Which of these team would you be okay with joining the MVC?

[BCPanther]

UNI and Missouri State are going to take some real convincing if Murray can't find a football home. Neither school is sacrificing football to bring in a school that really doesn't bring much academically or market wise and there's ZERO sympathy for any of the Eastern schools that might have to add another flight.

If Indiana State is busing to Dallas, they need to find another league. That's Western Illinois type stuff. I can only speak for UNI but we're already flying our Olympic sports to Carbondale and Springfield and won't bat an eye at adding Dallas and Nashville.

I'm fairly confident that Arlington is 11 and UIC is 12. I think 14 is the end goal but I think they're willing to be patient. Murray is probably the biggest loser in Loyola leaving, they were a slam dunk 12 but we've got to start in Chicago.

[smidge34]

As a Murray State fan I’m not sure I want a spot in a watered down, low major taking conference that includes UIC, Arlington or any other lame brain ideas like Omaha or Kansas City. Yuk. Murray State’s program speaks for itself and to even be mentioned alongside those low major programs is an insult.

[valleydays]

As a Murray State fan I’m not sure I want a spot in a watered down, low major taking conference that includes UIC, Arlington or any other lame brain ideas like Omaha or Kansas City. Yuk. Murray State’s program speaks for itself and to even be mentioned alongside those low major programs is an insult.

True. You add UT Arlington, which seems to be the new darling of the MVC presidents, and UIC, which seemingly MUST replace Loyola, and suddenly not only is Murray State possibly out, but maybe fortunately so.

Suddenly, this is a conference that is heading away from being the best mid-major basketball league. Sure, still better than the OVC, but there will be other options, ones that may be in Murray State's better long-term interest.

[mvfcfan]

Rumor is unless Murray State finds another football conference, they won't be joining the MVC and even then they might not have the votes.

Murray State football will be in the MVFC whether you or anyone else likes it or not. It's not at all complicated to get them in. If the Dakota schools are the problem, all the MVC (who actually runs the MVFC) has to do is say "Look, if you don't accept Murray State, the MVC (not MVFC) is going to sponsor football and invite YSU and WIU as FB-Only members."

Heck at this point I think the MVC could realistically get EIU and SEMO in as FB-Only members too, since the OVC would be down to 5 (below AQ) if the Racers leave.

[SalukiWorld]

As a Murray State fan I’m not sure I want a spot in a watered down, low major taking conference that includes UIC, Arlington or any other lame brain ideas like Omaha or Kansas City. Yuk. Murray State’s program speaks for itself and to even be mentioned alongside those low major programs is an insult.

Does Murray State have much of a choice here? There's not many geographical options better outside of staying in the Ohio Valley.

Rumor is unless Murray State finds another football conference, they won't be joining the MVC and even then they might not have the votes.

Murray State football will be in the MVFC whether you or anyone else likes it or not. It's not at all complicated to get them in. If the Dakota schools are the problem, all the MVC (who actually runs the MVFC) has to do is say "Look, if you don't accept Murray State, the MVC (not MVFC) is going to sponsor football and invite YSU and WIU as FB-Only members."

Heck at this point I think the MVC could realistically get EIU and SEMO in as FB-Only members too, since the OVC would be down to 5 (below AQ) if the Racers leave.

I guarantee you the MVC is not going to piss off the Dakotas. North Dakota State and South Dakota State might be meeting for a championship for their league in a week. And I don't think the MVC basketball schools in the MVFC are going to be for that.

[RacerJoeD]

Does Murray State have much of a choice here? There's not many geographical options better outside of staying in the Ohio Valley.

.

I have it on pretty good authority that the Racers have other options for conference affiliation. Obviously, those options aren’t a good as the current MVC, but if the MVC adds 3 300-range programs, the gap narrows.


Btw, if you guys want to see what it’s like to tank a season while winning, to watch your team have a good OOC, good computer ratings, and then watch it implode and everyone question if your team is any good, play three 300+ teams in conference. Not really much I can compare it to. Horribly painful.

[All-MVC Fan]

Wow. Can’t wait to see what great plans all those super-smart university presidents come up with! We’re gonna become the Ivy League of the Midwest…oh, wait, we’re not gonna be Midwest anymore. Well, we’re gonna be the premier mid-major basketball league…oh, wait, they’re gonna add a bunch of schools with no fan base, no interest, no success, and no tradition. That’s ok, they’re really super-smart people who are way more super-smart than the rest of us. I’ve read that on here many times.

It’s really quite sad, as it’s pretty obvious that they have no real idea of what the point of the conference actually is. Is it there to be a premier sports league? A premier academic league? To be in as many big cities as possible? Who knows, the President’s Council certainly doesn’t.

[ColonialBulldog]

Wow. Can’t wait to see what great plans all those super-smart university presidents come up with!

This is a point that I'm not tracking. Are we all sitting here as college basketball fans and assuming that we have access to greater information and insight? The attendance issue isn't some fictional boogeyman that's a potential future problem. Off the top of my head, Valpo Law School, a school that had been open for a century and was well enough respected closed its doors just two years ago. There were a lot of factors that went into that, including a vastly over-saturated legal market, but the overarching reason was an inability to get quality students to enroll. That's a school in the Valley, by the way.

I think the Presidents have identified an actual present problem and a solution. I think we have to assume that they wouldn't pursue this option unless it was in the best interest of the universities. Adding great basketball and great markets seems like a great compromise to me, even if I would prefer only adding great basketball.

[BCPanther]

Wow. Can’t wait to see what great plans all those super-smart university presidents come up with!

This is a point that I'm not tracking. Are we all sitting here as college basketball fans and assuming that we have access to greater information and insight? The attendance issue isn't some fictional boogeyman that's a potential future problem. Off the top of my head, Valpo Law School, a school that had been open for a century and was well enough respected closed its doors just two years ago. There were a lot of factors that went into that, including a vastly over-saturated legal market, but the overarching reason was an inability to get quality students to enroll. That's a school in the Valley, by the way.

I think the Presidents have identified an actual present problem and a solution. I think we have to assume that they wouldn't pursue this option unless it was in the best interest of the universities. Adding great basketball and great markets seems like a great compromise to me, even if I would prefer only adding great basketball.

WINNER!

People have no idea the trouble midwestern universities are in within the next 5 years. None. Sports don't matter when the university can't keep it's doors open or pay its bills. I'm going to trust that people that have dedicated their lives to running a university know more than I do about enrollment and budgets and if they think the Metroplex is somewhere they need to be, then I'm all in. Plus, Arlington has a ton of upside and will do really well when they get away from the football misfits.

And it's not the Dakotas that don't want Murray in the MVFC, its UNI and Missouri State. Our football programs would be stuck playing all four of them every year. Its a massive competitive disadvantage AND we have to fly there for all of them (other than USD in UNIs case). Spending more money to be at a huge disadvantage while the eastern schools get to play in a bus league that's way less competitive but still get the illusion of being an MVFC school is a non-starter.

So say we do the football split, it's not a good league. WIU is in the Summit so they have to go with the Dakotas. UNI, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Murray, SIU and YSU is a very average league and scheduling is an absolute nightmare because you'd have to find 5 non-conference games. Most of us have trouble finding 3.

[mvfcfan]

Wow. Can’t wait to see what great plans all those super-smart university presidents come up with! We’re gonna become the Ivy League of the Midwest…oh, wait, we’re not gonna be Midwest anymore. Well, we’re gonna be the premier mid-major basketball league…oh, wait, they’re gonna add a bunch of schools with no fan base, no interest, no success, and no tradition. That’s ok, they’re really super-smart people who are way more super-smart than the rest of us. I’ve read that on here many times.

It’s really quite sad, as it’s pretty obvious that they have no real idea of what the point of the conference actually is. Is it there to be a premier sports league? A premier academic league? To be in as many big cities as possible? Who knows, the President’s Council certainly doesn’t.

I couldn't agree more. If Murray State doesn't get an invite, then none of the others should either.

As for enrollment, enrollment is down almost everywhere because of the pandemic. You don't need a doctorate to figure that one out.

I'm going to make an educated guess that if UIC and UTA are the two chosen that more schools will leave the MVC within the next 5 years. Playing in a weaker MVC with more travel is not a good plan for keeping the league together. It will become a bigger issue once the pandemic officially ends and enrollment picks back up again. A big reason I think the MVC publics and privates have not split yet is because the conference has remained relatively strong in hoops and neither side could split without taking a hit on basketball. When you weaken the league with market adds, the hit isn't as great and the temptation by both sides will grow.