Summit League Headquarters Moving

[ST_Lawson]

We cant bitch about this office move. It was the smart thing to do. Not only that, we voted for it (assuming we showed up to vote). But I will say a tournament move would take more than a heartbeat as the current contract runs thru 2022. Illinois needs to take the horse by reins and restructure their whole system (a single education board overseeing all of the public colleges) and AT THE SAME TIME, establish its own MIGA Conference I have talked about above. It took the Dakotas a decade to align all of their schools in the same D1 conference. Illinois can do better and get it done in 5 years or less. I have been known to joke around alot but not on this matter. It is a no-brainer.

Yeah, the move just makes sense at this point. Would I like everything closer to us?...sure...but that's not the direction the conference is headed right now. Sioux Falls has shown to be willing to put forth significant resources to bring the Summit League there (more so than any other city has in a long time...if ever). I think it's pretty much a given that Fort Wayne won't be in the conference in a few years, either leaving for a different conference, or possibly dropping a division as they convert to Purdue-only. At that point, we're the furthest east team in the conference, although considering this conference has in the past had teams from Louisiana, southwestern Utah, and Connecticut....a conference from essentially the Mississippi River to Denver isn't too bad.

As much as the Illinois conference would make sense travel-wise, there's a few things that I just don't see happening that would need to happen. Illinois State would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to an all-sports conference with WIU, EIU, or SIU-E. Barring a split of the FBS level of football into the P5 and G5, with the G5 turning into more of a "lower FBS and upper FCS" division (like, 3 DI "divisions"), I don't see NIU moving down to join the FCS schools in football. Also, with the current financial situation in Illinois, I don't think we're going to see anyone moving up divisions any time soon, so I think UIS is probably staying DII.
Now, if the state does go through a MAJOR restructuring of the universities, then who knows what could happen, but given how things currently are, I just don't see that as a likely scenario (despite how fun it might end up being).

[sealhall74]

We cant bitch about this office move. It was the smart thing to do. Not only that, we voted for it (assuming we showed up to vote). But I will say a tournament move would take more than a heartbeat as the current contract runs thru 2022. Illinois needs to take the horse by reins and restructure their whole system (a single education board overseeing all of the public colleges) and AT THE SAME TIME, establish its own MIGA Conference I have talked about above. It took the Dakotas a decade to align all of their schools in the same D1 conference. Illinois can do better and get it done in 5 years or less. I have been known to joke around alot but not on this matter. It is a no-brainer.

Yeah, the move just makes sense at this point. Would I like everything closer to us?...sure...but that's not the direction the conference is headed right now. Sioux Falls has shown to be willing to put forth significant resources to bring the Summit League there (more so than any other city has in a long time...if ever). I think it's pretty much a given that Fort Wayne won't be in the conference in a few years, either leaving for a different conference, or possibly dropping a division as they convert to Purdue-only. At that point, we're the furthest east team in the conference, although considering this conference has in the past had teams from Louisiana, southwestern Utah, and Connecticut....a conference from essentially the Mississippi River to Denver isn't too bad.

As much as the Illinois conference would make sense travel-wise, there's a few things that I just don't see happening that would need to happen. Illinois State would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to an all-sports conference with WIU, EIU, or SIU-E. Barring a split of the FBS level of football into the P5 and G5, with the G5 turning into more of a "lower FBS and upper FCS" division (like, 3 DI "divisions"), I don't see NIU moving down to join the FCS schools in football. Also, with the current financial situation in Illinois, I don't think we're going to see anyone moving up divisions any time soon, so I think UIS is probably staying DII.
Now, if the state does go through a MAJOR restructuring of the universities, then who knows what could happen, but given how things currently are, I just don't see that as a likely scenario (despite how fun it might end up being).

I might disagree with you on the state of NIU football. They don't exactly have people fired up in Dekalb right now playing all of those Ohio teams.

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As for ISU, I do kind of agree with you there. I also think that over time, if the state can fund the schools in a reasonable manner, things will even out and ISU will fall down a bit to the our level sports-wise and UI-S will improve their programs to be more inline with the rest of conference. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? You might be hurt in the pocketbook if you are ISU but I would bet overall attendance would be better. I am talking 10 to 15 years down the road for this leveling out process to happen. It all depends on what the state can do. I am damn sure there is enough athletic talent in the state to make this work.

[wiu712]

Part of the attendance problem at NIU football is the 4 mid-week games that the MAC schedules in November.

This year, NIU will have a home game on Wednesday, November 7 and on Wednesday, November 14.

They will have road games on Thursday, November 1 and on Tuesday, November 20.

[ST_Lawson]

I might disagree with you on the state of NIU football. They don't exactly have people fired up in Dekalb right now playing all of those Ohio teams.

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/lists/20 ... xml?page=1

As for ISU, I do kind of agree with you there. I also think that over time, if the state can fund the schools in a reasonable manner, things will even out and ISU will fall down a bit to the our level sports-wise and UI-S will improve their programs to be more inline with the rest of conference. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? You might be hurt in the pocketbook if you are ISU but I would bet overall attendance would be better. I am talking 10 to 15 years down the road for this leveling out process to happen. It all depends on what the state can do. I am damn sure there is enough athletic talent in the state to make this work.

NIU - true, but I still don't see them voluntarily moving down. Only Idaho has done that and it was pretty much because they had to. They could either try to make a go of it as an FBS independent (nearly impossible) or drop down and play in the Big Sky.

However, since you're looking at a 10-15 year timeframe, I think I could see a situation where all of the schools you listed could be in the same subdivision by then. The FBS decides to split into the "haves" and "have-nots"...P5 schools (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, ACC) as one subdivision (or maybe leave the NCAA altogether) and G5 schools (AAC, MWC, MAC, C-USA, SB) as another subdivision. In that scenario, you could have the upper category of FCS schools join the lower FBS schools to form a middle subdivision which could include all the schools you mentioned. The lower FCS schools would become a third subdivision or possibly relegated to DII or something.

Everyone would still have to recruit out of state some too...yes there's plenty of talent in Illinois, but not everyone wants to stay and play, and you're still going to get plenty of other schools recruiting the state...especially the Chicago area.

I think some realignment is likely in the future, although I don't think the all-Illinois conference is one of the more likely scenarios that would come out of it.

[sealhall74]

NIU Hoops Men average attendance was 998 at home last year. Ours isn't so bad considering everything compared to theirs. They are about FBS as we are.

We need a state-wide culture change.

[wiu712]

I think that UIS is happy where they are. UIS was NAIA before becoming NCAA Division 2 in 2010. UIS is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Governors State plays NAIA athletics.

Northeastern Illinois discontinued its intercollegiate athletics program and now offers club sports instead.

[sealhall74]

I think that UIS is happy where they are. UIS was NAIA before becoming NCAA Division 2 in 2010. UIS is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Governors State plays NAIA athletics.

Northeastern Illinois discontinued its intercollegiate athletics program and now offers club sports instead.

Are you hinting that UIS and Gov State are lonely right now and could use another couple of current D1s to join them? Certainly a possibility. If the state cannot solve its economic woes, this approach is probably the most likely.

[sealhall74]

And furthermore, teams like ISU and SIU from the MVC are getting owned in baseball by an affiliate member school called Dallas Baptist. If that sits well with the natives, then they deserve their headaches.

[wiu712]

Are you hinting that UIS and Gov State are lonely right now and could use another couple of current D1s to join them?

Just saying that not all of the 12 state universities in Illinois have NCAA Division 1 athletics.

I am most familiar with UIS having worked and lived in Springfield. They have considered adding football, but nothing is in the works for that at this time.

[sealhall74]

Are you hinting that UIS and Gov State are lonely right now and could use another couple of current D1s to join them?

Just saying that not all of the 12 state universities in Illinois have NCAA Division 1 athletics.

I am most familiar with UIS having worked and lived in Springfield. They have considered adding football, but nothing is in the works for that at this time.

Until we can get a stadium built for them, they have a pretty darn good facility to use right now.

http://www.shgfootball.com/index.php?op ... &Itemid=58