What's the next realignment domino to fall?

[Snaggletooth]

If WSU had football they'd probably be in the AAC already I'd guess.

I forgot where I read it, but somewhere I saw Memphis might be the next member of the Big XII?

If WSU had football, we would suck at football, and wouldn't be able to afford 2MM for Marshall, so we would probably suck at basketball too so no one would want us anyway.

Screw football. Go Valley. Go Shox.

That's a brutally honest answer.

There are some that miss WSU football for not what it was, but what they would like for it to be. I went to WSU when they had football (Div I) and they sucked at football (maybe things would have been different had went to pee-wee football with the rest of the MVC). But there are some of us understand the real reality. When they canceled football I found new things to do in the fall - didn't miss it.

[glm38]

I'm torn regarding Bears football and have been for years. On the one hand we are horrible and have been for a very long time. And I'm really a basketball guy and I know our program would improve if we devoted that football time, energy, and $$ to basketball.

On the other hand football really does add something to a campus. There's nothing like football in the fall. And on a personal note I've got a son at MSU that is in the marching band and my father actually played MSU football in the 50s. So football is and was very important to them.

Ultimately though it doesn't matter what I think. We have invested heavily in our fb program recently so football isn't going anywhere here. I just hope we can ultimately become successful and stop being an embarrassment. I think our recent coaching hire may be the guy to lead us there. If he can't nobody can IMO.

[BirdmanBB]

I suppose I am curious of shocker fans opinions on this, but when most of the realignment was happening at least to me it seemed like the general attitude of shocker fans was that they would get poached and move on to a better conference. I think many felt excited about that possibility. Outside of the Catholic conference forming for basketball only the whole realignment thing has been mainly driven by football. I guess my question to those who were hopeful of getting out, do you still feel that way? Are you comfortable being in the MVC? Do you feel like you might be in limbo at all for a conference move up because of geographical location and no football? Are there any conferences who you see might come calling that would accept a basketball only school that makes geographical sense?

[Wufan]

I suppose I am curious of shocker fans opinions on this, but when most of the realignment was happening at least to me it seemed like the general attitude of shocker fans was that they would get poached and move on to a better conference. I think many felt excited about that possibility. Outside of the Catholic conference forming for basketball only the whole realignment thing has been mainly driven by football. I guess my question to those who were hopeful of getting out, do you still feel that way? Are you comfortable being in the MVC? Do you feel like you might be in limbo at all for a conference move up because of geographical location and no football? Are there any conferences who you see might come calling that would accept a basketball only school that makes geographical sense?

I think most WSU fans were hopeful for an invite to a basketball only conference. The only one that formed pulled all private schools and 11 of 12 Catholic. As for being in the MVC, many (but certainly not all) feel that it is the best situation currently available. We are certainly limited due to having no football and the geography of being a public university in the Midwest. There is still some hope that a conference like the Mountain West, A-10, or American might come calling, but all of those have distinct disadvantages against the MVC as well.

The best thing for WSU would be if the rest of the MVC would just be consistently better. UNI is in a fine place, and it appears the Redbirds are as well. The uptick in this years UE and LUC is encouraging. Drake has been mostly bad for 40 years. SIU, MSU, and BU's long term mediocrity has brought the value of the league down significantly. Two of those three need to become and stay relevant. I believe this would also be the best thing for the Valley as a whole.

The best way for this to happen would be for MVC football schools to drop their programs. With ISU having success this year, UNIs tradition of success, and MSUs new stadium, this seems preposterous, so WSU keeps weighing options and hoping the right one appears.

[BirdmanBB]

That's interesting. I think with the football schools, it's not necessarily a matter of wanting to move altogether, but possibly just football if the opportunity arrises. After what happened with Temple, I don't think the MAC is interested in adding a football only school ever again, but it's also been rumored that Northern Illinois is not happy with their situation in the MAC. This rumor kind of surprises me since the conference gave them all kinds of financial support when they made it to the Orange Bowl. I agree. I don't know about schools like UNI because they have dropped sports, but it seems that schools like ISUr, SIU, MSU and potentially ISUb are looking to move. It also appears that lowly BCS conferences have been trying to poach them and it appears all have been turning them down. I know back when I was at ISUr and before the dominoes started falling the goal according to our school president at the time was to land in a conference like the CUSA. Given how realignment went, i'm not so sure this would still be the case. What I do believe is that if a school in our conference were to leave it would most likely have to be for all sports at this juncture. The problem is, the BCS conferences that come calling that might even be decent or produce a solid winner every now and again are horrible basketball conferences and not even close to the success and tradition of the valley. As cash strapped as schools are, I see anyone looking to make a move up, unless you have unlimited resources, will have to make sense geographically. To me, at this point, I just don't see ISUr leaving for a poached CUSA, but trying to go for a conference like the AAC or again, if they are lucky enough, getting a football only invite to some decent conference ant maintaining valley membership.

I definitely understand the idea behind wanting football schools dropping the sport to focus on basketball. I wonder if it will ever come to the point where a few basketball only schools in the MVC band together to essentially do what the Big East did and simply create the environment that they are seeking. Get likeminded schools who's primary focus is and will always be basketball and snag the best of that around the midwest.

[unipanther99]

I think most UNI fans have gone from wanting to "move up" in football, to being content where we are. I also think it's just a matter of time before the current non-power FBS schools to fall back down to reality, and the dividing line changes in football. Maintaining the appearance of big-time football without the huge TV money to finance it is eventually going to be a losing proposition for many schools.

[jwa123]

I think most UNI fans have gone from wanting to "move up" in football, to being content where we are. I also think it's just a matter of time before the current non-power FBS schools to fall back down to reality, and the dividing line changes in football. Maintaining the appearance of big-time football without the huge TV money to finance it is eventually going to be a losing proposition for many schools.

ding ding ding - this man is a winner! It would take more money for ISUr or UNI to move up and for what? An irrelevant conference like the Sunbelt that someday will have to come to grips that it and the other like conferences are not big time and it costs a lot of money to be pretending to be big time.

I am not "connected" to any of the decision makers at ISUr but I do not get the impression that they are looking to move. The present position is not a bad place to be. One of the best basketball leagues in the country and the very best FCS football conference in the country. I think ISUr is content with it's present situation and the goal is to be relevant in both sports.

[rlh04d]

I suppose I am curious of shocker fans opinions on this, but when most of the realignment was happening at least to me it seemed like the general attitude of shocker fans was that they would get poached and move on to a better conference. I think many felt excited about that possibility. Outside of the Catholic conference forming for basketball only the whole realignment thing has been mainly driven by football. I guess my question to those who were hopeful of getting out, do you still feel that way? Are you comfortable being in the MVC? Do you feel like you might be in limbo at all for a conference move up because of geographical location and no football? Are there any conferences who you see might come calling that would accept a basketball only school that makes geographical sense?

I agree with most of what Wufan said.

First and foremost I want the Valley to burn their football programs and commit to building a great basketball conference, rather than pouring money into miserably poor football programs and killing the basketball programs that make them relevant because of a ridiculous follow-the-leader mentality, where they're chasing a pot of gold that's already been emptied by the people that got there first. IF the Valley schools simply committed to building a great basketball conference, they could be a leader in the eventual post-football-dominance era that is sure to take place, and could begin expanding from a position of strength with programs as they hit the eject button on their football programs. Even the MVC football programs that are successful aren't actually successful -- winning at that level is irrelevant.

But that's clearly not going to ever happen. The part I disagree with Wufan on is that he thinks the Valley can get better. I don't. I think it can marginally improve here and there (maybe conference #8 instead of #11), but Bradley is the only school that I think has real potential to do anything close to what WSU has done. UNI is at their ceiling -- it's a good ceiling, and they're a major plus for this conference, but it's the same ceiling just about every other Valley team has. Maybe a Sweet 16 every once in a while, if the stars line up right. WSU and Bradley are the only two schools in the Valley that I think can be anything more than that. And Bradley has chosen a bad time to be awful.

So if option one isn't ever going to happen, I hope desperately that WSU's success will propel them into the AAC/MWC/Big East/etc. in the near future. If we have to be associated with football schools, I'd prefer football schools that have more potential in basketball.

[capnkirk]

As a shocker fan, I cannot see a conference that WSU fits in better than the MVC right now. If you throw football out the window, the big 12 conference would be the most practical.

With the MWC, the added travel time, the time zone difference with later game times would have an adverse affect on the sports teams and less tv exposure. And no true rival.

A conference like the Big East would be interesting, but once again there would be added travel time, but unlike the west coast, the games would start an hour earlier. And once again no true rival. And the big east isn't taking any state funded schools.

The AAC would be another possibility, but same concerns apply as the big east conference. And the AAC seems to be a revolving door for schools trying to spring board to a better conference.

West Virginia joined the big 12 and has since expressed displeasure in long travel times and multiple road trips in a short amount of time.

A couple of games ago, the radio play by play guy for the shockers said he had heard that the creighton coaches were not happy to be switching conferences and that the president was the main driving force in leaving the valley.

I think there is going to be another significant conference realignment within the next 10 years. Maybe even conferences picking a team to be in their basketball conference, but not the same conference for football.

[rlh04d]

With the MWC.... And no true rival.

A conference like the Big East would be interesting,... And once again no true rival.

The AAC would be another possibility, but same concerns apply as the big east conference.

That seems like an odd point considering we clearly don't have a rival in the Valley anymore. Creighton was our "rival." Tulsa was our rival.

Sure, there's other teams that become defacto rivals when we're both good, but there's no true rivalry with anyone in the conference. A rivalry by its nature matters when both teams are good, both are bad, one is good and one is bad, etc.

We'd have more of a "true rival" in either the Big East or the AAC than we have in the Valley.