Youngstown State

[screamingeaglepride]

I wonder if it is a mandate that if schools join the MVC then they would have to join the MVFC. I know some Indiana State fans on their fan forum have brought up Indiana State playing in the OVC for football only. I got to think the Youngstown State Administration would have to look at the Big South-OVC Football Association or just the OVC for football only. Also some Morehead State fans on their fan forum have brought up bringing back scholarship football. Morehead State has just gotten a new Athletic Director so I am keeping a eye on it.

It's never been a mandate as far as I'm aware. A school could join the MVC for non-football sports but play football elsewhere (see Drake). And there's plenty of schools that play football in the MVFC but have other sports elsewhere (see the Summit League).

They are legally two different conferences, despite sharing most of a name, and a home office.

YSU could jump whenever they want to (they're Horizon League for the other sports, so I highly doubt the conference would care where they put football).

INSU has a bit more of a connection to schools like ILSU, SIU, UNI, and MO State, but I could still see then deciding it's in their best financial interest to take football to the OVC. It's really more of a "will the OVC take them in football-only", which I would think they'd be fine with considering their current numbers.


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I agree that the OVC would take Indiana State and Youngstown State in a heart beat for football only. The OVC has to be proactive for getting future football schools. The Big South-OVC Football Association is only a 4 year deal and I could see the 4 schools from the Big South making a deal with the 6 football schools in the MEAC after the  Big South-OVC agreement expires I am keeping a eye on Austin Peay coming back to the OVC. I know the United Athletic Conference  that Austin Peay is in plans to move up to FBS. However I have read on the Missouri State fan forum the NCAA Council has proposed that the fee for a FCS school to move up to FBS will go up to $5 Million. If Austin Peay can not afford the fee to move up to FBS I can not see Austin Peay staying in the United Athletic Conference as a FCS member. Does Austin Peay really want to be a FCS member in the UAC that stretches all the way to Texas and Utah were as Austin Peay would be right in the middle of the OVC?
 

[ST_Lawson]

 

That's a good point that I hadn't really thought of. The MEAC and Big South have quite a bit of overlapping territory and would make great football partners.
The Big South has four football schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, western Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The MEAC has six football schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, and Delaware. Ten teams in a fairly tight footprint and not really that far apart in terms of the strength of football.

Regarding Austin Peay...I'm still astounded that they think they can make a go of it in FBS considering how bad they were for a number of years. In the 4-season span of 2013-2016, they won 1 game. They're better now, but over the last 20 years, they've had 5 winning seasons. They have a fairly nice stadium, but it only holds 10k people, so they'd have to do some serious expansion to get up to FBS level. Enrollment is around 10k, so they're decent sized, but not huge. I don't really know what kind of wealthy alumni/athletic boosters or local corporate sponsorships they have, but in general, it sounds like they really need to stay at the FCS level. And of course...they're right in the middle of the OVC footprint. I'm not sure if they initially left becuase they had FBS aspirations, or if they left because it looked like the OVC was falling apart, but I think now that the OVC seems to have stabilized, it might look more attractive.

[screamingeaglepride]

 

That's a good point that I hadn't really thought of. The MEAC and Big South have quite a bit of overlapping territory and would make great football partners.
The Big South has four football schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, western Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The MEAC has six football schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, and Delaware. Ten teams in a fairly tight footprint and not really that far apart in terms of the strength of football.

Regarding Austin Peay...I'm still astounded that they think they can make a go of it in FBS considering how bad they were for a number of years. In the 4-season span of 2013-2016, they won 1 game. They're better now, but over the last 20 years, they've had 5 winning seasons. They have a fairly nice stadium, but it only holds 10k people, so they'd have to do some serious expansion to get up to FBS level. Enrollment is around 10k, so they're decent sized, but not huge. I don't really know what kind of wealthy alumni/athletic boosters or local corporate sponsorships they have, but in general, it sounds like they really need to stay at the FCS level. And of course...they're right in the middle of the OVC footprint. I'm not sure if they initially left becuase they had FBS aspirations, or if they left because it looked like the OVC was falling apart, but I think now that the OVC seems to have stabilized, it might look more attractive.

 

I think it was a little of both that Austin Peay leaving the OVC. It did look like for awhile the OVC was going to fall apart but with Little Rock, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood and now Western Illinois the OVC is more stable. And I do think the ASun sold Austin Peay a "bill of Goods" about going FBS. The way I understand it the goal was for the ASun to be a 20 member conference and United Football Conference be a football only conference.  On the FBschedules website date December 9, 2002 "10 FCS teams planning new conference, move to the FBS, per report. "The 10 team league plans to transition to the FBS level at the earliest  possible date per documents obtained by ESPN. On Harry Schroder you tube channel the video "The future of the OVC" Bob Belvin talks about how is is "shocked " Austin Peay left the OVC and that Austin Peay payed the $1 million exit fee by private dollars.

[pvk7072]

This topic might belong in the OVC thread, but this IS about football only, here it is so here goes ... YSU to the OVC, even football-only? IMO, no.

It is located in northeast Ohio close to western Pennsylvania, and would become an immediate outlier. Regionally, OVC schools have zilch in common with northeast Ohio. Also, if YSU came in all-sports, Mr. Bubb would have to flip the script about cutting travel costs per the MVFC/Summit. Even moving the team to Youngstown for a required game every two years might be a stretch.

Yes, the MVFC pulled it off, but only because it already had the base of MVC-football schools, and later the 4 Dakotas needed a football home with the Summit there for other sports. Back in the OVC thread, I did suggest Indiana State might get tired of MVFC, stay in the MVC and look for a football-only home. Even so, YSU is not the one to pair with.

If -- and it's a huge IF -- Morehead State (OVC Olympics since late 1940s, Pioneer football) would somehow be willing/able to offer football scholarships, it would be a perfect fit. If Arkansas-Pine Bluff could be enticed to switch from the SWAC, also perfect. Neither is likely to happen. Nor is Austin Peay coming back; a public reversal after spending all that $?

But IMO the OVC needs to find all-sports that are willing and able to join, and be within or very near its geography.

I think the previous post about being creative with cross-conference alliances might work. I have enjoyed some really creative posts here since putting one foot back in WIU sports territory. Great interest here. Just need more.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[screamingeaglepride]

This topic might belong in the OVC thread, but this IS about football only, here it is so here goes ... YSU to the OVC, even football-only? IMO, no.

It is located in northeast Ohio close to western Pennsylvania, and would become an immediate outlier. Regionally, OVC schools have zilch in common with northeast Ohio. Also, if YSU came in all-sports, Mr. Bubb would have to flip the script about cutting travel costs per the MVFC/Summit. Even moving the team to Youngstown for a required game every two years might be a stretch.

Yes, the MVFC pulled it off, but only because it already had the base of MVC-football schools, and later the 4 Dakotas needed a football home with the Summit there for other sports. Back in the OVC thread, I did suggest Indiana State might get tired of MVFC, stay in the MVC and look for a football-only home. Even so, YSU is not the one to pair with.

If -- and it's a huge IF -- Morehead State (OVC Olympics since late 1940s, Pioneer football) would somehow be willing/able to offer football scholarships, it would be a perfect fit. If Arkansas-Pine Bluff could be enticed to switch from the SWAC, also perfect. Neither is likely to happen. Nor is Austin Peay coming back; a public reversal after spending all that $?

But IMO the OVC needs to find all-sports that are willing and able to join, and be within or very near its geography.

I think the previous post about being creative with cross-conference alliances might work. I have enjoyed some really creative posts here since putting one foot back in WIU sports territory. Great interest here. Just need more.

 
 I agree with you that Youngstown State being a outlier in all sports and not a good fit in the OVC. But I believe Youngstown State as a football only member is a good fit not a great fit but a good fit. If the Big South-OVC alliance is renewed after 4 years then Youngstown State being in this alliance will help out the Big South football schools with traveling. If the Alliance is not renewed then that will leave only 7 OVC schools with football. If Youngstown State would join the OVC in football only then the OVC would have 8 members in football and be more stable. As for travel OVC schools only have to travel to Youngstown State once every two years and it is not like Western Illinois has traveled to Youngstown State for a conference game in the past.
As for Austin Peay I would not count them out being back in the OVC. I look at Lamar who left the Southland Conference to join the Western Athletic Conference and then a year later was back in the Southland Conference and Incarnate Word left the Southland Conference to join the Western Athletic Conference but 7 months later rejoined the Southland Conference. Austin Peay left the OVC on good terms and if Austin Peay wanted back in the OVC I am sure that the OVC could waive the entry fee to join the conference.