Holiday Greetings From The Sooner State

[Eaglebackr]

Merry Christmas, friends and neighbors - remember me? 

Can't believe my login still works; guess the statute of limitations ran out... 

So, riddle me this:  why has ORU's abrupt and inexplicable return to the Summit League next season somehow sparked a festering rumor from visitors to the Golden Eagle message board that Valpo (yes, Valpo) may also be entertaining a possible return to the former Mid-Continent Conference?

Could this be true?  And, if so; why???

[wh]

Merry Christmas to you, Eaglebacker. Nice to hear from a worthy adversary from times past.  Personally, I couldn't imagine a return to the Summit for Valpo, if not for any other reason just the difference in travel costs, time away from the classroom, etc.  Take care.

[HC]

Not true, merry Christmas

[IndyValpo]

, riddle me this:  why has ORU's abrupt and inexplicable return to the Summit League next season somehow sparked a festering rumor from visitors to the Golden Eagle message board that Valpo (yes, Valpo) may also be entertaining a possible return to the former Mid-Continent Conference?

Could this be true?  And, if so; why???

Thanks for a good chuckle....the Horizon League is not the Southland.

[a3uge]

Not a chance of that happening.

[historyman]

Because Valpo has now won several first place finishes in the Horizon League we should now move back to an easier conference where more money is spent on travel and less time is spent in the class room? In the immortal words of Mike Ditka, "Who you crappin'?"

Oh, yeah, Merry Christmas.

[Eaglebackr]

Thanks for a good chuckle....the Horizon League is not the Southland.

LOL - it ain't the Horizon League anymore, either:  it's the Mid-Con, circa 1993.

Just remember, friends, these are the same sorts of responses I got the last time I visited, reporting that Bryce Drew was a finalist for the vacant University of Tulsa job.

Which, in hindsight, was true.

So, when the conference dominoes begin their annual tumble in June, just remember:  you heard it here first...

[historyman]

LOL - it ain't the Horizon League anymore, either:  it's the Mid-Con, circa 1993.

Aaaaahaaa. There is one huge difference between the Mid-Con 1993 and today's Mid-Con. The Mid-Con (AMCU8) up till 1995 or so Valpo was the doormat of the conference. Today's Mid-Con has Valpo as a contender in most sports because of the work of President Heckler and Ath Dir LaBarbera in hiring great coaches (despite underfunding by those with their hands on the Valpo wallet). Teddy Roosevelt would call it pulling oneself up by oneself's own bootstraps.

[IndyValpo]

LOL - it ain't the Horizon League anymore, either:  it's the Mid-Con, circa 1993.

True indeed and yet another reason we stay with HL.  However, I will say that in the current realignment world most anything is possible

[vu72]

So what realignment do you see that would affect Valpo?  Someone from the Horizon leaving?  Who might that be?

[a3uge]

Thanks for a good chuckle....the Horizon League is not the Southland.

LOL - it ain't the Horizon League anymore, either:  it's the Mid-Con, circa 1993.

So what does that make the Summit League/MidConn?


Also, enjoy your trip up to Fargo.

[valpotx]

The HL is a top 10-12 league, whereas the Summit is 15-20 each year.  No point in us going back to that conference.  Tulsa may have had Drew as a finalist, but I highly doubt he thought of them in the same light...

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Also, enjoy your trip up to Fargo.

obligatory

you decide which is Orval Fauberts

[EddieCabot]

The HL is a top 10-12 league, whereas the Summit is 15-20 each year.  No point in us going back to that conference.  Tulsa may have had Drew as a finalist, but I highly doubt he thought of them in the same light...

Those rankings have been historically true, but RPI forecast is predicting the HL at 16 and the Summit at 17 this year.  http://www.rpiforecast.com/confrpi.html  But even if the leagues are within a few spots, it still makes no sense for Valpo to leave a league like the Horizon where they have the luxury of busing to every game. 

[crusaderjoe]

So what realignment do you see that would affect Valpo?  Someone from the Horizon leaving?  Who might that be?

Keep your eye on Eastern Kentucky.  Their AD has been vocal about their intent to move football to FBS.  That can only happen if the MAC, Sun Belt or some other FBS conference invites them.  However, if EKU moves, the OVC will need a 12th member.  Could Wright and/or NKU be considered as a replacement?  Who knows.  Or, maybe Morehead decides that its time to leave the OVC and join the HL.  Again, who knows.  I suppose EKU to FBS move would be the next one that could potentially cause a ripple affecting the HL, even if the chance of any effect is probably very very small. 

[a3uge]

So what realignment do you see that would affect Valpo?  Someone from the Horizon leaving?  Who might that be?

Keep your eye on Eastern Kentucky.  Their AD has been vocal about their intent to move football to FBS.  That can only happen if the MAC, Sun Belt or some other FBS conference invites them.  However, if EKU moves, the OVC will need a 12th member.  Could Wright and/or NKU be considered as a replacement?  Who knows.  Or, maybe Morehead decides that its time to leave the OVC and join the HL.  Again, who knows.  I suppose EKU to FBS move would be the next one that could potentially cause a ripple affecting the HL, even if the chance of any effect is probably very very small.

Wright State doesn't have football, so a move to the OVC makes no sense. OVC isn't going to pick off any HL members... If anything, certain OVC members like Murray State and Belmont may want better competition all around in the Horizon. The moves I can see from HL teams are YSU to the MAC, UIC/Valpo/Milwaukee to the MVC. I don't see Detroit going to the A10 or Big East.

I just don't see how EKU affects the Horizon at all.

[crusaderjoe]

The possibility is probably pretty remote in the first place, but a move to the OVC by Wright will make no sense because of conference RPI or money, but not because it doesn't have a football program, IMO.  The OVC's last two additions were both non-football members (Belmont and SIU-E).  Even if EKU departs, they are at eight which is still large enough for a viable FCS football conference with the addition of another non-football member.  I'd say there's more of a chance of having the OVC approach Wright State if EKU leaves than there is of having the MVC or MAC approaching any current HL school for membership.  There would be more of an urgency for the OVC to get to 12 than there is in the MVC.

And if NKU gets scooped up by the OVC, who becomes WSU's travel partner?  The HL is generally a travel partnered dominated league for scheduling in basketball at least.  Like I said, small chance, but the next conference ripple may come from the south than from the east or west.  No one may leave the HL, but EKU's move (if it happens) might very well effect it in some way.

[a3uge]

The possibility is probably pretty remote in the first place, but a move to the OVC by Wright will make no sense because of conference RPI or money, but not because it doesn't have a football program, IMO.  The OVC's last two additions were both non-football members (Belmont and SIU-E).  Even if EKU departs, they are at eight which is still large enough for a viable FCS football conference with the addition of another non-football member.  I'd say there's more of a chance of having the OVC approach Wright State if EKU leaves than there is of having the MVC or MAC approaching any current HL school for membership.  There would be more of an urgency for the OVC to get to 12 than there is in the MVC.

And if NKU gets scooped up by the OVC, who becomes WSU's travel partner?  The HL is generally a travel partnered dominated league for scheduling in basketball at least.  Like I said, small chance, but the next conference ripple may come from the south than from the east or west.  No one may leave the HL, but EKU's move (if it happens) might very well effect it in some way.

I'm saying the only reason Wright State would ever want to switch would be if they had a football team and would want to move to a better conference for football. The OVC is a pretty good FCS conference and had the #2 FCS team in the country residing in it. Their main sport is basketball, so it would make 0 sense at this point.

I would say the "MVC or MAC approaching any current HL school for membership" is always going to be likely because they already did approach UIC and Valpo this past year. Not saying it's going to happen, but there's at least a small possibility the MVC adds another 2 members, or Wichita State leaves to the MWC or something like that. Also, YSU was very close to becoming a MAC school in the 90's, but they were blocked by a couple of schools in the conference. I don't really see anyone leaving the MAC, but if someone does, YSU as a full member would probably make sense. There's 13 schools for football right now, so they're probably not concerned with having an odd number.

NKU would be the OVC's target, but I would imagine NKU's goal is the Horizon League. When they became D1 they were knocking at the HL doors. The OVC is kind of weird in that Belmont and Murray State are consistently near the top of the league, but neither school seemed to have the desire to leave the conference when the shakedown was occurring. I'm guessing Belmont didn't want to pay the forfeit fees and are okay with the OVC hosting their conference tourney in Nashville every year. They did just switch recently and are right in the middle of the OVC footprint. The MVC picking Loyola over Murray State was a baffling move, but I guess they were more enamored with 0 people caring about basketball in Chicago than they were with 0 TV market in Murray. Eventually I do think Murray State will end up in the Horizon. I'm guessing they didn't join the Horizon because they believed the MVC would let them in. Teams that want better recruiting, better in conference competition are going to want out of the OVC. They consistently have 4-5 teams above 300 RPI.