Conference Re-alignment

[ValpoFan]

I found this story from a couple of weeks ago:
https://www.vcuramnation.com/2017/03/vcu-wichita-state-dayton-join-uconn-memphis-others-aac/

If Wichita State truly leaves for the AAC, would we be invited to join the MVC? and if we are invited, is a Wichita-less MVC attractive?

[crusadermoe]

Hope so!!

And yes, it would still be attractive. I think we could become Loyola's travel partner. We would take it in a minute if they invite us!

St. Louis hosts their as a great MVC tournament as we know. Nicer place than Detroit and the Horizon is drifting east due to Oakland and No. Kentucky replacing Butler and Loyola. 

Now the MVC is moving our way because WSU is the furthest west of current teams and Creighton has left.  Non-basketball sports would have easier travel without Wichita. We would play a number of private schools similar to us: Drake, Evansville, and Bradley as well as Loyola.

[ValpoFan]

I was originally thinking that a move to the MVC is certainly a move up. I was also thinking that the travel will get much worse.
When I crunched the numbers, I found out that if Valpo replaces Wichita St., none of these two arguments is true.
Look at the map below. Horizon teams are marked with Blue pins while MVC teams are marked with Red pins. If Wichita is out of the picture, the distances look to be almost the same.
Similarly, looking at the RPI numbers, the average RPI for the horizon is 184.8 compared to the MVC's 171.8. But if Valpo replaces WSU, that RPI becomes 175.7.
Is it really a step up if the average RPI improves by 9 points?

[FieldGoodie05]

I was originally thinking that a move to the MVC is certainly a move up. I was also thinking that the travel will get much worse.
When I crunched the numbers, I found out that if Valpo replaces Wichita St., none of these two arguments is true.
Look at the map below. Horizon teams are marked with Blue pins while MVC teams are marked with Red pins. If Wichita is out of the picture, the distances look to be almost the same.
Similarly, looking at the RPI numbers, the average RPI for the horizon is 184.8 compared to the MVC's 171.8. But if Valpo replaces WSU, that RPI becomes 175.7.
Is it really a step up if the average RPI improves by 9 points?

I think, in part, it comes down to trending. Are any HL schools decreasing their spend on sports due to university budgeting issues?  Are and MVC schools doing the same?