American Athletic Conference

[MoValley John]

Oh, and my nephew plays football for North Dakota State. They beat Iowa State yesterday. If Missouri State moves to the Sun Belt, my nephew won't get to kick their ass anymore.

[Jtaylor]

Oh, and my nephew plays football for North Dakota State. They beat Iowa State yesterday. If Missouri State moves to the Sun Belt, my nephew won't get to kick their ass anymore.

Mo. State scored more points on North Dakota State last year then any team they played including FBS schools. Four years ago they beat them 3-0.

[MoValley John]

Mo. State scored more points on North Dakota State last year then any team they played including FBS schools. Four years ago they beat them 3-0.

Yet they still lost. Also, four years ago my nephew didn't play there, so I don't care. In two more years, I won't care, either.

[Veritas]

Interesting that swomo is betting their future on football. That's the only reason one can explain their infatuation with the sun belt. Not much of a plan IMO. At least try for the AAC.

For a school that struggles to fund their athletic department, you would think they'd take a different approach. They must have a lot of cousins over at Arkansas State.

[ShockerFever]

Its funny you say that Fever, as ULL is EXACTLY what what many Wichita State fans want Wichita State to be.

Last year they shared the conference title in Football, and won the New Orleans bowl.

They finished 3rd in their league in basketball, winning the auto bid and played in the NCAA Tourney.

Their softball team has been to 6 College World Series and is a regular in NCAA Tournament.

The baseball team hosted a Super Regional this year, and was ranked #1 in all major polls.

Now toss Arky St all you want, but many would take the Sun-Belt if we had a chance tonadd FB and know that our other programs could continue to thrive as ULL's has.

Oops. I guess I should have used another example. Louisiana hit too close to home. How about Troy State?

But seriously, I would never want the Sun Belt, even if it meant I-A football. That is not what I'm looking for. ULL has a decent athletic program but they are no Wichita State.

And as to my main point, if Missouri State is trying to emulate a Sun Belt program like ULL, they are failing miserably. They are a nothing in basketball (NCAA-less for 15 years). They have been a Valley middling program in baseball for a while now (something like 1 NCAA regional in the last 10 years). And football. Well, they have been historically bad in the Valley for a while now. And this is FCS football, not FBS football.

I'm still trying to understand why they are the cat's meow. I guess to a Sun Belt representative, they wouldn't need much to be impressed, but their obsession with Sun Belt is just plain odd. Seems like the Valley might be too challenging for them.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Oops. I guess I should have used another example. Louisiana hit too close to home. How about Troy State?

But seriously, I would never want the Sun Belt, even if it meant I-A football. That is not what I'm looking for. ULL has a decent athletic program but they are no Wichita State.

And as to my main point, if Missouri State is trying to emulate a Sun Belt program like ULL, they are failing miserably. They are a nothing in basketball (NCAA-less for 15 years). They have been a Valley middling program in baseball for a while now (something like 1 NCAA regional in the last 10 years). And football. Well, they have been historically bad in the Valley for a while now. And this is FCS football, not FBS football.

I'm still trying to understand why they are the cat's meow. I guess to a Sun Belt representative, they wouldn't need much to be impressed, but their obsession with Sun Belt is just plain odd. Seems like the Valley might be too challenging for them.

While it was close to home, as a fan of sports I had already done some reading into ULL last year. I went to one of the Super Regional games against Ole Miss and had a great time. Was chatting with an older gentlemen who was seated next to me. He noticed my Flying W hat and commented how much he missed seeing Wichita State play baseball. That Coach Robichaux had built their team similar to how we used to play and that it was fun baseball to watch.

Another interesting tidbit is their constant battle with LSU for recognition to accomplish anything. They, like Missouri State are trying to become a non- directional school. They changed from SW Louisiana to ULL, but want to be the University of Louisiana. LSU will have none of it. Sounds familiar.

As for the Sun Belt, as a conference if you pretty much mention anyone but ULL And Georgia Southern, which are obvious, Missouri State still doesnt fit in other than geographically. I think this conference is just trying to survive, and bringing in another state, getting to 12 so they can have a Championship game and hopefully get some money for that, as well as an extra chance to get some NCAA basketball revenue. That is their goal.

[Cdizzle]

Here is a sample of what was posted. It is pretty funny.

This is Wichita State's answer to this question on Shocker Net. I guess since they don't have a football team they use their time until basketball season to criticisze MVC teams that do. This is Wichita state where the main employer in town and where most of their alumni work is is Cargill slaughter plant. The school who most famous alumni isn't a basketball player but BTK serial killer Dennis Rader!
From MissouriState247.com

They should just be thankful that slaughter plant exists. Someone had to buy their cows so they could keep their basketball team.

I really thought that joke would get old. I'm still waiting.

[Shocker-maniac]

Those outside the Power 5 putting their money on their football programs taking them to fame and fortune may have a very difficult (if not impossible) task.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/09/01/college-football-analysis-week-1-no-success-for-mid-majors/14936017/

[SHOCKvalue]

They should just be thankful that slaughter plant exists. Someone had to buy their cows so they could keep their basketball team.

I really thought that joke would get old. I'm still waiting.

You mean outside of the fact that there is not a "slaughter plant" in all of metro Wichita, and the Cargill presence here is actually a research facility located in downtown filled with nerds in labcoats? I mean other than those two caveats, solid smack from SWOMOTSU.

[Dave Stalwart]

You mean outside of the fact that there is not a "slaughter plant" in all of metro Wichita, and the Cargill presence here is actually a research facility located in downtown filled with nerds in labcoats? I mean other than those two caveats, solid smack from SWOMOTSU.

Yeah I was gonna say... They forgot about airplanes & the largest privately owned company in the universe.

[The Mad Hatter]

You mean outside of the fact that there is not a "slaughter plant" in all of metro Wichita, and the Cargill presence here is actually a research facility located in downtown filled with nerds in labcoats? I mean other than those two caveats, solid smack from SWOMOTSU.

Oh, and the little fact that Cargill doesn't make the top 5 of employers in Wichita:

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/subscriber-only/2013/07/26/the-list---wichitas-largest-employers.html

[SHOCKvalue]

It is sort of funny that a MSU poster would bring the meat processing plant smack when you can't swing a dead cat in their part of the country without hitting a skanky, smelly chicken coop, or the plants that process that product.

[Jtaylor]

According to this list they only have 800 employees.

http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/aboutwichita/major_wichita_employers.asp

[Dave Stalwart]

Oh, and the little fact that Cargill doesn't make the top 5 of employers in Wichita:

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/s...employers.html

This particular SWd-2MoSTCC fan somehow managed to say that a nonexistent "slaughter plant" is the largest employer in one of the only cities in the U.S. that has much of an entire industry famously centered in it and even has a nationally recognized slogan of "Air Capitol." You can't make this stuff up. I bet this same poster would say that Silicon Valley is best known for it's surfing tradition.

[rrshock]

You mean outside of the fact that there is not a "slaughter plant" in all of metro Wichita, and the Cargill presence here is actually a research facility located in downtown filled with nerds in labcoats? I mean other than those two caveats, solid smack from SWOMOTSU.

so are the meat processing plants up north just that? No slaughtering?

I can't recall seeing trucks with livestock go in and out. Dodge City on the other hand....