http://ovcsports.com/news/2021/1/28/gene...rship.aspx

Matt Brown agrees that WIU is the likely choice.

There is a move that improves football to Austin Peay's liking ... NOT
There is a move that improves basketball to Murray State and Belmont's liking ... NOT

The OVC should stand at 10. I would not move on any school unless it looked like two more were leaving.

It's more important to keep Belmont, Murray State and APSU happy. Adding junk schools that suck at football and basketball, have severe financial pinch doesn't do that.

There is no indication the MVC wants to expand, or importantly Belmont, the one school they might seriously consider as helping their chances at multiple bids, has any desire to leave the Tennessee heavy league. So why antagonize them or Murray State with another weak basketball school. Tennessee State has it's reasons not to join the SWAC; they have been asked again and again, always saying no, much like Belmont to the Horizon, SoCon and MVC.

The biggest flight risk seems to be Austin Peay. They are both decent at basketball and football. There is not much doubt they are the first target of the ASUN for next year to get that 6th football school. The Tennessee schools have held firm, but they will be tested.

The OVC could survive fine at 9 schools, 6 with football. So I would take my

I'm not convinced the OVC will be okay. The options for expansion are not good and the two strongest remaining brands (Belmont and Murray St) are probably not going to stay. Western Illinois may be a good fit. Heck, Chicago St may get a look to be a warm body.

There's still enough schools willing to go to the OVC (WIU, USI, Chicago St) that they'll be ok. Even a doomsday scenario of Austin Peay, Murray, and Belmont leaving would just swap the former 3 for the latter 3. If Tennessee St followed to the SWAC soon thereafter, they're still at 9 members. EIU/SIUE/SEMO/Morehead/TT/UTM have nowhere to go.

They dont sponsor soccer but do sponsor baseball and football. They must either keep football OR keep baseball and add soccer
Right now they are at:
10 overall
7 football
9 baseball
3 soccer

Their biggest flight risks are:
Belmont - baseball/soccer
Murray - baseball/football
Austin Peay - baseball/football

Their most immediate need is football.

The only realistic candidate I see for that is WIU.
WIU creates a nice 6 team western flank and they also sponsor soccer...a bonus should the OVC ever need that sport in the future.

WIU is an extreme outlier in the Summit, so while they would rather prefer MVFC, the cost savings for joining the OVC are likely to great to turn down simply for MVFC football.

The bigger question is who would be #12.

I think you add Lipscomb if that makes Belmont more stable, but if Belmont is out either way, are there any other good candidates out there? I wouldn't add a #12 just to have 12

I’d add Tenn St as a 4th school that could prove to be a flight risk. I think the SWAC would still snatch them up if they wanted to join and the ASUN might pursue them too.

I think WIU is a must grab to give football a little more of a cushion.

Beyond that, they need to pursue whatever expansion move will keep Belmont the happiest as they are the biggest flight risk as they are attractive to not 1 but 2 other leagues with better basketball.

I don’t know who Belmont would want that would be good for basketball though—NKU, Libscomb, Bellarmine?

The great irony in all of this is it would have been all avoided had they just offered Kennesaw St and UNA full membership.

Some posts within this thread accurately noting the significance of Austin Peay to the OVC. APSU now has more than 10,000 students and is located in downtown Clarksville, a city that is growing rather fast (solid craft beer scene, too). The Governors have had some fairly strong men's basketball teams over the years, and the Peay football program is once again stable and competitive.

If the OVC were to lose two of these four: Peay, Belmont, Murray and Tennessee State ... the league would be in major trouble. That is now the "power quartet" in the league with the loss of Eastern Kentucky (which has a strong football history).

As a long-time TSU and Belmont fan, this is getting interesting.

(01-29-2021 02:17 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The great irony in all of this is it would have been all avoided had they just offered Kennesaw St and UNA full membership.

You are probably correct.

(01-29-2021 02:15 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d add Tenn St as a 4th school that could prove to be a flight risk. I think the SWAC would still snatch them up if they wanted to join and the ASUN might pursue them too.

I think WIU is a must grab to give football a little more of a cushion.

Beyond that, they need to pursue whatever expansion move will keep Belmont the happiest as they are the biggest flight risk as they are attractive to not 1 but 2 other leagues with better basketball.

I don’t know who Belmont would want that would be good for basketball though—NKU, Libscomb, Bellarmine?

Agreed. Tennessee St has a fallback should the league continue to lose schools. If Austin Peay is the 6th school it would really hurt.

Assuming WIU joins, the OVC's core could very easily shift west
EIU, SIUE, SWMS, and UT Martin aren't going anywhere. If you do add WIU you have 5 schools with a very tight geographic footprint. Then you have Morehead State which plays non scholarship football to be #6, as they too do not seem to have any other options.

Tennessee Tech is out there too, but you figure if Belmont, Murray, Austin Peay, and Tennessee St all leave, then Tennessee Tech would begin pushing to join the ASun too.

Worst case scenario is Chicago St has to be added to preserve the league at #7 and the OVC figures out a way to sponsor soccer

(01-29-2021 02:17 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The great irony in all of this is it would have been all avoided had they just offered Kennesaw St and UNA full membership.

I was thinking about that earlier. I believe the board's lion1983 knows more about it than I do, but the OVC passed on us in I think 2011 or 2012, as we were otherwise ready to make the jump from D2 at that time. I'm pretty sure we had even been all but assured that an invitation was coming, before someone or multiple somones changed their mind. Supposedly Jacksonville State was upset about it, and maybe a few others (EKU?). From what I understand the OVC is where our administration preferred to be, by far. Thankfully the ASUN gave us the opportunity a few years later.

(01-29-2021 02:17 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The great irony in all of this is it would have been all avoided had they just offered Kennesaw St and UNA full membership.

Why didn't they, what was the hesitancy?
Even if they had just added UNA you gotta think this would have been avoided.

A seven-team football league is not ideal as you get three home and three away games on a recurring basis, which means you have to schedule five non conference games. Would think that the ADs and Presidents would like to add two football schools to get back up to nine for an even four/four split thus requiring just three OOC games annually (and four in those years in which 12 games is allowed).

They've certainly got to make some sort of move to bolster their league ranks as the geography, makeup of the ASUN is certain to change as they have to add one (or more) schools to their lineup and the OVC does not want to be left fending for scraps in the same way the SLC essentially is as the WAC will have the "pick of the litter".

(01-29-2021 03:14 PM)TexasTerror Wrote:  A seven-team football league is not ideal as you get three home and three away games on a recurring basis, which means you have to schedule five non conference games. Would think that the ADs and Presidents would like to add two football schools to get back up to nine for an even four/four split thus requiring just three OOC games annually (and four in those years in which 12 games is allowed).

They've certainly got to make some sort of move to bolster their league ranks as the geography, makeup of the ASUN is certain to change as they have to add one (or more) schools to their lineup and the OVC does not want to be left fending for scraps in the same way the SLC essentially is as the WAC will have the "pick of the litter".

But who else is there besides WIU, unless they upgrade from D2?

If I were OVC I would try to get Robert Morris from the Big South as an affiliate. They have just joined the midwestern Horizon league, so playing football schools in IL/KY/TN/MO would make more sense than NC, SC, and VA

We did it for years in the Big South. It is not significantly more challenging to score game sin first five weeks of season as long as last six are back-loaded with conference fodder. It does however create a situation where you are likely scheduling homecoming games against whoever you can scrap into an October home game.

(01-29-2021 11:33 AM)solohawks Wrote:  http://ovcsports.com/news/2021/1/28/gene...rship.aspx

Matt Brown agrees that WIU is the likely choice.

OVC would be a downgrade in football from the MVFC, and they are not on an island anymore since Saint Thomas is close by.

(01-29-2021 03:55 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-29-2021 11:33 AM)solohawks Wrote:  http://ovcsports.com/news/2021/1/28/gene...rship.aspx

Matt Brown agrees that WIU is the likely choice.

OVC would be a downgrade in football from the MVFC, and they are not on an island anymore since Saint Thomas is close by.

If that pesky little place called Iowa wasn't in the way than you would be right about St Thomas being close

(01-29-2021 02:43 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(01-29-2021 02:15 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’d add Tenn St as a 4th school that could prove to be a flight risk. I think the SWAC would still snatch them up if they wanted to join and the ASUN might pursue them too.

I think WIU is a must grab to give football a little more of a cushion.

Beyond that, they need to pursue whatever expansion move will keep Belmont the happiest as they are the biggest flight risk as they are attractive to not 1 but 2 other leagues with better basketball.

I don’t know who Belmont would want that would be good for basketball though—NKU, Libscomb, Bellarmine?

Agreed. Tennessee St has a fallback should the league continue to lose schools. If Austin Peay is the 6th school it would really hurt.

Assuming WIU joins, the OVC's core could very easily shift west
EIU, SIUE, SWMS, and UT Martin aren't going anywhere. If you do add WIU you have 5 schools with a very tight geographic footprint. Then you have Morehead State which plays non scholarship football to be #6, as they too do not seem to have any other options.

Tennessee Tech is out there too, but you figure if Belmont, Murray, Austin Peay, and Tennessee St all leave, then Tennessee Tech would begin pushing to join the ASun too.

Worst case scenario is Chicago St has to be added to preserve the league at #7 and the OVC figures out a way to sponsor soccer

Chicago St is a better institutional fit with the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the MEAC considering that CSU is an predominately black institution (PBI)...
Chicago St is a better geographic fit with the members of the OVC ...
Chicago St...truth be told...will take any conference that takes them...

Bellarmine was a top D2 basketball school which OVC could take.
I do not think any D1 schools want to join OVC if they are losing schools.

Bellarmine, but the Horizon could snap them up.
Youngstown State, but the ASUN would be more appealing to them.
Lindenwood, it gives them a warm body, but not great in sports. They are already D1 in ice hockey.
Southern Indiana, but the danger of getting picked off by the Horizon.
Grand Valley State, Wayne State Mich and Saginaw Valley State usually bring good football and basketball and in Ohio? You can get Ashland and Findley as they both are the larger privates.
Robert Morris could push them into Penn.
Indianapolis do bring at times good football and basketball.

WIU is NOT a cinch for the OVC imho. Are there any realistic other choices? Best bet is to convince/help Morehead to come back to FCS football or kiss the feet and beg Peay to stay.

Seems to me that the OVC is--- FRESH OUTTA LUCK!! (cue song by Demob Happy)