Wild speculation time...if the ASUN/WAC gets approval from the NCAA to move up as an entire conference to the FBS, I could easily see the Dakotas and Montanas moving up with a few others. It's been proposed elsewhere as the "Snow Belt Conference": https://mobile.twitter.com/thesnowbelt
Although I don't know that all those teams would go.
Here's my wild speculation of what could happen within the next few years:
The 4 Dakotas, plus 2 Montanas, Idaho, Weber State, Sac State, and UC Davis all move up to an all-sports FBS conference.
The ASUN/WAC brings in Missouri State and Southern Illinois to their football-only FBS conference.
Northern Iowa and Illinois State get approval to join the MAC in football only.
Indiana State and Murray State (reversing course) move just football to the OVC.
WIU moves all sports to the OVC, adds co-ed rifle team.
Youngstown State joins either the CAA or Big South for football.
The MVC schools (MO State, MU State, SIU, UNI, INSU, ILSU) all stay MVC for their non-football sports.
YSU stays in the Horizon for their other sports.
For the Summit League, they lose the Dakotas to this "Snow Belt Conference" and WIU to the OVC. St. Thomas, Omaha, and Denver probably go with this new Snow Belt Conference as non-football members. KC and Oral Roberts join probably the WAC or Southland (if anything, KC to the WAC, ORU to the Southland).
As much as I dislike losing our annual football game against Illinois State, I think it'd be worth it if we end up playing in a football conference of EIU, Lindenwood, SEMO, TN State, TN Tech, UT-Martin, Murray State, and Indiana State (9 team conference, 8 conference games a year plus 3 OOC games). In basketball and other sports, Murray State would be in the MVC, but it's all the rest of those teams plus UA-Little Rock, Morehead State, SIUE, and Southern Indiana. It'd be a much more compact conference and we'd probably be better off competitively not having to play the XDSU's in football or SDSU and ORU in basketball. We'd have "local" games against EIU, SIUE, and Lindenwood, with INSU, SEMO, and Southern Indiana not much further away.
FCS Conference Shuffling
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Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
Courtesy of Matt Brown at Extra Points:
Specifically, I am told that there is mutual interest in D-II University of West Georgia potentially joining the OVC.
The Wolves would address a few potential needs for the OVC. UWG’s main campus, in Carrollton, Georgia, is only about an hour away from former OVC member Jacksonville State. The OVC has never had a full member in Georgia before, but it did previously have schools in Alabama. Moving into Georgia gives OVC coaches and staffers an excuse to visit talent (and student) rich parts of the country, without extending too far out of bus range.
West Georgia also sponsors football, helping to bolster the OVC/Big South partnership, giving them a membership buffer in case one of the geographic outlier institutions (like Bryant) decides on other league affiliations in the future. UWG’s enrollment (over 10,00 undergraduates and growing) and institutional profile also broadly fits many of the other schools currently in the OVC.UWG currently sponsors 13 varsity sports and currently plays in D-II’s Gulf South Conference. Their football program has been a regular D-II playoff participant over the last decade.
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Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
The ASUN + WAC football partnership will be rebranding itself as the United Athletic Conference and will operate as a single sport football conference (like the MVFC): https://asunsports.org/sports/fball/202 ... 0417066y7o
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Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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We should join the OVC for all sports. It makes so much more sense geographically. Also, we would have a chance at being competitive in football, which given the financial situation we are currently in (and for the foreseeable future) we will never be able to do again in the MVFC.
- Tere North
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Absolutely agree with OVC. Unless $1B falls out of the sky, we cannot be competitive in the leagues we are currently in. Plus, OVC cuts our costs and allows for some good rivalries. A competitive game, regardless the caliber of the athletes, poshness of the surroundings, etc., is what fans want, and I believe, players, too, unless they are among the truly elite.
- sealhall74
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With an odd 7 teams in the conference football mix right now, I would think they would jump at the chance to pick us up.
But would they pay our exit fees? We have been there so long (Gateway, MidContinent days), they should let us go for nothing.
What does it cost to jump ship or in this case, probably ships?
But would they pay our exit fees? We have been there so long (Gateway, MidContinent days), they should let us go for nothing.
What does it cost to jump ship or in this case, probably ships?
Embrace the pace of the race.
- Tere North
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MVFC and Summit League might even pay us to leavesealhall74 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 12:04 pm With an odd 7 teams in the conference football mix right now, I would think they would jump at the chance to pick us up.
But would they pay our exit fees? We have been there so long (Gateway, MidContinent days), they should let us go for nothing.
What does it cost to jump ship or in this case, probably ships?
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Appears to be tremors in Fargo about a potential move up for NDSU football. If the Mountain West is on the table, they will jump. A recent law passed in Minnesota provides free tuition to students in Minnesota to state schools whose family makes under $80,000 annually. Over 40% of students at NDSU are from Minnesota. Can’t make the same $ off a sharp decrease in enrollment. If they move to a lower grade FBS conference, it wouldn’t surprise me due to fear of long term ramifications that caught NDSU administration off guard.
- sealhall74
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My 2 pennies but I dont see one *DSU moving up without the other also going.jtrinaldi wrote: ↑Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:32 am Appears to be tremors in Fargo about a potential move up for NDSU football. If the Mountain West is on the table, they will jump. A recent law passed in Minnesota provides free tuition to students in Minnesota to state schools whose family makes under $80,000 annually. Over 40% of students at NDSU are from Minnesota. Can’t make the same $ off a sharp decrease in enrollment. If they move to a lower grade FBS conference, it wouldn’t surprise me due to fear of long term ramifications that caught NDSU administration off guard.
Embrace the pace of the race.