It seems like the Lakers have been pretty dominant in D2 over the past couple of years, and they seem to have a good chance at winning the championship once again this year. So why dont they make the move to D-IAA football? This state school from Michigan has a student body around 20,000 I believe and I think the enrollment number is increasing. The most logical place for them in D-IAA would be the Gateway, but they could also stay as an independent and wait for conferences to break up. As a student of a Gateway school, I can say that I would enjoy seeing the Lakers in the conferece.

I think that is a great idea. The Gateway and the Mid-Con would be great places for GVSU.

Mid-Con with the Dakota schools would be a good place and possibility with the future of Mid-Con football.

GVSU would be a better choice for the Mid-Con than the Dakotas. Same with IPFW. GVSU is a major market (Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland MSA), and twice the size of North Dakota, and almost that of South Dakota. Of course GVSU would be competing with U of M, MSU and Western Michigan and Notre Dame have some support in that market. But a better market and location compared to the Dakotas. Would mimimize travel costs.

I think those three schools will have a future together for the simple fact that they play football. Midwest playing I-AA schools are very few.

Very interesting thought, by adding the Dakota State Universities and GVSU you get the Mid-Con to 12 teams with an East - West divisional format to keep travel costs down and you add GVSU to the Great West Football Conference (which the Mid-Con admins).

GVSU can replace WKU if it goes to the MAC.

You don't need the Dakotas for Gateway football. Nor do you need the Dakotas for a nice round 10 number in basketball, like the MVC has. Why add to travel costs, when you can take a school that creates a greater core anchor to your already geographically disparate conference? GVSU solves that problem.

metro, we all know very well by now that you are anti Dakotas and will go to absurd limits to cook up irrelevent market statisics that supposidly back your point.

We get it, ok?



GVSU, SDSU, and NDSU would make sense for the Mid Con. But, of course, it's all about money and I wonder if GVSU has enough of it to make the move?


And, for that matter, if GVSU moves, I would think Saginaw VSU would want to move too. Do either of those schools have the money?

NDSU and SDSU have gone to the Mid-Con and the Great West. UND and USD seem to have locked up the last two spots in the Mid-Con.

Would the America East or Horizon League be interested in GVSU, or would GVSU have to wait on the Mid-Con?

Football could wind up anywhere: the America East should it have enough teams, the CAA, the Gateway, the Great West, or even the Big South. Mid-Con football would probably be mandated if GVSU winds up in the Mid-Con (UND, USD, NDSU, SDSU, WIU, SUU, GVSU).

Even if GVSU were to go to D-I and the Mid-Con or Horizon, I doubt their stay would be long. They'd be looking to move up to the MAC at the first opportunity they have. I'd actually think the Horizon would show more interest, I do think that UND and USD have two spots built in the Mid-Con, and I'm unsure how willing the MCC schools would be to expand past that many.

If the Horizon adds GVSU, who do they add for number 12 (if any)? Adding a 12th may also lend itself to some hard decisions for divisional play:

West - UWGB, UWM, Loyola (IL), UIC, 2 of Valparaiso/Butler/Expansion School
East - GVSU, Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Wright State, Valparaiso/Butler/Expansion School

You either separate the three Chicagoland schools, or the two Indiana schools. If a school in Kentucky (especially NKU), Pennsylvania, or Ohio is added then it may be easier to do a rivalry-based split like the ACC.

The MAC would probably accept 14 for football, but would they really want 13 for all sports?

It seems if GVSU sees whats going on they will move up to D1-AA soon. Wayne St is already talking about it.

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The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Grand Valley and Wayne may be better off trying to package themselves together. Would Oakland be willing to let Wayne in the Summit League? If so, we could see the emergence of Summit League football:

Grand Valley State
Wayne State
Western Illinois
North Dakota (football only)
North Dakota State (football from Missouri Valley)
South Dakota (football only)
South Dakota State (football from Missouri Valley)
Southern Utah