Summit League Headquarters Moving

If you want to talk about Monmouth University Football, Quincy University Basketball, Notre Dame Men's Soccer, or whatever, this is the place.
User avatar
NIU#1FBinIL
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 2:54 pm
Location: Major College Football (FBS)

Tere North wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 10:06 am
NIU#1FBinIL wrote: Wed May 30, 2018 8:18 pm A Division-I Conference must be composed of at least 7 active D-I members. That's actually perfect for all current Division-I public Universities in Illinois below the FBS cut-line.

MIGA Conference (MIGAC)
  • Western Illinois University (Macomb)
  • Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)
  • Eastern Illinois University (Charleston)
  • Central Illinois University (Normal)
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Chicago State University
Problem solved.
Add NIU. Not sure they really get that much out of being FBS. And drop CSU, they are going to die away, anyway.
Different LEVEL. Nonstarter.

Neither top-level Major College Football team, NIU nor that team in Chambana, would ever drop down.

You have the SEVEN required to form the conference. Working on replacing Chicago State due to its inevitable extinction would need to be an immediate priority. Getting one, or both, of the IL privates (Bradley, Loyola; DePaul would not leave the Big East.) would be the best bet to stay true to the Illinois-only conference theme.

I was going by the assumption that the person who drafted this concept was looking to keep the membership limited to public universities; however, I'm not sure that was ever actually stipulated. If having private universities in this mythical MIGAC is a non-issue then I would suggest a founding membership of:

MIGA Conference (MIGAC)
  • Western Illinois University (Macomb)
  • Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)
  • Eastern Illinois University (Charleston)
  • Central Illinois University (Normal)
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Bradley University (Peoria)
  • Loyola University (Chicago)
User avatar
sealhall74
Posts: 5770
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
Location: Wherever, Windblows

NIU is to the MAC what WIU is to the Summit - a geographic misfit. If they did not join in the MIGA, they would eventually be at a distinct recruiting disadvantage as in-state recruits flock to the MIGA schools so their families and friends can attend games more frequently.

Yes, I would prefer the new conference be just the public schools. Chicago State is on a slow path to euthanasia. Hence the need for UI-S to move up a level and start a football program. Also I don't foresee a need for affiliate members to muddy up the waters like you see in the MVC and MAC.
Embrace the pace of the race.
User avatar
sealhall74
Posts: 5770
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
Location: Wherever, Windblows

Select MIGA Conference contests will be broadcast on the state-funded "Illini Sports Network". This network will provide cable and internet access to live sports events at ALL levels of competition. If you can't beat the Dakota schools on the field, at least duplicate what they are doing in the broadcast booth and one-up them by making it a publicly funded venture. No McDonalds or viagra commercials on this network. You heard it hear first.
Embrace the pace of the race.
User avatar
sealhall74
Posts: 5770
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
Location: Wherever, Windblows

Something a conference Commish and ADs might scratch their heads over is related to bus travel and how much of it kids can take to ensure fair athletic competition. The footprint of the MIGA is fairly tight. ISU is only a couple of hours from EIU and WIU. Is that close enough such that those schools would no longer need to send their teams on the road a day ahead of time necessitating overnight lodging? Macomb to Dekalb is less than three hours. Is that too far? My gut says kids can do it. Just need to show up a few hours before game, time enough to have a little shootaround along with a pre-game meal, etc. As Commish, one of my goals would be that all schools have a comfortable "staging area" on campus where visting athletes could prepare for battle, do some homework, whatever. No doubt there are those who disagree with me and argue that staying overnight in nice hotels and getting catered meals is one of the perks that D1 athleties deserve. Thoughts?
Embrace the pace of the race.
User avatar
Tere North
Posts: 1146
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:59 pm

sealhall74 wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:16 am Something a conference Commish and ADs might scratch their heads over is related to bus travel and how much of it kids can take to ensure fair athletic competition. The footprint of the MIGA is fairly tight. ISU is only a couple of hours from EIU and WIU. Is that close enough such that those schools would no longer need to send their teams on the road a day ahead of time necessitating overnight lodging? Macomb to Dekalb is less than three hours. Is that too far? My gut says kids can do it. Just need to show up a few hours before game, time enough to have a little shootaround along with a pre-game meal, etc. As Commish, one of my goals would be that all schools have a comfortable "staging area" on campus where visting athletes could prepare for battle, do some homework, whatever. No doubt there are those who disagree with me and argue that staying overnight in nice hotels and getting catered meals is one of the perks that D1 athleties deserve. Thoughts?
I believe with the women played Bradley, it was an over and back, no hotel stay. Of course, D2 and D3 schools do it all the time out of financial necessity.
User avatar
sealhall74
Posts: 5770
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
Location: Wherever, Windblows

I am in Harrisonburg, VA today and tomorrow. Was supposed to take a motorcycle safety course here but 2 minutes after I checked in to hotel last night, they call and say it was cancelled because not enough signed up. Instead of that, I started my day off with a 2 hour walking tour of the JMU campus. Hard not to be impressed with what they got here. Construction underway for a new basketball facility and parking deck for it. At Bridgeforth, I stopped for a few minutes to watch the FB team practice. Lot of beef and not much fat is all I can say as they were practicing shirtless. Separate turf and lighted fields for field soccer, hockey, lacrosse, etc. Lot of the old west campus remains to be seen. Will take in a collegiate baseball game on their campus tonight. I hear their rec center is a great stop but was closed when I walked by this AM so will have to do that later today.

This is the kind of growth that the public Illinois schools can see if they putting freaking heads together and stop spinning their wheels.
Embrace the pace of the race.
User avatar
sealhall74
Posts: 5770
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
Location: Wherever, Windblows

Last night I got to see the Harrisonburg (VA) Turks play ball at the JMU baseball/softball complex. They are a member of the Valley Baseball League, a summer wooden bat league for college baseball players. The Turks are so-named because Harrisonburg sits in Rockingham County, the poultry capital of the world. Before the game, I did a little driving around the area. At one point, I got behind a tractor trailer loaded to the brim with countless wire cages, each one a rather cramped quarters for some feathery creature. Don't know if they were coming or going, but the feathers were flying as the truck was heading down the road.

Rumor has it the choice of team nickname boiled down to either Turks or Chicks. I think they got this one right. ;)
Embrace the pace of the race.
Post Reply