Possible Expansion Scenario

by **JBoss8393** » May 8th, 2017, 8:00 am

As we are all on pins and needles waiting for the MVC Presidents to make a decision about the future of the conference either tonight or tomorrow, I was giving this scenario a real possibility.

Valparaiso is added as the 10th school beginning with the 2017-18 season replacing Wichita State, which fits with what Mark Adams was twitting last week.

Murray State is added as the 11th school beginning with the 2018-19 season. This gives the Racers a 1 year notice to the OVC and saves them $250K. In addition, the MVFC accepts Murray State and moves up the timetable for North Dakota, revamping its entire league schedule for 2018 season. The B1G did this when it added Rutgers and Maryland.

Then over the next few weeks a full court press is put on Belmont, giving them a mid-June deadline. If they again rebuff the MVC, you grab a willing Milwaukee for the 2018-19 season.

It then gives the Horizon the opportunity to raid the Summit with IUPUI and PFW. Then the only question is does the OVC reach out to WIU to replace Murray State? Which if that happened puts the MVFC back to 11 teams instead of 12.

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by **uniftw** » May 8th, 2017, 8:09 am

JBoss8393 wrote:As we are all on pins and needles waiting for the MVC Presidents to make a decision about the future of the conference either tonight or tomorrow, I was giving this scenario a real possibility.

Valparaiso is added as the 10th school beginning with the 2017-18 season replacing Wichita State, which fits with what Mark Adams was twitting last week.

Murray State is added as the 11th school beginning with the 2018-19 season. This gives the Racers a 1 year notice to the OVC and saves them $250K. In addition, the MVFC accepts Murray State and moves up the timetable for North Dakota, revamping its entire league schedule for 2018 season. The B1G did this when it added Rutgers and Maryland.

Then over the next few weeks a full court press is put on Belmont, giving them a mid-June deadline. If they again rebuff the MVC, you grab a willing Milwaukee for the 2018-19 season.

It then gives the Horizon the opportunity to raid the Summit with IUPUI and PFW. Then the only question is does the OVC reach out to WIU to replace Murray State? Which if that happened puts the MVFC back to 11 teams instead of 12.

The problem with that situation is you are taking three teams away from The Summit and puts them on a very thin life support line.

That takes them down to 6 members (7 when UND joins so lets just say 7). The Summit loses 2 baseball schools (Fort Wayne and WIU). UND dropped baseball a year ago. That leaves that league with 5 baseball teams, that's not enough to maintain a bid. They lose the baseball bid and they lose all of their bids due to NCAA rules regarding how many sports a conference must sponsor to be considered a conference. The Summit then needs to raid somewhere, and who are they going to raid? Summit fans refuse to raid the WAC for programs - they want nothing to do with Chicago State, UMKC, etc...

The situations that could play out are too hypothetical and too far reaching to really try to play out right now, but it's easy to see the Summit having to combine with the Horizon or WAC OR die as a conference. That puts some potential strain on the MVFC, but with YSU plus the MVC football schools and Murray State (should they be added) the MVFC/MVC members are safe.

by **RacerJoeD** » May 8th, 2017, 8:26 am

The Summit would raid the WAC, and the WAC would be on life support.

by **RacerJoeD** » May 8th, 2017, 8:35 am

Murray St (OVC) goes to MVC
Valpo (HL) goes to MVC

Morehead (OVC) goes to HL
Lipscomb (ASUN) goes to OVC

IUPUI (Summit) goes to HL
IPFW (Summit) goes to HL

UMKC (WAC) goes to Summit
Chicago St (WAC) goes to Summit

OVC goes from 12 teams to 11 (8 FCS football) (footprint shrinks)
HL goes from 10 teams to 12 (Footprint stays the same)
Summit stays at 9 (footprint gets bigger, stays in large markets)
ASUN goes from 8 to 7, but back to 8 with addition of North Alabama.
WAC goes from 8 to 6, threatening existence. Footprint shrinks. Possible merge with Big West. WAC is the "sick man of college sports".

This doesn't take into account the desire of Eastern KY (OVC), Jacksonville St (OVC), Missouri St (MVC) to go to FBS. Once you get into FBS football, all bets are off. Example, West Virginia in the BIG 12.

If any other OVC FB teams leave, look for the OVC to push for North Alabama who are transitioning from DII and will be in the ASun for basketball and Big South for Football. A move to the OVC would lower travel costs for No Alabama.

Other possible options for the OVC would be to try to go after Western Illinois or even Indiana State. For those schools, the OVC would allow for cheaper overall costs, a place for football and basketball, and a chance for both to compete. But I have no idea if those teams would want to move to the OVC.

by **All-MVC Fan** » May 8th, 2017, 8:45 am

JBoss8393 wrote:As we are all on pins and needles waiting for the MVC Presidents to make a decision about the future of the conference either tonight or tomorrow, I was giving this scenario a real possibility.

Valparaiso is added as the 10th school beginning with the 2017-18 season replacing Wichita State, which fits with what Mark Adams was twitting last week.

Murray State is added as the 11th school beginning with the 2018-19 season. This gives the Racers a 1 year notice to the OVC and saves them $250K. In addition, the MVFC accepts Murray State and moves up the timetable for North Dakota, revamping its entire league schedule for 2018 season. The B1G did this when it added Rutgers and Maryland.

Then over the next few weeks a full court press is put on Belmont, giving them a mid-June deadline. If they again rebuff the MVC, you grab a willing Milwaukee for the 2018-19 season.

It then gives the Horizon the opportunity to raid the Summit with IUPUI and PFW. Then the only question is does the OVC reach out to WIU to replace Murray State? Which if that happened puts the MVFC back to 11 teams instead of 12.

I think this could happen, but I'll throw a twist out there. What if the third team was SLU? I know most think it's a pipe dream, but I have been told that they are very uncomfortable with the travel expenses they are forking out for their non-revenue sports (i.e. everything but men's basketball) in the A-10. A new president, perhaps a new mindset on the MVC. It's not exactly likely, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. I do not think they are realizing the bonanza of East Coast students coming to SLU that they thought they would. Eh, in the real world it'll probably never happen, but it's fun to think about.

Valpo, then Murray, then SLU would be a home run of epic proportions for the league leadership. Which is precisely why it will never happen...lol...

by **SalukiBand** » May 8th, 2017, 8:52 am

Valley fans are living the pipe dream if they ever think that SLU could come back. They are waiting for the call from the Big East, which will not come in the foreseeable future.

by **JBoss8393** » May 8th, 2017, 9:08 am

uniftw wrote:
JBoss8393 wrote:As we are all on pins and needles waiting for the MVC Presidents to make a decision about the future of the conference either tonight or tomorrow, I was giving this scenario a real possibility.

Valparaiso is added as the 10th school beginning with the 2017-18 season replacing Wichita State, which fits with what Mark Adams was twitting last week.

Murray State is added as the 11th school beginning with the 2018-19 season. This gives the Racers a 1 year notice to the OVC and saves them $250K. In addition, the MVFC accepts Murray State and moves up the timetable for North Dakota, revamping its entire league schedule for 2018 season. The B1G did this when it added Rutgers and Maryland.

Then over the next few weeks a full court press is put on Belmont, giving them a mid-June deadline. If they again rebuff the MVC, you grab a willing Milwaukee for the 2018-19 season.

It then gives the Horizon the opportunity to raid the Summit with IUPUI and PFW. Then the only question is does the OVC reach out to WIU to replace Murray State? Which if that happened puts the MVFC back to 11 teams instead of 12.

The problem with that situation is you are taking three teams away from The Summit and puts them on a very thin life support line.

That takes them down to 6 members (7 when UND joins so lets just say 7). The Summit loses 2 baseball schools (Fort Wayne and WIU). UND dropped baseball a year ago. That leaves that league with 5 baseball teams, that's not enough to maintain a bid. They lose the baseball bid and they lose all of their bids due to NCAA rules regarding how many sports a conference must sponsor to be considered a conference. The Summit then needs to raid somewhere, and who are they going to raid? Summit fans refuse to raid the WAC for programs - they want nothing to do with Chicago State, UMKC, etc...

The situations that could play out are too hypothetical and too far reaching to really try to play out right now, but it's easy to see the Summit having to combine with the Horizon or WAC OR die as a conference. That puts some potential strain on the MVFC, but with YSU plus the MVC football schools and Murray State (should they be added) the MVFC/MVC members are safe.

I think that is why what the Valley does is so critical. Going to 12 sends multiple conference realignments into motion. Realistically, the OVC, Horizon, Summit, WAC, ASun & possibly the Southern.

I don't think the Horizon would care about what happens to the Summit. IUPUI and PFW both fit better geographically into the Horizon, where the outliers become Green Bay and UIC. Summit is going to have to bit the bullet and take UMKC and Chicago State (if it keeps athletics), and maybe Texas-Rio Grande to replenish its ranks.

The WAC has been on life-support for years with everybody hoping to go elsewhere. Never understood UMKC's move there especially now with Omaha in the Summit.

The OVC could go after Libscomb, Chattanooga or Western Illinois.

by **RacerJoeD** » May 8th, 2017, 9:12 am

If the Summit gets raided, they might have to add teams like Chicago St.

by **Svoboda** » May 8th, 2017, 10:05 am

SalukiBand wrote:Valley fans are living the pipe dream if they ever think that SLU could come back. They are waiting for the call from the Big East, which will not come in the foreseeable future.

I have always had the same philosophy but I've heard from a couple different people in the last couple weeks that the MVC has been talking to SLU. SLU is taking a beating on travel costs and I'm not sure they're getting the benefit out of East coast recruiting they thought they would be, academically speaking.

Lets not forget they've got a new administration now and they can see the writing on the wall with TV media contracts... they only get $350k from the deal they signed in 2012 which expires in 2020 if I'm not mistaken. It may not be as far fetched as it was 6 months ago.

by **uniftw** » May 8th, 2017, 10:21 am

I want 11 unless the 12 is SLU.

SLU is a god damn home run.

Say what you want about they have been bad recently, but I think getting into a conference like the MVC would help them thrive. Imagine selling to recruits in Illinois, St Louis (yes i know they are in STL), etc... that Hey, not only could you see a couple home games a year you can follow us on the road to pretty much every single game. You get the conference tournament 10 minutes from our arena.

Travel expenses cut WAY down, allowing them to dump more money into recruiting, into all sports, into everything.

I'll pipe dream all day every day, that's fine. The home run they would be would make the way Barry Bonds hit the ball look like a weak grounder back to the pitcher.