FCS Conference Shuffling

Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:46 am

sealhall74 wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:36 am The $64K question is can we compete in the Summit/MVFC? Yes, I know we can show up, sometimes pretty good, but can we compete, year in, year out, for conference championships in all sports? I dont see it happening given our current recruiting efforts which are impacted in a big way by the facilities we have. If the administration is just happy to show up, so be it. Most fans like me dont look at it quite that way, however. Consistent losing drives them away. Move to the OVC, you improve your championship chances in a huge way in all sports. You also restore an instate rivalry in hoops. I remember those days when 7K fans, mostly students, showed up in Western Hall for the annual WIU/EIU matchup because I was there, face painted and all, front row seat under the east bucket. There was something on the line, as in a conference championship.

Ok, but if the OVC has completely fallen apart as a conference, we're likely looking at having things keep shuffling around for a while with them. The Mid-Con/Summit League has finally somewhat stabilized, but the OVC has lost Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay. Today they lose Belmont, probably soon will be losing Murray State, and a halfway decent chance they'll lose Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State within the next year.

My hope is that we'll end up just seeing the OVC break up, the MVFC can bring in Murray State, EIU, and SEMO, with Murray State going to the MVC for other sports and EIU, SEMO, and non-football SIU-E joining the Summit. It would make for a large league, but we could do some type of pod/division scheduling and I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see NDSU and SDSU get their chance at FBS if the Mountain West ends up losing Air Force and Colorado State and wants to backfill from the top of the FCS ranks.

If that happens, we have our annual games with EIU again, along with in-conference matchups with nearby SIU-E. The EIU rivalry with Illinois State also becomes an in-conference game, freeing up an OOC game for them, as does SEMO and SIU.

Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:49 am

As expected, but is now essentially "official"...

sealhall74 · Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:58 am

ST_Lawson wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:46 am
sealhall74 wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:36 am The $64K question is can we compete in the Summit/MVFC? Yes, I know we can show up, sometimes pretty good, but can we compete, year in, year out, for conference championships in all sports? I dont see it happening given our current recruiting efforts which are impacted in a big way by the facilities we have. If the administration is just happy to show up, so be it. Most fans like me dont look at it quite that way, however. Consistent losing drives them away. Move to the OVC, you improve your championship chances in a huge way in all sports. You also restore an instate rivalry in hoops. I remember those days when 7K fans, mostly students, showed up in Western Hall for the annual WIU/EIU matchup because I was there, face painted and all, front row seat under the east bucket. There was something on the line, as in a conference championship.

Ok, but if the OVC has completely fallen apart as a conference, we're likely looking at having things keep shuffling around for a while with them. The Mid-Con/Summit League has finally somewhat stabilized, but the OVC has lost Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay. Today they lose Belmont, probably soon will be losing Murray State, and a halfway decent chance they'll lose Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State within the next year.

My hope is that we'll end up just seeing the OVC break up, the MVFC can bring in Murray State, EIU, and SEMO, with Murray State going to the MVC for other sports and EIU, SEMO, and non-football SIU-E joining the Summit. It would make for a large league, but we could do some type of pod/division scheduling and I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see NDSU and SDSU get their chance at FBS if the Mountain West ends up losing Air Force and Colorado State and wants to backfill from the top of the FCS ranks.

If that happens, we have our annual games with EIU again, along with in-conference matchups with nearby SIU-E. The EIU rivalry with Illinois State also becomes an in-conference game, freeing up an OOC game for them, as does SEMO and SIU.

That is another route to competitiveness. Get rid of Denver, ORU, and the *DSU guys, the one with top-notch and money to build new facilities. But I will counter by saying adding a couple up and comer D2 teams to OVC is more likely to happen.

sealhall74 · Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:06 am

Southern Indiana looking to move up. OVC is perfect fit for them.

No football, YET, but Coastal Carolina never had a team until 2003. Look where they are.

https://www.14news.com/2021/09/27/usi-l ... on-1-move/

Western_101 · Tue Sep 28, 2021 6:51 pm

ST_Lawson wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:46 am
sealhall74 wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:36 am The $64K question is can we compete in the Summit/MVFC? Yes, I know we can show up, sometimes pretty good, but can we compete, year in, year out, for conference championships in all sports? I dont see it happening given our current recruiting efforts which are impacted in a big way by the facilities we have. If the administration is just happy to show up, so be it. Most fans like me dont look at it quite that way, however. Consistent losing drives them away. Move to the OVC, you improve your championship chances in a huge way in all sports. You also restore an instate rivalry in hoops. I remember those days when 7K fans, mostly students, showed up in Western Hall for the annual WIU/EIU matchup because I was there, face painted and all, front row seat under the east bucket. There was something on the line, as in a conference championship.

Ok, but if the OVC has completely fallen apart as a conference, we're likely looking at having things keep shuffling around for a while with them. The Mid-Con/Summit League has finally somewhat stabilized, but the OVC has lost Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, and Austin Peay. Today they lose Belmont, probably soon will be losing Murray State, and a halfway decent chance they'll lose Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State within the next year.

My hope is that we'll end up just seeing the OVC break up, the MVFC can bring in Murray State, EIU, and SEMO, with Murray State going to the MVC for other sports and EIU, SEMO, and non-football SIU-E joining the Summit. It would make for a large league, but we could do some type of pod/division scheduling and I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see NDSU and SDSU get their chance at FBS if the Mountain West ends up losing Air Force and Colorado State and wants to backfill from the top of the FCS ranks.

If that happens, we have our annual games with EIU again, along with in-conference matchups with nearby SIU-E. The EIU rivalry with Illinois State also becomes an in-conference game, freeing up an OOC game for them, as does SEMO and SIU.

This, without a doubt. I was on the OVC bandwagon last year....things change.

The best scenario for Western is OVC disintegrating and EIU, SIUE, and SEMO joining the Summit.

sealhall74 · Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:34 am

The ultimate solution would be a whole new conference with all schools in close proximity.

Iowa: UNI
Illinois: NIU UIC(*) WIU ISUr EIU SIU SIUe(*)
Missouri: SEMO MSU
Indiana: ISUb

Longest drive for anyone about 7 hours. No need for travel partners. LOL
Call it the Cornbelt Conference, which was the name of a IL HS one from way back in the day.
11 teams, all public and on pretty even grounds facility wise, all but 2 (*) play football, perfection IMHO.
NIU drops down a bit for the betterment of all concerned. They masquerading as FBS now anyway as their
endowment not much better than ours, way worse than most in MAC.

Someone talk to Tom Douple and pull him out of retirement to lead us to the promised land.

Conference hoops tournament alternates between St. Louis and Chicago, places you can easily fly into. Whats not to like?

rocki · Wed Sep 29, 2021 2:46 pm

sealhall74 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:34 am The ultimate solution would be a whole new conference with all schools in close proximity.

Iowa: UNI
Illinois: NIU UIC(*) WIU ISUr EIU SIU SIUe(*)
Missouri: SEMO MSU
Indiana: ISUb

Longest drive for anyone about 7 hours. No need for travel partners. LOL
Call it the Cornbelt Conference, which was the name of a IL HS one from way back in the day.
11 teams, all public and on pretty even grounds facility wise, all but 2 (*) play football, perfection IMHO.
NIU drops down a bit for the betterment of all concerned. They masquerading as FBS now anyway as their
endowment not much better than ours, way worse than most in MAC.

Someone talk to Tom Douple and pull him out of retirement to lead us to the promised land.

Conference hoops tournament alternates between St. Louis and Chicago, places you can easily fly into. Whats not to like?

Heck, just go back to calling it the Gateway Conference.

sealhall74 · Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:05 am

Chicago State leaving WAC after this year with no firm ground to land on as far as I know. Mr. Douple, might as well let them into the Cornbelt to make an even dozen. This conference could have some awesome rivalries built right into it. Obviously the Crosstown UIC-CSU matchup. The Show Me Who's Better SEMO MSU affair. The Who's North Star Shines Brightest game between UNI and NIU. How about the Midstate Mania game between WIU and ISU (both near the 40 degree latitude Mason Dixon mark)?

Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:12 pm

Looks like Murray State is likely to be the next domino to "fall" (as it applies to the OVC crumbling). This just mentions the MVC, but I'd have to imagine that their football team joining the MVFC is not far behind.

Western_101 · Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:12 pm

sealhall74 wrote: Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:05 am Chicago State leaving WAC after this year with no firm ground to land on as far as I know. Mr. Douple, might as well let them into the Cornbelt to make an even dozen. This conference could have some awesome rivalries built right into it. Obviously the Crosstown UIC-CSU matchup. The Show Me Who's Better SEMO MSU affair. The Who's North Star Shines Brightest game between UNI and NIU. How about the Midstate Mania game between WIU and ISU (both near the 40 degree latitude Mason Dixon mark)?

The only entity that could top you in unintelligible posts would be me. Sleep it off brother.