NKU

[Maroon Forever]

For some reason—I suspect it was because Belmont had high placed friends in Tennessee politics—the Tennessee schools lobbied hard to get them in.

[smidge34]

Saying they lobbied hard against the unproven, D2 move up program because they were scared then lobbied hard for Belmont because they were encouraged to makes zero sense. It didn't before your last post and it still makes zero sense afterwards.

[Maroon Forever]

There are lots of times facts do not make sense. The Belmont decision was several years before the NKU one. Actors changed.

[smidge34]

FWIW I think it's stupid as stupid gets to let ANY team in that isn't burdened funding football. Just ignorant.

[EKU05]

I think you're both a little right and a little wrong...

I agree with Smidge that I don't buy for a second that EKU and Morehead weren't in on keeping NKU out. I've heard this from trustworthy sources as well. We can play that game all day.

However, I disagree that turning around a letting Belmont in makes just as little sense. If you look at the conference in a vacuum it might. But the thing is that it's about more than the competition inside of the conference. It's about having another school in the region with aims on your potential recruits, and with aims on your potential students at large that might be lured in by the buzz created by successful athletics programs. Belmont didn't need the OVC (or any conference) to legitimize them. They'd been legit for some time Besides that, as an expensive private school they're probably not stealing students directly from other OVC schools all that frequently.

But NKU? They were just getting started. They were a nothing, but they were a nothing with a ton of potential and we all knew it. With them being around and successful there's just a little less space and resources for the rest of us to operate with. NKU's success has been a game changer for a lot of us...and not in a good way.

So with hindsight being 20/20 it's obvious NKU didn't need the OVC any more than the OVC needed them. They're probably in a better situation now than they would have been if we'd let them in. They're certainly no worse. But at the time it seemed like a way to stay the bigger fish in the pond for at least a little longer by excluding them. The same didn't hold true with Belmont.

BTW Smidge, I don't disagree that not funding football is absolutely an advantage, but Belmont has made the OVC a better league in my opinion. For that reason I'll take it, but your point is valid. Besides, you guys won't need to sweat it much longer. I think your MVC invite is a matter of "when" rather than "if."

[smidge34]

Just to be clear, I've never sweated them, never will and if you look at head to head games and point differentials why would I? All I'm saying is it was stupid to let them in with their HUGE competitive advantage but it seems the rest of the conference was willing to sacrifice their own well being to finally give us perennial competition. I mean, I've seen fans of opposing schools sneer at me for saying that -- cough cough -- "haha don't like it now that you aren't the only big dogs" lmao. OK, I don't understand that point of view to live vicariously through another program lol but whatever you can live with. Anyway, you're right we are gone and finally our move doesn't rest one iota with our football team.

BTW, I wouldn't trade my program for Belmont's ever.

[EKU05]

For me letting in Belmont was never about Murray specifically. It's just generally it's preferred to be in a relatively strong conference, and Belmont makes our league better. We were pretty decent against them head to head as well during the Neubauer era, and we took out both Murray and Belmont en route to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. With the right coaching staff in place we can be among the elite 3-4 programs in this league. Neubauer proved it.

You're right that your entry into the MVC will have nothing to do with football. Heck, our entry into the Sun Belt has less to do with football than most would assume. Still, I will be interested to see what happens to Murray football. Will the program use the increased competition to rise to their level? If Indiana State can do it with a one-sided stadium perhaps Murray can as well.

[smidge34]

I was trying to get a rise out of you and failed, should have known lol. I think our football program will wind up football only in another FCS conference other than MVCF. It's a shame the OVC wouldn't let us remain football only since they allow basketball only programs but I digress. BTW, I'm a lot less confident about our moving at all now than ever.

[g--]

That’s interesting – why are you “a lot less confident about your moving at all now than ever.”

[smidge34]

Because every year after the last brings with it new budget challenges which will obviously hamper any move we'd like to make. I'm afraid the $$ won't be there.