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Missouri State leaves the MVC

Stryker

New member
Conference USA has announced on X that Missouri State will be joining their conference on 7/1/2025.

Reportedly this has been rumored for some time, and the decision was driven by a desire to move the football program.
 

is official

https://news.missouristate.edu/2024/05/10/missouri-state-accepts-invitation-to-join-conference-usa/

They are joining a conference that has imploded over the past couple years and is now filled with the likes of
FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Louisiana Tech, MTSU, Delaware...
a conference that finished 49-61 against non-conference opponents last year and well behind the MVC in NET
 
drat, there goes two easy wins every year...

Lol. Have to say the conference realignment changes driven by football are likely to continue impact all of D1 sports to some degree. The landscape is changing dramatically and I anticipate college sports will look nothing like they did when I was kid before much longer.

I think the question now is, who does the MVC replace Missouri State with? Considering how weak we will be this year in basketball as a conference, I hope another weak program is not added.
 
Now let's start the speculation on who will be the replacement team to get the number in the MVC back up to 12...

Milwaukee?
IUPUI?
SIUE?
Detroit?
Ball State?
Eastern Kentucky?
FGCU?
NKU?
Green Bay?
 
This is football driven because the basketball program has been mediocre for awhile that they have turned to football in hopes of bringing in more revenue. This could backfire since CUSA has lost good teams and the travel will be a lot more expensive.
 
Lol. Have to say the conference realignment changes driven by football are likely to continue impact all of D1 sports to some degree. The landscape is changing dramatically and I anticipate college sports will look nothing like they did when I was kid before much longer.

I think the question now is, who does the MVC replace Missouri State with? Considering how weak we will be this year in basketball as a conference, I hope another weak program is not added.

I can live with a conference basketball oriented. There are a lot of good basketball schools out there that dont play football
 
Now let's start the speculation on who will be the replacement team to get the number in the MVC back up to 12...

Milwaukee?
IUPUI?
SIUE?
Detroit?
Ball State?
Eastern Kentucky?
FGCU?
NKU?
Green Bay?

Eastern KY has been decent in recent years from my recollection. I'd definitely consider Wisc-GB and would be good to get a WI team in the Valley! GB has been pretty solid since 1990 with a few awful seasons recently, but seem to be back up again.

Pleeeeease not Detroit!!! (1-31 last season, but gotta say, they may have been the most competitive team with that bad a record I've seen!) All the other suggestions don't sound too good...two SIU's in the MVC - not sure I could handle that. LOL
 
I don't think we can keep taking in "basketball only" schools.
Eventually the Trees.. Redbirds.. Salukis.. UNI and Murray will have to find a new home.
 
I don't think we can keep taking in "basketball only" schools.
Eventually the Trees.. Redbirds.. Salukis.. UNI and Murray will have to find a new home.

Last I heard the Braves are undefeated in football. Let's get the football team back together!!! Is Marcus Pollard around? ;)
 
Eastern Kentucky is looking at FBS level because of football. Personally think Bradley should be trying to get into the A-10. Wouldn't be surprised if ISU and SIU pursue getting into the MAC because of football
 
Afreck2430;n520370 Personally think Bradley should be trying to get into the A-10. [/QUOTE said:
Uggh - would hate this. Not good for the student-athletes with so much travel and I don't like conferences so spread out geographically.
The competition would be a huge boost and recruits maybe stay with the program longer, but I don't like the thought of BU leaving the MVC. When SIU and (ISU or UNI) leave the Valley, probably time to go too.
 
I don't think we can keep taking in "basketball only" schools.
Eventually the Trees.. Redbirds.. Salukis.. UNI and Murray will have to find a new home.

I'm actually a bit surprised that CUSA only wants Missouri State. Other MVC schools with football programs like Illinois State, SIU, and UNI all have been as good or better programs, and they draw as well or better attendance. Missouri State's home football attendance is terrible. Their home average this past season was barely over 9,000 per game for a school with over 23,000 students, and in a city with a metropolitan population of about 500,000 people.

Good luck to them. They will have no natural rivalries, no conference members located close to them, and a lot of travel.

2023-CUSA-Map.jpg
 
Actually not a bad idea! Valpo has sucked pretty much since joining.


Valpo was a poor addition to the valley. I was originally against Loyola joining, and no one saw their amazing run. Ended up working great for the valley in that case, but it is crazy to think Valpo would be able to imitate what Loyola has done. There are also some rumors that Valpo does not have the facilities required for the MVC, and part of them joining the MVC was contingent on them building a new arena/facilities in the near term. That seems unlikely now, and may lead to them being forced out of the MVC. However, with most conferences trying to add as many schools as possible, it seems unlikely the MVC would kick anyone out.


Eastern Kentucky is looking at FBS level because of football. Personally think Bradley should be trying to get into the A-10. Wouldn't be surprised if ISU and SIU pursue getting into the MAC because of football

I'm starting to think the probability of something like this could be higher than we think. If Wardle can keep BU's profile at the top of the MVC like he has the past 5 yrs or so, it isn't out of the question to think BU could move out of the MVC. Given those schools you listed more focused on football than basketball, if they are incentivized to move as well like Missouri State has, the Valley could disappear or change dramatically and BU could move to a conference like the A-10 potentially. It may behoove BU to explore those options sooner than later, as the re-alignment impacts from football down stream from the power schools are likely hard to predict.
 
I'm actually a bit surprised that CUSA only wants Missouri State. Other MVC schools with football programs like Illinois State, SIU, and UNI all have been as good or better programs, and they draw as well or better attendance. Missouri State's home football attendance is terrible. Their home average this past season was barely over 9,000 per game for a school with over 23,000 students, and in a city with a metropolitan population of about 500,000 people.

Good luck to them. They will have no natural rivalries, no conference members located close to them, and a lot of travel.

2023-CUSA-Map.jpg

Could be Missouri State is just the first, and we don't know about others yet for C-USA. I could see them wanting more than 10 teams going forward.
 
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