UND to join the MVFC?

[Penguin Nation]

http://www.inforum.com/sports/4153166-report-und-negotiating-conference-move-missouri-valley-summit-league

"The University of North Dakota is in discussions with the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Summit League about feasible timelines to leave the Big Sky Conference, according to text messages obtained by the Grand Forks newspaper."

I think this makes absolute sense in terms of the MVFC as a whole, particularly the (soon to be) four Dakota school members.  I wonder if there will be a ninth conference game each year once UND is added, which will add to our travel budget, but also increase our SOS.  If it happens, it makes YSU even more of a geographic outlier.  IMO, we're just biding time until the inevitable MAC implosion.

[ytowngirl]

We need out of the MVFC soon.  Who gets excited to go to the Dakotas. 

[ytownchief22]

Makes sense.

[guinpen]

Take them, steal Eastern Ill and go to two divisions. We can drop the yearly games against the prairie schools

[Wick250]

An eleven team football conference is unworkable.  As guinpen suggested, having twelve teams and two divisions, and for us much less far western travel, would be ideal.  The problem is there are no viable candidates for that twelve spot.  Eastern Illinois has no interest.  They left that absurd Summit League years ago and reduced their travel costs substantially.  They are a good fit in the OVC geographically (compared to the Summit) and competitively in football.  They can easily produce winning seasons (not this year) without much cost or trouble in a bad football league.  Don't think they have any dreams of a national championship.

I just wish Kent would come to their senses, leave the MAC and FBS football, and join the MVFC and the Horizon League.  Akron should too, but that debt-ridden delusional entity is a hopeless case.

[Penguin Nation]

EIU would be a natural fit in the MVFC with three other IL Universities, and Terre Haute just miles from IL.  I think  EIU would be a good fit in the HL also, and would help make up members who left in recent years. Both conferences would be clear upgrades from the OVC, but as Wick suggested, they may be comfy in a weak conference.

I think SEMO would be a consideration.  They would be the second MO team and played two MVFC teams in their OOC schedule (losing both), although slightly out of the HL footprint.  Unfortunately, they'd likely be as competitive as MSU.

As far as Akron goes, the attendance at their last home game was 6559.  Kent? 8429. I'm not making that up. YSU? 15082. An argument could be made that Kent/Akron don't meet MVFC standards.  Their time in the FBS is coming to a close, likely in a few years.  If they don't fold their FB programs altogether, maybe they'll become sane and go FCS.

[lakesbison]

YOU NEED TO TELL TRESSEL..

NO and HELL NO

they talked crap about the mvfc for years, and now they come begging for a spot ??

Big Sky would even waive their exit fee, that shows you they don't want them either!!

not even mentioning the racism on their campus (nickname) and child porn ring among professors

email tressel!

[guinpen]

not even mentioning the racism on their campus (nickname)

They should have stayed with Sioux

[guinpen]

An eleven team football conference is unworkable. 

Heck a ten team conference is unworkable, already a joke when you do not play 1 team each year. May as well not play 2 teams a year, makes as much sense.

[go guins]

not even mentioning the racism on their campus (nickname)

They should have stayed with Sioux

Fighting Hawks?  Are hawks a protected species or what?

[IAA Fan]

It was EIU leaving that put us in the (then) Gateway Football Conference to begin with. They wanted in an all-sports conference; doubtful they would want to return to the same issue. Let's not forget that MBB controls your conference affiliation ...not football. Another Dakota team ... who cares? We have 2 now. Additionally, with Butler and Loyola gone from the Horizon League ...who cares about that conference either. Let's join EIU in the OVC.

Sorry Lake, but this is Ohio, we have no concerns for the Dakotas ...as you can see. All I see is more $$$ required in our travel budget, for teams the local fan-base does not care about. With the MBB team starting to see tournament invites ...the money is better spent there. We want to play the xDSU's simply because they are ranked teams. When that ends (which it will) you are going to see Penguin fans turn from oblivious to frustrated with playing the xDSU's. We have no conference rivals or loyalties ... never have, never will.

This was a 1-bid conference until we joined ...and that clout never was rewarded (with an all-sports offer) ...then it dissipated, as will yours. Prior to that our "glory days" were spent as an independent team. You are probably aware of this, but just in case, YSU was an independent from 1989-1996. During that 7-year span we had 6 post-season appearances, 5 title game appearances and 3 national championships. We had additional title-game appearances in 1997 and 1999 ...with the '97 team winning another championship. Yet in all that time we never won the GFC (now MVFC). In the mean time our non-football sports hovered in mid-major mediocrity in the same conference that yours are in now. Finally, when the MCC expanded ...we joined for non-football sports ...this is now the Horizon League.

[Penguin Nation]

not even mentioning the racism on their campus (nickname)

Yes lets blow up those "racists" with APACHE helicopters and TOMAHAWK missiles.  I guess the Fighting Irish are not a protected class. 

[go guins]

Additionally, with Butler and Loyola gone from the Horizon League ...who cares about that conference either. Let's join EIU in the OVC.

Sorry Lake, but this is Ohio, we have no concerns for the Dakotas ...as you can see.

Amen,  I'm all in!!