Scheduling, travel partners, etc.
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Horizon League will expand, IPFW to announce move Tuesday
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Scheduling, travel partners, etc.
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I wouldn't think that would make much difference.
Saving money on travel isn't important for smaller conferences? Odd number for season and conference tournament scheduling? How many conferences sit at an odd number? If it was not much of a difference, it wouldn't be standard operating procedure.
I like an even number when you get close to 12 in a conference because usually at that point an east/west or north/south division point has to be established to help with scheduling. Hence the even number.
it makes a HUGE difference, if you don't think IUPUI and IPFW are dying to get out of the far flung Summit League you're nuts. They have to fly all their sports teams all over the country to competitions, imagine the $$ they would save on travel if they were in the Horizon. Horizon League would be all bus trips
To add.... look at St Louis, Dayton and Butler. All sports teams basically going 600+ miles for almost all games. They totally screw the student athlete. What a burden for the players.. really it is. But it's about money. Increase the burden on the players and make more money. So much for Christian based schools doing what's right. LOL
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The MVFC has the same issues as the Summit (basketball and other sports). Crazy stuff. LOL
I don't like the divisions. I like a double round robin so you have a true champion.
But I guess if conferences need to be big, it's a necessary evil.
But I guess if conferences need to be big, it's a necessary evil.
Are you saying if we went to 12, we would have divisions?
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Well... my original thought was based on the article that was posted. It mentioned Murray and Belmont leaving the OVC. I was thinking if UAB comes in and then Murray and Belmont then we need another team (St. Louis) to make 14 and split the conference... 13 is too many - that would be 26 conference games with home/away schedules. Of course this is just all talk and dreams...
I'm enjoying this conversation, but can we please stop referring to Dayton and St. Louis joining the MVC. They are not leaving the A-10.
But otherwise, carry on...
But otherwise, carry on...
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The big 10 hasn't played a double round robin for a long time. I like our size now, but if it boils down to money to go bigger, like i said, I guess that's ok.
Ten schools is virtually the perfect number for a conference; MBB and WBB play a 18-game double round-robin conference schedule and ten is an easy bracket to build for the conf tourney, the fewer byes the better.
A double round-robin will normally (9 times out of 10), TRULY decide the legitimate conference champion.
After the conf schedule is built; a school will still have 10-12 non-conference games to play; allowing a 'legit' home ticket package, (14-15 games).
The ONLY reason I can see for the Valley (MVC) to add a school(s), is IF and ONLY IF, the MVC loses a school.
A double round-robin will normally (9 times out of 10), TRULY decide the legitimate conference champion.
After the conf schedule is built; a school will still have 10-12 non-conference games to play; allowing a 'legit' home ticket package, (14-15 games).
The ONLY reason I can see for the Valley (MVC) to add a school(s), is IF and ONLY IF, the MVC loses a school.
In the last couple years the conference has lost Temple, Xavier, Charlotte and Butler and replaced them with VCU, George Mason and Davidson. At what point does being so far away from a majority of the conference become a hindrance, especially since they lost the powers that made it a perennial multi-bid league? Yes, they got 3 bids this year but if the conference keeps diluting, they'll eventually lose the benefit of the doubt on Selection Sunday.
Since the Big East isn't likely to come knocking on their door anytime soon, realigning geographically in a conference that has had better success recently may make sense to them. When the next A10 media deal comes up, losing those names will be a difference on the bottom line and when the school is subsidizing more of the travel costs, you just never know.
Except the conferences don't really care about that.
The bottom line is that there is significant power in numbers, especially when the primary objective for conference commissioners these days is to land bigger media deals for your member institutions. Additionally, the more members your conference has, the greater the odds you have for more bids into the NCAA tournament which means more tournament shares which means more money.
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Agree Boda --- HOWEVER, I still use the 'original WAC' as the example here...
The charter members of the Mtn West included the U.S. Air Force Academy (Air Force), Brigham Young University (BYU), Colorado State University, San Diego State University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming.
Before forming the Mountain West Conference, 7 of its 8 charter members had been longtime members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Half of these had been charter members of that conference from 1962.
The WAC went from 9 member in 1989-90 to 16 members by 1996-97; by 1998-99, the WAC was a shell, the biggest/'best' schools broke away and formed the Mtn West.
The MTN West carries the same 'weight' & prestige as the old WAC... the WAC today is, to be fair, struggling to find its way.
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My only counterpoint is that the college landscape has changed dramatically since 1999. Also, the Mountain West has been trying to get additional members but hasn't been able to find takers.
Agree --- unfortunately; 98.999 of all Div I conference re-alignments have been BCS football driven.
That only means more money if you actually get more bids. If we move to 12 schools but still only get 2 bids like we did this year, that means less money. That's why the Big 12 loves having only 10 schools. They still get half the members in the tournament and there are less hands in the cookie jar when it comes to splitting up the money. Same with their TV deal - it only has to be split 10 ways.
Yes and no. In terms of the NCAA tournament, yes. However, in terms of media deals, if you're in additional media markets, especially big ones, it could easily trump the other.