Haha wrote:To me after all the scrambling of conferences if you don't have an invite to big 4 or MWC or the nBE, I don't see the benefit of moving up.
I guess if the ultimate goal is playing FBS then maybe for UNI or ILLst the MAC might make sense and right now the MAC is playing some descent Bball. However for anyone to want to move into this latest addition of CUSA or Sunbelt I just don't get.
If anything I think these last few rounds of conference realignment took out CUSA/CAA competitive wise with Valley in Basketball.
As has been discussed with the UNI situation before (I can't speak for how ISUr, SIU, MSU, etc... feel) Dannen has said a move would be football only, the rest of the teams would not leave the MVC.
The reason for a school like UNI, ISUr, SIU, etc.. to move to the MAC, or whomever, at this point is pretty easy, and it has been stated by Dannen and UNI FB HC Mark Farley...there is a very strong sense (probably MUCH stronger now) that there is a very big split coming in the next 2-3 years, much like the split that took place over a couple year period between 1978 and 1985ish with football. The feeling is that there is going to be 4-5 "superconferences" that will make up the new top level of college football, the next 5 will be the middle level, with the bottom conferences mixing with some FCS conferences for a third tier, and the rest of the FCS deciding if they want football bad enough to go non-scholly/another tier or drop down to D2.
The stated goal at UNI has been, and will continue to be, to be in that second level of football. It could be argued (and I'd agree) that FCS is the third tier right now, but "technically" it's the second.
A move to the MAC/CUSA/SBC(even though it makes no sense)/etc... would almost promise the teams a spot in the new second level of football.
How those levels shake out, no one knows. I've heard a lot of things, but it all seems to center around something like this
Tier 1 - Super conferences...85 scholarships...essentially what FBS is now.
Tier 2 - The next 5 conferences or so, maybe 85 scholarships...possibly in the 70's. May have own playoff separate from tier 1, maybe with tier 1.
Tier 3 - what FCS is now....with the left overs of the FCS...and there will be a HUGE drop between 2 and here.
Tier 4 - D2
Tier 5 - D3
It's all just rumors at this point...BUT at some point super conferences were just a rumor....more than 12 teams in a conference was laughable....
Like i said, I don't know what ISUr, ISUb, SIU, MSU, etc... goals are for football, but at UNI it's to be in that second level.