The Rise & Fall of the Valley

[jdmee]

https://mobile.twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff

Valpo beat writter weighs in. Both the university and AD have no comment.

[ShockTalk]

If I were the 5 public schools, I'd take a hard look at making the MVCFC a new basketball league plus adding a couple basketball (maybe football) schools like Murray State/Belmont/Omaha/UMKC. They'd still be the walking dog in FCS football and improve there basketball.

[Dave Stalwart]

If I were the 5 public schools, I'd take a hard look at making the MVCFC a new basketball league plus adding a couple basketball (maybe football) schools like Murray State/Belmont/Omaha/UMKC. They'd still be the walking dog in FCS football and improve there basketball.

I like this idea. Let the MVC go all in on private schools and let the MVFC go all in on public schools. Both conferences would still be right around where they are now competitively anyway, but the vision alignments would be much better for everyone.

[1972Shocker]

Just adding Valpo is going to bite them in the butt. We'll never know, but you have to wonder if the privates saw an opportunity to get to a 5/5 balance.

They don't call if the Valley of Even for nothing.

[DUShock]

The silence is deafening. And weird.

[ShockBand]

The silence is deafening. And weird.

Maybe the press release was in the St. Louis (or St. Charles) equivalent of the old Pennypower.

[1972Shocker]

The silence is deafening. And weird.

Could be that at this point they have just agreed to try to agree and they want to dot all the i's and cross all the t's in final negotiations and agreement execution before make an OFFICIAL announcement.

Or they are just trying to save money.

[1972Shocker]

If I were the 5 public schools, I'd take a hard look at making the MVCFC a new basketball league plus adding a couple basketball (maybe football) schools like Murray State/Belmont/Omaha/UMKC. They'd still be the walking dog in FCS football and improve there basketball.

I have made that point about the MVFC several times previously. But for whatever reason that idea never seemed to gain any traction that I could detect. Not sure why that was the case. Seems like something you would want to look into. Perhaps they approached the non-Valley members of the MVFC about that idea and got a the cold shoulder. Maybe the Valley publics figured they would have to walk away from the Valley NCAA shares like WSU did when it left the conference and that was not attrative to them (at least until the WSU win shares run out).

[Shoxcity]

Missouri State to Conference USA. Northern Iowa and Illinois State get ready for some MACtion.

[Rlh04d]

Missouri State to Conference USA. Northern Iowa and Illinois State get ready for some MACtion.

In all of their collective dreams.

This is such a Valley move. Valpo's had a successful team, but it's probably a coin flip on whether they maintain it or become another Evansville for 20+ years. The Valley's only real chance here was to make a bold move that committed to winning, by bringing in several teams and hoping at least one of them took off. And, of course, they chose complacency, public/private balance, and hoarding the NCAA shares we gifted them.

[WSUwatcher]

All you need to know about the state of the MVC: so far this decade, Creighton and WSU, the league's two highest profile members, with the biggest athletic spending, have left and been replaced by Loyola-Chicago and Valpo. That is not a recipe for advancement.

The league's new slogan: Horizon II, here we come!

[1972Shocker]

Valpo seems like a good fit for what the Valley has become and about as good as they were capable of doing. 7 of the 10 Valley schools now located in Illinois and Indiana, 2 in Iowa and 1 in SWMO.

[Aargh]

This is a really underwhelming way to announce a change in league membership, both from the MVC and from Valpo. It's as if they didn't have everything worked out before they announced they were inviting Valpo.

WSU joining the American was handled differently. WSU and The American couldn't stop talking about how great the other party in the realignment was. This was "we invited them - no further comment" followed by "yes, they invited us - no further comment". Not exactly a rousing or warm couple of announcements.

[Walker]

This is a really underwhelming way to announce a change in league membership, both from the MVC and from Valpo. It's as if they didn't have everything worked out before they announced they were inviting Valpo.

WSU joining the American was handled differently. WSU and The American couldn't stop talking about how great the other party in the realignment was. This was "we invited them - no further comment" followed by "yes, they invited us - no further comment". Not exactly a rousing or warm couple of announcements.

It is really bizarre. It's obvious that the Valley has taken a colossal hit with our departure, but good grief, at least act like you are trying to generate some excitement with the addition of Valpo. Their official statement on twitter was like reading an obituary. Disjointed and uninspiring.

[Shoxcity]

Not even a cool hashtag like we got.