takes to accept or decline a member but if the privates stick together, they can 100% just reject a school like Murray

[DUBulldog]

I believe the answer is no for ISU because they're letting private universities truly make the decisions. The privates make all the decision regarding sports.

I've seen this stated a lot on this board, but what evidence is there that the privates make all the decisions regarding sports? There is an even split between privates and publics in the MVC. Do the private school's votes count more than the public school's? This whole argument about the privates controlling everything just makes no sense to me.

I'm not sure how many votes it takes to accept or decline a member but if the privates stick together, they can 100% just reject a school like Murray

But, couldn't you say the same about the publics? If they all stick together, they can 100% just reject a school, too. Doesn't answer the question of how the privates somehow have more pull than the publics.

[Drakey]

I don't think is privates verse publics. I think it is basketball verse football. Privates just don't have tax money to support money losing football. the publics that want to can hang on to FCS. If Indiana State dropped football and put that money into basketball would they be ahead? I think so.

[BEARZ77]

There's nowhere else to go that isn't a serious downgrade. That's the issue.

We're stuck with each other, for better or worse, and I think we make a lot more if it on this board than the league and the presidents do.

BINGO. As much as MSU has talked about wanting to be in position to move if the right opportunity presents itself, my thinking is that it would have to be a real solid opportunity , or we are fairly content to stay in the MVC. It's the best FCS football that can be had, it's a solid if somewhat changeable basketball conference that really at this point with Loyola leaving , has no established dominant program looking at the coming years, so opportunity abounds on the basketball side for a couple teams to assert themselves. That could be a newby like Belmont, it could be Drake continuing their recent ascension , a return to previous level for UNI,or recent dormant programs like SIU and Bradley emerging. The point is from a basketball standpoint the only thing holding back any of the basketball dominant Universities is themselves, not any decision on who does or doesn't get added. Schedule tough, pour the dollars you aren't spending on football into your facilities and staffing and do what Creighton and Loyola did. MVCF didn't seem to hold them back.

But it has to be done at the University level; there just isn't any mechanism or available impact teams for conferences to significantly change their course that would put them on par with the P-5 + BE at this point any more. A team can move, conferences not so much if at all.

[letsgoAces]

I believe the answer is no for ISU because they're letting private universities truly make the decisions. The privates make all the decision regarding sports.

I've seen this stated a lot on this board, but what evidence is there that the privates make all the decisions regarding sports? There is an even split between privates and publics in the MVC. Do the private school's votes count more than the public school's? This whole argument about the privates controlling everything just makes no sense to me.

I'm not sure how many votes it takes to accept or decline a member but if the privates stick together, they can 100% just reject a school like Murray

If it means anything to you, UE athletic director, Mark Spencer, has been on record for favoring the admission of Murray State.

[BCPanther]

I don't think is privates verse publics. I think it is basketball verse football. Privates just don't have tax money to support money losing football. the publics that want to can hang on to FCD. If Indiana State dropped football and put that money into basketball would they be ahead? I think so.

Indiana State probably would but UNI, Illinois State, Missouri State and SIU definitely would not.

Illinois State and Missouri State have put a bunch of money into their stadiums, SIU built a new stadium this decade and UNI is doing a $50ishM Dome reno that will be announced in the spring.

I'm a basketball guy 100% but you can't ignore the community, alumni, fundraising and corporate dollar importance that football has for a state school.

[E-Villan]

I believe the answer is no for ISU because they're letting private universities truly make the decisions. The privates make all the decision regarding sports.

I've seen this stated a lot on this board, but what evidence is there that the privates make all the decisions regarding sports? There is an even split between privates and publics in the MVC. Do the private school's votes count more than the public school's? This whole argument about the privates controlling everything just makes no sense to me.

It seems so easy in our society these days to blame everything you don't like on "those other guys". In this case, for fans of the public schools, that would be the private schools.

If the private schools control everything, why is every school being considered a public school?

Exactly correct. I can assure you at least one private school is all in on Murray, and I would think our newest addition would be as well. The problem isn't the division based on public/private, rather the strange, distorted set up of the MVC and the MVFC. The last additions, Loyola, Valpo and Belmont weren't added because they were private. They were added because they had good basketball pedigrees, and we didn't have to involve the MVFC. Now with Murray, this is the first time we have had to face this issue. I don't necessarily blame the MVFC no more than we should be blamed for not taking Youngstown or Western Illinois into our basketball league. What is in ones best interests isn't necessarily what is in the others.

The Great Midwest, Conference USA, and the old Big East are all examples of conferences that had a fairly even split of football and non-football schools, that either fell completely apart, or went through endless realignments and shuffling. The two most stable conferences over the last 20 or so years are probably the MAC and A-10. I think it's clear commonality breeds compatibility.

I think the MVC/MVFC is sort of like a divorced couple who agree to share a house. Separate bedrooms, and you agree to open date. The MVC publics are kind of like the kids trying to balance both parents. It might work for a while, but you know eventually it is going to blow up.

[TBS_20]

The two most stable conferences over the last 20 or so years are probably the MAC and A-10. I think it's clear commonality breeds compatibility.

I think the MVC/MVFC is sort of like a divorced couple who agree to share a house. Separate bedrooms, and you agree to open date. The MVC publics are kind of like the kids trying to balance both parents. It might work for a while, but you know eventually it is going to blow up.

It sure dies seem not only inevitable but everyone can see it and knows it. Rip it off like a band-aid and get it over with.