Aargh wrote:There were several problems with Murray that are not the fault of Murray or the MVC. Football is hard to change in the summer, and the OVC was probably unwilling to let Murray take everything but FB to the MVC.
11 teams in a conference is harder to work with than an even number. The travel partner argument (MSU) is legit. MSU is already trying to cut a big chunk of money out of their athletic department budget. I'm confident the rest of the Valley schools didn't want to add pressure to MSU's financial situation.
There's a possibility that the private/public split is in play. Replacing WSU (a public) with Valpo (a private) makes a 5-5 split in the MVC. The privates may have wanted to get that balanced instead of adding another public, which would give the publics a majority.
The solution seems to be to get MSU a travel partner that's a private so that Murray can be added. ORU? As much of a geographical outlier as MSU has become, I don't think there's a travel partner now that's very effective for cutting down travel expenses. Replacing Wichita with Valparaiso is going to cost MSU a nice chunk of change.
I agree. I don't think was a shot to Murray State. Just bad timing. I still think Murray will be in the league in the next two years. And why rush it and add 12? Murray isn't going anywhere. Take your time and identify a solid 12th team. Clearly they weren't enamored with Milwaukee and Omaha.
I am in favor of this strategy. Don't just add a 12th just to add them.
Basically....see you soon Murray State. Just not this season.