Horizon League Expansion & Realignment Thread

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8535

Article out of Evansville(previously posted in another thread) with comments from Evansville and Missouri State Presidents regarding ongoing MVC expansion selection process .According to article the rumors that apparently originated out of Milwaukee regarding a MVC invite to UIC have not been confirmed by MVC officials.Link at http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/a ... new-member

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8535

Article out of Chicago(previously posted in another thread)with comments from UIC AD who confirms his school received a MVC campus visit last Wednesday but no MVC invite appears to be imminent.Link at http://www.suntimes.com/sports/19376200 ... rence.html

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8535

Chicago Tribune article(previously posted in another thread)reporting that Horizon league member Loyola of Chicago has accepted a MVC invite at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013 ... e-ramblers

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:37 am

freaked4collegefb wrote:

Chicago Tribune article(previously posted in another thread)reporting that Horizon league member Loyola of Chicago has accepted a MVC invite at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013 ... e-ramblers

Welcome aboard to the MVC Loyola!

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8535

Blog article out of Springfield(previously posted in another thread)with comments from Missouri State President who says that Loyola of Chicago was a unanimous choice to replace Creighton and the MVC "may"not add any more schools for a while.Link at http://blogs.news-leader.com/msu/2013/0 ... the-valley

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:18 pm

I'd say that now would be a good time for the Horizon to get on the phone with Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, and WIU/Chicago St and build a 12 team conference.

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 15, 2013 10:13 pm

fighting muskie wrote:

I'd say that now would be a good time for the Horizon to get on the phone with Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, and WIU/Chicago St and build a 12 team conference.

I'm with you on that. But here are the difference exceptions. Instead of having Western Illinois, they should be into the OVC (in case Belmont gets an invite from the MVC) or going to the MVC. And I believe that that 12th member should be a school from D-II (and of course, from the Midwest area [GLIAC, GLVC]). Eventually, the remaining Summit schools should be invited by either the WAC or the Big Sky.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 2151

Interview with Horizon League Commish, that basically gives no information about anything, other than to say they will keep their discussions internal until they are ready to announce something of substance ....

http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/va ... 963f4.html

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:33 am

ncaanopaawaa2000 wrote:

fighting muskie wrote:

I'd say that now would be a good time for the Horizon to get on the phone with Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, and WIU/Chicago St and build a 12 team conference.

I'm with you on that. But here are the difference exceptions. Instead of having Western Illinois, they should be into the OVC (in case Belmont gets an invite from the MVC) or going to the MVC. And I believe that that 12th member should be a school from D-II (and of course, from the Midwest area [GLIAC, GLVC]). Eventually, the remaining Summit schools should be invited by either the WAC or the Big Sky.

If WIU can manage an OVC invite that would be great for them; I doubt the Dakota schools plan on including the Leathernecks in any of their future realignment moves.

As for going to DII for replacements for the Summit or Horizon that could be a little difficult. All the GLIAC schools in Ohio are small and private and the state schools in Michigan all seem comfortable where they are at. I'm not an expert on the GLVC but the school in the league most capable of moving up was UM-St Louis and with UMKC now in the WAC I don't see them moving. I think the DII schools in the region that are most likely to move are in Minnesota. St Cloud St, Minnesota St-Mankato, and Minnesota-Duluth might be able to move up and help out the Dakota schools but that would probably mean the Summit League picking up football (and UND).

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:16 pm

fighting muskie wrote:

ncaanopaawaa2000 wrote:

fighting muskie wrote:

I'd say that now would be a good time for the Horizon to get on the phone with Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, and WIU/Chicago St and build a 12 team conference.

I'm with you on that. But here are the difference exceptions. Instead of having Western Illinois, they should be into the OVC (in case Belmont gets an invite from the MVC) or going to the MVC. And I believe that that 12th member should be a school from D-II (and of course, from the Midwest area [GLIAC, GLVC]). Eventually, the remaining Summit schools should be invited by either the WAC or the Big Sky.

If WIU can manage an OVC invite that would be great for them; I doubt the Dakota schools plan on including the Leathernecks in any of their future realignment moves.

As for going to DII for replacements for the Summit or Horizon that could be a little difficult. All the GLIAC schools in Ohio are small and private and the state schools in Michigan all seem comfortable where they are at. I'm not an expert on the GLVC but the school in the league most capable of moving up was UM-St Louis and with UMKC now in the WAC I don't see them moving. I think the DII schools in the region that are most likely to move are in Minnesota. St Cloud St, Minnesota St-Mankato, and Minnesota-Duluth might be able to move up and help out the Dakota schools but that would probably mean the Summit League picking up football (and UND).

If some D-II schools from Minnesota plan to upgrade to D-I and join the Summit, then the MVFC should be absorbed into the Summit (making the conference to revive football as a sponsored sport since like the early days as the Mid-Continent Conference).

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 8535

Detroit Free Press article reporting that Oakland University has announced a presser to follow tomorrow's 4pm (ET) BOT meeting to apparently announce that they are joining the Horizon league at http://www.freep.com/article/20130506/S ... zon-league

fighting muskie · **Posted:** Mon May 06, 2013 8:11 pm

freaked4collegefb wrote:

Detroit Free Press article reporting that Oakland University has announced a presser to follow tomorrow's 4pm (ET) BOT meeting to apparently announce that they are joining the Horizon league at http://www.freep.com/article/20130506/S ... zon-league

hmmm...yes to Oakland but mum is the word on IUPUI or any further expansion. I've never been a fan of 9 member conferences; someone always gets left without a travel partner. For basketball leagues I really think you need 10, or, if you geographic footprint is big, 12 and divisional play.

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Mon May 06, 2013 10:25 pm

fighting muskie wrote:

freaked4collegefb wrote:

Detroit Free Press article reporting that Oakland University has announced a presser to follow tomorrow's 4pm (ET) BOT meeting to apparently announce that they are joining the Horizon league at http://www.freep.com/article/20130506/S ... zon-league

hmmm...yes to Oakland but mum is the word on IUPUI or any further expansion. I've never been a fan of 9 member conferences; someone always gets left without a travel partner. For basketball leagues I really think you need 10, or, if you geographic footprint is big, 12 and divisional play.

For the Horizon to expand upto 12 members, the conference must add the Indiana-Purdue schools, and maybe Western Illinois.

JPSchmack · **Joined:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:21 pm **Posts:** 1038

Robert Morris should be a target if they go to 12.

EAST
Cleveland St/Youngstown St
Detroit/Oakland
Robert Morris/Wright St

WEST
Green Bay/Milwaukee
Ill-Chicago/Valparaiso
IPFW/IUPUI

jlog3000 · **Posted:** Tue May 07, 2013 4:06 pm

JPSchmack wrote:

Robert Morris should be a target if they go to 12.

EAST
Cleveland St/Youngstown St
Detroit/Oakland
Robert Morris/Wright St

WEST
Green Bay/Milwaukee
Ill-Chicago/Valparaiso
IPFW/IUPUI

Good projection JP. But Robert Morris is from the Northeast, not the Midwest. Maybe the 12th member should be another school from Ohio, like one of those from the GLIAC of Division II. Oakland was a former D-II and GLIAC member before jumping to D-I.

Horizon League Expansion & Realignment Thread

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