The Valley in 5 Years

[Kyle_Saluki_17]

Hopefully both IL State and SIU are back to where they have been in the past. Murray and Belmont Stay good. Drake and UNI can hold onto their coaches and stay good. Missouri state also remains competitive. This league could be pretty dang good in a few years!

[Chuck A]

Not only will the 12 be the same, but the MVC will surpass both the A10 and American in basketball. I’m bullish on this league. I don’t see anyone leaving or joining. It should be a consistent two-big league, which will generate a lot of money for the athletic departments of every member school. I don’t see any of these teams going anywhere in five years.

These are my sentiments exactly (except for the "two-bid statement)! Being an alum of the newest Valley member, we will do our part (as fans as well) in helping the Valley to NOT falter in the Conference NET standings! I think the A10's bottom half will drag that league down and when the Big12 finally adds the teams from the AAC, that league will be a ragtag mix. It is quite conceivable that the MVC will move past both of those conferences and find itself solidly ensconced behind the Big East as the number 7 conference in the land. Right now, as an outsider looking in, I see Drake, Missouri State, Bradley and Northern Iowa all continuing to progress. Couple that with Murray State and Belmont and provided that the league takes care of the non-con, you have the makings of a strong league that won't be affected negatively by beating up on each other! By maintaining a strong NET ranking during the conference portion, that would afford the conference the ability to be a regular 3-4-bid league ANNUALLY and make it hard for teams to even think about leaving! You can't make me believe that if Murray and Belmont were in the MVC now with the records they have, that they BOTH wouldn't be at large locks for the DANCE! I was an eternal optimist every year that the Horizon would turn it around. I will just bring that enthusiasm and optimism and drop it right here!

[sivert]

Would be cool... but would never happen...
For the MVC and the OVC to agree that if a team finishes in the bottom 2 of the MVC for a second year in a row AND a team finishes in the top 2 of the OVC for a second year in a row, those teams swap conferences.

[letsgoAces]

There is no possible way UE will leave the MVC, ain't happening. Facilities are comparable to any team in this league, just have lousy leadership at the top. Teams rarely drop a level down. Remember, both Drake, Loyola, and others have had extended periods of being crappy as well.

The MVC looks very good to me, and could absolutely end up being the premier mid-major in the country. Not a pipedream. With that said, and the present locations of the universities, Belmont looks very well suited for the MVC. I expect Belmont to finish upper division for many years, but there are few off nights when it comes to playing most teams in the Valley. They will do very well, but there will be bumps along the way.

I do wonder about MO-State and their football aspirations. If FBS is that important then I guess you chase the dream....but that is all I see in it. Still wonder why schools choose to lose money over something in which great success looks a lot more improbable than doable. MO-State has a great basketball program which should compete for championships in most years.

[Kip Dynamite]

According to the D1 wire this morning, Missouri State is in talks with the Sun Belt.

[BCPanther]

According to the D1 wire this morning, Missouri State is in talks with the Sun Belt.

That doesn't pass the smell test.

They'd be on the absolute fringe of the footprint and there isn't a legitimate 16 out there to go with them unless WKU wants to jump in the middle of the lawsuit mess going on now.

[BEARZ77]

According to the D1 wire this morning, Missouri State is in talks with the Sun Belt.

Was quickly denied by MSU sports info dept. Don't think Sunbelt is where we want to be.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

That doesn’t pass the smell test for me either.

G5 leagues don’t get extra shares of the CFP distribution (ditto NCAAT distribution, obviously) with more members. So the SBC increasing from 12 to 16 means everyone’s CFP/NCAAT distributions cut by 33%.

The SBC adding MSU as a replacement when someone leaves is absolutely a possibility, but SBC expansion to 16 makes no financial sense.

[BCPanther]

According to the D1 wire this morning, Missouri State is in talks with the Sun Belt.

Was quickly denied by MSU sports info dept. Don't think Sunbelt is where we want to be.

Nor is CUSA. I think everybody is probably best off holding tight until we know what the new DI governance structure looks like.

I can see MSU, UNI, IlSt and SIU wanting to make sure they stay the second level of football but there's no need to rush and make a bad decision that might hurt your other programs when there's a legitimate possibility that you'll end up at the level you want to without having to make an all sports move.

[Campbellproud]

According to the D1 wire this morning, Missouri State is in talks with the Sun Belt.

Was quickly denied by MSU sports info dept. Don't think Sunbelt is where we want to be.

Where does MSU want to be? I don’t see much upside to leaving at all.