Conference Realignment - where will we be in 5 yrs?

[ihsi]

Wouldn't the concern with jumping to CUSA be that it could be picked apart eventually - at least the Memphis' and UCF's of the league? Then you're stuck in a league spread out all over with no great teams. Be careful what you wish for.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Is CUSA a better basketball league than the Valley? Memphis is sort of pedestrian without Calipari. UAB and Tulsa would finish in the middle of the Valley. Am I missing someone?

Last years RPIs.
Memphis - 28
UAB - 31
Marshall - 54
UTEP - 59
Southern Miss - 63
UCF - 69
Tulsa - 81
East Carolina - 96

That looks better. And going back, it looks like they pretty consistently have at least 5 teams in the top 100. The bottom few are bad, but having more teams at the top help.

Last year was one of CUSA's best years.

If adding Air Force created travel problems, CUSA's cast of characters would seemingly be worse. Florida, El Paso, Mississippi, West Virginia? Wow.

I'd rather true to lure a few of those schools to the MVC....

[valleychamp]

CUSA offers nothing. Horrible travel, little to no tradition as a conference (in any sport), and horrible stability. It's a hodge-podge mix of schools, and why anyone would think that is a better conference than the MVC is beyond me.

Some of you people are just sooo terribly eager to be involved in this realignment stuff, that you have completely thrown common sense out the door.

[RoyalShock]

If WSU and MSU were to move to CUSA, no doubt it would be a better basketball conference than the Valley is now. If it were going to be picked apart I think we'd be hearing a lot more about it by now. It seems the Houston to B12 talk has died down.

Memphis is back to being a top-25 program. UAB and UTEP are going always going to be solid top-75 RPI teams. Tulsa, Marshall and SoMiss are right there and Houston is making a serious splash in the recruiting pool (commitments from a 5* and 4* so far in 2012).

The additional revenue should help offset the increased travel expenses.

[ihsi]

If WSU and MSU were to move to CUSA, no doubt it would be a better basketball conference than the Valley is now.

No doubt. The dominance and collective MVC championships won by MSU and WSU would make any league better

[SubGod22]

Stability doesn't seem to be horrid. Memphis hasn't been talked about much by any conference. East Carolina has been trying to get into the Big East. I think Houston is leaving. But Memphis, Tulsa, UTEP and UAB are all present and consistent Top 100 types. Southern Miss is making progress and Marshall has been fairly solid. Travel should not be a major concern in a move to leave or add to the conference. If it came up, I'm guessing there are a few MVC schools who would strongly consider leaving for CUSA.

[BirdmanBB]

Please stop the WSU to the CUSA talk. They are going nowhere because they don't have football. Subgod suggested that if they were open to taking non-football schools he could see the valley losing a couple teams, but nowhere in the history of the CUSA does it suggest that they would do such a thing. In fact, I remember them having a tough stance on all members being involved in everything.

Schools like ISU and MSU getting an invite to a FBS conference at this point in time is a huge longshot. The only thing we can hope for is for this to effect non-football conferences so that it might alientate schools like Dayton and SLU or make a school like Butler think they have to join a stronger conference to keep the pipeline of cash coming in. This could open up the possibility of the valley adding strength to the conference, which I think is the only way we add schools past 10. If for some reason the A10 decides they want WSU in there conference and WSU can't pass it up or a catholic conference starts up the pulls Creighton away we would then most likely lower our standards to get teams to replace them.

In other words, until some changes happen that effect the A10 or CAA and FCS teams in those conferences are brought up to FBS in the CUSA, the Valley is still in reactionary mode.

[ihsi]

In other words, until some changes happen that effect the A10 or CAA and FCS teams in those conferences are brought up to FBS in the CUSA, the Valley is still in reactionary mode.

Which is why Elgin needs to get off his duff and invite schools like Butler now.

[BirdmanBB]

The guy has been the longest standing commissioner in the NCAA for a reason. I don't doubt that he has inquired and it wouldn't surprise me if he has before the conference shakeup started.

I think we have already been over this before though. Maybe if the valley has been able to sustain multibid success strong schools would be interested in joining, but right now Butler has a good thing going in the Horizon just like Dayton and SLU have good things going in the A10.

Our problem is that we are always right on the cusp and can not sustain. If I were Butler, I wouldn't want to come to the MVC and lose out on perennial NCAA bids because we are a stronger conference than the Horizon, but we also have been recieving just as many bids as them.

[DoubleJayAlum]

In other words, until some changes happen that effect the A10 or CAA and FCS teams in those conferences are brought up to FBS in the CUSA, the Valley is still in reactionary mode.

Which is why Elgin needs to get off his duff and invite schools like Butler now.

Butler isn't going to leave the Horizon unless they have an absolute sweetheart deal from someone. Not only do they not have much competition there, but due to their back to back national title game appearances, the NCAA tourney credits (the tourney money the NCAA distributes to conferences) that the Horizon will get over the next five years is significantly more than the MVC will receive. In essence, we'd be asking them to take a pay cut, plus play tougher competition. Why in the world would they ever agree to such an arrangement?

Because of the NCAA tourney credits, I find it unlikely that Butler will leave the Horizon to go anywhere except, perhaps, for a conference formed of Big East members. That is the only way they could insure that the NCAA credit money they receive is greater than or equal to what they will otherwise receive in the Horizon. Remember that the credits belong to the conference and don't follow individual teams if they leave a conference.