If we go to 12 who do you want (choose 2) poll?

[glm38]

We have multiple good options. I'm interested to see what happens. I'm just worried that MVC commission ends up doing nothing at all like in years past.

It will be a giant fail if we don't pick up Murray State next year.

[uniftw]

We have multiple good options. I'm interested to see what happens. I'm just worried that MVC commission ends up doing nothing at all like in years past.

It will be a giant fail if we don't pick up Murray State next year.

The unwillingness to do 11 - even for a year or two - may cause that.

[VUGrad1314]

But then Murray State would have lost those games against Illinois State and Southern Illinois and those teams would have lost one OOC game while everyone else would have lost 2. In all likelihood it would have hurt the Valley's Non-con SOS unless we all kicked the non-D1s and bottom feeding teams off our schedule which wouldn't have happened I still think this is the year Belmont and SLU come to their senses and a huge opportunity presents itself for Elgin to turn this league into a powerhouse. Murray State will still be available as will NKU and the Dakotas. I think the Valley will be fine going forward.

[VUGrad1314]

Anyway here's some real realignment news from the past few weeks you may have missed:
Hampton is leaving the MEAC for the Big South (18-19)
South Carolina Upstate is leaving the A-Sun for the Big South (I believe North Alabama will be joining the A-Sun next year though)So they'll still have 8 members but still you have to wonder if there'll be any more movement there

UC-San Diego is moving to D1 and joining the Big West (2020)
CSU-Bakersfield will leave the WAC and join the Big West (2020)
Cal Baptist will join the WAC next year so they're firm on 8 members Yet one has to wonder how firm the WAC REALLY is This is a big hit to their profile and has to have the remaining members feeling more antsy about moving to greener pastures.

What does this mean for the MVC? I don't know. Probably nothing, but this makes further realignment in the WAC very possible and all of those schools have to be considered "in-play" for any conference that wants them.

[TheAsianSensation]

New Mexico State plus travel partner might be the one move that makes me back off of Murray State.

[Rambler63]

New Mexico State plus travel partner might be the one move that makes me back off of Murray State.

As long as that travel partner isn't Grand Canyon. Whichever conference gets them after the WAC breaks up is going to deeply regret that affiliation. Their men's basketball budget was $4,306,041 in 2015-16, and by all indications they're spending more. Loyola is in the same conference with them in men's volleyball, where they're trying to buy their way to legitimacy.

By the way, any time you want, you can check out how much money Grand Canyon has lying around to destroy your athletics department:

https://finance.google.com/finance?q=Na ... jAHh6anQCA

Today their market cap is $4.35 billion.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

New Mexico State plus travel partner might be the one move that makes me back off of Murray State.

As long as that travel partner isn't Grand Canyon. Whichever conference gets them after the WAC breaks up is going to deeply regret that affiliation. Their men's basketball budget was $4,306,041 in 2015-16, and by all indications they're spending more. Loyola is in the same conference with them in men's volleyball, where they're trying to buy their way to legitimacy.

By the way, any time you want, you can check out how much money Grand Canyon has lying around to destroy your athletics department:

https://finance.google.com/finance?q=Na ... jAHh6anQCA

Today their market cap is $4.35 billion.

And, they're doing a great job and they're going to succeed.

[VUGrad1314]

Elgin said the goal is at-large bids right? We honestly might just have a suck it up and take the NMSU\GCU combo. I think we should be thinking really big with expansion and even considering 14 and 16 team models. There are many very good potential additions and I want them all. Make this a smaller schools'version of the pre- 2013 split Big East.

[mvfcfan]

Anyway here's some real realignment news from the past few weeks you may have missed:
Hampton is leaving the MEAC for the Big South (18-19)
South Carolina Upstate is leaving the A-Sun for the Big South (I believe North Alabama will be joining the A-Sun next year though)So they'll still have 8 members but still you have to wonder if there'll be any more movement there

UC-San Diego is moving to D1 and joining the Big West (2020)
CSU-Bakersfield will leave the WAC and join the Big West (2020)
Cal Baptist will join the WAC next year so they're firm on 8 members Yet one has to wonder how firm the WAC REALLY is This is a big hit to their profile and has to have the remaining members feeling more antsy about moving to greener pastures.

What does this mean for the MVC? I don't know. Probably nothing, but this makes further realignment in the WAC very possible and all of those schools have to be considered "in-play" for any conference that wants them.

I've also heard that there are sources saying that UMKC will return to the Summit League next season. The WAC's extinction has been coming for years. The conference has been a conference basically for schools that have had no where else to go.

I don't want GCU in the MVC period. I'm iffy on NM State just because of the fact that they were once in the MVC. But they have proven already that they will leave and with their FBS football they will leave first chance they get.

Would much rather go with Murray State and Northern Kentucky than the far far west route. At least with MSU and NKU the conference would stay compact. There's a lot of stability in that. Both of those schools are doing well. I also really like NDSU and SDSU; and at least there are conference schools that have affiliations with those schools already.

[VUGrad1314]

Here's a realignment scenario that might solve a lot of problems (predicated on NMSU going FCS which seems very unlikely but possible and schools being willing to increase their travel budgets)
North Dakota joins MVFC
Robert Morris from NEC to Horizon Joins MVFC
NJIT from A-Sun to NEC
North Alabama to OVC (football) and A-Sun (other sports)
Murray State from OVC to MVC Also joins MVFC
NKU\Belmont\SLU to MVC One of these will say yes Murray gets its travel partner
Lipscomb from A-Sun to OVC (no football)
UTRGV from WAC to A-Sun
NMSU from WAC to MVC (also joins MVFC)
GCU from WAC to MVC

We try that on for size for a couple years and THEN see how Dayton\Belmont\SLU feel about the MVC to help us even out the public\private split. It's an early sacrifice in terms of travel and for the private schools for an even greater chance at success both now and later.

Of course occam's razor tells me that the Mountain West is going to just add NMSU UTEP and GCU and call it good while Conference USA adds UMASS or maybe Army for football only or Liberty for all sports.