Consider NMSU to MVC Olympic Sports Only

[indymoon]

If it weren't for the distance your program would be a great addition to our conference.

I think that is the problem for the MVC, they are a good conference, I'm sure (viable) schools want to join, the distance is just too much.

Same distance from Las Cruces to Wichita as Wichita to Chicago.

We're only interested in geography to one side of this conference.

Yeah, but Las Cruces to Terre Haute or Evansville? The current center of the conference is roughly Columbia, Missouri.

Actually, the current center of the conference is on the Mississippi River just west of Rockport, IL about 90 miles north of St. Louis. Based upon this website: http://geomidpoint.com/.

http://geomidpoint.com/?ml=39.5304317&m ... =1&r=0&w=0

Obviously, there are a lot of different ways to define "center" in this discussion; I just thought this might be interesting.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I think WSU fans would love NMSU in the Valley.

The problem is that the eastern schools have to watch their travel budgets pretty closely and probably couldn't afford adding travel to NM. they would all vote against NM. My understanding is that it takes 7 of the 9 schools to vote to accept a new member. I don't see any possibility of NM getting 7 votes. Too many strapped athletic departments to add that kind of an expense to their current situations.

The issue of NMSU being added illustrates the underlying problem within the conference.

The strongest programs are in favor of whatever makes the conference better. Ironically those program(s) are also most financially able to support such changes, but are in a minority.

Other schools want to maintain the status quo as much as possible and are opposed to anything that raises expenses. The majority of the schools fall in this category.

The issue is that the strongest programs feel that the others are holding them back or making it harder for them to compete over the long term. For years I've called this the "football problem" because so many of the cash strapped schools are in that situation because of football. It is an issue that will continue to haunt the conference for years to come unless everyone can get their priorities in lockstep with one another. This was the issue that caused Creighton to shop around and will probably be the issue that eventually causes WSU to leave. And before anyone says it, let me just say that wanting more doesn't mean that a school feels that they better than everyone else; it just means that a school feels differently about future plans than everyone else.

Unfortunately, I don't know that it is something that can be remedied as certain schools simply cannot afford to do anything else. Finances trump vision.

[valleychamp]

Oooohhh, more baseless ignorant opinions stated as fact.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Oooohhh, more baseless ignorant opinions stated as fact.

What was factually incorrect about my post?

Just because you don't believe that the athletic departments at WSU and Creighton feel this way, doesn't make it so. It just makes you naive.

[valleychamp]

Yeah, I'm naive lol.

Tell me, DJA, what do you have to substantiate your claims? What credible source do you have to back up statements indicating that schools are not willing to do what's best for the conference and simply "want to maintain the status quo as much as possible and are opposed to anything that raises expenses". I didn't know that you were so well connected to be completely aware of all the goings on in every one of the MVC athletic departments, but you obviously are, so please doublejay, enlighten us all.

Lets be honest, you're just making things up to fit your narrative. You have no idea what is going on.

Thank God the Jays are in the Big East now, so nobody can "hold them back". I can't wait to see the inevitable great increase in success across the board in CU athletics.

[LMS]

The Illinois baseball schools voting against Dallas Baptist due to cost of travel once every other year is an example. WSU and CU were livid when that happened a few years ago.

[valleychamp]

The Illinois baseball schools voting against Dallas Baptist due to cost of travel once every other year is an example. WSU and CU were livid when that happened a few years ago.

And we know this to be true because why? Do we honestly believe that those schools voted them down because of a few extra bucks every other year? I mean, were talking about maybe 1 extra flight, or 1 extra long bus ride. What's that equate to, $5-10K? Pretty negligible.

Maybe those schools simply thought adding a DII athletic school (literally) to be an associate member was silly, and not worth the hassle.

[TNMSUFAN]

The Illinois baseball schools voting against Dallas Baptist due to cost of travel once every other year is an example. WSU and CU were livid when that happened a few years ago.

I would add Missouri State to the livid list...Coach Guttin was hot when they didn't get voted in. I have wanted New Mexico St since this all started...would love to add them especially if we jump to 12.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

Yeah, I'm

Thank God the Jays are in the Big East now, so nobody can "hold them back". I can't wait to see the inevitable great increase in success across the board in CU athletics.

Yep. I cannot wait for a press conference in the spring of 2015 or so when Dale Layer or a rehabilitated Mike Rice steps up to a podium wearing a Creighton ball cap and speaks how excited he is to take Creighton from the Big East basement to the top. I will enjoy it.

[rlh04d]

If it weren't for the distance your program would be a great addition to our conference.

I think that is the problem for the MVC, they are a good conference, I'm sure (viable) schools want to join, the distance is just too much.

Same distance from Las Cruces to Wichita as Wichita to Chicago.

We're only interested in geography to one side of this conference.

lol, give me a break.

Wichita would be the furthest away from Chicago, and the closest to Las Cruces.

Absolutely.

All movement based on geography in this country has been away from Wichita.

Let's look at the teams that have left in the last 32 years: Creighton, Tulsa, New Mexico State, West Texas State

And the teams that have been added in the last 32 years: UNI, Missouri State, Illinois State, Evansville.

We're losing all of our western schools, adding eastern schools, and then arguing that we should keep adding eastern schools because the geographic center of the conference has shifted.

We're limiting ourselves more and more to the financial restraints of the eastern members of this conference.

It's amazing to me that this conference is more geographically constrained now than it has been at any point in its history. And people actually argue with me when I say that this conference is making itself smaller and less important with every move? Quick, let's get a THIRD team in Illinois. None of the FCS football programs in this conference can afford to travel ... that is the constraint that will make this conference more and more small-time, until it's just Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois teams busing back and forth to each other like they're still in high school.

It's pretty telling that of the four teams being considered for expansion, only ORU is in a new state, and they're the least likely of the four. But of course it's just wild speculation about why a conference that once stretched to New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, etc. is trying to become the Indiana/Iowa/Illinois low-major conference.