Who are the mvc teams in 5 years?

[stevebu91]

Of course this has been discussed many times before on BradleyFans...

But, it is becoming vital that BU prepare for the changes ahead....The BU Athletic Administration must quickly get its BU teams' competitiveness up significantly or have less bargaining power in its hands available when that time comes to be able to potentially move up / change its affiliation...

Lets face it, at the 5 year mark from now, this conference will not be the same. There is too much poaching going on and less conference loyalty to feel different... Money talks certainly....

So, who do you feel is gone by the 5 year mark? Of course, my opinion only here, but its Wichita State first followed by a departure by Creighton. They have considerable worth to other conferences...

Who are the additions: Its SIUE (growing campus, STL market, improving competitiveness) and the two Dakotas who come.

Bradley moves with several other like privates...but actually its probably over 50% that they have to stay in a weaker MVC. If they go, then they move with their first cousin Drake.

Am I way off base? BU should certainly be awake and planning right now....

[SFP]

You're not off base. This has been discussed numerous times and I agree. What I believe should happen and where BU may have a chance in aligning itself in a great basketball conference is creating one from scratch with like minded schools. Its all about the TV contract folks!

[JMM28]

Of course this has been discussed many times before on BradleyFans...

But, it is becoming vital that BU prepare for the changes ahead....The BU Athletic Administration must quickly get its BU teams' competitiveness up significantly or have less bargaining power in its hands available when that time comes to be able to potentially move up / change its affiliation...

Lets face it, at the 5 year mark from now, this conference will not be the same. There is too much poaching going on and less conference loyalty to feel different... Money talks certainly....

So, who do you feel is gone by the 5 year mark? Of course, my opinion only here, but its Wichita State first followed by a departure by Creighton. They have considerable worth to other conferences...

Who are the additions: Its SIUE (growing campus, STL market, improving competitiveness) and the two Dakotas who come.

Bradley moves with several other like privates...but actually its probably over 50% that they have to stay in a weaker MVC. If they go, then they move with their first cousin Drake.

Am I way off base? BU should certainly be awake and planning right now....

I think the first one out the door will be a football school looking to move into FBS from FCS. As the big east poaches more CUSA/MAC level schools, the schools at that level will reach down to poach MVC type schools.

ISU could be the first gone. Maybe InSU as well.

Hopefully Bradley can show some competitiveness in the next couple years to make the program look more attractive to a potential midwest basketball conference.

[Chico]

I think the first one out the door will be a football school looking to move into FBS from FCS. As the big east poaches more CUSA/MAC level schools, the schools at that level will reach down to poach MVC type schools.

ISU could be the first gone. Maybe InSU as well.

Hopefully Bradley can show some competitiveness in the next couple years to make the program look more attractive to a potential midwest basketball conference.

There was talk several years ago about maybe Bradley should move to a stronger basketball conference. Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea, but they were loyal to the MVC.

[Rusty 54]

So many questions.

Do UNI, isu, SIU, MSU, ISUBlue split off and go to the MAC, or some other conference? Do we add some of the Valley football schools for all sports?

Would the A-10 add too its 16 teams, or drop teams to poach the Valley?

Does nothing happen because no one wants the markets Peoria, Omaha, Wichita, Cedar Falls, etc deliver?

It scares me a lot right now. No major media footprint combined with a program that has been down (in terms of championship, postseasons, attendance)for the past few years seem to make us undesirable at a very bad time.

[AFrey]

Call me crazy, but I don't see the Valley (hoops, at least) changing in the next five years. Most of this realignment has been predicated on football (read: $$$), and I'm not sure any of the Valley basketball schools that also play football will be making the jump to FBS.

[Da Coach]

Call me crazy, but I don't see the Valley (hoops, at least) changing in the next five years. Most of this realignment has been predicated on football (read: $$$), and I'm not sure any of the Valley basketball schools that also play football will be making the jump to FBS.

I agree with the part about football. However, there are possibly more fertile grounds even for a non-football school than the MVC. I can see either Creighton or Wichita State being lured away by the CUSA or the A-10.

[SFP]

I agree with the part about football. However, there are possibly more fertile grounds even for a non-football school than the MVC. I can see either Creighton or Wichita State being lured away by the CUSA or the A-10.

Especially WSU. I would have to believe CU will not jump at its first offer. The A-10 would increase their overall sports related travel budget to amounts that would not be very prudent. Make no bones about it, CU right now is the number one sports program in the Valley and others are probably courting them. Illinois State would have to invest a ton of money into their football program to reach the next level. I can't see that happening under the current fiscal climate. In short I'd like BU to at least start the conversation with like minded schools in creating a a mini-Big Ten that is basketball centric with strong emphasis on scholastic achievements. BU needs to be part of the consensus building or else they may be left out.

[TheAsianSensation]

Depends how optimistic or pessimistic you want to be:

The Occam's Razor solution: The MVC in 5 years is exactly what it is right now.

The optimist: Creighton, Wichita, Drake, Evansville and Bradley leave to form the superconference Midwest League with St Louis, Butler, Marquette, DePaul, Dayton, Xavier, Detroit. UNI, the ISUs, SIU, and MSU start a FBS football conference, adds the XDSU's, absorbs half the MAC when the other half collapses due to failing to meet program eligibility requirements, and quickly becomes the best of the "group of 5 conferences" when the others struggle with identity/sprawling geography.

The pessimist: Creighton and Wichita bolt for the A-10 and become geographical outliers and immediately become non-competitive in all sports. The football five attempt to move up and become bottom-dwellers in the MAC, unable to compete, and since the MAC would be around 20 teams then, they split off into two and the MVC five that joined are orphaned and left to wither and die. Evansville willingly drops a level to the Horizon.. When the Valley then dismantles, Drake gets the last spot in the Horizon since Des Moines is a more important market than Peoria and Bradley gets sent careening to the Summit.

And everything in between is possible too. I really don't know what the MVC can do as a defense. There's nothing. There's literally no move left. They've let everyone else do the ducking and weaving.

[Da Coach]

It's possible CU and/or WSU might leave to join the A-10 (to add more Midwestern teams to lonely SLU), or join several other teams to start a new conference as TAS proposed.
But I believe the MVC will survive as it has for over 105 years already by adding a couple new teams.

[thefish7]

Love the optimstic view, and think it's best for every school listed there-- particularly if WSU keeps their non-football rule forever. Them seeing it's best for them and also having everything work right to make it happen is maybe not as likely as I wish it was.

I fear the pessimistic view, but I think Bradley even at our depressed attendence levels, is an attractive school. Our TV market isn't great, but we dominate it (something Drake doesn't do in Des Moines) and even at this level our attendence is still actually very good in the scheme of things when it comes to the average D1 school.

The thing that I most hope is happening (and I figure the only thing I can do as a mere fan) is that our administration is on this and working important relationships with other schools and not taking a view that a priority towards MVC loyalty is a good strategy.

[lake Camelot]

Not closely related, but I have a question. Growing up New Mexico State, West Texas, Tulsa were in the conference. NMSU and West Texas aren't really missed. But did Tulsa leave on bad terms? Seems like it would be nice to play them every few years. We had some great games with them. Dayton is another school that seems similar to Bradley (They are better than us now) I don't understand why we don't ever schedule these teams. Of course I know there is Louisville and Cincinnati also, but I have given up on them. They have moved up to another level.

[Chico]

Not closely related, but I have a question. Growing up New Mexico State, West Texas, Tulsa were in the conference. NMSU and West Texas aren't really missed. But did Tulsa leave on bad terms? Seems like it would be nice to play them every few years. We had some great games with them. Dayton is another school that seems similar to Bradley (They are better than us now) I don't understand why we don't ever schedule these teams. Of course I know there is Louisville and Cincinnati also, but I have given up on them. They have moved up to another level.

Used to play Dayton. Had a nice trip over there when the Hawk was a senior.

[Braves4Life]

Used to play Dayton. Had a nice trip over there when the Hawk was a senior.

I'd bet to venture that trip was much better than "nice" Chico.

[Chico]

I'd bet to venture that trip was much better than "nice" Chico.

Yeah, I guess great would be better. The Braves won and the Hawk scored a bunch. I remember walking out talking to some Dayton fans and they announced how many points he had. One guy commented that he was so good that you just didn't realize he was scoring that many. Told him we were used to it.