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.

[FargoBison]

I guess Arkansas-Little Rock is out there for the Summit to look at.

[DieselJacks]

Murray State is the top candidate in my opinion, and Ohio Valley Conference is already down to 8 teams for next year. They will have to expand now (likely Western Illinois). Summit League could be in big trouble.

[jakejc795]

I'd bet on Murray State.

MVC isn't necessarily limiting addition to one team

[filbert]

Some discouraging news: Loyola Chicago is moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference, Missouri Valley Conference is looking at Kansas City, Murray State, and UT Arlington as replacements.

I'd bet on Murray State.

[YanktonJack7]

Time for the Summit League to call Augie

[DieselJacks]

Some discouraging news: Loyola Chicago is moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference, Missouri Valley Conference is looking at Kansas City, Murray State, and UT Arlington as replacements.

[jackdaniel]

To attract the best athletes, you have to give them the best competition to prove themselves, those are the ones people want to see. Isn't that the essence of moving up? Just asking

[jakejc795]

This is pretty crappy for JMU student athletes. They can’t compete for conference championships due to them accepting a new conference membership (doesn’t affect football).
https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/0...ealignment-caa

Should note that their inability to compete is due to a combination of their conference move AND a longstanding CAA bylaw that JMU had seen applied (and either supported or tacitly opposed) when former CAA members like ECU and ODU opted to leave the CAA, so JMU's administrators were either aware of the implications or negligent

[UWMandSDSU]

This is pretty crappy for JMU student athletes. They can’t compete for conference championships due to them accepting a new conference membership (doesn’t affect football).
https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/0...ealignment-caa

[jakejc795]

What about 2 Dakota schools, 2 Montana schools and UNI? I have no clue if they are interested, but that would make up a good half of a conference. Even if there is no conference, you could have the beginnings of a scheduling alliance...assuming of course there is a crazy influx of money into the FBS movement.

Why not four Dakota (could eventually by five with Augie within a decade), two Montana, two Minnesota (St. Thomas & Mankato), two Iowa (UNI & Drake), and two Illinois (Salukis & Redbirds)?

Some combination of Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and/or Missouri State could be added to get to 14.

[ringthebells]

What about 2 Dakota schools, 2 Montana schools and UNI? I have no clue if they are interested, but that would make up a good half of a conference. Even if there is no conference, you could have the beginnings of a scheduling alliance...assuming of course there is a crazy influx of money into the FBS movement.

[Prairiehaas]

My point is the P5 schools will likely walk away with their media $$$ leaving the G5 a poor neighborhood.

My guess is when that happens some G5 schools will jump up, e.g. Boise St, Cincinnati, USF, SMU,San Diego State, etc. The remainder will pull in the top of the FCS. I don't think the MVFC, CAA, Big Sky will get taken in as full conferences. I do think the Dakota schools are on a bit of geographic island making it harder to get pulled into an existing conference. Then again there are budget issues for several schools making it difficult to stay in FCS or FBS which might make us more attractive.

Of course I may be way off base. I just don't see advantage in jumping to FBS right now when FBS might blow up.

[mitchell]

Its unfortunate because I think moving up to FBS makes sense as the next evolution for SDSU and NDSU, but I just don’t see a conference invite due to a lack of TV market value and travel costs. Maybe the Mountain West if they lost half their teams and got desperate, but they’ve been lucky to not get poached and their commissioner just said yesterday they aren’t looking to expand.

C-USA is rumored to be vetting both Sam Houston and Tarleton St.

[JACKGUYII]

Why does it feel like a move up to a FBS G5 conference is hopping into a leaky boat?

I think the leaky boat is FCS. Won't be long and with exception of two conferences MVC and Big Sky we will have very few schools who look like SDSU. We saw how pathetic the commitment was during the pandemic with a number of FCS conferences and schools. Look at the # of quality schools who have moved up recently.