Conference Realignment - where will we be in 5 yrs?

[valleychamp]

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.

Listen to what you are saying. You basically just said that they need the addition of some good MVC schools to become a better conference. Then why not just stay in the Valley in the first place?

The Valley has been down for a few short years, but there is no question in my mind that in the long run the MVC is a much better conference (success, tradition, stability, quality), and history supports that as well.

Memphis and Houston are probably going to be gone soon. Then you are left with UTEP, UAB, and Tulsa. Wow, thats awesome...

[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.

Listen to what you are saying. You basically just said that they need the addition of some good MVC schools to become a better conference. Then why not just stay in the Valley in the first place?

The Valley has been down for a few short years, but there is no question in my mind that in the long run the MVC is a much better conference (success, tradition, stability, quality), and history supports that as well.

Memphis and Houston are probably going to be gone soon. Then you are left with UTEP, UAB, and Tulsa. Wow, thats awesome...

Actually, I didn't "basically" say that. If anything, CUSA is stronger in the top tier than the Valley is right now. I have heard nothing about Memphis leaving. Houston, yes, but only time will tell if they actually go. I just think that the hill is going to get steeper for schools that aren't in a conference with FBS football. That MVC stability may end up being an albatross in the long run.

[Aargh]

For those who have missed it, there's a rumor, trial balloon, or whatever going around that CUSA and MWC are going to combine and form a FB-only conference. That leaves all their Oly sports in a no-FB situation. It's expected that if that happens, some schools (SanDiego State, and Hawaii are the expectation) will not join the new conference and a couple of FB programs will get poached by higher-level conferences, and take their Oly sports with them.

That creates a situation where the new conference would be interested in some non-FB schools.

UTEP - I have a life-long friend with a NC ring from there (when they were Rexas Western) - any Valley teams with an NCA NC?
Tulsa - WSU's long-term rival
UAB - Year-i and year-out would be a top-tier Valley team.

Plus, as I mentioned in another post, WSU would look at playing baseball against Rice (Houston), UAB (Alabama) Tulsa (WSU's recruiting turf) instead of playing baseball in Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa - which ois an absolte no-brainer.

If this theoretical conference were to exist, there's a chance they would target CU, WSU, and MSU. If either MSU or CU went, the MVC is weaker and WSU is geographically more isolated. If CU, WSU, and MSU left the Valley, the Valley would struggle to replace them with similar basketball programs.

[BirdmanBB]

not a chance. The football thing that the MWC and CUSA are trying to do right now (with a championship) will be as far as it goes. It is an attempt to get an AQ bid. If it doesn't work then there is no sense moving forward with it. There will be no football only combined conference under a new banner because there doesn't need to be.

This is all predicated on football. No one cares about basketball expansion. WSU......going nowhere....MSU....going nowhere....CU.....going nowhere....ISU.....going nowhere.

Again, if you want to add strength to the valley then you still need a couple of things to happen and a little luck. You need the Big East to poach the CUSA, MWC and MAC for starters. You then need those conferences to look for replacements from FCS playing schools. Assuming no one from the valley is asked to bring football up to FBS and move into their conference, you are looking at schools like JMU, Delaware and Appalachian St. If this alienates schools and weakens those basketball conferences they may look to join the valley. This is specifically talking about schools like SLU and Dayton.

[MVCfans]

Will Mizzou or the SEC get this done already?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has taken another step toward leaving the Big 12 Conference and there is interest in the SEC in taking the Tigers.

The governing curators at Missouri unanimously gave Chancellor Brady Deaton the authority Friday to move the school out of the Big 12 if he decides that is in the school's best interest.

He gave no timeline for a decision but indicated that a move, if it happens, would not take much longer.

also...

A Big 12 source told ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Thursday in Kansas City that the league would likely act fast if Missouri were to bolt.

The choices have remained consistent with Louisville and West Virginia and possibly Cincinnati out of the Big East as well as BYU, an independent in football with the rest of its sports in the West Coast Conference.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... trike-deal

[Haha]

not a chance. The football thing that the MWC and CUSA are trying to do right now (with a championship) will be as far as it goes. It is an attempt to get an AQ bid. If it doesn't work then there is no sense moving forward with it. There will be no football only combined conference under a new banner because there doesn't need to be.

This is all predicated on football. No one cares about basketball expansion. WSU......going nowhere....MSU....going nowhere....CU.....going nowhere....ISU.....going nowhere.

I'm not suggesting anybody is running off to another conference, however what you said is incorrect.

Please take the time to listen to the press conference and understand what is being said by the MWC commish and CUSA commish. Specifically regarding football being a separate entity from MWC and CUSA, possibly adding non football schools, and reason for doing the new league now. I think you will find what you claim and what the actual leaders of the two conferences are saying conflict. Thanks.

http://www.themwc.com/allaccess/index.html?media=271390

EDIT: I do agree football drives this, obviously. Also I do agree the best chance of something happening is Big East blowing up and then the A-10 getting messed around and maybe a couple quality teams can be added to MVC that way.

[MVCfans]

Big East to 32 teams? Unlikley, but still bizarre.

While the Big East considers its next move on expansion, it is now being asked to consider a plan that would create a nation-wide football conference incorporating between 28 and 32 teams in four divisions from Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference as well as the Big East.

According to sources from those conferences, the plan was devised as a way that the Big East could ensure its place as one of the six conferences receiving automatic BCS bids.

The document, which was obtained by The Globe, reveals an alternative plan which would help the Big East maintain its AQ status -- automatic qualification -- but also provide access to the Mountain West and Conference USA, who hope to gain such status.

Under the plan, Super Conference would consist of four divisions: West, Mountain, Central and the Big East.

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/e ... wc_c-.html

[MVCfans]

West Virginia officially to Big 12. The Big East is in trouble - not sure why Boise, Navy or Air Force (or anyone else) would want to join the Big East for football.

[BirdmanBB]

West Virginia officially to Big 12. The Big East is in trouble - not sure why Boise, Navy or Air Force (or anyone else) would want to join the Big East for football.

I think this would likely get Louisville into the big 12 now if/when Mizzou moves to the SEC.

You are right. I don't see why any team would want to join the big east now. I would actually think it would be to the benefit of a conference like the CUSA to try and pick off the leftovers of the big east and various other teams to secure an AQ bid.

[MVCfans]

West Virginia officially to Big 12. The Big East is in trouble - not sure why Boise, Navy or Air Force (or anyone else) would want to join the Big East for football.

I think this would likely get Louisville into the big 12 now if/when Mizzou moves to the SEC.

You are right. I don't see why any team would want to join the big east now. I would actually think it would be to the benefit of a conference like the CUSA to try and pick off the leftovers of the big east and various other teams to secure an AQ bid.

Big 12 has announced they will stay at 10 teams.