Big East domino effect and the Valley.

[SubGod22]

It was very below the belt.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out though. I just don't see the Catholic League or whatever they'd call it ever actually happening. There's always been talk, but I won't believe it 'til I see it.

But not having football will come back to haunt us some day. A few of the Valley schools have at least looked into moving up in football. That at least could give them options in the future. Not having anything could definitely hold us back as very few conferences would look at adding a non football school. Unless you get into a conference that doesn't have football or is content with FCS football.

But how many of those schools in this region have successful basketball? Or push to have successful basketball? The Valley does a good job of that as is. A number of schools at least appear to be making an effort. If a few would get poached then we could be in trouble. The most likely candidate would be SIU. But UNI and ISU both have had some decent football teams as well. If MSU would ever pull their heads out who knows what they'd do. If a Catholic League ever forms CU is gone.

Basically, if things happen, we need to be doing the adding of teams first. Not responding to losing others. Or, and I prefer this, we need to bring back football in the not too distant future. At least it would open up options. And it would give us something else to do on saturdays in the fall.

[vbird53]

It was very below the belt.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out though. I just don't see the Catholic League or whatever they'd call it ever actually happening. There's always been talk, but I won't believe it 'til I see it.

But not having football will come back to haunt us some day. A few of the Valley schools have at least looked into moving up in football. That at least could give them options in the future. Not having anything could definitely hold us back as very few conferences would look at adding a non football school. Unless you get into a conference that doesn't have football or is content with FCS football.

But how many of those schools in this region have successful basketball? Or push to have successful basketball? The Valley does a good job of that as is. A number of schools at least appear to be making an effort. If a few would get poached then we could be in trouble. The most likely candidate would be SIU. But UNI and ISU both have had some decent football teams as well. If MSU would ever pull their heads out who knows what they'd do. If a Catholic League ever forms CU is gone.

Basically, if things happen, we need to be doing the adding of teams first. Not responding to losing others. Or, and I prefer this, we need to bring back football in the not too distant future. At least it would open up options. And it would give us something else to do on saturdays in the fall.

Good points, but I don't think Wichita State needs to be too worried. We've got a population base near half a million, and a great fan base. Wichita State needs to continue a path of success that has been laid by Pres. Beggs and Jim Schaus. Everything else will fall into place.

We definitely don't need to make some quick jump to another league, just for the sake of doing it. Look at Tulsa. They were the class of the Valley for years--moving conferences hasn't really benefited them much. I'd bet they wish they would have stayed put until a better offer came along.

Again, in this age in sport, football drives the bus. It's not even comparable. I'm of the opinion that it needs to be not if, but when for Wichita State football.

[SubGod22]

I completely agree. Wichita State has the support to be fine. But conference affiliation could hurt if things play out in certain ways. No matter what happens, football has to.

[60Shock]

I agree, but we need to start planning for it. You don't just announce you are going to start playing football and begin the following year and then move up immediately to D1.

It will more than likely take at least a minimum of 5-10, if not 15 years for WSU to agonize their way through this one. And 15 years may be too late.

[SubGod22]

If WSU wanted to, we could be playing FCS football in '11. From there they'd have to build the program, but the sooner they do it the better off we'll be in the long run.

[60Shock]

I agree, but you don't just suddenly announce you are going to start playing football and start the program up the next year and then shortly down the road move up to D1.

It all takes time. Probably a minimum of 5-10 years and the way WSU has in the past agonized over football, probably 15 years.

More than likely, it will take a decimation of the present MVC before WSU moves on the subject. And then it will be too late.

[rrshock]

If WSU waits for a decimation of the MVC, it will be too late. I think these happenings are showing more and more why WSU needs football. I just don't see this as something that the administration can just ignore anymore. The world of college athletics is changing, and if you don't have football, you're gonna get left behind.

[Saluki123]

I just have a gut feeling that when Sutton leaves, their basketball program will become more comparable to UMKC.

One thing I will give them is attendance. It looks like they range anywhere from 4000 to 8000, depending on the opponent.

Having been to a couple of games I get the idea that their attendance is highly inflated.

I went to the CU-ORU bracketbuster game. Attendance was listed at 8152. The lower bowl, which seats about 5k, wasn't even full and the few in the upper bowl could've easily fit in the empty lower bowl seats. It's the same at their conference games, where they list attendance at 5,000 despite the lower bowl being less than half full.

[Shox21]

I just have a gut feeling that when Sutton leaves, their basketball program will become more comparable to UMKC.

One thing I will give them is attendance. It looks like they range anywhere from 4000 to 8000, depending on the opponent.

Having been to a couple of games I get the idea that their attendance is highly inflated.

I went to the CU-ORU bracketbuster game. Attendance was listed at 8152. The lower bowl, which seats about 5k, wasn't even full and the few in the upper bowl could've easily fit in the empty lower bowl seats. It's the same at their conference games, where they list attendance at 5,000 despite the lower bowl being less than half full.

Slauki, it is just like it is at Koch. They count "paid" attendance. If not all the season ticket holders show up and their seats are empty, too bad -- they are still counted.

[vbird53]

I just have a gut feeling that when Sutton leaves, their basketball program will become more comparable to UMKC.

One thing I will give them is attendance. It looks like they range anywhere from 4000 to 8000, depending on the opponent.

Having been to a couple of games I get the idea that their attendance is highly inflated.

I went to the CU-ORU bracketbuster game. Attendance was listed at 8152. The lower bowl, which seats about 5k, wasn't even full and the few in the upper bowl could've easily fit in the empty lower bowl seats. It's the same at their conference games, where they list attendance at 5,000 despite the lower bowl being less than half full.

Slauki, it is just like it is at Koch. They count "paid" attendance. If not all the season ticket holders show up and their seats are empty, too bad -- they are still counted.

But, for the most part, there are butts in seats at Koch.

[Shox21]

I just have a gut feeling that when Sutton leaves, their basketball program will become more comparable to UMKC.

One thing I will give them is attendance. It looks like they range anywhere from 4000 to 8000, depending on the opponent.

Having been to a couple of games I get the idea that their attendance is highly inflated.

I went to the CU-ORU bracketbuster game. Attendance was listed at 8152. The lower bowl, which seats about 5k, wasn't even full and the few in the upper bowl could've easily fit in the empty lower bowl seats. It's the same at their conference games, where they list attendance at 5,000 despite the lower bowl being less than half full.

Slauki, it is just like it is at Koch. They count "paid" attendance. If not all the season ticket holders show up and their seats are empty, too bad -- they are still counted.

But, for the most part, there are butts in seats at Koch.

And I didn't intend for anyone to think I was saying any different. There are empty seats at times, like last year. It just happens. If you are not winning, you will not have a full house even if it is considered a sell out.

[Saluki123]

I just have a gut feeling that when Sutton leaves, their basketball program will become more comparable to UMKC.

One thing I will give them is attendance. It looks like they range anywhere from 4000 to 8000, depending on the opponent.

Having been to a couple of games I get the idea that their attendance is highly inflated.

I went to the CU-ORU bracketbuster game. Attendance was listed at 8152. The lower bowl, which seats about 5k, wasn't even full and the few in the upper bowl could've easily fit in the empty lower bowl seats. It's the same at their conference games, where they list attendance at 5,000 despite the lower bowl being less than half full.

Slauki, it is just like it is at Koch. They count "paid" attendance. If not all the season ticket holders show up and their seats are empty, too bad -- they are still counted.

If they actually sell as many tickets as claimed then there must be a whole lot of folks buying tickets with no intention of ever attending any games.

[ShockerKhan]

60Shock wrote:

Unfortunately or fortunately, conferences are going to continue to expand. We can either be one of the schools like Creighton and SIU which will eventually be invited to join a BCS conference once they upgrade their football. Or we can continue to bury our heads in the sand, denying football, and choose to perhaps be the Annual MVC basketball champion by remaining in a lacklust conference with the rest of the also rans.

I guess I did not realize that Creighton played football. BCS means football. Creighton will be a mid-major until they have football.
If WSU can't bring back football it is in the same boat. At least WSU has Cessna Stadium if the powers that be decide to bring football back.

[Snapshot9]

Well, all this conference switching around is nothing but pure speculation at this point, and none of it may be done.

I think it is just wishful thinking at this time.

[rrshock]

But I can see the Big East doing something. They are just too big now. What do they have, 16 schools? Some on here think the MVC is too big with just 10.