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Recall that when Valparaiso was added to the MVC back in the spring of 2017 to replace Wichita State, a committee of University Presidents and officials from member schools was formed by Commissioner Doug Elgin to look into further expansion, since several other good quality schools had applied and wanted to join the MVC at that time (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Murray State, and others). That expansion committee was to work on the plan to expand to 12 teams, and divide the MVC into two 6-team divisions. And they were to announce the results of the work after the 2017-18 season. But that was the last news about the committee that was ever released, and we have heard no further news about possible MVC expansion. But, now we can say the expansion plans are definitely still being pursued.
A Chicago sports blogger named Matt Brown, who writes a sports blog named Extra Points, has done some good work to dig into this situation, and he's come up with some interesting findings. First, he heard rumors from sources he doesn't identify, that the MVC is working to add two more schools.
Through Open Records requests, he asked University of Texas-Arlington, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, for "all communication between their university president and/or athletic director and representatives of the Missouri Valley Conference over the last six months via email, phone, or Zoom".
And he was able to obtain an email chain from December between MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin and the UT-A Athletic Director discussing MVC expansion. After receiving that initial records request, UT-A clammed up and redacted further emails and when contacted, they sent this response-.
...we are acutely aware of the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, and conference realignment is – and has been – a driving force in that change. With that reality in place, we are constantly evaluating and conversing about UTA’s position relative to our peers. We are located in a national top-5 media market with a growing population and fertile recruiting base. Those factors, among others, make UTA attractive to many; however, every decision we make is with the best interest of our student-athletes, department and university at the forefront of our minds.
The MVC released a brief response to a question about these findings that did not deny what the emails said, but refused to comment further. This was their response-
I can assure you that we are always monitoring the landscape, and looking at growth opportunities that can strengthen our league. We have a membership working group that is comprised of a subset of our university presidents, and this group has always been thoughtful in their analysis of potential threats and opportunities. But right now, I have nothing specific to say about any institution.
Here is the Extra Points blog with more info- https://www.extrapointsmb.com/confer...eveland-state/
And an earlier blog (scroll to the bottom section)- https://www.extrapointsmb.com/the-la...e-realignment/
So we now know that work on expansion of the MVC is still actively going on. And although the only school we know the MVC has been actively discussing membership with in the last few months is Texas-Arlington, it seems certain that other schools have been contacted as well, most likely schools that showed interest in 2017- Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Green Bay, Murray State, Cleveland State, Nebraska-Omaha, UIC and maybe others, such as private schools Belmont, Lipscomb, Bellarmine, and Denver.
The new MVC Commissioner, former Big 12 Executive Associate Commissioner, Jeff Jackson, will take over from retiring Doug Elgin on July 1, 2021. Interesting that the Big 12 Conference is headquartered in Irving, Texas, just a few miles from UT-Arlington.
Maybe we'll hear more about expansion after the new commissioner takes over?
A Chicago sports blogger named Matt Brown, who writes a sports blog named Extra Points, has done some good work to dig into this situation, and he's come up with some interesting findings. First, he heard rumors from sources he doesn't identify, that the MVC is working to add two more schools.
Through Open Records requests, he asked University of Texas-Arlington, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, for "all communication between their university president and/or athletic director and representatives of the Missouri Valley Conference over the last six months via email, phone, or Zoom".
And he was able to obtain an email chain from December between MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin and the UT-A Athletic Director discussing MVC expansion. After receiving that initial records request, UT-A clammed up and redacted further emails and when contacted, they sent this response-.
...we are acutely aware of the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, and conference realignment is – and has been – a driving force in that change. With that reality in place, we are constantly evaluating and conversing about UTA’s position relative to our peers. We are located in a national top-5 media market with a growing population and fertile recruiting base. Those factors, among others, make UTA attractive to many; however, every decision we make is with the best interest of our student-athletes, department and university at the forefront of our minds.
The MVC released a brief response to a question about these findings that did not deny what the emails said, but refused to comment further. This was their response-
I can assure you that we are always monitoring the landscape, and looking at growth opportunities that can strengthen our league. We have a membership working group that is comprised of a subset of our university presidents, and this group has always been thoughtful in their analysis of potential threats and opportunities. But right now, I have nothing specific to say about any institution.
Here is the Extra Points blog with more info- https://www.extrapointsmb.com/confer...eveland-state/
And an earlier blog (scroll to the bottom section)- https://www.extrapointsmb.com/the-la...e-realignment/
So we now know that work on expansion of the MVC is still actively going on. And although the only school we know the MVC has been actively discussing membership with in the last few months is Texas-Arlington, it seems certain that other schools have been contacted as well, most likely schools that showed interest in 2017- Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Green Bay, Murray State, Cleveland State, Nebraska-Omaha, UIC and maybe others, such as private schools Belmont, Lipscomb, Bellarmine, and Denver.
The new MVC Commissioner, former Big 12 Executive Associate Commissioner, Jeff Jackson, will take over from retiring Doug Elgin on July 1, 2021. Interesting that the Big 12 Conference is headquartered in Irving, Texas, just a few miles from UT-Arlington.
Maybe we'll hear more about expansion after the new commissioner takes over?
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