More conference realignment talk

[Galway Eagle]

You're probably right, but it would be a shame. I'd much rather have 13-18 west florida A&M sweep through their conference tourney and get a chance to slay Duke, then see a 6-12 in conference Penn State team get that spot.

It's also.why I think the FA Cup is the second best soccer tourney on the planet. I love that the Semi-pro guys who work.down at the pub and and play on 3rd division Little Wigginton Junction have the chance to take on Chelsea.

David v Golitah is what puts the Madness in MM. Take away the Davids and it's a much less interesting event.

Agree about the FA cup it's why I've wanted to even include the winners of D3 and D2.

[dgies9156]

pull a Louisville and Toronto and just absorb every suburb.

On January 1, 1998, Toronto was greatly enlarged, not through traditional annexations, but as an amalgamation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and its six lower-tier constituent municipalities; East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the original city itself. They were dissolved by an act of the Government of Ontario, and formed into a single-tier City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity") replacing all six governments. The unified city became the fifth most populous city proper in North America, behind Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. In 2013, it surpassed Chicago in population.[15]

Nashville did that back in 1963. Was the first piece of what made the city grow to what it is today. Of course, the city has spilled well beyond the borders of Davidson County now.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Missouri Valley will announce UIC as its 12th member next week, sources told CBS Sports. A big add since the MVC is losing Loyola Chicago to the A-10.

The Valley has plucked Belmont, Murray State + UIC in just a few months' time

[Uncle Rico]

Missouri Valley will announce UIC as its 12th member next week, sources told CBS Sports. A big add since the MVC is losing Loyola Chicago to the A-10.

The Valley has plucked Belmont, Murray State + UIC in just a few months' time

Valley talk will continue to dominate the Chicago sports market

[The Sultan]

Missouri Valley will announce UIC as its 12th member next week, sources told CBS Sports. A big add since the MVC is losing Loyola Chicago to the A-10.

The Valley has plucked Belmont, Murray State + UIC in just a few months' time

Glad they added a couple "programs" and didn't just chase markets.  They were talking about schools like Arlington at one point and I think that would have been awful.

I know that UIC isn't much my guess is that many of the Valley schools have substantial alumni bases in Chicago.

[Mr. Nielsen]

UT-Arlington will go back to the WAC.

[GoldenWarrior11]

MVC needed to get back into the Chicago market since so many of the Valley programs recruit Chicago very well (from a non-athletic perspective).  The MVC has done as good as they possibly could, IMO, replacing Creighton, Wichita State and Loyola (Chicago) with Belmont, Murray State, UIC, Loyola and Valparaiso.  Still a very strong league. 

[The Sultan]

MVC needed to get back into the Chicago market since so many of the Valley programs recruit Chicago very well (from a non-athletic perspective).  The MVC has done as good as they possibly could, IMO, replacing Creighton, Wichita State and Loyola (Chicago) with Belmont, Murray State, UIC, Loyola and Valparaiso.  Still a very strong league. 

Very strong is an exaggeration. I agree that it's done as good as it could, but it has gotten consistently weaker with all of these moves.

[rocky_warrior]

Valley talk will continue to dominate the Chicago sports market

[tower912]

Totally.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Valley talk will continue to dominate the Chicago sports market

The Chicago River Valley now flows backwards and never merges with Missouri River flowage. It's a disgrace.

[The Sultan]

The Chicago River Valley now flows backwards and never merges with Missouri River flowage. It's a disgrace.

The MVC still only has one team in the Missouri River drainage basin - Missouri State.

[warriorchick]

Nashville did that back in 1963. Was the first piece of what made the city grow to what it is today. Of course, the city has spilled well beyond the borders of Davidson County now.

Chicago did something similar in 1889, incorporating a bunch of small towns including Hyde Park and Englewood.  The official reason was to provide services to those areas, but some cynical folks maintain that the primary motivation was to pass Philadelphia in population and become the second largest city in the U.S.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The MVC still only has one team in the Missouri River drainage basin - Missouri State.

Fluff

I am not a riverologist like you but I believe the member schools link up to the Mississippi via Ohio and Illinois rivers where they are enjoined with Missouri flows. The exception is Loyola which flows from the nearby North Shore Channel into the Chicago river into Lake Michigan. I guess one could argue those Chicago River chunks flow south in Lake Michigan to Cal City and into the Illinois Sanitary and Ship Canal, eventually flowing into the Mississippi to join their Might Mo brethren near Yadi's Temple.

[The Sultan]

Fluff

I am not a riverologist like you but I believe the member schools link up to the Mississippi via Ohio and Illinois rivers where they are enjoined with Missouri flows. The exception is Loyola which flows from the nearby North Shore Channel into the Chicago river into Lake Michigan. I guess one could argue those Chicago River chunks flow south in Lake Michigan to Cal City and into the Illinois Sanitary and Ship Canal, eventually flowing into the Mississippi to join their Might Mo brethren near Yadi's Temple.

This theory only makes sense if it were called the Mississippi Valley Conference. 

[Herman Cain]

Missouri Valley will announce UIC as its 12th member next week, sources told CBS Sports. A big add since the MVC is losing Loyola Chicago to the A-10.

The Valley has plucked Belmont, Murray State + UIC in just a few months' time

Good move for The Valley.

[dgies9156]

Valley talk will continue to dominate the Chicago sports market

Yeup, that's why I am so sick of Salukitalk 24/7 in the Chicago market.

Think I heard somewhere the Bears fired a coach and general manager but you would never know it given the huge focus on MWC basketball.

LOL

[Mu8891]

I think the Valley gets weaker and weaker

They are trending toward being a one
bid league.

[panda]

I think the Valley gets weaker and weaker

They are trending toward being a one
bid league.

trending ?

[Uncle Rico]

I think the Valley gets weaker and weaker

They are trending toward being a one
bid league.

They are weaker than their heyday and they've been a one-bid league for awhile.

However, I like the additions of Murray State and Belmont quite a bit.  Eventually, they'll probably add St. Louis and Dayton, too.

[The Sultan]

They are weaker than their heyday and they've been a one-bid league for awhile.

However, I like the additions of Murray State and Belmont quite a bit.  Eventually, they'll probably add St. Louis and Dayton, too.

I doubt it. I think the A10 adding Loyola was about increasing a Midwest presence along with SLU and Dayton.

[Uncle Rico]

I doubt it. I think the A10 adding Loyola was about increasing a Midwest presence along with SLU and Dayton.

I'm trying to get SLU and Dayton into a league that matches their status

[Newsdreams]

I'm more excited about Ozark's 4th season...

[Dr. Blackheart]

This theory only makes sense if it were called the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Thank you Michael Flatley

[The Sultan]

James Madison making the jump to FBS football and joining the Sun Belt.

Previously both Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State announced similar jumps by joining Conference USA along with FBS independents New Mexico State and Liberty.