Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

[JackJD]

It's back: The rumor about Oakland leaving the Summit. While slumming on another message board, I picked up this link to a source who reported on a blogger who talked to a source...Oakland, Belmont and U of Evansville will be going to the Horizon. http://www.courierpressblogs.com/sports/ue/?p=217

I continue to hope the rumors aren't true.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

This would be horrible. If OU leaves, then SDSU needs to somehow make a serious push to get into the Missouri Valley.

[gojacksgo]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

Evansville is in MVC. Would this open anything up for SDSU?

[discoDancinJackrabbit]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

Our future aim has got to be somewhere other than the Summit. That place is going to get dirty. To get in the Valley will be very challenging, those renovations in Frost and the practice facility are going to have to be top notch. That and proving we're able to take a place in the Missouri Valley will be tough. God I would love watching the Jacks in the Valley ! I don't see it as the Missouri Valley making room for us, I see it as us having to make room for ourselves.

[jackdaniel]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

If the Summit doesn't keep adding schools,one day it may just disappear.

[joeboo22]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

As long as the Summit is an auto-bid league, I don't know why anyone would want to leave. Top dog in a bad league is better then being 5-6th in the MVC. SDSU is outspent in the Summit, they would be destroyed in the MVC. Now that doesn't mean to keep your eyes open, and be prepared because you don't want to be the last one holding the bag, and being the one to turn off the lights once everyone has left.

[Kermit]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

As long as the Summit is an auto-bid league, I don't know why anyone would want to leave. Top dog in a bad league is better then being 5-6th in the MVC. SDSU is outspent in the Summit, they would be destroyed in the MVC. Now that doesn't mean to keep your eyes open, and be prepared because you don't want to be the last one holding the bag, and being the one to turn off the lights once everyone has left.

Makes one wonder why Notre Dame didn't target the Summit instead of the ACC.

Sorry to be Capt. Obvious, but there are reasons why schools want to be affiliated with certain conferences above and beyond the auto-bid.

[goon]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

Makes one wonder why Notre Dame didn't target the Summit instead of the ACC.

Sorry to be Capt. Obvious, but there are reasons why schools want to be affiliated with certain conferences above and beyond the auto-bid.

If your nebraska the revenue sharing was worth it. I would say cost of travel and qaulity of the league are just as important as league stability. Hell maybe northern iowa will join the summit and play teams closer to home and save money on travel costs. Would be dropping down a league qauility but oral roberts did. I think sdsus main goal should be to make summit the best league it can be before we decide to bail for something that we don't know if it would actually be a better fit for us yet.

[Kemo]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

Dom Izzo of WDAY (Fargo TV Station) had some interesting tweets regarding the MVC replacing Evansville if they were to leave for the Horizon.

To paraphrase:
- Dom says he thinks the MVC would take 2 teams to replace Evansville, which would be SDSU and NDSU
- UNI fan says there's "no way in hell."
- Dom replies by saying he's been told the league is interested in them (pending approval of Creighton/Drake)
- UNI fan questions who Dom's sources are
- Dom responds with "Two MVC Athletic directors"

Link to conversation

Obviously there is plenty of speculation involved here, but Dom Izzo is a knowledgeable media-type who doesn't blow smoke up people's arses, so it's interesting to note.

[NebraskaJack]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

If Evansville left the Valley, that would leave 9 teams for mens and womens basketball, softball, volleyball........Bradley, Drake, Creighton, UNI, Wichita State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois. I would think they would either replace with 1 or 3 to try and get to an even number. I also feel to the non-football schools it will be a hard sell because they don't see us as an equal in basketball, baseball, soccer etc.....at least that is the perception from a typical Creighton fan here in Omaha.

[zooropa]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

- The last posted article says that Evansville could better compete in a smaller Horizon League. Except that the Horizon League would have 11 members to the MVC's 10.

- Izzo also insisted that the Horizon was going to invite Oakland and IUPUI, or Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW ('because it makes sense geographically' and 'you could have two divisions!'). And I'm not going to buy Izzo's characterization of two off-the-record conversations with unnamed ADs. He didn't quote them, he summarized their comments, which could have been who-knows-what.

What can be said with some certainty, is that if any two of UNI, SIU and Illinois State are dumb enough to go FBS and leave the MVC, the xDSUs are not unreasonable candidates for the Valley. But the xDSUs getting into the Valley are, at this point, contingent on the stupidity of others, not any particular 'plans' they can assemble. And seriously, people, what kind of 'plans' can an AD have for getting into a conference anyway? "Okay, our strategy, if the Summit League loses ____ is to apply for the MVC." Gee, wow, it'd take a regular mastermind to come up with that one.

[JackJD]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

-
What can be said with some certainty, is that if any two of UNI, SIU and Illinois State are dumb enough to go FBS and leave the MVC, the xDSUs are not unreasonable candidates for the Valley. But the xDSUs getting into the Valley are, at this point, contingent on the stupidity of others, not any particular 'plans' they can assemble. And seriously, people, what kind of 'plans' can an AD have for getting into a conference anyway? "Okay, our strategy, if the Summit League loses ____ is to apply for the MVC." Gee, wow, it'd take a regular mastermind to come up with that one.

Zoo: I don't understand the last part of your post. Why would UNI, SIU and IL St going FBS in football take them out of the MVC -- a non-football conference. I thought it likely that if they moved in football, they'd stay in the MVC for their other sports and that would have little impact on the XDSUs. What am I missing?

[zooropa]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

Zoo: I don't understand the last part of your post. Why would UNI, SIU and IL St going FBS in football take them out of the MVC -- a non-football conference. I thought it likely that if they moved in football, they'd stay in the MVC for their other sports and that would have little impact on the XDSUs. What am I missing?

Because the MAC would have to be total idiots to only take their FB programs. How would the conversation go? "Let's add football teams, which bring in no money for our conference, and not bring in basketball programs, which can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars per year."

I mean seriously, does the MAC need another football program? Let alone another two or three? What they *need* are good basketball programs.

[Theee Catrabbit]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

In today's conference realignment, I don't think anythings impossible. One just has to look at Boise State's choice to move to the Big East. It's wide open.

[tjbison]

Re: Rumor Redux: Oakland to Horizon

I don't care what anyone says, the MVC picking up two Large state schools with great support is a far better option than ignoring the fact schools are leaving, they also know we would be very faithful to the conference and not "shopping"

Will it happen? Who knows but to continually say its impossible is just dumb, like most have said West Virginia in th B12, Missouri in the SEC, Boise in the Big east....most 5 years ago would have laughed if one brought it up.