Sounds like Wichita St to the AAC... Who gets an Invite?

[uniftw]

At what FCS school (outside of Liberty), does football drive the bus? I don't disagree at the FBS level..but not the FCS level.

Define drive? Lose the least money/make the most money OR conference alignment decided by the sport OR sport that generates the most fans...Pretty much regardless of which one, it's shorter to list "basketball" schools at the FCS level than football schools.

There are a bunch of schools that don't qualify as either as neither football or basketball "do anything", but their alignment is all centered around football even.

There is almost zero football having schools that focus their alignment on basketball first.

[uniftw]

UNI is going to go FBS because it wants FBS football. It will only do it if it means a better future for basketball. There are very few FCS programs that have that mentality.

The extreme majority of FCS programs that move FBS do so because they want to move football to the FBS OR they will stay FCS because it's the best fit for their football program. They don't give a damn about their basketball program competition level. It's all about finding the best fit for their football program and overall travel budget.

Even basketball only leagues, outside of the Big East are made up of FCS programs coming together to keep their entire athletic department safe, even if it means separating their football program into a one sport league. The A10 is a lesser example of that but the A10 still has Davidson, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, UMASS, Rhode Island and Richmond with football. The Big East has Butler and Villanova that play FCS football, and is rumored to want UCONN - who like UMASS is FBS football

Football is the primary decision making reason at those schools, thus making it that football drives the bus. UNI is one of the few FCS programs that will think of basketball before a football move.

FCS programs that will protect basketball before football (ignoring places like the SWAC/MEAC/Ivy/Patriot that have their own agendas unrelated to sports)

Butler
Dayton
Drake
Duquesne
Illinois State - maybe?
Indiana State
Missouri State - maybe?
Northern Iowa
Robert Morris
Southern Illinois - maybe?
Valparaiso
Villanova

Even having said that, football averages more people per game than basketball at all of those schools sans Butler, Dayton, Indiana State, Valpo and Nova.

[IllinoisState]

Welcome to the message board. Your contribution right off the bat is noted

As an FYI,

2016 Illinois State Football Home attendance average - 10,157

2016-2017 Illinois State Basketball Home attendance average - 5,824


Just because the level is not FBS does not mean that Football is less of a money maker for the university (and this is only ticket sales...there is sponsorships, tailgaters who pay for parking, group outings, suites, etc.).

Football is and should be a big factor in this.

Where did you get the basketball attendance number from?

I simply added it up from goredbirds.com individual game box score attendance number, then divided it by total number of games. Think it's off?

I haven't looked. I was just wondering if the regular season numbers were out yet.

[Redhawk]

I just can't fathom a school competing at the highest level of basketball letting a sport that is not, football, influencing any decision about the future of that program or its conference.

Wichita State is the only school in the Valley competing at the highest level of basketball and they
can't leave fast enough! Northern Iowa had a couple really strong 30 wins seasons where they too
were playing with the elite and ISUr flirted with it this year but couldn't close the deal.

This season the MVC had 8 teams with an RPI from 145-314. They went 0-32 against WSU and ISUr
and not much better in the non conference. Nothing "high level" at all with this group!

[RoyalShock]

MVC to hold emergency meeting Sunday in St. Louis.

https://www.fanragsports.com/news/mvc-t ... int-louis/

[Cdizzle]

[

I haven't looked. I was just wondering if the regular season number were out yet.

http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/team.pdf

Note that this does include post-season games.

[uniftw]

I just can't fathom a school competing at the highest level of basketball letting a sport that is not, football, influencing any decision about the future of that program or its conference.

Wichita State is the only school in the Valley competing at the highest level of basketball and they
can't leave fast enough! Northern Iowa had a couple really strong 30 wins seasons where they too
were playing with the elite and ISUr flirted with it this year but couldn't close the deal.

This season the MVC had 8 teams with an RPI from 145-314. They went 0-32 against WSU and ISUr
and not much better in the non conference. Nothing "high level" at all with this group!

UNI has 7 tournament bids in the last 14 seasons. I believe 4 of those were at-large bids. UNI has spent 20 weeks in the top 25 polls over that time, including 7 in the top 15 and 3 in the top 10. I know that's nothing compared to WSU, but for mid-major that's pretty damn good.

I know this past season falling like it did makes it impossible for anyone else in this conference to actually respect UNI's program right now. It is what it is. However, the reality is UNI is a pretty well respected program - much more so than any other program in our conference right now - and our fans have every right to be pushing for this next addition/realignment to be made correctly.

[Cdizzle]

I just can't fathom a school competing at the highest level of basketball letting a sport that is not, football, influencing any decision about the future of that program or its conference.

Wichita State is the only school in the Valley competing at the highest level of basketball and they
can't leave fast enough! Northern Iowa had a couple really strong 30 wins seasons where they too
were playing with the elite and ISUr flirted with it this year but couldn't close the deal.

This season the MVC had 8 teams with an RPI from 145-314. They went 0-32 against WSU and ISUr
and not much better in the non conference. Nothing "high level" at all with this group!

UNI has 7 tournament bids in the last 14 seasons. I believe 4 of those were at-large bids. UNI has spent 20 weeks in the top 25 polls over that time, including 7 in the top 15 and 3 in the top 10. I know that's nothing compared to WSU, but for mid-major that's pretty damn good.

I know this past season falling like it did makes it impossible for anyone else in this conference to actually respect UNI's program right now. It is what it is. However, the reality is UNI is a pretty well respected program - much more so than any other program in our conference right now - and our fans have every right to be pushing for this next addition/realignment to be made correctly.

3 were at-large. Though a couple others probably could have been (definitely 2015).

I do think you're kindof seeing UNI is on the 4-year cycle though. Which is a great thing if there are several teams like that in a league. Got an extra bid out of the last cycle, but I don't really see the roster lining up very well for this next one. Time will tell.

[Khan4Cats]

Wichita State is the only school in the Valley competing at the highest level of basketball and they
can't leave fast enough! Northern Iowa had a couple really strong 30 wins seasons where they too
were playing with the elite and ISUr flirted with it this year but couldn't close the deal.

This season the MVC had 8 teams with an RPI from 145-314. They went 0-32 against WSU and ISUr
and not much better in the non conference. Nothing "high level" at all with this group!

UNI has 7 tournament bids in the last 14 seasons. I believe 4 of those were at-large bids. UNI has spent 20 weeks in the top 25 polls over that time, including 7 in the top 15 and 3 in the top 10. I know that's nothing compared to WSU, but for mid-major that's pretty damn good.

I know this past season falling like it did makes it impossible for anyone else in this conference to actually respect UNI's program right now. It is what it is. However, the reality is UNI is a pretty well respected program - much more so than any other program in our conference right now - and our fans have every right to be pushing for this next addition/realignment to be made correctly.

3 were at-large. Though a couple others probably could have been (definitely 2015).

I do think you're kindof seeing UNI is on the 4-year cycle though. Which is a great thing if there are several teams like that in a league. Got an extra bid out of the last cycle, but I don't really see the roster lining up very well for this next one. Time will tell.

2 were at large, 05 & 06. We won the auto bid in 04, 09, 10, 15, 16.

[UEACES80]

Not ideal but think forward and let the Football schools go.

UNI and IL State to the MAC - move Toledo to the East and IL State and UNI slot into the West

SIU and MSU - to the Sun Belt

Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola and IN State (drop football) try to add three of these four schools as new members /// Belmont (Nashville), UNK (Extended Cincy), Wright State (Dayton) and Valpo (Extended Chicago). Alleviates the football / basketball split. Travel is reasonable - furthest north (Loyola) / south (Belmont) / east (Wright State) / west (Drake)

Lots of variables:

Maybe MAC doesn't want to go all the way west to Iowa then maybe SIU joins the MAC which likely puts UNI in the Summit with the Dakotas.