American Athletic Conference

[Stickboy46]

That's a fact, Jack. Makes it really difficult to predict where this might eventually lead.

And the fact that the most important moving part isn't something in WSU's control. P5 expansion will be what drives a WSU conference movement. Once a couple schools are poached from just outside the P5, WSU will be ready to plead its case.

[SHOCKvalue]

I will readily admit I am not very familiar with NDSU or SDSU, but how does this list improve our position as far as basketball is concerned?

NDSU and SDSU both carry their states, and have fan base strength similar to our own. Much better to carry a couple of states with a population totaling 1.5M, than it is to not even make the newspaper in a metro of 10M, at least IMO.

Realignment seems to be driven by tv sets, rather than the actual volume of people watching those tv's.

[rrshock]

I think adding NDSU and SDSU would be good for the valley. Plus how can you not like a school with a jackrabbit for a mascot?

[AndShock]

SDSU and NDSU might not be long-term mid-major basketball powers. NDSU lost their coach of 7 years to Ohio and their current coach went from 12-4 in conference to 8-8 in conference. SDSU just lost their coach of 21 years to Wright State.

I remember when Oral Roberts was a popular pick to invite to the Valley but they've been meh the last few years and they didn't even have to deal with a coaching change. I remember when Scott Sutton was considered the front-runner to be Wichita State's head coach, what a disaster that would have been. Got a little off-topic but what I'm trying to say is that it's hard for mid-major programs to remain consistently good, especially when you're paying your head coaches around $200,000. A good comparison would probably be that NDSU and SDSU were SWOMO with Barry Hinson with a little more fan support.

[MoValley John]

SDSU and NDSU might not be long-term mid-major basketball powers. NDSU lost their coach of 7 years to Ohio and their current coach went from 12-4 in conference to 8-8 in conference. SDSU just lost their coach of 21 years to Wright State.

I remember when Oral Roberts was a popular pick to invite to the Valley but they've been meh the last few years and they didn't even have to deal with a coaching change. I remember when Scott Sutton was considered the front-runner to be Wichita State's head coach, what a disaster that would have been. Got a little off-topic but what I'm trying to say is that it's hard for mid-major programs to remain consistently good, especially when you're paying your head coaches around $200,000. A good comparison would probably be that NDSU and SDSU were SWOMO with Barry Hinson with a little more fan support.

Except North Dakota State is nothing like Missouri State. NDSU is willing to spend money on coaches. North Dakota State is not going to lose an arms race with any Valley school except Wichita State. I was traveling up there back when they made the jump to D-1, they weren't screwing around then and they aren't now. They're not a school that will wait for their turn to win a league. They won't play the "Valley of Even" game.

[ShockBand]

Except North Dakota State is nothing like Missouri State. NDSU is willing to spend money on coaches. North Dakota State is not going to lose an arms race with any Valley school except Wichita State. I was traveling up there back when they made the jump to D-1, they weren't screwing around then and they aren't now. They're not a school that will wait for their turn to win a league. They won't play the "Valley of Even" game.

I taught a summer seminar at NDSU last summer, and that is a school that is definitely "on the move" in general as well. A rapidly expanding research park on campus with some good tenants (John Deere is one), and you can tell they are in growth mode. I thoroughly enjoyed my week there last summer.

[AndShock]

Except North Dakota State is nothing like Missouri State. NDSU is willing to spend money on coaches. North Dakota State is not going to lose an arms race with any Valley school except Wichita State. I was traveling up there back when they made the jump to D-1, they weren't screwing around then and they aren't now. They're not a school that will wait for their turn to win a league. They won't play the "Valley of Even" game.

I'm assuming this is a recent development then because in 2013 they rewarded their coach who gave them an NCAA win with a 5-year extension with a base salary of $175,000 and a 4% yearly raise. He left the next year for a salary of $561,000. Maybe they didn't think that coach was worth the money but then why would they replace him with an also cheap in-house assistant?

[MoValley John]

I'm assuming this is a recent development then because in 2013 they rewarded their coach who gave them an NCAA win with a 5-year extension with a base salary of $175,000 and a 4% yearly raise. He left the next year for a salary of $561,000. Maybe they didn't think that coach was worth the money but then why would they replace him with an also cheap in-house assistant?

Probably because that is SOP in the Horizon.

[ShockdaWorld]

Probably because that is SOP in the Horizon.

So they're settling for the "Horizon of Even" but wouldn't settle for the Valley of Even? I'm confused.

[AndShock]

Probably because that is SOP in the Horizon.

And the Valley is all about spending that dough...

[AndShock]

And it's the Summit.

[MoValley John]

So they're settling for the "Horizon of Even" but wouldn't settle for the Valley of Even? I'm confused.

There's more to it than that, but the top pay in the Horizon is Green Bay at $230,000. Regardless of pay, it is difficult to hire experience in the Horizon. Gregg Marshall, from Winthrop, would never have chosen to go there. Neither do any other top up and comers. Move NDSU to the Valley and that dynamic changes.

[MoValley John]

I know from my annual duck hunt with a bunch of guys from Minneapolis that NDSU has a ton of students from Minneapolis, making NDSU of interest of many Twin Cities residents. I tried unsuccessfully to quantify how many students and alum are from Minneapolis/St Paul. That said, I found this article quite interesting.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304231204576406042109860376

I'm not a huge advocate either way of north Dakota State, but I do think that simply dismissing them is a mistake.

[RoyalShock]

Realignment seems to be driven by tv sets, rather than the actual volume of people watching those tv's.

And it's a business model I think will collapse in the near future.

[SHOCKvalue]

And it's a business model I think will collapse in the near future.

Mostly agree. I don't know about "collapse" but there is certainly a bubble.