Old Titan Posted May 10, 2024 Posted May 10, 2024 This move makes absolutely no sense to me, but will The Valley's reaction be to swallow their decades-long pride and contact ORU as a replacement? 1
Bogus Smith Posted May 10, 2024 Posted May 10, 2024 Great question, @Old Titan! Without MSU and WSU in the Missouri Valley, I don't know that the Conference would want to be this far south. Belmont is now their furthest south institution, but we do bring a quality basketball and baseball program to the table in a primarily basketball conference. We would be a more tenable option with Missouri State as a travel partner, but we may be outside their footprint now. If C-USA would accept a non-football school, that may be a consideration as well. Judy MacLeod is very knowledgeable of ORU and could see Tulsa/Springfield as a good travel combination for many of the sports. Regardless of any conference realignment, the athletic department would have to be prepared to spend more money to compete in either of these new frontiers. 1
theeagleman5 Posted May 10, 2024 Posted May 10, 2024 Unless ORU is willing to take up ice hockey....TheEagleman would love to get out of the Summit League.....hard to believe that the MVC would invite us but in 2024-25 I guess anything is possible....and agree with Bogus that our administration would have to commit to a much larger budget......i just can't see it.....but TheEagleman will remain hopeful.
Bogus Smith Posted May 10, 2024 Posted May 10, 2024 Missouri Valley Footprint Conference USA Footprint 2
Old Titan Posted May 10, 2024 Author Posted May 10, 2024 FYI for those who may not know: Dallas Baptist plays baseball in Conference USA, but competes in the D2 Lone Star Conference in most other sports. At some point CUSA and The Valley may be fighting over the Patriots.
Old Titan Posted May 10, 2024 Author Posted May 10, 2024 43 minutes ago, Bogus Smith said: Missouri Valley Footprint Grand total of Missouri schools in the Missouri Valley as of July 1, 2025: zero. Perhaps Southeast Missouri State will get that phone call before ORU...
ORUJason Posted May 10, 2024 Posted May 10, 2024 With Missouri State leaving, the MVC will no longer have a team in the state of Missouri. Every team that is left in the conference is east of the Missouri River and the Missouri River only touches 2 states (Iowa and Illinois) that have MVC teams. There would not be a natural travel partner for ORU in the MVC and ORU would now be outside of the geographic footprint of the MVC. The MVC has changed so much that it no longer makes a lot of geographic sense for ORU to join. Also, with all of the MVC changes, is it still a more stable conference in the long-term than the Summit League? The answer to that question would likely be the driving force behind ORU making a move if the opportunity was extended. However, there are so many other options within the MVC footprint that ORU would seem like an unlikely choice. Based on the changes, perhaps the Missouri Valley Conference needs a new name as well. 2
Old Titan Posted May 10, 2024 Author Posted May 10, 2024 2 minutes ago, ORUJason said: With Missouri State leaving, the MVC will no longer have a team in the state of Missouri. Every team that is left in the conference is east of the Missouri River and the Missouri River only touches 2 states (Iowa and Illinois) that have MVC teams. There would not be a natural travel partner for ORU in the MVC and ORU would now be outside of the geographic footprint of the MVC. The MVC has changed so much that it no longer makes a lot of geographic sense for ORU to join. Also, with all of the MVC changes, is it still a more stable conference in the long-term than the Summit League? The answer to that question would likely be the driving force behind ORU making a move if the opportunity was extended. However, there are so many other options within the MVC footprint that ORU would seem like an unlikely choice. Based on the changes, perhaps the Missouri Valley Conference needs a new name as well. Hence the subplot of this thread: even if ORU gets "The Call"...should they answer? 1
Old Titan Posted May 10, 2024 Author Posted May 10, 2024 In related news: Grand Canyon is also on the move. Once Seattle and Grand Canyon depart, the WAC will be down to just seven low-major schools: Utah Tech (formally Dixie State), Utah Valley, Southern Utah, Cal Baptist, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas-Arlington. Will the WAC look to expand somehow, or will they (finally) be absorbed in whole or in parts by surrounding low-major leagues?
Popular Post TrueBlue82 Posted May 10, 2024 Popular Post Posted May 10, 2024 The Summit League should act quickly to invite the three Texas schools (Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and SFA) remaining in the WAC. While they may not accept, the timing is ideal as they may see the Summit as a lifeboat while on a sinking WAC ship. Adding three decent baseball programs would be great for the League. And, having additional Summit members south of ORU would somewhat help offset the power of the Dakota bloc. 4 3
Bogus Smith Posted May 11, 2024 Posted May 11, 2024 6 hours ago, TrueBlue82 said: The Summit League should act quickly to invite the three Texas schools (Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and SFA) remaining in the WAC. While they may not accept, the timing is ideal as they may see the Summit as a lifeboat while on a sinking WAC ship. Adding three decent baseball programs would be great for the League. And, having additional Summit members south of ORU would somewhat help offset the power of the Dakota bloc. That's a great idea, TB82, but I don't think that it has a Hades chance in the Dakotas of happening. As a means of survival though, the Summit League should act swiftly before the Summit League finds itself in the same condition as the WAC. I can see the MVC going after UST (for the Minneapolis market, like they did Loyola Chicago for Chicago), or NDSU/SDSU for the FCS football league synergies. We brought UST into the SL specifically for salvaging baseball's AQ and if they head out, we are in trouble as there aren't many other associate members that would play baseball in the Summit. We need to determine our future soon or we will be reacting rather than planning. 2 1 1
Old Titan Posted May 13, 2024 Author Posted May 13, 2024 On 5/10/2024 at 5:01 PM, TrueBlue82 said: The Summit League should act quickly to invite the three Texas schools (Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and SFA) remaining in the WAC. While they may not accept, the timing is ideal as they may see the Summit as a lifeboat while on a sinking WAC ship. Adding three decent baseball programs would be great for the League. And, having additional Summit members south of ORU would somewhat help offset the power of the Dakota bloc. In the "careful-what-you-wish-for-it-might-come-true" realm: an influx of WAC teams resulting in a super-sized SL with Northern and Southern divisions, and our non-revenue squads riding the wheels off the ORU team bus to exotic locales such as Abilene, Stephenville, and Nacogdoches, TX. 1
TrueBlue82 Posted May 13, 2024 Posted May 13, 2024 5 hours ago, Old Titan said: In the "careful-what-you-wish-for-it-might-come-true" realm: an influx of WAC teams resulting in a super-sized SL with Northern and Southern divisions, and our non-revenue squads riding the wheels off the ORU team bus to exotic locales such as Abilene, Stephenville, and Nacogdoches, TX. But, is that any worse than Brookings, Vermillion and Grand Forks? 1 2
Old Titan Posted May 13, 2024 Author Posted May 13, 2024 14 minutes ago, TrueBlue82 said: But, is that any worse than Brookings, Vermillion and Grand Forks? Nope. 1
Otis 83 Posted May 13, 2024 Posted May 13, 2024 On 5/10/2024 at 5:01 PM, TrueBlue82 said: The Summit League should act quickly to invite the three Texas schools (Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and SFA) remaining in the WAC. While they may not accept, the timing is ideal as they may see the Summit as a lifeboat while on a sinking WAC ship. Adding three decent baseball programs would be great for the League. And, having additional Summit members south of ORU would somewhat help offset the power of the Dakota bloc. If that were to happen the good people of Abilene, Stephenville and Nacogdoches would get so sick of seeing me....just sayin' Drive time from the crib: ACU 3:10 Tarleton St 2:15 Stephen F Austin 3:48 1
ORob2 Posted May 13, 2024 Posted May 13, 2024 18 minutes ago, Otis 83 said: If that were to happen the good people of Abilene, Stephenville and Nacogdoches would get so sick of seeing me....just sayin' Drive time from the crib: ACU 3:10 Tarleton St 2:15 Stephen F Austin 3:48 Yeah, but if the MVC move pans out, Belmont (1:53!) and Murray State (3:39) would be see a substantial increase in ORobs visiting from out of town! 1
Bogus Smith Posted May 13, 2024 Posted May 13, 2024 44 minutes ago, Old Titan said: ORU is way outside their footprint without MSU now. NKU, APU, & WSU would be well within the range of schools that could create common rivalries. I would advise @theeagleman5 and others to stay away from the betting tables on this one for ORU. 1
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