Conference Shake Up 2.0

[SubGod22]

And if a conference like this forms without us, we're screwed without football when it comes to escaping the MVC. The only other non-football conferences are on the left coast or the WAC or a bunch of tiny conferences in the east. Our best hope is something like this. I don't know if they'd go to 16 teams though and could see us and CU getting left out for closer schools. Or maybe we'd have to wait and see as they'd probably start with 10 or 12.

The only other option would be to hope that the Catholics take the better eastern A10 schools and we could pick off SLU and Butler and hope that they leave out Xavier and Dayton and we could go to 14.

A Valley with those four added to it would be stronger for sure. I'd still rather join the BE schools in a new conference but could accept the last option if it were possible.

[MoValley John]

The potential of a "Catholic League" is really exciting to me. That said, I don't think Creighton makes the cut. If this thing happens and Creighton gets in, I would hope Wichita State makes it as well. I know Creighton's president has been very active behind the scenes lobbying, I just wonder if the distance is too great. Let's just hope that if this does happen, Creighton and Wichita State are a part of it. We then can make a sport of watching schools
like Evansville try to carry the Valley's water.

As far as TV money, I do think that league could pull in $15-20 mil. Nobody knows right now, but I think the current estimates are low. Networks need to fill air time, especially during the winter. Basketball can fill a lot of air and even at the high end of $20 mil. With 30 game seasons and games every night, that is a lot of air, filled with quality programming. Time to get the networks in a bidding war.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Would the administration at WSU have interest in joining a league of all private schools?

(I know WSU fans would, but I am specifically asking about the administration).

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Would the administration at WSU have interest in joining a league of all private schools?

(I know WSU fans would, but I am specifically asking about the administration).

I would hope our administration would have interest in doing whatever it can to position WSU athletics in the best possible situation. With that said, we might as well be a private school with the cold shoulder we get from KU, KSU, and the BOR.

[GoShockers89]

Just sent a note of encouragement to our athletic department letting them know that this is an important issue to me (as a graduate, booster and fan) and that I have every confidence that they will work diligently to secure the best possible outcome for our school.

I encourage others to do the same.

[SubGod22]

Would the administration at WSU have interest in joining a league of all private schools?

(I know WSU fans would, but I am specifically asking about the administration).

I know this has been an issue for other schools/conferences but I don't fully understand it. I think as long as we can align ourselves with privates that are dedicated to basketball and spending on it, that we should be fine. We're not talking about a bunch of privates like Evansville or Drake that can't do more. My fear is that the privates would be more likely to shy away from Wichita because we're not private. But I'd love to see Wichita and Creighton stick together. There's a great rivalry or whatever you want to call it between the two and I have to admit that I don't dislike CU as much now that Dana is gone.

[wufan]

Two private school sticking points that could keep WSU out…the minor one would be mission statement. The major one would be admission standards. Some might say that WSU would have an unfair athletic advantage in gaining students with less stellar academics.

[GoShockers89]

I really don't think the importance of this can be overstated. Whether we are on the right or wrong side of a big move by basketball-only schools will have HUGE effects on the future of our school.

I am glad this is happening now as opposed to a year ago. Bardo seems like he has been an excellent choice and is very engaged. Having the hoops team at its highest level in decades over the last 1.5 seasons certainly helps too.

If the stars have ever been aligned for us to hit a home run, the time is now.

[shockmonster]

With St. Louis, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, and Xavier, WSU has some regional appeal. However, how good are these schools in other sports programs (besides Creighton who we know).

[MoValley John]

With St. Louis, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, and Xavier, WSU has some regional appeal. However, how good are these schools in other sports programs (besides Creighton who we know).

Like it or not, doesn't matter.

[BostonWu]

With St. Louis, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, and Xavier, WSU has some regional appeal. However, how good are these schools in other sports programs (besides Creighton who we know).

One doesn't look like the others.

I'd love to join this mega non-fb "Big East Lite" conference but as wufan pointed out it's highly unlikely we'd be considered as a public university (particularly way out in the Plains). Heck CU is probably a stretch being located in NE...Take away the Catholic part and they wouldn't even be considered.

My old man is a native of Providence, RI and him being a diehard PC Friars fan I grew up hearing about the nostalgic glory days of the Big East...from what I'm gathering these schools yurn for those good old days and geography and Catholicism are going to drive this bus.

[RandomJaysFan]

This is a good thread.

I don't know if CU will get an invite largely due to distance; even if we do I don't know that we'd accept. I'd guess we probably would but it wouldn't be a slam dunk.


One thing I think you guys are underestimating is the academic aspect. When Nebraska joined the B1G, the amount of snottiness the other 11 schools (and their fans) showed towards Nebraska's academic standing was shocking. Eventually they got in because in that case football trumped all, but it wasn't without a lot of tut-tutting. And Nebraska was a sort of kindred school; WSU would be a public school trying to convince a bunch of private schools to let them in the fraternity.

You might think CU is a bunch of bluebloods, but try selling your cause to Georgetown or Villanova execs - it's going to be hard enough for CU to convince them to put us in the conversation, even with some of our similarities. I'm betting you'll have the sales pitch of your life to try to convince them you're 'worthy' in their eyes academically.

[BostonWu]

This is a good thread.

I don't know if CU will get an invite largely due to distance; even if we do I don't know that we'd accept. I'd guess we probably would but it wouldn't be a slam dunk.


One thing I think you guys are underestimating is the academic aspect. When Nebraska joined the B1G, the amount of snottiness the other 11 schools (and their fans) showed towards Nebraska's academic standing was shocking. Eventually they got in because in that case football trumped all, but it wasn't without a lot of tut-tutting. And Nebraska was a sort of kindred school; WSU would be a public school trying to convince a bunch of private schools to let them in the fraternity.

You might think CU is a bunch of bluebloods, but try selling your cause to Georgetown or Villanova execs - it's going to be hard enough for CU to convince them to put us in the conversation, even with some of our similarities. I'm betting you'll have the sales pitch of your life to try to convince them you're 'worthy' in their eyes academically.

Spot on

[DoubleJayAlum]

I know this has been an issue for other schools/conferences but I don't fully understand it. I think as long as we can align ourselves with privates that are dedicated to basketball and spending on it, that we should be fine. We're not talking about a bunch of privates like Evansville or Drake that can't do more. My fear is that the privates would be more likely to shy away from Wichita because we're not private. But I'd love to see Wichita and Creighton stick together. There's a great rivalry or whatever you want to call it between the two and I have to admit that I don't dislike CU as much now that Dana is gone.

You guys might have to add soccer. :)

[SubGod22]

You guys might have to add soccer. :)

I'm all for women's soccer. Don't much care about men's.