Missouri State to Sun Belt Conference?

[MoValley John]

What's funny is this all sounded like it could really happen...then casey shows up and it now sounds like MSU is on the cusp of not getting an invite/saying no thank you before an invite even has a chance to show up...

It IS going to happen. The problem is, it's not C-USA or Sun Belt, MSU is moving to the C-BELT.

[Ricardo del Rio]

I am not going to say done deal yet but it is pretty close. With realignment unexpected stuff happens last minute (see Banowsky's last second change of heart a couple of years ago). I have more mixed emotions than I thought I would have. This has been a good home for us.

You backed off a bit from the CUSA debacle of a few years back, but AGAIN, it didn't happen.

Right dude, it didn't happen. That absolutely does not mean that it wasn't a realistic possibility and that real dialogue was occurring between the conference and the school. Things change with realignment very quickly.

Right now we are seeing kind of a civil war at MSU. Some people want to pursue the big time and some want to gut the football program. We'll see what eventually transpires. I can tell you this much, I wouldn't trade places with WSU. You all are on top of the world right now in basketball but this is as good as it ever gets.

Whoa! You may want to rephrase the last sentence.

[Wufan]

I am not going to say done deal yet but it is pretty close. With realignment unexpected stuff happens last minute (see Banowsky's last second change of heart a couple of years ago). I have more mixed emotions than I thought I would have. This has been a good home for us.

You backed off a bit from the CUSA debacle of a few years back, but AGAIN, it didn't happen.

Right dude, it didn't happen. That absolutely does not mean that it wasn't a realistic possibility and that real dialogue was occurring between the conference and the school. Things change with realignment very quickly.

Right now we are seeing kind of a civil war at MSU. Some people want to pursue the big time and some want to gut the football program. We'll see what eventually transpires. I can tell you this much, I wouldn't trade places with WSU. You all are on top of the world right now in basketball but this is as good as it ever gets.

you all always make me smile!

[PantherSigEp]

I wish MSU engaged in dialogue with conferences more often. It brings out the "best" in Casey. Or at the very least it brings out his most entertaining delusions.

[GrandpaBear]

I'm not convinced trying to move up is the best thing for MSU. That being said, I haven't seen any MVC fans here make any kid of argument why staying in the Valley makes sense. You can tear down MSU all you want and some is deserved, but what in the MVC is worth staying for? It's a one bid league in hoops and irrelevant in everything else.

[uniftw]

I'm not convinced trying to move up is the best thing for MSU. That being said, I haven't seen any MVC fans here make any kid of argument why staying in the Valley makes sense. You can tear down MSU all you want and some is deserved, but what in the MVC is worth staying for? It's a one bid league in hoops and irrelevant in everything else.

Oh..

So you just described the MAC, Sun Belt, and CUSA....basically the best conference MSU could hope for is exactly what MSU wants to leave.

[GrandpaBear]

I'm not convinced trying to move up is the best thing for MSU. That being said, I haven't seen any MVC fans here make any kid of argument why staying in the Valley makes sense. You can tear down MSU all you want and some is deserved, but what in the MVC is worth staying for? It's a one bid league in hoops and irrelevant in everything else.

Oh..

So you just described the MAC, Sun Belt, and CUSA....basically the best conference MSU could hope for is exactly what MSU wants to leave.

I'm being honest here, the only reason we would consider a move is because of football. If the administration wants to move that direction, it makes sense. My point was that staying in that MVC isn't terribly appealing at the moment.

[Cdizzle]

I'm not convinced trying to move up is the best thing for MSU. That being said, I haven't seen any MVC fans here make any kid of argument why staying in the Valley makes sense. You can tear down MSU all you want and some is deserved, but what in the MVC is worth staying for? It's a one bid league in hoops and irrelevant in everything else.

Oh..

So you just described the MAC, Sun Belt, and CUSA....basically the best conference MSU could hope for is exactly what MSU wants to leave.

I'm being honest here, the only reason we would consider a move is because of football. If the administration wants to move that direction, it makes sense. My point was that staying in that MVC isn't terribly appealing at the moment.

Then make it appealing.

MSU's best chance of being in a quality league is to spend the money to make their own programs good, creating another good team in the Valley. Everybody wants saved by moving to a "better" conference, but it doesn't really matter. If you are a shitty team in a bad conference, you will still be a shitty team in a better conference.

Anyone from a school other than WSU asking "what has the Valley done to convince me to stay" is missing something. At the end of the day it's the individual programs that have to make a commitment to success for the league to get better.

[uniftw]

Then make it appealing.

MSU's best chance of being in a quality league is to spend the money to make their own programs good, creating another good team in the Valley. Everybody wants saved by moving to a "better" conference, but it doesn't really matter. If you are a shitty team in a bad conference, you will still be a shitty team in a better conference.

Anyone from a school other than WSU asking "what has the Valley done to convince me to stay" is missing something. At the end of the day it's the individual programs that have to make a commitment to success for the league to get better.

A billion times this.

I will never ask "What has the MVC done for UNI". It's done a lot. UNI came in as dogshit and saw that the only way to be good is to make sure the programs have everything they need to get better..and did that.

If every school did that the conference would be great - instead you get schools like MSU that blame the MVC for the lack of their success.

The conference sure as hell hasn't held WSU back.

Didn't hold UNI back from a top 25 ranking and a S16...or Bradley, or SIU...

[Aargh]

8,000 butts in seats for a basketball game makes money. There are only 13 scholarships and 4 coaches.

Football has to cover 65 scholarships - plus another 65 for women's sports and 10 - 12 coaches. 8,000 butts in seats for FB kills all the sports at that school.

Want to make the MVC a better conference? Cut out the cancer of a football team that's draining your athletic department dry - and that pretty much nobody in Springfield cares about. Then put enough money into your basketball program to attract and keep a decent coach.