Missouri Valley - Mountain West Challenge to end?

[DoubleJayAlum]

Someone on our board pointed out that it is TV that really makes these Challenges work. MWC has the Mtn. network and CUSA has CBS Sports Network. Unless MVC-TV is ready to take a giant leap forward with our own channel, I doubt any Challenge with the A10 or CAA would happen.

I don't know about your board, but I said the same thing here (look up about 7 posts or so)

[DoubleJayAlum]

The Beast will either end up taking 5 from this newly formed pile of 22 teams or 4 at the least. CUSA will be hit the hardest possibly only 3, maybe up to 5 if BSU and AFA stay put.

Note that the football alliance is actually going to be it's own league. The CUSA and MWC will now be non football conferences. Both commissioners have been quoted in saying that now with the alliance football league they can look at potentially adding non football schools.

If the BEAST raid goes off as planned then the MWC conference will be down to 7 schools (Hawaii is football only) and CUSA will be down to 9 schools for Oly sports (BTW Oly sports is anything outside of football, ever heard of the dream team?).

So the challenge might not work out anymore anyways. One thing to watch out for is if this comes to pass is what basketball schools might get invited into one of the two leagues. Maybe not an MVC team but what if Temple slides over to CUSA side and then with that X and Dayton with the BEAST stable decides to follow them. Then the A-10 looks to backfill with maybe a Bradley or CU or teams like SLU start checking options like the MVC.

Point being I think if BEAST is able to raid like they want it will trickle down to MVC one way or another. Possibly hurting A-10 which in turn helps the MVC, or in an extreme case an MVC team actually bolts.

This post also opens up something else that I'm surprised nobody has touched upon -- If CUSA and MWC start to get raided, maybe the MVC should be putting out feelers to certain schools about becoming members. With the football issue taken care of by the new conference, maybe we can lure their other sports. There are quite a few schools in the MWC/CUSA that I would have a great deal of interest in nabbing, notwithstanding the fact that Evanville and Indy St fans will probably whine about the additional travel.

[SubGod22]

The Beast will either end up taking 5 from this newly formed pile of 22 teams or 4 at the least. CUSA will be hit the hardest possibly only 3, maybe up to 5 if BSU and AFA stay put.

Note that the football alliance is actually going to be it's own league. The CUSA and MWC will now be non football conferences. Both commissioners have been quoted in saying that now with the alliance football league they can look at potentially adding non football schools.

If the BEAST raid goes off as planned then the MWC conference will be down to 7 schools (Hawaii is football only) and CUSA will be down to 9 schools for Oly sports (BTW Oly sports is anything outside of football, ever heard of the dream team?).

So the challenge might not work out anymore anyways. One thing to watch out for is if this comes to pass is what basketball schools might get invited into one of the two leagues. Maybe not an MVC team but what if Temple slides over to CUSA side and then with that X and Dayton with the BEAST stable decides to follow them. Then the A-10 looks to backfill with maybe a Bradley or CU or teams like SLU start checking options like the MVC.

Point being I think if BEAST is able to raid like they want it will trickle down to MVC one way or another. Possibly hurting A-10 which in turn helps the MVC, or in an extreme case an MVC team actually bolts.

This post also opens up something else that I'm surprised nobody has touched upon -- If CUSA and MWC start to get raided, maybe the MVC should be putting out feelers to certain schools about becoming members. With the football issue taken care of by the new conference, maybe we can lure their other sports. There are quite a few schools in the MWC/CUSA that I would have a great deal of interest in nabbing, notwithstanding the fact that Evanville and Indy St fans will probably whine about the additional travel.

CUSA teams that would be worth at least considering in such a case: Memphis, Tulsa, UAB and UTEP come to mind. I think there could be a couple of others but I think they're already headed elsewhere.

MWC teams would definitely increase travel, but I'm on record as saying that doesn't matter. I'd consider Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV.

Talk about increasing the footprint of the Valley

[Red]

Certainly there are people here who think Illinois State might be able to move to the MAC or CUSA before all of this is done. We'll see.

[BirdmanBB]

I think we might be ready in 3 or 4 years, but this shifting could all be settled by then and we will have missed our shot. Replacing Memphis in the CUSA for everything might actually be a little more plausable than say replacing Temple in the MAC for football only (don't think MAC fans would like that too much....but then again, they may not have a choice depending on comings and goings).

[gtmoBlue]

Poss MWC or CUSA schools to the Valley? Which ones would be a good fit? Tulsa, Houston, SMU?
Colorado St, New Mexico?

Seems that a picked over A-10 will offer better teams (Dayton or SLU), along with Western Kentucky from the Sun Belt, or a potential BE castoff such as DePaul. SLU and DePaul offer great TV market upgrades, as does
a Houston/SMU pickup. Money talks... A 14 Team league probably the best config to protect against future poaching.

A 12 team config of SLU and Houston or SMU would add to the MVC's TV stature.
A 14 team config also adding SMU and DePaul would cap a very lucrative signature for the MVC, and
would guarantee increased TV Revenues for the league.

Add SLU / DePaul to the East Division
Add SMU / Houston to the West Division.

[Ali]

I'd still like to see an additional conference challenge with the CAA or the WCC.

[SubGod22]

I took the schools you listed and added a few others to compare some numbers. Some schools have been mentioned on here in the past and a few others were picked because they interest me a little or just for reference.

School - Attendance - 8yr RPI - Best - Worst
New Mexico - 14,570 - 85.13 - 10 - 172
Colorado St. - 4,879 - 164.13 - 50 - 275
Tulsa - 5,676 - 137.38 - 53 - 287
UTEP - 8,959 - 83.88 - 37 - 211
Southern Miss - 3,517 - 150.63 - 63 - 281
Southern Meth. - 1,970 - 220 - 169 x2 - 268
Houston - 3,281 - 116.38 - 53 - 287
Western KY - 3,821 - 92.5 - 31 - 196
UAB - 5,167 - 52.63 - 31 x2 - 137
DePaul - 7,676 - 134.13 - 34 - 234
Dayton - 12,567 - 72.88 - 27 - 185
Denver - 3,388 - 208.25 - 83 - 335
Green Bay - 3,007 - 140 - 71 - 186
LA. Laf - 3,919 - 179.5 - 48 - 269
Memphis - 16,768 - 31.5 - 3 x2 - 118
Milwaukee - 4,154 - 115.25 - 20 - 241
New Mexico St. - 5,860 - 138.13 - 51 - 310
North Texas - 3,552 - 159.5 - 104 - 240
Oakland - 4,130 - 151.75 - 52 - 285
Ohio - 5,599 - 126.25 - 49 - 232
ORU - 3,369 - 110.25 - 50 - 156
Saint Louis - 6,299 - 125.13 - 59 - 244
Toledo - 4,455 - 201.75 - 95 - 338
Little Rock - 3,085 - 180.25 - 73 - 301
UMKC - 1,327 - 243.88 - 146 - 309
Valpo - 3,362 - 161.63 - 71 - 260
Wright St. - 4,792 - 121.63 - 73 - 179
Wyoming - 4,346 - 171.13 - 100 - 264
Xavier - 10,098 - 41.75 - 9 - 131

[jlandrus11]

The MVC needs to get something done with the Horizon League. The HL has some very good teams like the Cleveland State and Butler of last year. Valpo is good but not great but would be a good opponent for the Drakes or UE's. I'd like to see a Butler-Creighton match-up.

[LMS]

The MVC needs to get something done with the Horizon League. The HL has some very good teams like the Cleveland State and Butler of last year. Valpo is good but not great but would be a good opponent for the Drakes or UE's. I'd like to see a Butler-Creighton match-up.

Horizon? No way. Once you get past the top team or two it's garbage.