Re: FCS Conference Shuffling
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2022 11:15 am
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.
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.