Conference Merry Go Round

[Grizzled_Jack]

Looks like Lindenwood joins Southern Indiana in moving from the GLVC to the Ohio Valley. They were in desperate need for another football school to replace Murray State. Lindenwood has won the GLVC football championship annually since moving over from the MIAA, but the better MIAA teams, especially Northwest Missouri could batter them as badly as the Jacks last year. Men's and women's basketball has been about a .500 deal in both the GLVC and MIAA. I've had several discussions with Jed Stugart about a move up since he came from USF and believe they dangled the move when they hired the FB staff. Lindenwood sort of promised a ten year stay in D2 when they left the NAIA and I guess they made their goal. The enrollment is hanging around the 7000 mark, a loss of thousands of students in the last decade, many of them Chinese who paid the rack rate. I told Jed when he came here that local media wouldn't cover LU any better than they do SIUE, unless someone got shot at a game, but the lead on TV tonight was "D1 football returns to St. Louis for the first time since 1949", so maybe. While we're talking about potential Missouri move ups, Central Missouri would be a much more viable program in the Summit than Kansas City. Unlike Lindenwood they have facilities that would be D1 ready. Lindenwood's field house is about twice the size of the 'Roo's but that's not saying much. They could get into the 10,500 seat Family Arena if they wanted to. The on campus facility holds 3270 and the football stadium 6000. I'm happy about this but will miss the days of $4 basketball double headers accompanied by $2 hot dogs.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Sources are indicating this afternoon that USC and UCLA are leaving the PAC-12 to go to the Big 10. Look out for another onslaught of realignment and if the MWC loses a team or two, we may see NDSU move if they get the invite that they want. What a mess, and this is likely to impact the MVFC and SDSU in some capacity.

[bigticket1]

Sources are indicating this afternoon that USC and UCLA are leaving the PAC-12 to go to the Big 10.

Just saw a tweet that Reykjavik, Iceland is 100 miles closer to the Rutgers campus than the Rose Bowl is.

[Mr_Tibbs]

And now it’s being reported that UW and Oregon have applied to the Big 10. The PAC 12, for all intents and purposes, will cease to exist if this goes through. Look for the Big 12 and MWC to raid what’s left of the west coast teams, and a whole bunch of massive shake up coming next. You can bet the SEC/ACC/Big 10 are going to scramble to get all their prime targets now while the ground is uncertain. The only two conferences that have total leverage are the Big 10 and the SEC. Everyone else is making moves out of preservation or survival at this point.

[Bozemaniac]

Dreams dashed…now NDSU will never get into the Big 10/20.

They’d still beat at least half the teams in that conference.

[Mr_Tibbs]

To be honest, I don’t think NDSU gets the MWC invite they want so badly, even if slots open up. I do not believe the MWC sees them as adding anything to their conference and are more likely to take UTEP/NMSU/North Texas/UM/MSU ahead of NDSU. Geography was and will always be the biggest hurdle for them to overcome and if I were putting money on it, the MWC will not extend an invite unless they lose closer to half their teams to realignment.

[DieselJacks]

I think if NDSU gets invited to the Mountain West, we might be dragged with it. No conference is going to grab a single member so far away from anyone else. I think the MVFC and Summit League will probably stay as is.

[Prairiehaas]

I'm not saying they will, but with 20 or more teams each, the SEC and B1G could lock arms and go their own way in FB. The NCAA could say nothing because they would be needed to maintain D1 viability in most other sports.

[SUPERBUNNY]

My guess is that when this all shakes out there will be four super conferences: SEC, Big10, Big 12/Pac10 remaining teams, and the ACC will pick up teams where they can from other conferences. Not long after that look for those conferences to break from the NCAA to form their own organization to hoard the cash and control everything. That will leave all the remaining conference to form an all-new D1AA or FCS if you will. With all the money required for NIL and everything else, it just seems inevitable.

The real question is how will the fans react? I've always loved college sports because of the amateur aspect of it. Granted that it is still the case in virtually all the sports except football, basketball, and to a minor degree in some others. All of the craziness caused by the NIL has made me much more apathetic towards the major conferences. I just don't see myself looking at big matchups as "must see" TV as I did in the past. My feelings toward SDSU are exactly the same. Frankly, I think SDSU is in about the right spot at the moment. Who knows how it will all shake out over the next few years.

SUPERBUNNY

[filbert]

I have now heard (I checked in on Denver sports radio this morning) that Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State are talking with the Big 12. Pac-12 may wind up being basically the Mountain West at this rate.

[bigticket1]

I have now heard (I checked in on Denver sports radio this morning) that Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State are talking with the Big 12. Pac-12 may wind up being basically the Mountain West at this rate.

Guessing that advertising rates on the Pac-12 Network could be going down.

[ND-fan]

I think college sports as we know it today is going to change and it will effect all of us in small mid--major conferences. If these top big power conference become their own entity start selling their sports packages as that we small midmajor will be left to fend for ourselves and money coming down from the NCAA is going to dry up pretty quickly putting athletic departments fending to find money and wether they can support all nonrevenue sports each school has in its program. Then add in shortfall even major sports will struggle to maintain type of program we have become accustomed to having. I think we're in for some major changes and we will need to become more of regional attraction to get tv contracts and will this require changes in conferences and mergers of conferences so your conference becomes something that can marketed over number of tv markets. These are just my thoughts.

[jackdaniel]

I think college sports as we know it today is going to change and it will effect all of us in small mid--major conferences. If these top big power conference become their own entity start selling their sports packages as that we small midmajor will be left to fend for ourselves and money coming down from the NCAA is going to dry up pretty quickly putting athletic departments fending to find money and wether they can support all nonrevenue sports each school has in its program. Then add in shortfall even major sports will struggle to maintain type of program we have become accustomed to having. I think we're in for some major changes and we will need to become more of regional attraction to get tv contracts and will this require changes in conferences and mergers of conferences so your conference becomes something that can marketed over number of tv markets. These are just my thoughts.

My thinking also, the Summit has to be more pro-active, instead of being just reactionary as they've shown in the past. It's crucial to our survival to think of better ways to make money and be seen by more people. I do however, think that local TV airtime isn't controlled locally ,especially the local affiliates of the three major networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, TV CONTRACTS would be hard to come by, unless, as you have stated, we get bigger and join forces with other conferences to become more marketable. Heads should come together to think in a much grander scale I think. The Big' s have their own networks because they went out and made it happen, it just didn't fall into their lap.There is money to be made out there for those who are bold enough to create more opportunities instead of just watching opportunities fly right past you.Where are all the shakers and movers anyway? I do think Midco is trying to break into the stranglehold that is ESPN and the major networks and become a big sports destination for the immediate area and trying to get more viewing area for their cable TV business. It's a painfully slow process though it seems. Our brand is getting bigger and better thanks to the success of certain sports, this being evidenced by our ability to draw in to our area big name teams, which you can't do otherwise. So, we have that going for us , but it's not enough as related to revenue, when it's all from ticket sales mainly. The building will only seat so many people so revenue at it's best becomes stagnant eventually, except for sale of merchandise , which can expand with continued success.

[jakejc795]

Must admit, I agree with much of what Coach Eck states in this video re. "purity" of FCS football and perspective on potential G5-FCS consolidation.

[DieselJacks]

Kennesaw State is becoming a member of Conference USA FBS football. Large enrollment in Atlanta, but weak facilites if I remember correctly. I thinking making a move to that conference would be a lateral move at best, but probably worse due to huge travel costs.