If we go to 12 who do you want (choose 2) poll?

[mvfcfan]

Anyway here's some real realignment news from the past few weeks you may have missed:
Hampton is leaving the MEAC for the Big South (18-19)
South Carolina Upstate is leaving the A-Sun for the Big South (I believe North Alabama will be joining the A-Sun next year though)So they'll still have 8 members but still you have to wonder if there'll be any more movement there

UC-San Diego is moving to D1 and joining the Big West (2020)
CSU-Bakersfield will leave the WAC and join the Big West (2020)
Cal Baptist will join the WAC next year so they're firm on 8 members Yet one has to wonder how firm the WAC REALLY is This is a big hit to their profile and has to have the remaining members feeling more antsy about moving to greener pastures.

What does this mean for the MVC? I don't know. Probably nothing, but this makes further realignment in the WAC very possible and all of those schools have to be considered "in-play" for any conference that wants them.

I've also heard that there are sources saying that UMKC will return to the Summit League next season. The WAC's extinction has been coming for years. The conference has been a conference basically for schools that have had no where else to go.

I don't want GCU in the MVC period. I'm iffy on NM State just because of the fact that they were once in the MVC. But they have proven already that they will leave and with their FBS football they will leave first chance they get.

Would much rather go with Murray State and Northern Kentucky than the far far west route. At least with MSU and NKU the conference would stay compact. There's a lot of stability in that. Both of those schools are doing well. I also really like NDSU and SDSU; and at least there are conference schools that have affiliations with those schools already.

[VUGrad1314]

Here's a realignment scenario that might solve a lot of problems (predicated on NMSU going FCS which seems very unlikely but possible and schools being willing to increase their travel budgets)
North Dakota joins MVFC
Robert Morris from NEC to Horizon Joins MVFC
NJIT from A-Sun to NEC
North Alabama to OVC (football) and A-Sun (other sports)
Murray State from OVC to MVC Also joins MVFC
NKU\Belmont\SLU to MVC One of these will say yes Murray gets its travel partner
Lipscomb from A-Sun to OVC (no football)
UTRGV from WAC to A-Sun
NMSU from WAC to MVC (also joins MVFC)
GCU from WAC to MVC

We try that on for size for a couple years and THEN see how Dayton\Belmont\SLU feel about the MVC to help us even out the public\private split. It's an early sacrifice in terms of travel and for the private schools for an even greater chance at success both now and later.

Of course occam's razor tells me that the Mountain West is going to just add NMSU UTEP and GCU and call it good while Conference USA adds UMASS or maybe Army for football only or Liberty for all sports.

[VUGrad1314]

Anyway here's some real realignment news from the past few weeks you may have missed:
Hampton is leaving the MEAC for the Big South (18-19)
South Carolina Upstate is leaving the A-Sun for the Big South (I believe North Alabama will be joining the A-Sun next year though)So they'll still have 8 members but still you have to wonder if there'll be any more movement there

UC-San Diego is moving to D1 and joining the Big West (2020)
CSU-Bakersfield will leave the WAC and join the Big West (2020)
Cal Baptist will join the WAC next year so they're firm on 8 members Yet one has to wonder how firm the WAC REALLY is This is a big hit to their profile and has to have the remaining members feeling more antsy about moving to greener pastures.

What does this mean for the MVC? I don't know. Probably nothing, but this makes further realignment in the WAC very possible and all of those schools have to be considered "in-play" for any conference that wants them.

I've also heard that there are sources saying that UMKC will return to the Summit League next season. The WAC's extinction has been coming for years. The conference has been a conference basically for schools that have had no where else to go.

I don't want GCU in the MVC period. I'm iffy on NM State just because of the fact that they were once in the MVC. But they have proven already that they will leave and with their FBS football they will leave first chance they get.

Would much rather go with Murray State and Northern Kentucky than the far far west route. At least with MSU and NKU the conference would stay compact. There's a lot of stability in that. Both of those schools are doing well. I also really like NDSU and SDSU; and at least there are conference schools that have affiliations with those schools already.

I am 100% okay with Murray State and NKU and\or the Dakotas. If the best private school options won't budge our job is to create a conference that entices them to come to us (or makes them wish they had). I might cheer for a private school but I am 100% dead set against adding a school just because they are public or private. That's not how you win.

[mvfcfan]

North Dakota is actually going to be joining the MVFC in 2020. As far as RMU is concerned, there is absolutely no chance they will ever join the MVFC.

This is kind of complicated, but the MVC and the Summit League basically have an agreement that their (scholarship FCS) football playing schools can play in the MVFC. There is no agreement like that with the Horizon League. Youngstown State basically replaced Eastern Illinois when they became OVC in all sports. The OVC basically told them they could join the OVC, but that they had to bring their football with them. Later on we added Western KY to get up to 8 schools. After WKU left we added NDSU and SDSU. That has since expanded to USD and now UND in a few years. But the agreement between the Summit, MVC, and MVFC more or less occurred when USD received their invite. Since then UND wanted in the Summit League and UND joined the MVFC without any issues at all.

I also believe that the agreement between the MVC and the Summit is why the Dakota schools have never really been considered for MVC membership. If anyone is added to the MVFC in the near future it will be Murray State. And Murray State will be able to join the MVFC without any issues as well. The Dakota fans can say whatever they want, but they really can't stop Murray State from joining.

A 12 team MVFC is perfect. Any more than 12 for football would be getting too big. So I'm a strong supporter of Murray State because the XDSU schools have no shot at getting invited and it gives the MVFC an extra school.

As a 12th team for the MVC I think NKU is a lot better of a selection than Milwaukee and Oral Roberts. I wasn't sold on NKU at first, and there are things about them that concern me, but overall they might actually be the best 12th option out there. I actually like NKU better than Belmont.

[VUGrad1314]

What concerns you about NKU? Is it the lack of a longstanding D1 track record? Because other than that it seems like they check all the boxes and are the best addition that isn't likely to turn the MVC down unless Belmont and\or SLU comes to their senses. Can you explain why the Summit\MVFC agreement makes it less likely NDSU and SDSU would join the MVC? I would have thought the exact opposite.

[VUGrad1314]

Belmont loses to Lipscomb. Another loss like that and they'll struggle to get an at-large. This might just be a season that finally wakes them up and realize that the MVC is the only way forward for them as a program.

[VUGrad1314]

Some food for thought vis a vis MVC expansion:

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2017/11 ... -mike-daum

I get that Western Michigan is a solid team and one of the favorites in the MAC but they're an A10 team playing at home. This isn't SLU's first questionable loss (they also lost to Detroit). It may be time to seriously question just how much they would really add to the conference. They've got the resources to be sure but those resources aren't translating into wins, even at home. That is very troubling. Meanwhile, South Dakota State just took down their second P5 school this year and are 7-2. Both Dakota schools look really solid this year and appear to be the kind of programs the MVC needs.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

I've said from day 1 St Louis isn't who we want. Their outlook is bleak.

[BEARZ77]

SLU is playing with a very limited roster because of an ongoing investigation. They have a top 50 kid signed for next year to go with a similar freshman this year, and will continue to mine the STL market as long as Ford is there. Tell me another school even close to having their fairly recent history of NCAA teams, attendance numbers, and tv market we could get. Once Ford has that program rebuilt [probably mid next year] they make everyone else we are discussing look like , well what they are, not in the same ball park. You can't look at just today, you have to look at history/potential. But honestly, I don't see SLU settling unless the movement of teams from the A-10 and AAC leaves them with no choice.

[mvfcfan]

The only value St Louis University adds to the MVC is money because of all the fans they'd bring to Arch Madness. But I doubt they will come knocking on our door anytime soon if ever.