RacerJoeD wrote:Guys, you gotta get over Belmont. They're tapped out. They have no desire to move up. None. Look elsewhere.
When you say "tapped out" do you mean financially? because I think a confluence of several factors could really help change their thinking:
1. The OVC's media deal I have heard is up for renegotiation soon. With money drying up in the media the new terms may mean a smaller piece of the pie for all members
2. APR is about to mean additional money for qualifying schools. Belmont's scores are very good and would qualify under the new system . This could help offset realignment and travel cost increases.
3. Under a 12 (or more ) team setup, the MVC would go to divisional play greatly reducing Belmont's travel burden. This changes the calculus significantly as the increase in competition, profile and media exposure along with the prospect of joining a multi-bid league could make the relatively modest increase in travel cost worthwhile. I think a lot of people are assuming based on Belmont's past actions that they'd say no.What they're missing is the potential game changer that divisional play is. Belmont has only said no to the 10 team round robin MVC setup. This divisional setup has never been offered to them because twelve teams and divisional play is only just now being discussed and put on the table. Similarly the OVC's move away from divisions will bring Belmont's travel budget more in line with what it would be under the MVC division proposal, further increasing the possibility that Belmont will agree to make the jump. Only one potential divisional opponent (Missouri State)is further away than all of their OVC opponents and every non-divisional road game except the Iowa schools is within 30 minutes travel time distance. More on this in point 4.
4. Realignment, which appears certain to affect OVC teams soon, could cause Belmont to doubt the stability of the league or threaten further diminishing of its profile such that a conference tournament title means the play in game and a regular season title means an NIT 8 seed AKA guaranteed losses that do little to enhance the school's brand and image SIUE Murray State Morehead State and others have been discussed to one degree or another as potentialities for other conferences and Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State are rumored to want to go FBS. Additionally, another far-flung team like Western Illinois could move to the OVC if both Indiana schools leave the Summit. Travel to that road game would be further than all MVC opponents except the Iowa schools and they wouldn't even have to make the trip out there every year like they would to Western Illinois. At that point it becomes a game of would you rather:
SIU or SEMO?
Valpo\Loyola or WIU?
ISUb or Morehead St.?
Why settle for a game against EIU when just one hour and change further sets up a marquee mid major matchup with ISUr? Just 30 minutes beyond that is Bradley
Why play SIUE when less than two hours' additional travel Maybe an extra tank of gas round trip allows you to play a really strong Missouri State team?
AND you get to keep your rivalry with Murray
Is Belmont really so cash strapped that they can't afford a few extra tanks of gas per year for all sports?
Is Belmont really short-sighted enough to cling to those RPI sinks surrounding them in Tennessee just because they're close by and easy to beat?
Surely not.