Youngstown State

screamingeaglepride · Tue Aug 01, 2023 8:22 pm

Does Western Illinois fans know if Youngstown State fans are happy with the MVFC? I think Youngstown State should be the 12th school in the Big South-OVC Football Association and if the Association is not renewed after 4 years then Youngstown State should be a OVC member in football only as the 8th school.

leatherneckcountry · Tue Aug 01, 2023 9:38 pm

screamingeaglepride wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 8:22 pm Does Western Illinois fans know if Youngstown State fans are happy with the MVFC? I think Youngstown State should be the 12th school in the Big South-OVC Football Association and if the Association is not renewed after 4 years then Youngstown State should be a OVC member in football only as the 8th school.

Well if you ask there fans they belong in the Sec

Wed Aug 02, 2023 10:10 am

leatherneckcountry wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 9:38 pm
screamingeaglepride wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 8:22 pm Does Western Illinois fans know if Youngstown State fans are happy with the MVFC? I think Youngstown State should be the 12th school in the Big South-OVC Football Association and if the Association is not renewed after 4 years then Youngstown State should be a OVC member in football only as the 8th school.

Well if you ask there fans they belong in the Sec

Really, they belong in the MAC (and the MAC belongs in the FCS), but they weren't able to get in when they had the momentum to do so (I guess the Michigan schools didn't want ANOTHER Ohio MAC school). That probably would have been the early to mid-90s, when Tressell was the HC, YSU was regularly making the playoffs, and winning the I-AA championship ('91, '93, '94, '97). YSU was independent from '88-'96, so if they were ever going to do it, probably around '94-'95 would have been ideal. They averaged 16k fans at home games in '94. The Ice Castle is a bit small by MAC standards (20.6k capacity), but they if they went FBS, they would probably tear down the east stands and build it to match the west side (https://goo.gl/maps/Kd4bo4eyKS4owdoB9).

YSU to the OVC/Big South does make a lot of sense at this point though...at least more than the MVFC. They'd be much closer to most of the conference and REALLY close to Robert Morris (they're almost exactly 1 hour apart).

Leatherneck57 · Wed Aug 02, 2023 2:26 pm

ST_Lawson wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 10:10 am
leatherneckcountry wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 9:38 pm
screamingeaglepride wrote: ↑Tue Aug 01, 2023 8:22 pm Does Western Illinois fans know if Youngstown State fans are happy with the MVFC? I think Youngstown State should be the 12th school in the Big South-OVC Football Association and if the Association is not renewed after 4 years then Youngstown State should be a OVC member in football only as the 8th school.

Well if you ask there fans they belong in the Sec

Really, they belong in the MAC (and the MAC belongs in the FCS), but they weren't able to get in when they had the momentum to do so (I guess the Michigan schools didn't want ANOTHER Ohio MAC school). That probably would have been the early to mid-90s, when Tressell was the HC, YSU was regularly making the playoffs, and winning the I-AA championship ('91, '93, '94, '97). YSU was independent from '88-'96, so if they were ever going to do it, probably around '94-'95 would have been ideal. They averaged 16k fans at home games in '94. The Ice Castle is a bit small by MAC standards (20.6k capacity), but they if they went FBS, they would probably tear down the east stands and build it to match the west side (https://goo.gl/maps/Kd4bo4eyKS4owdoB9).

YSU to the OVC/Big South does make a lot of sense at this point though...at least more than the MVFC. They'd be much closer to most of the conference and REALLY close to Robert Morris (they're almost exactly 1 hour apart).

I’m surprised Indiana State doesn’t look at joining the OVC for football. If it made sense for anyone it would be them. I guess it’s the MVC for basketball that keeps them in the MVFC.

I think Murray State is in for a rude awakening moving football to the MVFC but then again their basketball team plays in the MVC.

Thu Aug 03, 2023 8:09 am

Leatherneck57 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 2:26 pmI’m surprised Indiana State doesn’t look at joining the OVC for football. If it made sense for anyone it would be them. I guess it’s the MVC for basketball that keeps them in the MVFC.

I'm sure the AD has looked into it. I think it'd be pretty dumb not to at least have considered it. Now, whether that actually leads to anything or not...who knows.

rocki · Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:30 am

I’m surprised Indiana State doesn’t look at joining the OVC for football. If it made sense for anyone it would be them. I guess it’s the MVC for basketball that keeps them in the MVFC.

There are some on their fan board that think this is the way to go, some seem to consider football a "throwaway" sport and want to beef up their basketball program. Who knows?

Thu Aug 03, 2023 11:55 am

rocki wrote: ↑Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:30 am I’m surprised Indiana State doesn’t look at joining the OVC for football. If it made sense for anyone it would be them. I guess it’s the MVC for basketball that keeps them in the MVFC.

There are some on their fan board that think this is the way to go, some seem to consider football a "throwaway" sport and want to beef up their basketball program. Who knows?

I would think the OVC would be ok with a few football-only members (YSU and INSU). With Little Rock, Morehead State, SIUE, and Southern Indiana, they're in pretty good shape for all other sports...it's the football that is a bit thin (will be 7 teams after we join next year). Add YSU and INSU for football to get to 9 teams and drop the Big South football partnership.

rocki · Thu Aug 03, 2023 4:22 pm

ST_Lawson wrote: ↑Thu Aug 03, 2023 11:55 am
rocki wrote: ↑Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:30 am I’m surprised Indiana State doesn’t look at joining the OVC for football. If it made sense for anyone it would be them. I guess it’s the MVC for basketball that keeps them in the MVFC.

There are some on their fan board that think this is the way to go, some seem to consider football a "throwaway" sport and want to beef up their basketball program. Who knows?

I would think the OVC would be ok with a few football-only members (YSU and INSU). With Little Rock, Morehead State, SIUE, and Southern Indiana, they're in pretty good shape for all other sports...it's the football that is a bit thin (will be 7 teams after we join next year). Add YSU and INSU for football to get to 9 teams and drop the Big South football partnership.

I completely agree (not that my opinion means anything to YSU or INSU). If nothing else, it would pretty much have to help their travel budget and maybe they could funnel some of that into the sports they don't think are a "waste".

screamingeaglepride · Thu Aug 03, 2023 5:02 pm

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.

Thu Aug 03, 2023 6:10 pm

screamingeaglepride wrote: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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