MVC targeting Valpo & Murray State to create 11 team league

[ptownbraves]

So it sounds like there are 2 big questions.

1) Does the MVC think 11 teams is a fine model? If so, we've got our two teams, it seems. If not, that leads to a second critical question:

2) Is 10 teams or 12 teams better? The sneaky fact about this whole situation is this: Murray St and Valpo aren't going anywhere else. If the MVC can't find a 12th team they're comfortable with, do they just settle on adding just one of Murray St or Valpo? They can (probably) add the other at a later date, but they can't reverse a Milwaukee invite once it's done.

Since the school presidents are the ones voting, I imagine the private schools don't want to be dominated by the publics. If they can't get a private school to join, I think we stay at 10 and just add Murray. If they can get Valpo (or more unlikely SLU or Belmont), I think they are more likely to go 11 or 12.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

I think we'll get a nice surprise and Belmont will come along.

[Redhawk]

but they can't reverse a Milwaukee invite once it's done.

That's the most important aspect TAS. I don't think you ever want to go over 12 so the MVC better
be sure of that last add. I foresee Valpo & MuSt this year and #12 1-2 years out. Which most likely would
be Milwaukee but they aren't a must have yet so what's the rush!

[TheAsianSensation]

So it sounds like there are 2 big questions.

1) Does the MVC think 11 teams is a fine model? If so, we've got our two teams, it seems. If not, that leads to a second critical question:

2) Is 10 teams or 12 teams better? The sneaky fact about this whole situation is this: Murray St and Valpo aren't going anywhere else. If the MVC can't find a 12th team they're comfortable with, do they just settle on adding just one of Murray St or Valpo? They can (probably) add the other at a later date, but they can't reverse a Milwaukee invite once it's done.

Since the school presidents are the ones voting, I imagine the private schools don't want to be dominated by the publics. If they can't get a private school to join, I think we stay at 10 and just add Murray. If they can get Valpo (or more unlikely SLU or Belmont), I think they are more likely to go 11 or 12.

Privates were fine running at a 4-6 disadvantage, although they had a non-football Wichita making it a 5-5 football split.

A Murray/Valpo/Milwaukee or Omaha package makes it a 5-7 disadvantage for the privates, with 6 of the 7 publics playing football (Milwaukee or Omaha) creating a 6-6 split there.

A Murray only package makes it 4-6 again, but that 6th public plays football....although it's pretty obvious basketball runs that university, so it'd be status quo compared to Wichita being in.

A Valpo only makes it 5-5, clean split in public/private and football/non-football.

Murray and Valpo, with no 12th team....it's a 5-6 private/public split, and a 5-6 non-football/football split.

[MidWestMidMajor]

It sounds like the new arena at UNO is losing like 2.5-3m per year, and growing.

It is reported that last year's deficit was $1.8M and the athletic department's deficit was $1.5M. However accountants can be very clever in how they report things, so there are questions about those figures.

One hockey blogger from the Univ of Denver came up with a brilliant suggestion to stem the red ink: rent the arena to the Omaha Zoo during the winter when people want to stay inside.

"A facility rental and a percentage of gate would allow Omaha to bridge the current deficit. This plan would involve converting the main hockey arena/basketball surface from January to the end of May for animal exhibits such as hyenas, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and water buffalo. Primates would be housed in what is currently the men’s hockey locker room."

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

It sounds like the new arena at UNO is losing like 2.5-3m per year, and growing.

It is reported that last year's deficit was $1.8M and the athletic department's deficit was $1.5M. However accountants can be very clever in how they report things, so there are questions about those figures.

One hockey blogger from the Univ of Denver came up with a brilliant suggestion to stem the red ink: rent the arena to the Omaha Zoo during the winter when people want to stay inside.

"A facility rental and a percentage of gate would allow Omaha to bridge the current deficit. This plan would involve converting the main hockey arena/basketball surface from January to the end of May for animal exhibits such as hyenas, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and water buffalo. Primates would be housed in what is currently the men’s hockey locker room."

Lol classic

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

Sounds like they can place one large elephant in the arena and that's good enough

[SMUfan]

I think we'll get a nice surprise and Belmont will come along.

Are you hoping for that or have you heard something?

[smidge34]

Some poster on here was curious as to my "vendetta" with Murray State. Let me help you out.

SIU quit playing Murray State in football about 10 years or so, based upon a decision by our A.D. after a game at Murray, where their players were absolute thugs. SIU had a running get a broken leg in that game. The Murray players were taunting SIU with "we f****d up your running back, great sportsmanship. Our AD at the time, who is now the AD at Colorado State said "enough". Their basketball program used to be coached by that snotty-nosed Mick Cronin, who routinely looked for cast-off thugs transfers (google Keith Jennifer) from other programs. Cronin is now at Cincinnati, speaks volumes. I have a friend who went to Murray on an athletic scholarship who had a run in with Mr Jennifer, who I have reason to believe may be in prison as we speak, so the way Murray runs their programs does not sit well with me. And there is no benefit to Wichita State leaving the MVC, you can try to pretty it up if you want. Instead of the league playing down to Murray and Valpo we should be striving to playing up to the likes of Wichita State, Creighton, and other members like SIU, Northern Iowa who have fielded very good teams that DEMONSTRATED POST SEASON SUCCESS.

Its nice you bring up things that allegedly happened over a decade ago. Murray runs a clean program, we graduate student athletes and the university does not condone or cover up and erratic behavior. Mr. Jenifer that you speak of did get arrested while here and was subsequently suspended. It was for possession of marijuana. Im sure no SIU players over the last decade has smoked pot. Guess you got one on us there. My inclination is that you just don't want to get beat by the Racers and don't want the healthy competition.

That's fine. Go ahead add UMKC and Omaha and see how fast your overall conference rpi drops. If you want multi bids and healthy competition the Racers are the obvious choice.

Not my fight but I think its funny that a Murray St fan wants to talk about lowering the MVC RPI when you were 230 last year and 170 the prior year? In fact, if you look at Murray St over the past 5 years...

2016-17 230
2015-16 170
2014-15 64
2013-14 144
2012-13 113

Really not anything to write home about in there. The 64 is ok but followed by the 170 and 230? Not a good trend.

God I love to see cherry picking seasons lol. If we are gonna cherry pick recent seasons, who and when was the last MVC team in top 10?

[Play Angry]

Wichita State has resided in that neighborhood with some frequency of late.