REPORT: Murray to the Valley?

[Murraygrad05]

No league, no matter how desperate, is going to take a football only member that they know is going to leave in two years.

There's been no smoke anywhere except from one flippant tweet from a radio guy in Kentucky. Nothing from Matt Brown, nothing from McMurry, nothing from Norlander, nothing from any other person that's had scoops on other realignment.

I totally understand why SIU doesn't want them. Right or wrong, UNI isn't willing to sacrifice the money, revenue and alumni engagement that football provides to get them in. I can't imagine the privates are real enthused by a very average academic institution that brings nearly nothing in market size and potential students/enrollment (reminder that UNI, Indiana State and SIU aren't trying to get into the league in 2021).

From a scheduling with 11 perspective, our volleyball staff is actually kind of excited that there are going to be more mid-week games and that you won't always have the back to back nights and getting massively overshadowed by football Saturdays. In MBB, the only difference is that everybody will play two or three league games in early December and we'll all get two 'byes' during the season though there is a slight chance that we'll wrap that last league game around to the Monday night of Arch Madness week like we used to.

I think Kyle is right. The Valley just flat doesn't want them that bad to upset everything else and if they were this hot property to have they wouldn't be stuck in a dying OVC.

I think you need to do more research on our “very average academic institution” and market size. Our problem is that our market cuts in to 2 members that are already in, one private and one public (that will be bankrupt before too long anyway). I’m not sure how potential students would really matter either since nearly every school in the nation is on a decline, not just MVC/OVC schools.

I will give you props though for your last point that the MVC just doesn’t want us it seems for whatever reason it may be. Either this is the biggest smoke and mirrors act ever, or we have found the best secret keepers on the planet.

[BCPanther]

No league, no matter how desperate, is going to take a football only member that they know is going to leave in two years.

There's been no smoke anywhere except from one flippant tweet from a radio guy in Kentucky. Nothing from Matt Brown, nothing from McMurry, nothing from Norlander, nothing from any other person that's had scoops on other realignment.

I totally understand why SIU doesn't want them. Right or wrong, UNI isn't willing to sacrifice the money, revenue and alumni engagement that football provides to get them in. I can't imagine the privates are real enthused by a very average academic institution that brings nearly nothing in market size and potential students/enrollment (reminder that UNI, Indiana State and SIU aren't trying to get into the league in 2021).

From a scheduling with 11 perspective, our volleyball staff is actually kind of excited that there are going to be more mid-week games and that you won't always have the back to back nights and getting massively overshadowed by football Saturdays. In MBB, the only difference is that everybody will play two or three league games in early December and we'll all get two 'byes' during the season though there is a slight chance that we'll wrap that last league game around to the Monday night of Arch Madness week like we used to.

I think Kyle is right. The Valley just flat doesn't want them that bad to upset everything else and if they were this hot property to have they wouldn't be stuck in a dying OVC.

I think you need to do more research on our “very average academic institution” and market size. Our problem is that our market cuts in to 2 members that are already in, one private and one public (that will be bankrupt before too long anyway). I’m not sure how potential students would really matter either since nearly every school in the nation is on a decline, not just MVC/OVC schools.

I will give you props though for your last point that the MVC just doesn’t want us it seems for whatever reason it may be. Either this is the biggest smoke and mirrors act ever, or we have found the best secret keepers on the planet.

No offense meant on the 'average academic' thing. I'm a graduate of a regional teacher's college on its way to being a satellite campus. I just know how those privates think...

[Murraygrad05]

And you are correct. All good here. As much as I would love to open my browser tomorrow and see an update, I am at the point of it’s not ever going to happen. The only thing our AD has put out in to the world was 3 months ago that we were vetting opportunities and then absolutely nothing since.

[Dawgbit]

No league, no matter how desperate, is going to take a football only member that they know is going to leave in two years.

There's been no smoke anywhere except from one flippant tweet from a radio guy in Kentucky. Nothing from Matt Brown, nothing from McMurry, nothing from Norlander, nothing from any other person that's had scoops on other realignment.

I totally understand why SIU doesn't want them. Right or wrong, UNI isn't willing to sacrifice the money, revenue and alumni engagement that football provides to get them in. I can't imagine the privates are real enthused by a very average academic institution that brings nearly nothing in market size and potential students/enrollment (reminder that UNI, Indiana State and SIU aren't trying to get into the league in 2021).

From a scheduling with 11 perspective, our volleyball staff is actually kind of excited that there are going to be more mid-week games and that you won't always have the back to back nights and getting massively overshadowed by football Saturdays. In MBB, the only difference is that everybody will play two or three league games in early December and we'll all get two 'byes' during the season though there is a slight chance that we'll wrap that last league game around to the Monday night of Arch Madness week like we used to.

I think Kyle is right. The Valley just flat doesn't want them that bad to upset everything else and if they were this hot property to have they wouldn't be stuck in a dying OVC.

Bingo. Murray State fans don’t even know what they don’t know. They have never known anything but the OVC. On the SIU board the fans are grousing because we are playing Austin Peay (and SEMO) this year, well guess what, who do they think Murray has been getting fat and sassy from by playing them, and worse, every year? IF Murray makes it to the MVC it would be good financially for their fans who have been plunking down $$ for NCAA tournament tickets the years Belmont does not win the conference tournament.

[IllinoisState]

If Murray State doesn't make it to the MVC then in a few short years the MVC will have gone from a 6-4 public school majority to a 6-5 private school majority and I would expect that adding schools in the future could be more difficult as a result.

[Drakey]

Why is it harder to add schools because you have more privates than publics?

[IllinoisState]

Why is it harder to add schools because you have more privates than publics?

None of the private schools have football and there has been mild concern about football schools bringing the conference in a direction they don't like. The public schools don't seem to have that concern.

[lurkingdog]

On a related topic, Grand Valley State is doing an athletic study (results in January?). Rumor is that the predetermined result is a recommendation to go D-I, with the MVC as the preferred conference.

[letsgoAces]

UE is on record as favoring the admission of Murray State.

Enough about Murray State academics...that is not the issue and is a totally bogus claim.

[letsgoAces]

On a related topic, Grand Valley State is doing an athletic study (results in January?). Rumor is that the predetermined result is a recommendation to go D-I, with the MVC as the preferred conference.

I would have a hard time believing the MVC would want to be sharing their revenue by admitting a d-2 school, particularly with other d-1 programs that the MVC could easily chose over them.