The EKU board has a nice little summary for the OVC next year. He posted it prior to Neubauer leaving, but it is good reading. You can find it here:
http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewt...f=5&t=1918
Reading message boards from around the OVC, I see where the consensus seems to be that the bottom half of the league needs to step it up to raise the league RPI. Being a numbers guy, I decided to compare the top half and bottom half from sister leagues with the NCAA RPI.
Average RPI per team for the top half of the league:
C-USA 111.3
Horizon 118.2
Sun Belt 143.7
OVC 145.8
By this we can see that the league’s top half needs to step it up too. I think Murray may have a slight dip if Cam bolts to the NBA, but they will still be competitive. I feel Belmont, EIU, and UT-Martin will improve over last year. EKU lost a lot of players and a coach, so they will be an unknown. I feel Morehead will be better, but I expected more of them this past year (and their fans did too). I feel the top half will pick it up a little next year.
Now the bottom half average per team:
C-USA 258.3
Horizon 264.5
Sun Belt 278.2
OVC 305.7
It looks like the entire league needs to step it up a bit. TSU, APSU, and JSU are the biggest hits to our RPI. I feel TSU will gradually get better with Ford getting a year under his belt. JSU picked up a 4 star transfer. I don’t feel that alone will make them a contender, but it may improve them a bit. I don’t see much movement in APSU. SEMO and SIUE are seeking to get better by changing coaches, but it may take some time.
I think the OVC will be stronger next year, but I'm not sure how much. What do you think?