Conference realignment

[Da Coach]

Here is the first conference switch of the 2020 offseason-
Robert Morris University of the Northeast Conference is reportedly leaving and joining the Horizon League effective immediately for the 2020-21 season.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/sta...29553893810176

Here are the teams in the NEC-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ngs/_/group/19

The Robert Morris Colonials are located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. They have had pretty consistent success in basketball averaging over 20 wins per season over the last 13 seasons, and with only 1 losing season in the Northeast Conference in the last 17 years. But they have only made the NCAA Tournament once in the last 10 years.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...robert-morris/

If they joined the Horizon League, they would be the farthest eastern school in the league. Only Youngstown State and maybe Cleveland State are very close to Pittsburgh, and many of the Horizon schools like UIC, Green Bay, Milwaukee, IUPUI, and others are quite a long trip. However, they have been the farthest western school in the NEC, but there would be a bit more travelling involved for them if they switch. Plus, it would make 11 teams in the Horizon League, an odd number for scheduling. So maybe there are plans for even more expansion by the Horizon?

One other issue- Robert Morris plays FCS football as do many of the other NEC schools. The Horizon League does not sponsor football. If RMU is to continue their football program, and it appears they do, they would have to apply to join another league as an associate member for football. Maybe the Patriot League? It will be interesting to see. Robert Morris currently has only 6 men's D1 sports, which is the minimum required to remain in NCAA Division I. So they couldn't drop football without replacing it with a new Division I men's program.
They also have men's ice hockey and lacrosse, and women's ice hockey, lacrosse, and rowing, none of which will work in the Horizon League. They will need to do some additional shuffling to deal with those programs.

Speaking of expansion, when the Missouri Valley Conference chose Valparaiso to replace Wichita State in late May, 2017, there were a number of other good choices who were applying to join the MVC. The MVC commissioner Doug Elgin decided not to abandon the expansion committee, and assigned them to continue looking into further expansion possibilities with the goal of possibly adding 2 more teams and expanding to a total of 12 teams split into 2 divisions for basketball. They were to provide an official report after a year of study, but that was 2017, and it has never happened.
https://www.bradleyfans.com/forum/sp...ling#post27469

I wonder if that plan is still active or has been shelved?

[Da Coach]

One change affecting MIssouri Valley Conference men's soccer- Valparaiso dropped their men's soccer program after last season.
And SIU-Edwardsville has been accepted into the MVC as an affiliate member for men's soccer only, replacing Valpo. They will start in the MVC in the fall of 2021. SIUE was previously an affiliate member for men's soccer from 2010-2016.

http://mvc-sports.com/news/2020/6/12/mvc-add-siue-as-mens-soccer-affiliate.aspx

With the loss of Valparaiso, it appears the 2020 season will feature only 5 teams- Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola, and Missouri State. When SIUE joins in 2021, the MVC will return to 6 teams.

[Chuck_A]

Here is the first conference switch of the 2020 offseason-
Robert Morris University of the Northeast Conference is reportedly leaving and joining the Horizon League effective immediately for the 2020-21 season.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/sta...29553893810176

Here are the teams in the NEC-
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ngs/_/group/19

The Robert Morris Colonials are located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. They have had pretty consistent success in basketball averaging over 20 wins per season over the last 13 seasons, and with only 1 losing season in the Northeast Conference in the last 17 years. But they have only made the NCAA Tournament once in the last 10 years.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb...robert-morris/

If they joined the Horizon League, they would be the farthest eastern school in the league. Only Youngstown State and maybe Cleveland State are very close to Pittsburgh, and many of the Horizon schools like UIC, Green Bay, Milwaukee, IUPUI, and others are quite a long trip. However, they have been the farthest western school in the NEC, but there would be a bit more travelling involved for them if they switch. Plus, it would make 11 teams in the Horizon League, an odd number for scheduling. So maybe there are plans for even more expansion by the Horizon?

Actually the Horizon League will have 12 teams going into the '20-'21 season. Purdue Fort Wayne was #11 after accepting a bid last off season. Also travel will be less in the HL, but you'd have to look that up.

[LongTimeFan]

You have to wonder how serious the MVC ever was in expanding to 12 teams.

[Da Coach]

Actually the Horizon League will have 12 teams going into the '20-'21 season. Purdue Fort Wayne was #11 after accepting a bid last off season. Also travel will be less in the HL, but you'd have to look that up.

Thanks for the reminder about IPFW.
I didn't major in geography, but it looked at first to me like there would be a little more travel in the Horizon for Robert Morris because there a couple schools like Green Bay and Milwaukee that are farther away than the longest trip in the NEC. But then the closer schools balance that out and the total travel probably isn't that much difference.

Horizon League vs. Northeast Conference

[MacabreMob]

Thanks for the reminder about IPFW.
I didn't major in geography, but it looked at first to me like there would be a little more travel in the Horizon for Robert Morris because there a couple schools like Green Bay and Milwaukee that are farther away than the longest trip in the NEC. But then the closer schools balance that out and the total travel probably isn't that much difference.

Horizon League vs. Northeast Conference

Also of note DC...

Monmouth and Quinnipiac left the Northeast for MAAC. Northeast added Merrimack College (North Andover, MA).

Had Robert Morris stayed in the Northeast Conference, they would roughly have to travel 3952 miles (for 11 opponents).
The travel in Horizon will be roughly 3608 miles (for 11 opponents).
The average distance would be a little over 30 miles less to be in Horizon.

But I think the bottom line is - the Horizon is a much better league imo.

And really - all the conference shifts are getting hard to keep up on.

[Da Coach]

It will still be interesting to see what Robert Morris does with football and lacrosse. Football for a school like RMU has to be a financial drain, but they can't just drop it or they will fall below the minimum number of sports to stay in D1.

[Da Coach]

Today, the WAC expanded by 2 schools- Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, and Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. Both schools were previously Division II athletic programs and are transitioning to Division I.
https://www.wacsports.com/general/20...20200629h3q9o0

The WAC has undergone several changes in recent years, and is the most geographically spread out conference in the country.
The full members include schools as far south and west as Cal Baptist in Riverside, California, as far north and west as Seattle University in Washington, and as far east as Chicago State.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Athletic_Conference#Current_members

The WAC was founded in 1962, and was a strong conference in the major sports of football and basketball. The original members were Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. But, after all the football schools left for greener pastures, the conference underwent numerous changes and kept adding weaker schools, and eventually dropped football after the 2012-13 season.
Of the current 9 members, none have been members of the WAC earlier than 2012.

[Da Coach]

Several other conference changes occurred today, including UConn rejoining the Big East.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...ir-past-glory/

UConn will rejoin the non-football Big East schools who split and reformed the new Big East in 2013 to concentrate on basketball with private Catholic schools DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, Villanova, Xavier, and Creighton, plus the one non-Catholic private school Butler.
The Big East expands to 11 teams with the addition of UConn, and UConn is now the only public school in the Big East.
UConn football will now compete as an independent.

[MacabreMob]

Several other conference changes occurred today, including UConn rejoining the Big East.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...ir-past-glory/

From the article...

"Hopefully brighter days are ahead for the only school in men's college basketball with four national titles in the past 20 seasons."

Wow - hadn't thought about that.

Btw - obviously, they say 20 past seasons, meaning full completion of seasons with tourneys... so they get to go back 21 years. But hey - wow. Only team with 4 titles in past 20 seasons.

[yoda]

They are also the most heavily penalized and sanctioned school by NCAA over the past 25 years with forfeit losses, multiple other penalties and two different head coaches that won national titles suspended or banned from the game -

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6146656

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/486244-college-basketball-uconn-admits-cheating-calhouns-criminal-culture

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24826268/ex-uconn-coach-kevin-ollie-hit-ethics-charge-faces-show-cause

[Da Coach]

It's always paid to cheat. Just ask Rick Pitino and Bill Self.

[Da Coach]

The MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) is a conference comprised of HBCU's in East Coast states (Delaware, Maryland, Wahington, DC, and Virginia). They are down to just 6 schools after Bethune-Cookman (leaving to join the SWAC), Florida A&M (leaving to join the SWAC), and NC A&T (moving to the Big South) will drop out on June 30. They are looking to accept multiple teams to replace the ones leaving. But so far, the options are two Division II schools that are considering moving up to Division I (Virginia State and Kentucky State), and Chicago State.

Chicago State has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference for the last 8 seasons, where they have been isolated hundreds of miles from the nearest other conference schools. But switching to the MEAC would not improve their isolation much.
WAC-___________________________MEAC-


The MEAC is said to be "lukewarm" regarding the interest by Chicago State.

https://hbcugameday.com/2021/05/11/inside-attempt-to-rebuild-the-meac/

[Da Coach]

A blockbuster rumor regarding what would be the biggest conference realignment in years...
Reportedly, Texas and Oklahoma are interested in joining the SEC-

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-texas-and-oklahoma-have-reached-out-to-sec-about-joining-conference-204234819.html

This is mostly about football, but would obviously include basketball and all other sports. It would be very damaging to the Big 12.
Texas already is the most lucrative college athletic program in the US, generating over $200 million each year, but apparently, that isn't enough to feed their greed. Oklahoma ranks 8th most lucrative-

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

[Mikovio]

Texas and Oklahoma are the big fish in the B12 and exercise outsized influence, which you'd think they enjoy. They wouldn't be near as dominant in the SEC but the question is if TV and CFP profit sharing might be enough to justify the move. The SEC might even decide to let them keep the Longhorn Network, similar to how the ACC lets Notre Dame keep its NBC contract. B12 probably backfills with Cincinnati and maybe Memphis or UConn. The AAC would backfill. Dunno if those reverberations would reach the Valley (or A10) since it's non-football.