The only Horizon League schools sponsoring football are Butler (non-scholarship Pioneer League) and Youngstown State (Missouri Valley Football Conference). UWM's only real option would be the Missouri Valley Football Conference. UWM adding football might be North Dakota's best shot at moving their football program to the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the rest of their sports to the Summit League.

MVFC North - North Dakota, South Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
MVFC South - Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana State, Western Illinois, Youngstown State

Summit League West - North Dakota, South Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Nebraska-Omaha, Missouri-Kansas City/Oral Roberts
Summit League East - Oral Roberts/Missouri-Kansas City, Western Illinois, Oakland, IPFW, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky

I briefly met the UWM AD at a campus event today. I only had time to ask one question; he confirmed that UWM will not be joining the Big East!

Cross posted from A-10

Butler interested in A10

Butler has expressed interest in joining the Atlantic 10 for all sports except football as the replacement to Temple, multiple sources told ESPN.com's Andy Katz.

The A-10 will lose Temple, historically one of its best men's basketball programs, to the Big East in the fall of 2013. Butler has been among the dominant programs in the Horizon League, which, like the A-10, has been a competitive mid-major conference in the recent past.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ources-say

IF the A-10 grabs Butler, and or Detroit/Loyola, what does the Horizon League do?

Continue tranformation to Midwestern City Public League by grabbing IUPUI, IPFW and Oakland from The Summit League?

Not a bad idea. But figure only Butler is a flight risk right now. Not like the A10 would lock themselves in with 2-3 additions unless losing anyone else (which is unlikely with only UMass with newcomer FBS football).

Seems the Horizon could just swap in a single school as well as they'd still have 3 private schools. IUPUI would replace the Indy market for them pretty easily, school is twice as large as any current Summit League school, the conference they're in now.

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Blog article out of Cleveland discussing "possible" Horizon League options if Butler would leave for the A-10.Link at http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/ ... /120319921

Yeah right, Akron and Kent St. leaving the MAC for the HL. They need to look at real options. IUPUI, IPFW, maybe Robert Morris. Oakland out because of Detroit blocking?

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I thought about Robert Morris the other day too. But figured that in a post-Butler Horizon, maybe an east coast conference is a better fit. Always will be more connection between Pitt area and the east coast than even across the border into Ohio, certainly not Wisconsin, etc. But i do like them as an option.

I'm still a big fan of replacing the departed Indy market by Butler with a school down the street in IUPUI. Not the most important market for the lil' Horizon, but a good one to keep.

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Do you really think Detroit has enough clout to block Oakland? If that were true than Loyola, UIC, and Butler would have blocked Valparaiso. At the low end of D-I, these schools don't have enough of a following in their states/regions to block neighboring schools. Oakland (public, rich suburbs, commuters) and Detroit Mercy (Catholic, city) most likely have widely different fan bases.

Horizon League taking IUPUI, IPFW, and Oakland would actually set up some nice travel partner arrangements:
Green Bay/Milwaukee
Loyola/UIC
Valparaiso/IPFW
IUPUI/Wright State
Detroit/Oakland
Cleveland St/Wright St

Well Oakland is the best on the court option, but it seems everyone likes to mark a territory now days or not overlap one. I did notice the pairs on the map. You really think they'll go to 12 and kill their feeder conf? I don't.

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The Summit would probably respond with invites to Denver and Chicago State. Denver will probably go for it since the WAC is a sinking ship and Chicago State will obviously accept. So they'll be ok even if they lose all three. And they could try to get another football playing school to move up and join the MVFC with North Dakota. That could potentially get them to 10. They'd survive.

Indy Star article with comments from Horizon League Commish regarding persistent reports of Butler leaving for the A-10.Link at http://www.indystar.com/article/2012042 ... y-Horizon-

I don't think the Summit would EVER take Chicago State back, no matter how desperate they are. That situation appears to be a headache that the Summit are happy to be rid of.

I wonder if the Horizon would add 3 or just the 1 to replace Butler? Anyone hear any inkling how the HL is leaning?

Well, if Chicago St. has fixed their problems and if no D-II school in the area is willing to move up, then I think they'd have a chance. However I know the Bellarmine Prez has said for the last 5 years that he wants to be D-I. Louisville, Ky is in the Summit footprint. Summit is at 9 and probably down to 8 when the HL comes for 1 of them. Other than Bellarmine I haven't heard of anyone else in the area in D-II willing to move up. SCSU decided to keep fb and stay in the NSIC.

D-II list as I know it right now

Bellarmine (wants to move)
N.Alabama (waiting for an invite)
ACU (wants in the SLC)
UIW (wants in the SLC)
Grand Canyon (wants to move)
Nova Southeastern (want in the A-Sun)
UCSD (voted not to move up)
Lincoln Memorial (haven't heard anything since the moratorium)

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BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS