Says there have been discussions, potential opportunity for 2021.
13:00-21:00

(09-08-2020 07:11 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Says there have been discussions, potential opportunity for 2021.

Sure, but why would either conference want Chicago State? No offense, but it seems like a sinking ship.

I'd shoot for the Summit if I were them. The OVC and Horizon look like they're too good for Chicago State.

(09-08-2020 07:24 PM)schmolik Wrote:  I'd shoot for the Summit if I were them. The OVC and Horizon look like they're too good for Chicago State.

They'd be lucky to get into the Summit even. I think it's DII or bust for Chicago State.

Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

Below is the map of the Summit League starting in July 2021. Just subtract Fort Wayne and add UMKC.



They'll be at a nice, round 10 members, good for an 18-game, double round robin conference season.

The geography makes a decent amount of sense:

- Six chools close to I-29

- A seventh school (ORU) in that same north-south direction.

- An eighth (St. Thomas) within reasonable driving distance of the Dakota schools and UNO.

- A ninth (WIU), the only original member, that isn't too far from two of the I-29 schools.

- Only one real outlier in Denver.

I think they'll be more interested in Augustana from South Dakota than they'd be in Chicago State.

With the OVC and Horizon both at 12, what would be their incentive to add a school struggling as much as CSU is?

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

What about Upper Iowa?

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

They have football. WAC has no FCS football.

(09-08-2020 07:24 PM)schmolik Wrote:  I'd shoot for the Summit if I were them. The OVC and Horizon look like they're too good for Chicago State.

I don't see anyone wanting them.

No conference that isn’t on the verge of collapsing would willingly take Chicago St. the are the definition of dumpster fire athletic programs.

(09-08-2020 08:38 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  No conference that isn’t on the verge of collapsing would willingly take Chicago St. the are the definition of dumpster fire athletic programs.

Bingo. Going further than that, calling the whole institution 'dysfunctional' probably understates the general condition of CSU. The only way I can see things getting solved with the state's current financial state is if they were basically gutted, reorganized, and absorbed into the city's community college system (which is far from perfect); Olive-Harvey is literally a minute or two drive away so it's a decent match, they can serve the far south side much better through job training and community programs. But it'll continue be kept alive at least until Mike Madigan (who's district is not too far away) dies or retires imo; if you're not from Illinois you have no idea how powerful the Velvet Hammer is.

(09-08-2020 08:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

They have football. WAC has no FCS football.

The WAC kind of has FCS football with Tarleton State and Dixie State. Long term I think Dixie State is a flight risk (Big Sky), so the end game may have to look something like this:

Tarleton State
West Texas A&M
Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Central Oklahoma (currently in Division II MIAA)
Fort Hays State (currently in Division II MIAA)
Texas A&M-Commerce (currently in Division II Lone Star)
Angelo State (currently in Division II Lone Star)

The conference is still a bit unwieldy with the Mountain/Pacific Time Zone schools, but with enough Texas schools there would be critical mass for divisions in other sports.

(09-08-2020 08:35 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

They have football. WAC has no FCS football.

I think Tarleton State is the one that is helping WAC to become an FCS conference. West Texas A&M's AD is saying the exact same thing when Tarleton State said before they got invited to the WAC. Angelo State, Midwestern State and Central Oklahoma are being recruited to the WAC by the rumors. Someone mentioned on the D2 board that Oklahoma State would block UCO from moving up, but after this pandemic? They may change their tune to allow them to move up. Be another football team in D1 that the Oklahoma schools can play. Be the first Oklahoma team to play in FCS.

I guess they’ve relented to the “speak it into existence” method.

I can’t imagine anyone taking them. I was surprised at NJIT ending up in the AEC so I’m open to being surprised.

(09-08-2020 08:32 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

What about Upper Iowa?

DavidSt’s the go-to expert on them. I’m still not convinced that’s a real school. How can there be an Upper Iowa when Iowa is flat?

A surprising and in many ways stunning lack of awareness by a university board of trustees.

One asks what sports CSU has. Another asks how many undergraduate students there are. Still another question doesn't know how much a scholarship is. The trustees should have this practically memorized from prior meetings and/or have a book of knowledge to be provided at every meeting. And no one questioned the fact that for a school that is traveling for the WAC, just 3% of its budget goes to travel? Wow.

The athletic director was similarly underwhelming. He should have had those numbers on the Horizon and OVC ready at the first question. If he doesn't know the numbers already, he's not doing his job. It also seemed no trustees bothered to ask about lower division play--are they aware Division II even exists? The trustees should be peppering the AD with questions about how he is going to meet budget and what is he prepared to do if he doesn't. The AD saying he's got a a 60% goal to meet revenues would be shot down at any for-profit board meeting. (The AD also said there were 25 scholarship athletes in baseball, but the limit is 11.7. No one picked up on that.)

For those that continued on in the YouTube broadcast, the director of admissions reported there are just 1,351 undergrads at Chicago State, down 20% from 2019 and less than half from 2015. A half hour later, the director of financial aid reported the undergraduate number as 1,673. No questions from the board. Bizarre.

(09-08-2020 10:16 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  A surprising and in many ways stunning lack of awareness by a university board of trustees.

One asks what sports CSU has. Another asks how many undergraduate students there are. Still another question doesn't know how much a scholarship is. The trustees should have this practically memorized from prior meetings and/or have a book of knowledge to be provided at every meeting. And no one questioned the fact that for a school that is traveling for the WAC, just 3% of its budget goes to travel? Wow.

The athletic director was similarly underwhelming. He should have had those numbers on the Horizon and OVC ready at the first question. If he doesn't know the numbers already, he's not doing his job. It also seemed no trustees bothered to ask about lower division play--are they aware Division II even exists? The trustees should be peppering the AD with questions about how he is going to meet budget and what is he prepared to do if he doesn't. The AD saying he's got a a 60% goal to meet revenues would be shot down at any for-profit board meeting. (The AD also said there were 25 scholarship athletes in baseball, but the limit is 11.7. No one picked up on that.)

For those that continued on in the YouTube broadcast, the director of admissions reported there are just 1,351 undergrads at Chicago State, down 20% from 2019 and less than half from 2015. A half hour later, the director of financial aid reported the undergraduate number as 1,673. No questions from the board. Bizarre.

Not to take away from your message that the BOT and AD left a lot to be desired but perhaps the bolded point above is correct. There could be 25 players with at least a partial scholarship. However, given the other wrong numbers, 25 is probably incorrect.

(09-08-2020 09:37 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:32 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:30 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 08:13 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-08-2020 07:43 PM)SactoHornetAlum Wrote:  Either way, sounds like it their WAC days are officially done.

If so then good for the WAC. They'll still have eight full members and will finally have a semi-reasonable geographic footprint. That may actually help the conference recruit new schools.

I think you’ll see West Texas A&M announce a move to the WAC within 24 months.

What about Upper Iowa?

DavidSt’s the go-to expert on them. I’m still not convinced that’s a real school. How can there be an Upper Iowa when Iowa is flat?

The same way that a town whose maximum elevation is 30 feet above sea level can be Mount Pleasant.