MVC going to 12 with UIC and UTA?

[BCPanther]

The Valley always has been a basketball conference. Football has never been anything of great significance. At one time the Valley was considered the best basketball conference in the country. I don't see why FCS or non-scholarship football should interfere with that. I get why that was an issue in the old Big East, because there were schools playing high level FBS football. That is not the case here. The highest level football in the MVFC is at a school that is not even a member of the Valley. Is there some great payout for being in the FCS playoffs? If the sport is so lucrative why can't the schools afford to fly to South Dakota? Drake flies from California to Florida to play football.

Football should not be a consideration in choosing members. If a guaranteed money losing sport is that important I would agree that maybe those teams should look elsewhere and leave the schools that are primarily interested in a basketball conference.

The Atlantic Ten seems to have figured this out. they have seven schools that field football teams all of whom play elsewhere. We just lost our top basketball program to them.

The football playing school in the A10 also have other geographically sensible leagues. We don't.

In the end, this is Murray's problem, not ours and, frankly, they're probably more hurt by the fact there isn't a 14 that makes a ton of sense.

[unipanther99]

The Valley always has been a basketball conference. Football has never been anything of great significance. At one time the Valley was considered the best basketball conference in the country. I don't see why FCS or non-scholarship football should interfere with that. I get why that was an issue in the old Big East, because there were schools playing high level FBS football. That is not the case here. The highest level football in the MVFC is at a school that is not even a member of the Valley. Is there some great payout for being in the FCS playoffs? If the sport is so lucrative why can't the schools afford to fly to South Dakota? Drake flies from California to Florida to play football.

Football should not be a consideration in choosing members. If a guaranteed money losing sport is that important I would agree that maybe those teams should look elsewhere and leave the schools that are primarily interested in a basketball conference.

The Atlantic Ten seems to have figured this out. they have seven schools that field football teams all of whom play elsewhere. We just lost our top basketball program to them.

It's not about the payouts, it's about the identity. Football games at UNI still mean something from the perspective of students, prospective students, boosters, and the larger university committee. It was that way once at Drake too, but you chose to de-emphasize the sport, and now it's basically just a decent way to get some smart guys who are mediocre athletes to come pay tuition. That's fine for you guys, but that doesn't work for the state schools.

Set aside UNI and MSU's concerns for a moment. And just consider adding Murray and tell me football isn't a consideration. Are they going to drop the sport to come to the MVC? If not, what do they do? The OVC likely won't keep them and independence is a FCS death sentence.

You just can't totally separate football from the discussion. It's all interconnected.

[OfPantherandMan]

It's not about the payouts, it's about the identity. Football games at UNI still mean something from the perspective of students, prospective students, boosters, and the larger university committee. It was that way once at Drake too, but you chose to de-emphasize the sport, and now it's basically just a decent way to get some smart guys who are mediocre athletes to come pay tuition. That's fine for you guys, but that doesn't work for the state schools.

Set aside UNI and MSU's concerns for a moment. And just consider adding Murray and tell me football isn't a consideration. Are they going to drop the sport to come to the MVC? If not, what do they do? The OVC likely won't keep them and independence is a FCS death sentence.

You just can't totally separate football from the discussion. It's all interconnected.

If football means so much to the UNI community, you'd think it would show up for a game once in a while. I think the Drake guy has it just right: Why let football continue to be an albatross? This is especially, especially true at UNI.

[unipanther99]

If football means so much to the UNI community, you'd think it would show up for a game once in a while. I think the Drake guy has it just right: Why let football continue to be an albatross? This is especially, especially true at UNI.

Are you seriously proposing UNI drop football?

[Red]

It's not about the payouts, it's about the identity. Football games at UNI still mean something from the perspective of students, prospective students, boosters, and the larger university committee. It was that way once at Drake too, but you chose to de-emphasize the sport, and now it's basically just a decent way to get some smart guys who are mediocre athletes to come pay tuition. That's fine for you guys, but that doesn't work for the state schools.

Set aside UNI and MSU's concerns for a moment. And just consider adding Murray and tell me football isn't a consideration. Are they going to drop the sport to come to the MVC? If not, what do they do? The OVC likely won't keep them and independence is a FCS death sentence.

You just can't totally separate football from the discussion. It's all interconnected.

If football means so much to the UNI community, you'd think it would show up for a game once in a while. I think the Drake guy has it just right: Why let football continue to be an albatross? This is especially, especially true at UNI.

UNI dome holds 16k+ and attendance this year was 5-7k? Is that right?

[lurkingdog]

Seems the Ohio Valley Conference is unlikely to allow Murray State to stay for football only. And Murray will neither drop football nor become a football independent, with no access to an automatic FCS playoff bid. I don't see them going to the nonscholarship Pioneer Football League. So membership in the MVFC would be critical in enabling any move to the Missouri Valley Conference.

I don't know what the MVFC membership thinks about Murray. But why would the four Dakota schools, Western Illinois, and Youngstown State want the Racers? The football league doesn't need a 12th member...certainly not anyone from the South...and especially not a program that has had a winning record only once every decade.

Realigning the MVC/Summit into state and private school conferences might be a good idea, but would that really change anything for Murray State?

[unipanther99]

Probably around 7K this year. Not great.

We're 21 years in on a head coach who is a great UNI guy, but we've only been to the championship game once during his tenure and haven't won a conference title in 10 years. The program is stale, but still well suited for success at this level in the future.

The Dome is rumored to be renovated soon, and will likely reduce capacity for more premium seating. If we start winning conference championships again and winning games in the playoffs, we're well positioned to be in the top 15 for FCS attendance like we once were.

[BCPanther]

There are tons of reasons UNI Football is having a rough time with attendance right now and I'm not going to bog down the thread with them but if UNI, or any of the state schools, were to de-emphasize football they may as well shut down their athletic departments because there won't be fundraising or corporate dollars anymore.

[TBS_20]

The best thing for Murray would be tor the publics to split.

Illinois State
Indiana State
Missouri State
Murray State
Northern Iowa
North Dakota
North Dakota State
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Southern Illinois

I don't think Indiana State, Northern Iowa, or Southern Illinois would join the conference so the new conference would have to go South and look for two of Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, Lamar, McNeese State, Mercer, and Chatanooga for the final 2 or 3 spots. Tarleton State almost went CUSA a couple months ago. I think St. Thomas is going scholarship. Their first year in FCS (Pioneer) they went 7-3...straight from D3. I realize a couple aren't public but they would have most or the same goals.

[RacerJoeD]

Making decision based on tier 3 football seems less than ideal.