The Horizon has added another member school to replace Valparaiso.
@TonyPaul1984 (Detroit News): BREAKING: Horizon League has extended a membership offer to a new institution. I don't know who yet. Decision coming in next two weeks.
@TonyPaul1984: New Horizon League member likely is one of these schools: IPFW, Indy, Omaha, Belmont, Murray State, SIU-Edwardsville ... or Grand Canyon.
IPFW please.
Robert Morris is probably favorite to many schools but not on the list.
Decision in next two weeks? By whom and on what?
You'd think if they extended the offer, then the league presidents would've already long ago contacted the school to do the vetting, site visit, etc. and would also thus have the votes to get the school in. And why would said school entertain the new league if it wasn't interested in accepting the invite?
If this isn't fake, then seems like it should be a done deal already.
no Robert Morris or Indy. New Member has baseball- and neither one of those have it.
latest:
Tony Paul @TonyPaul1984 · 1m1 minute ago
Source: Five schools known to be vetted by Horizon League: Fort Wayne, Grand Canyon, SIUE, IUPUI, Robert Morris. IUPUI, RM have no baseball.
So a high probability it's a Summit school. Might we see N. Colorado get an invite to the Summit?
The Big Sky would be at 10 members (12 football) and readjusted geographically.
no way on SUIC or GCU
huge hole in Indaina, might take all 3
i would looked at East ILL
(06-21-2017 02:28 PM)templefootballfan Wrote: [ -> ]no way on SUIC or GCU
huge hole in Indaina, might take all 3
i would looked at East ILL
SIU-E is a separate school, in the OVC currently from SIU-C
GCU to the Horizon just seems so random. Not sure what either would gain from it.
Not that it's a big deal but if it were Grand Canyon, how would they handle baseball? Have GCU host all their conference games early to take advantage of their more-hospitable early-season climate?
So, two of the schools are not large Metro cities as a finalists. Grand Canyon U. is too far west.
wonder if Grand Canyon offered some travel subsidies.
The "plan"
Phase one, Robert Morris for 2018-19
Phase two, Grand Canyon will come later for 2019-20 (GCU will pay travel subsidy)
New Mexico State possibly the 12th
Thinking: 3-5 hours by plane and 3-5 hours by bus is the same. RMU was long time courted, favored by members who are bothered by flights versus bus trips; while GCU and possibly NMSU are aimed at the strategic goal of improving RPI.
It's entirely possibly they may just skip phase one, and simply invite Grand Canyon.
Private schools have the advantage at this level due to the growing budget constraints on public schools. RMU and GCU have much deeper pockets than the hyphenated midwestern public schools.
(06-21-2017 02:57 PM)Stugray2 Wrote: [ -> ]The "plan"
Phase one, Robert Morris for 2018-19
Phase two, Grand Canyon will come later for 2019-20 (GCU will pay travel subsidy)
New Mexico State possibly the 12th
Thinking: 3-5 hours by plane and 3-5 hours by bus is the same. RMU was long time courted, favored by members who are bothered by flights versus bus trips; while GCU and possibly NMSU are aimed at the strategic goal of improving RPI.
It's entirely possibly they may just skip phase one, and simply invite Grand Canyon.
Private schools have the advantage at this level due to the growing budget constraints on public schools. RMU and GCU have much deeper pockets than the hyphenated midwestern public schools.
Phase One has already been executed. RMU has been left out of it. Maybe they'll be in Phase Two. They were two of the schools that presented before the Board of Directors and one was extended. Both schools have Baseball...RMU doesn't.
SIU-E may be the best choice here.
Brings the St. Louis market to the Horizon and has baseball.
Gateway to further expansion to the west....will help to form western division.
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(06-21-2017 02:28 PM)templefootballfan Wrote: [ -> ]no way on SUIC or GCU
huge hole in Indaina, might take all 3
i would looked at East ILL
Indiana is not really a huge hole.
That's like saying Nevada is a huge hole between BYU and the WCC when Nevada is square under the influence of the WCC states.
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The article isn't very well written. I guess it's a first draft. It mentions that IPFW is going to split into two separate universities, which is not true.
But the actual bits of information - that an invite has been sent, and that the invitee has baseball - are obviously what's crucial.
I wouldn't bet the farm, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that Fort Wayne will be announced as the new member. That's the least risky add. And that's how university presidents think, for better or for worse.
The fact that GCU was legitimately vetted should be prize enough for those on here who were rooting/hoping for GCU. That a school in Arizona was actually vetted by a league of schools in the Great Lakes, is still quite significant. Just too much risk to chew, at this time.
Would guess the other that presented was SIU-E, for the sake of having a comparison, and guessing the "draw" there was the St Louis market (in the same sense of NK in the Cincy market).
But wonder why SIU-E would want to go to the Horizon League? Because while OTOH the Horizon has been a stepping stone from the Summit for a while, I don't think that same can be said from the OVC.
It's Grand Canyon then.
No board meetings for SIU trustees or Purdue regents. Budgetary constraints and exit fees from OVC ($500K per Murray State comments) and tSL ($1M). GCU athletic budgets are triple (!) these two schools, is in a major market, has big name coaches, and willing to pay travel fee. Phoenix airport makes GCU easy to reach, no real time difference in travel.
Also the Horizon needs a big splash name to replace Valparaiso. Only Grand Canyon brings that.
No contest. Dollars to doughnuts it's GCU.