Per premium Rivals piece.......some excerpts.......
"MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin was asked what would happen to the Mountain West - Missouri Valley challenge if the MWC changed its membership?
"We will continue to win it" was the response.
Yet, the Missouri Valley Conference has always been a shape shifting and transformational body. On January 12, 1907, the MVC was formed inside the Midland Hotel in Kansas City. Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Drake, Ames Teaching College (now Iowa State) and Washington University sent representatives to hammer out an agreement as the original seven members of the conference.
Over 100 years later, the name is the same but only Drake remains a member.
Earlier this month, again in Kansas City, a meeting was held inside a different hotel to discuss the future of the Big 12. A nasty fight broke out amongst its members during those meetings leading to Colorado and Nebraska bolting for new homes.
The Mountain West Conference has already added Boise State this week and is positioned to add more if given the chance. While some think that the MWC will take as many six more schools in an attempt to become a BCS league, it's more than likely that they will stop at 12.
.... what happens to the BCS leagues will affect the non-BCS, as the money made per season, per school will continue to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the college sports.
..the Valley must be proactive as soon as it's appropriate.
...men's basketball is what the Valley hangs its hat on. Sure, there are Olympic sports that are very successful around the Valley but fans do not come out to watch those contests in large numbers.
...If I'm Doug Elgin, if the Big 12 falls apart and the Big East, SEC, ACC, MWC, and others look to start a game of musical chairs, I start handing out invitations ASAP.
This is just an idea but how about a 16-team basketball league?
We know St. Louis is miserable in the Atlantic 10 and could easily be added but Dayton and Xavier do not like the travel to the East that is required in their current league and should be targeted too.
Then, I would look at a program like Butler out of the Horizon League that is not being tested often enough in conference play.
..Finally... DePaul and Marquette."
"MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin was asked what would happen to the Mountain West - Missouri Valley challenge if the MWC changed its membership?
"We will continue to win it" was the response.
Yet, the Missouri Valley Conference has always been a shape shifting and transformational body. On January 12, 1907, the MVC was formed inside the Midland Hotel in Kansas City. Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Drake, Ames Teaching College (now Iowa State) and Washington University sent representatives to hammer out an agreement as the original seven members of the conference.
Over 100 years later, the name is the same but only Drake remains a member.
Earlier this month, again in Kansas City, a meeting was held inside a different hotel to discuss the future of the Big 12. A nasty fight broke out amongst its members during those meetings leading to Colorado and Nebraska bolting for new homes.
The Mountain West Conference has already added Boise State this week and is positioned to add more if given the chance. While some think that the MWC will take as many six more schools in an attempt to become a BCS league, it's more than likely that they will stop at 12.
.... what happens to the BCS leagues will affect the non-BCS, as the money made per season, per school will continue to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the college sports.
..the Valley must be proactive as soon as it's appropriate.
...men's basketball is what the Valley hangs its hat on. Sure, there are Olympic sports that are very successful around the Valley but fans do not come out to watch those contests in large numbers.
...If I'm Doug Elgin, if the Big 12 falls apart and the Big East, SEC, ACC, MWC, and others look to start a game of musical chairs, I start handing out invitations ASAP.
This is just an idea but how about a 16-team basketball league?
We know St. Louis is miserable in the Atlantic 10 and could easily be added but Dayton and Xavier do not like the travel to the East that is required in their current league and should be targeted too.
Then, I would look at a program like Butler out of the Horizon League that is not being tested often enough in conference play.
..Finally... DePaul and Marquette."
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