Jump to content

O.T. Conference Shuffle ( OU and Texas inquire about joining SEC)


BLIKNS

Recommended Posts

58 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Apparently Colorado State and Air Force are going to leave the Mountain West for the American.

Which is a baffling move to me. MWC will be stronger than the AAC in both football and basketball moving forward.

It's being reported that there are rumblings of little faith in the MWC commissioner. Everyone in the league wishes they'd get a Big 12 or Pac 12 invite, but most of them have no shot at either and would be much better off staying together.

I read that Memphis and Boise State are the next 2 prime expansion candidates for the Big XII.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 925
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

1 hour ago, Pistol said:

Apparently Colorado State and Air Force are going to leave the Mountain West for the American.

Which is a baffling move to me. MWC will be stronger than the AAC in both football and basketball moving forward.

It's being reported that there are rumblings of little faith in the MWC commissioner. Everyone in the league wishes they'd get a Big 12 or Pac 12 invite, but most of them have no shot at either and would be much better off staying together.

I had the same thought when I first saw this news. Ironically, the biggest thing holding the Mountain West back in basketball is Air Force, so if anything they are a stronger bball conference with them leaving. But from what I've gathered the reasons for them leaving are 1) Boise State and San Diego State are both prime candidates to be poached by other conferences, 2) the travel east is easier for Air Force and CSU than the current travel setup. It seems like a proactive move: even though the AAC is not a better conference today it's a more sustainable long-term solution for the two schools.

Wichita State is in no-mans land right now. Temple and Memphis are both in weird spots as well. There has been some murmuring among fans that the AAC should look into SLU/Dayton, but at this point I don't think that's a worthwhile upgrade over the A-10.

thatskablamo likes this
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, wgstl said:

 

Sounds like the A10 kicked the tired on this one.  Actually came off as a surprise, didn't think the A10 had it in them to do something that would make the conference better.

 

So did the A10 get outflanked by the Valley for Belmont (Nashville)?  I have to wonder about this A10.  It is still largely an East Coast centric bus league, with geographical outliers in Dayton and especially SLU.

Belmont in Nashville would have meant getting on a plane for most A10 members.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I noted above, I've read Memphis and Boise State are the next (and top) 2 expansion candidates for the Big XII.  The outgoing Memphis President reportedly didn't want to make the decision for the incoming, and there is an issue re a proposed new on campus football stadium to replace the Liberty Bowl Stadium.

Boise State has come a long way from its beginning as a junior college.  That Boise State Football program is a rising star, and the Basketball program is strong.

Some wonder why UNLV is not a more popular choice to move up somewhere, probably Pac-12.  The Football and Basketball programs have both struggled in recent years, but the facilities are top notch.

San Diego State, especially with San Diego being (wrongly) without the NFL currently, is a natural for the Pac-12, but one suspects does run into the UC vs. Cal State systems tug-of-war.  San Diego State is a Pac-12 Affiliate member in Men's Soccer.  San Diego State is a huge California State University system public school, with over 35,000 students, is a very popular choice with California students, thereby making it very impacted.

Air Force to the AAC makes the annual Air Force vs. Navy Football game a conference game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, NH said:

I had the same thought when I first saw this news. Ironically, the biggest thing holding the Mountain West back in basketball is Air Force, so if anything they are a stronger bball conference with them leaving. But from what I've gathered the reasons for them leaving are 1) Boise State and San Diego State are both prime candidates to be poached by other conferences, 2) the travel east is easier for Air Force and CSU than the current travel setup. It seems like a proactive move: even though the AAC is not a better conference today it's a more sustainable long-term solution for the two schools.

Wichita State is in no-mans land right now. Temple and Memphis are both in weird spots as well. There has been some murmuring among fans that the AAC should look into SLU/Dayton, but at this point I don't think that's a worthwhile upgrade over the A-10.

Do you think WSU, KU and KSU try to align? I had a thought the other day about KU just declaring independence in basketball, essentially becoming to hoops what ND is to football. If there is a program that is a national brand, draws well (travels well is a question mark) but has middle-of-the-country logistics to get to either UCLA or Duke in less than four hours - why wouldn’t KU just rebel against the conference system? Could they do that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, thatskablamo said:

Do you think WSU, KU and KSU try to align? I had a thought the other day about KU just declaring independence in basketball, essentially becoming to hoops what ND is to football. If there is a program that is a national brand, draws well (travels well is a question mark) but has middle-of-the-country logistics to get to either UCLA or Duke in less than four hours - why wouldn’t KU just rebel against the conference system? Could they do that?

While this is an interesting thought, I don't think so.

It looks like the Big XII, which seems to have nine lives like a cat, is going to survive, again.

thatskablamo likes this
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

So did the A10 get outflanked by the Valley for Belmont (Nashville)?  I have to wonder about this A10.  It is still largely an East Coast centric bus league, with geographical outliers in Dayton and especially SLU.

Belmont in Nashville would have meant getting on a plane for most A10 members.

I don't mind the A10's "wait and see" approach. I think the MVC, including Belmont, is still there for the picking. The MVC will go from a 1.3 bid conference to a 1.5 bid conference. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Compton said:

I don't mind the A10's "wait and see" approach. I think the MVC, including Belmont, is still there for the picking. The MVC will go from a 1.3 bid conference to a 1.5 bid conference. 

Nashville has become one of the trendy cities, a destination state for California expatriates.  Californians are moving there, attracted by the no state income tax in Tennessee and still relatively cheap real estate prices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

Nashville has become one of the trendy cities, a destination state for California expatriates.  Californians are moving there, attracted by the no state income tax in Tennessee and still relatively cheap real estate prices.

Landing Belmont was a good move but until the MVC strings together years of multiple bids the MVC is still the MVC.  It's a stepping stone league for basketball coaches on their way to the P5.  If they could have kept Moser, I'd feel definitely but the pattern held yet again.

The A10 actually has stability at the top of the league when it comes to coaches.  We're in a unique position where we have former P5 coaches who are succeeding where they're appreciated and unorthodox mid-major lifers who will finish their careers there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

So did the A10 get outflanked by the Valley for Belmont (Nashville)?  I have to wonder about this A10.  It is still largely an East Coast centric bus league, with geographical outliers in Dayton and especially SLU.

Belmont in Nashville would have meant getting on a plane for most A10 members.

As of the latest available data, the average spending on basketball in the valley is $2.9 million per school, which is the 13th most of any conference. The A-10 average spending is $5.0 million per school. Fordham spends more money on basketball than any school in the Missouri Valley does. The conferences are not in the same tier financially, which is where these decisions get made. Obviously travel for other sports is a big factor, but my guess is that Belmont was not pushing to move to the A-10 and the A-10 wasn't ready to pull the trigger on a school like Belmont.  

Belmont is a great addition for the Valley. They should quickly become a favorite in the league. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, NH said:

As of the latest available data, the average spending on basketball in the valley is $2.9 million per school, which is the 13th most of any conference. The A-10 average spending is $5.0 million per school. Fordham spends more money on basketball than any school in the Missouri Valley does. The conferences are not in the same tier financially, which is where these decisions get made. Obviously travel for other sports is a big factor, but my guess is that Belmont was not pushing to move to the A-10 and the A-10 wasn't ready to pull the trigger on a school like Belmont.  

Belmont is a great addition for the Valley. They should quickly become a favorite in the league. 

 

-we could get into how wise any spending is, but if true case closed on the desirability of Belmont and the MVC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Cowboy II said:

-we could get into how wise any spending is, but if true case closed on the desirability of Belmont and the MVC

+ Fordham services an FCS (D1-AA) 63 scholarship Football program, which plays in the Patriot League, and which seems significantly more popular there than its D-1, A10 Basketball program.  Tradition (Vince Lombardi, the Seven Blocks of Granite), winning and losing do that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would take both Loyola and Valpo out of the MVC. Belmont would be better, but if that's not an option as it appears now - Valpo is a private school, has had some success in the past and gets the A-10 back into Indiana. The bottom line is getting more western members into the A-10 benefits SLU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Cowboy II said:

-we could get into how wise any spending is, but if true case closed on the desirability of Belmont and the MVC

Two quick caveats I should have added:

1) The figures I cited are a year or two old. Loyola has increased their investment since then so they could bring up the MVC figure some (although my guess is they saved on coaching salary when Moser left and Valentine took over)

2) Belmont actually spends like a top 100 program and more than many schools in the A10. They will bring up the average $ in the MVC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, ACE said:

I would take both Loyola and Valpo out of the MVC. Belmont would be better, but if that's not an option as it appears now - Valpo is a private school, has had some success in the past and gets the A-10 back into Indiana. The bottom line is getting more western members into the A-10 benefits SLU.

It would be nice.  I'm a lot more interested in us winning league titles than adding more teams.  Adding Valpo is like adding George Mason at this point.  It doesn't make the league better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

It would be nice.  I'm a lot more interested in us winning league titles than adding more teams.  Adding Valpo is like adding George Mason at this point.  It doesn't make the league better.

Of course, everybody is, but this is a thread about conference reshuffling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

Nashville has become one of the trendy cities, a destination state for California expatriates.  Californians are moving there, attracted by the no state income tax in Tennessee and still relatively cheap real estate prices.

Just like Merle Haggard in the 60s. God rest his soul.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, 3star_recruit said:

It would be nice.  I'm a lot more interested in us winning league titles than adding more teams.  Adding Valpo is like adding George Mason at this point.  It doesn't make the league better.

Agreed. 14 is already big and conferences don't kick teams out. No point in adding unless we're adding to the top half.

Things can always change but we're still in the best place for us right now.

AGB91 and CBFan like this
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Pistol said:

Agreed. 14 is already big and conferences don't kick teams out. No point in adding unless we're adding to the top half.

Things can always change but we're still in the best place for us right now.

The Sun Belt is the only conference that I can think of that has actually kicked out members.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, slu72 said:

We should align ourselves with Dayton like MU and DePaul did when they shafted us and Charlotte. If Dayton was to leave the A10, and nothing so far suggests they are, but that would hurt SLU. 

why am i thinking that x doesnt want dayton in the same league as them?   i seem to remember that from years ago.  not betting the farm on it though.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...