What's the next realignment domino to fall?

[mvfcfan]

I started a thread on the NKU message board to see what their thoughts were on joining the MVC. It's not too lively of a place, but the few fans that did comment seem happy with the Horizon. Two the three said that they want to stay in the Horizon rather than go MVC, while one said he doesn't think NKU would go for it because of their exit fee. I'm not sure how much that would be.

http://www.norsefans.com/phpBB3/viewtop ... p=440#p440

I'm planning on starting a similar thread on the NDSU and SDSU sites to see what their thoughts are. I just have to get my new accounts approved first. I'll probably post one on the Oral Roberts site eventually as well. We all know how Murray State fans feel about it (they want in) and how Belmont and St Louis fans feel (they don't want in).

[VUGrad1314]

Surprised to hear that reaction from NKU though the financial argument makes sense. I am reasonably sure that one of your respondents is a jealous UIC fan. This "belief" that the Horizon League is on a better path than the Valley is just sour grapes and is based on nothing. I really am surprised to hear that Belmont fans don't want in, I thought that was just the position of the administration.

[mvfcfan]

Surprised to hear that reaction from NKU though the financial argument makes sense. I am reasonably sure that one of your respondents is a jealous UIC fan. This "belief" that the Horizon League is on a better path than the Valley is just sour grapes and is based on nothing. I really am surprised to hear that Belmont fans don't want in, I thought that was just the position of the administration.

Well I could be wrong about the Belmont fans, but Belmont itself clearly isn't that interested. Does Belmont even have a board? I really haven't ever heard any opinions from any of their fans. St Louis on the other hand is not interested and their fans aren't very interested either.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

I started a thread on the NKU message board to see what their thoughts were on joining the MVC. It's not too lively of a place, but the few fans that did comment seem happy with the Horizon. Two the three said that they want to stay in the Horizon rather than go MVC, while one said he doesn't think NKU would go for it because of their exit fee. I'm not sure how much that would be.

http://www.norsefans.com/phpBB3/viewtop ... p=440#p440

I'm planning on starting a similar thread on the NDSU and SDSU sites to see what their thoughts are. I just have to get my new accounts approved first. I'll probably post one on the Oral Roberts site eventually as well. We all know how Murray State fans feel about it (they want in) and how Belmont and St Louis fans feel (they don't want in).

One of the two is a UIC fan though.

I haven't seen a Belmont board anywhere either.

[VUGrad1314]

Just still can't fathom how a team willing to schedule this ambitiously doesn't want to finish off what would be a fantastic schedule by upgrading their in-conference competition.

http://www.belmontbruins.com/sports/m-b ... 8/schedule

[uniftw]

Just still can't fathom how a team willing to schedule this ambitiously doesn't want to finish off what would be a fantastic schedule by upgrading their in-conference competition.

http://www.belmontbruins.com/sports/m-b ... 8/schedule

Becuase it's harder to get to 25-27 wins by playing in the MVC and getting maybe 12-13 conference wins if you're at the top 3 compared to dominating one of the 7 worst conferences in America and getting 15-16 conference wins.

It's also "easier" to win the OVC tournament than the MVC tournament. This is also the first year the OVC tournament hasn't been played in Nashville in at least a decade and a half. Having to go to St Louis and play on a neutral setting would destroy that built in advantage.

They aren't interesting in upgrading. They are interested in keeping up their allusion

[Red]

With some leagues going to a 20 game conference schedule, I think it makes sense for the MVC to add an 11th school and do the same. Let's just get Murray in the fold and be done with it already.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

With some leagues going to a 20 game conference schedule, I think it makes sense for the MVC to add an 11th school and do the same. Let's just get Murray in the fold and be done with it already.

The 20 game schedule, while the coaches I don't think we're crazy about it, wasn't the biggest obstacle (although if it means getting rid if Quincy I'd be all fir ut but it probably means getting rid if someone else and Jeeping Quincy smh). The biggest obstacle was travel partners evening out for women's basketball. Apparently, that's a big deal?

[mvfcfan]

I agree with adding just Murray State and being done with it. I think they had to wait a year to add Murray State because of football, but it has been pretty well confirmed by one of our associate commissioners that we are going to 12 for the 2018-19 season. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Milwaukee will end up being the #12. I heard that the MVC's visit there actually went pretty well. I'd be fine with adding the Panthers and that's probably the route we should take. This map still intrigues me.



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If it was up to me entirely I would get the 5 public schools in the MVC to split off, take the MVC name, and join the Summit football schools and YSU, for an all sports conference. I'd then go after Eastern Illinois to make a 12 team league that is football oriented, but with the potential to have good basketball. I might go after SEMO and Murray State also.

But to me football is more important because we can actually compete for national championships at the FCS level. It makes a lot of sense to invest 4 million dollars into a league (sport) that almost always gets anywhere between 3-5 bids in the tournament. It makes less sense to invest that money into basketball where your conference might only get one bid even if you have a team that has a 26-7 record. There is almost no chance of ever competing for a national title in basketball unless you are in a P5 conference or in the Big East.

To add to the point even though the MVC is a "basketball conference", it is slowly becoming more football oriented. As of right now the MVFC has 7 teams in the top 25. The MVFC has sent someone to the national championship game 6 years in a row (mostly NDSU, but ILST and YSU both made it too). But personally I'd much rather win a FCS national championship than make it to the Sweet 16 in basketball. That's just my thoughts.

I'd also like to be in a conference where all the schools have the same goals. Clearly the publics and the privates have different ideas on what they want to do. The privates would be better off getting together with other privates (or public basketball only schools) and the publics would be better off getting together with other publics.

[Mikovio]

But personally I'd much rather win a FCS national championship than make it to the Sweet 16 in basketball. That's just my thoughts.

I'm sorry, but this is nuts.

1.6 million people watched the FCS title game on ESPN2.
Source: http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2017/01 ... tour-golf/

The first and second rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament averaged nearly 10 million viewers per game.
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basket ... 9ep95fj54j

Games played on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV drew in an average of 9,325,000 million viewers, which is 10 percent more than the opening weekend of last year's tournament.

Much of that was sparked by the upsets of Duke and Louisville, both No. 2 seeds, on Sunday. In fact, Sunday's games attracted 11.9 million viewers, which was a 34 percent increase from last year's opening Sunday.

Add to the fact that millions of people fill out basketball brackets, you get millions of dollars in TV payouts and you get on the cover of Sports Illustrated for making the Sweet 16, and I don't see how an FCS title is even in the same galaxy. You can call it a "national championship" all you want, but nobody considers it a true championship because the winner isn't anywhere near the top 25 and it's assumed they would get crushed by Bama, FSU, tOSU etc.

Just makes no sense to invest in the money pit that is FCS football.