Updated 1/6/18: MVC Expansion Poll

[letsgoAces]

it's interesting to see all the opinions on expansion and the different perspective. Just a few more thoughts on my own. One, is that is seems apparent the MVC has interest in University of Texas at Arlington. Apparently this university is prepared to heavily invest into their program, and has recently hired a firm to find what would be good conference options for themselves. It has been suggested the league sees UTA as a templet from Loyola - a school in a major market ready to make a commitment to it's basketball program. From my perspective, it's just to far away and despite it's market size, I would not perceive the Missouri Valley Conference making a big impact there. Perhaps I am wrong.
Past history of the MVC has shown that the league has had considerable interest in Belmont. Twice they have been invited to apply and twice they have turned us down. I think that may change soon. I tend to doubt Belmont would want to stay in the OVC if Murray decided to pull out. The MVC has considered Murray State before and it looked like it was going to happen but something hit a glitch - not sure exactly what. There also has been some interest in Oral Roberts, Missouri at Kansas, and University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Milwaukee Wisconsin, and a few others.
From where I am sitting I don't see how the league could not possibly benefit from having Murray State and Belmont join the MVC. With two quality programs aligned what the present MVC institutions, there is zero question in my mind that in most years 2 of our schools will have outstanding seasons which will lead to multiple bids. At the same time it gives two more great games on the schedule and give the conference I believe a higher profile among mid major conferences. And frankly, there may be teams in our league right now that at some point may decide to leave. At the very least the league would not have to go out and try to hastily find another replacement.
Fans on here may choose to disagree with me and that's okay. Perhaps I am wrong. But these are my own honest and thought out opinions.

[just ducky]

No new thinking from me so I am Stillllllllll in favor of a Murray and Belmont invitation. And I am Stilllll in favor of a Murray only invite if Belmont remains reluctant.

The Horizon League sat and did nothing and I am Stillll having nightmares about their collapse!

[BEARZ77]

I've never been a very pro move to FBS guy because as has been pointed out , there is no fiscal benefit and more likely a big cost. And unlike the earlier post, I don't see it as a big boost in national perception; I mean is Arkansas St etc or the MAC seen in better light than top level Valley schools, hardly. But what does intrigue me is that chance that G-5 and top level FBS become one level and then with that taking place, the opportunity to relook at conferences affiliations with schools like W Kentucky, Tulsa, UAB, a few of the MAC schools and so on, all being in the same mix as Valley football playing schools are . Right now that difference in football levels makes those impossible, even though I think everyone knows that the MVCF conference teams can play toe to toe with the majority of G-5 schools, and those G-5 schools are already not really in the same league or even stratosphere as P-5 is.

I love the MVC and from a basketball standpoint don't want[ MSU] to give that up to play FBS football in a league like the Sun Belt or even USA; but like I've said before, if we are going to make football a priority equal to MBB , then lets do it well and look for opportunities that serve both equally . And to me that's where sitting tight right now and waiting while we continue to advance our profile makes sense for MSU. We are a large State University with significant enrollment, top level [ except football] facilities and a President who is more a business man than an Academic . The school most like us seems to be Illinois State .

[BCPanther]

I've never been a very pro move to FBS guy because as has been pointed out , there is no fiscal benefit and more likely a big cost. And unlike the earlier post, I don't see it as a big boost in national perception; I mean is Arkansas St etc or the MAC seen in better light than top level Valley schools, hardly. But what does intrigue me is that chance that G-5 and top level FBS become one level and then with that taking place, the opportunity to relook at conferences affiliations with schools like W Kentucky, Tulsa, UAB, a few of the MAC schools and so on, all being in the same mix as Valley football playing schools are . Right now that difference in football levels makes those impossible, even though I think everyone knows that the MVCF conference teams can play toe to toe with the majority of G-5 schools, and those G-5 schools are already not really in the same league or even stratosphere as P-5 is.

I love the MVC and from a basketball standpoint don't want[ MSU] to give that up to play FBS football in a league like the Sun Belt or even USA; but like I've said before, if we are going to make football a priority equal to MBB , then lets do it well and look for opportunities that serve both equally . And to me that's where sitting tight right now and waiting while we continue to advance our profile makes sense for MSU. We are a large State University with significant enrollment, top level [ except football] facilities and a President who is more a business man than an Academic . The school most like us seems to be Illinois State .

Missouri State and Illinois State have surged to become the leading public universities in our league. UNI has faded from that group due to a combination of poor presidential hires/instability and the general political environment in Iowa.

I fully expect Missouri State to start pushing towards 30k enrollment and end up making the FBS jump regardless of what it does to basketball. You don't take the risks associated with Bobby Petrino without being all in on getting to the next level in football and geography gives MSU a giant step up over Illinois State who is, of course, in a MAC or bust situation.

UNI has gone from serious discussions with the Mountain West and the MAC about a decade ago to a school that will be rebranded the University of Iowa at Cedar Falls and, most likely, D2 Athletics by 2035. If/when Ben Jacobson leaves (and he was thisclose this spring) UNI Athletics as we know it and it's current spot as a viable 3rd DI program in Iowa are gone and we hang out as a bottom of the Valley department until we give up and head for the Northern Sun.

[acepurple84]

Lets hope UNI gets the funding and stays Di and in the MVC. I like UNI and Ben Jacobson as their coach. He is a good coach and respectful. They have a good rivalry with several schools.

[TheDrake]

I've never been a very pro move to FBS guy because as has been pointed out , there is no fiscal benefit and more likely a big cost. And unlike the earlier post, I don't see it as a big boost in national perception; I mean is Arkansas St etc or the MAC seen in better light than top level Valley schools, hardly. But what does intrigue me is that chance that G-5 and top level FBS become one level and then with that taking place, the opportunity to relook at conferences affiliations with schools like W Kentucky, Tulsa, UAB, a few of the MAC schools and so on, all being in the same mix as Valley football playing schools are . Right now that difference in football levels makes those impossible, even though I think everyone knows that the MVCF conference teams can play toe to toe with the majority of G-5 schools, and those G-5 schools are already not really in the same league or even stratosphere as P-5 is.

I love the MVC and from a basketball standpoint don't want[ MSU] to give that up to play FBS football in a league like the Sun Belt or even USA; but like I've said before, if we are going to make football a priority equal to MBB , then lets do it well and look for opportunities that serve both equally . And to me that's where sitting tight right now and waiting while we continue to advance our profile makes sense for MSU. We are a large State University with significant enrollment, top level [ except football] facilities and a President who is more a business man than an Academic . The school most like us seems to be Illinois State .

Missouri State and Illinois State have surged to become the leading public universities in our league. UNI has faded from that group due to a combination of poor presidential hires/instability and the general political environment in Iowa.

I fully expect Missouri State to start pushing towards 30k enrollment and end up making the FBS jump regardless of what it does to basketball. You don't take the risks associated with Bobby Petrino without being all in on getting to the next level in football and geography gives MSU a giant step up over Illinois State who is, of course, in a MAC or bust situation.

UNI has gone from serious discussions with the Mountain West and the MAC about a decade ago to a school that will be rebranded the University of Iowa at Cedar Falls and, most likely, D2 Athletics by 2035. If/when Ben Jacobson leaves (and he was thisclose this spring) UNI Athletics as we know it and it's current spot as a viable 3rd DI program in Iowa are gone and we hang out as a bottom of the Valley department until we give up and head for the Northern Sun.

You went from being from of the biggest homers on this board to perhaps the most pessimistic. What happened?

[BCPanther]

I've never been a very pro move to FBS guy because as has been pointed out , there is no fiscal benefit and more likely a big cost. And unlike the earlier post, I don't see it as a big boost in national perception; I mean is Arkansas St etc or the MAC seen in better light than top level Valley schools, hardly. But what does intrigue me is that chance that G-5 and top level FBS become one level and then with that taking place, the opportunity to relook at conferences affiliations with schools like W Kentucky, Tulsa, UAB, a few of the MAC schools and so on, all being in the same mix as Valley football playing schools are . Right now that difference in football levels makes those impossible, even though I think everyone knows that the MVCF conference teams can play toe to toe with the majority of G-5 schools, and those G-5 schools are already not really in the same league or even stratosphere as P-5 is.

I love the MVC and from a basketball standpoint don't want[ MSU] to give that up to play FBS football in a league like the Sun Belt or even USA; but like I've said before, if we are going to make football a priority equal to MBB , then lets do it well and look for opportunities that serve both equally . And to me that's where sitting tight right now and waiting while we continue to advance our profile makes sense for MSU. We are a large State University with significant enrollment, top level [ except football] facilities and a President who is more a business man than an Academic . The school most like us seems to be Illinois State .

Missouri State and Illinois State have surged to become the leading public universities in our league. UNI has faded from that group due to a combination of poor presidential hires/instability and the general political environment in Iowa.

I fully expect Missouri State to start pushing towards 30k enrollment and end up making the FBS jump regardless of what it does to basketball. You don't take the risks associated with Bobby Petrino without being all in on getting to the next level in football and geography gives MSU a giant step up over Illinois State who is, of course, in a MAC or bust situation.

UNI has gone from serious discussions with the Mountain West and the MAC about a decade ago to a school that will be rebranded the University of Iowa at Cedar Falls and, most likely, D2 Athletics by 2035. If/when Ben Jacobson leaves (and he was thisclose this spring) UNI Athletics as we know it and it's current spot as a viable 3rd DI program in Iowa are gone and we hang out as a bottom of the Valley department until we give up and head for the Northern Sun.

You went from being from of the biggest homers on this board to perhaps the most pessimistic. What happened?

As far as our basketball program, I am absolutely still a giant homer. Y'all know exactly where I stand on that and what I think of where we're at and that is completely attributable to Ben Jacobson who we've now done nothing to make happy for 3 or 4 years now.

As for the pessimism, it's more realism at this point. The university is consistently told 'no' by the board of regents at every turn. Surging enrollment of over 15,000 in 2007 with enough qualified applicants to get us to 18,000 was capped by an out going President Koob and all outreach to Iowa High Schools was more or less suspended. Enrollment is now under 10,000 and the BOR is now doing an in-depth study to reduce duplication between UNI, Iowa and Iowa State and we know who that is going to benefit long term. We must keep the pipeline of Chicago money flowing into the University of Iowa regardless of what it does to UNI or Iowa State.

Athletically, UNI has now made back to back awful AD hires that have done nothing to help any programs while sitting back and blaming changing culture and 'those damn kids and their cellular telephones' for cratering attendance in football and men's basketball while not actually trying to reach out to students or young alumni. The staff turnover in the AD is absolutely astounding and we're to the point where we aren't even producing usable game notes or media guides, let alone doing big things that will move any program forward.

UNI, academically and athletically, had made Des Moines their biggest point of emphasis and now it's crickets. Drake is doing one hell of a job, with a charismatic AD, of making Drake the 3rd choice in DSM instead of UNI. All the credit in the world to them.

UNI is in the death cycle of getting fewer and fewer big donors to write larger and larger checks. It's end stage and the full death comes when Ben Jacobson takes that next job and I'm guessing that happens after this year when a healthy AJ leads UNI on one hell of a run starting with when we win at Arkansas.

[letsgoAces]

Why any FCS school not named North Dakota State would want to jump to FBS is beyond me. It's a money pit, you’re not going to get to play for a National Championship, you’re going to lose tons of money in a good year to go to the No One Cares Bowl in Dayton, and your basketball is going to be in a worse conference. Seems smart to me…

Look, football is a big money loser for all but a few schools. No FCS school is going to change that by jumping to FBS. This “we want to maintain our place in the second tier “ story is BS. It’s all about ego. Mid-major AD’s who want to be high-major AD’s. Same with presidents and boosters. But it just doesn’t make any sense.

Now adding quality basketball programs to the conference might actually pay some dividends. In real dollars, not in ego and resume boosts. Making the conference stronger might generate more ticket revenue, more TV exposure, and possibly more bids. The A-10 has what, 60 or 70 schools, and most of them suuuuuuck. Hell, even their good ones mostly play in glorified high school gyms. But they’ve got a strata at the top that’s always in the hunt for at-large bids. It could work for the MVC the same way. But nothing will change with our current membership. We just don’t have the quantity of Q1 and Q2 games. Best way to up those numbers is to add Q1 and Q2 programs. Murray, Belmont, Wichita and maybe even Tulsa (yeah, football is a problem there). But you gotta maximize your hand, and right now the hand is a few cards short.

EXPAND!!!

This is an excellent post. Fully agree. Could have not said it any better.

[tdawgs87]

Hearing Valley could have expansion sooner rather than later. I think the league is looking to add schools that adds new markets to the league. Maybe Nashville, or perhaps a Texas ?

Heard Belmont was the choice yesterday more may come with them.

[Salukimadness86]

Hearing Valley could have expansion sooner rather than later. I think the league is looking to add schools that adds new markets to the league. Maybe Nashville, or perhaps a Texas ?

Nashville makes sense due to proximity. Have my doubts on Texas just based on travel expenses. But in today's landscape, nothing will surprise me.