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NKU
Dec 17, 2007 11:05:05 GMT -5
Post by moreheadeagle on Dec 17, 2007 11:05:05 GMT -5
After the two year moratorium on moving from D-II to D-I is over we should court this school HARD. Drop the football requirement and add NKU, and see if Belmont or Lipscomb want to join to even things up. www.bankofkentuckycenter.com/
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NKU
Dec 17, 2007 14:22:35 GMT -5
Post by eaglephil on Dec 17, 2007 14:22:35 GMT -5
I agree. NKU would be a great regional fit and that new arena is going to be amazing. I'd deffinately go up to watch msu play against NKU. They could be very difficult to recruit against with those facilities and the area they're in.
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NKU
Dec 18, 2007 22:23:02 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Dec 18, 2007 22:23:02 GMT -5
Would anyone south of Kentucky want NKU, though? I'm not even sure EKU would lobby for their admission. I'd love to see NKU in the OVC, though because EKU has a great alumni base in the NKY and it'd be great to see the Colonels play so close to home in such a nice gym.
However, Unless the NCAA drastically overhauls D-I requirements during the moratorium, I believe NKU is headed for the Horizon League.
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 9:21:50 GMT -5
Post by eaglephil on Dec 19, 2007 9:21:50 GMT -5
The OVC either needs to get bigger or get smaller. The 20 game conference schedule is aweful. Next year it drops to 18 games, but Jacksonville will make the move to I-A football and the Sun Belt Conference soon. I would be happy with 9 conference members and a nice 16 game schedule. If we're going to add schools, then we've got to be at 12 teams.....no more....no less.
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 10:53:21 GMT -5
Post by moreheadeagle on Dec 19, 2007 10:53:21 GMT -5
The Horizon I believe is just now at 10 teams adding just NKU would put them at 11, I think they'll add a team from the Summit League (former mid-con) before adding a D-II school. When Samford leaves then the OVC might think about staying at 10 teams and splitting into divisions like the SEC. However, the OVC could really improve all its sports by adding a very solid NKU program and an A-Sun team like Belmont, Lipscomb, or ETSU. We need to drop the football requirement to do this, which makes sense since it certainly doesn't hurt the SoCon or Horizon league to have non-football members.
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 18:17:26 GMT -5
Post by ttueagles on Dec 19, 2007 18:17:26 GMT -5
I'm a football guy, so I'd like to see all schools play football in the OVC. Just my opinion, for what it's worth (probably not much). I hear from some people close to the school (and this is third hand, also for what it's worth), that the University of North Alabama is contemplating FCS in football, D-I in basketball and has inquired about joining the OVC. I believe if they were in the OVC in football, they would have probably won it or finished a close second - have been a long time power in D-II football with mult. national championships and a couple of NC's in basketball, too. Good football venue, average-to-poor b'ball venue and great baseball venue...I would love to see the OVC at 12 teams and even expanding the region somewhat, but mainly the conference has to get better in b'ball and football in it's competitiveness with other conferences - its' become a pretty poor conference, ratings-wise.
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 21:05:20 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Dec 19, 2007 21:05:20 GMT -5
The OVC either needs to get bigger or get smaller. The 20 game conference schedule is aweful. Next year it drops to 18 games, but Jacksonville will make the move to I-A football and the Sun Belt Conference soon. I would be happy with 9 conference members and a nice 16 game schedule. If we're going to add schools, then we've got to be at 12 teams.....no more....no less. I don't see the Sun Belt expanding soon. If anything, they are hoping to lose Denver and stabilize the conference. With South Alabama adding football, the conference will have 1 more football playing member than is ideal anyway. I like having JSU in the OVC, but I don't see them as a desireable addition from the Sun Belt's perspective.
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 21:13:03 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Dec 19, 2007 21:13:03 GMT -5
The Horizon I believe is just now at 10 teams adding just NKU would put them at 11, I think they'll add a team from the Summit League (former mid-con) before adding a D-II school. When Samford leaves then the OVC might think about staying at 10 teams and splitting into divisions like the SEC. However, the OVC could really improve all its sports by adding a very solid NKU program and an A-Sun team like Belmont, Lipscomb, or ETSU. We need to drop the football requirement to do this, which makes sense since it certainly doesn't hurt the SoCon or Horizon league to have non-football members. I can see your point about the Summit league... but NKU fits the Horizon profile better than most of those Summit schools. The Horizon schools for the most part have two things in common: Basketball-centric and located in a major midwestern city/media market. NKU fits both of those criteria and would add Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky to this list of cities: Indianapolis, Chicago (x2), Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Dayton. Plus, NKU's basketball facility is going to be very nice as we have seen. The upside for NKU is huge. I don't believe any schools in the Summit can match NKU for potential. I would expect NKU officials are talking to the Horizon in anticipation of a move to D-I. This is, however, just my personal speculation on the politics involved. As for going after ETSU, I agree completely. I believe we would have landed ETSU had we landed UT-Chattanooga. As I understand it, the Chattanooga deal was as good as done until they had a sudden change of Chancellor and AD... and then they elected to stay in the SoCon. When ETSU considered bringing back football (an effort that, I believe, failed), the chatter seemed to be that the SoCon may have been interested in having them back. If we come calling and the SoCon does as well, the OVC has no chance. I don't know much about Belmont and Lipscomb. Are they even public schools?
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NKU
Dec 19, 2007 21:17:07 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Dec 19, 2007 21:17:07 GMT -5
I'm a football guy, so I'd like to see all schools play football in the OVC. Just my opinion, for what it's worth (probably not much). I hear from some people close to the school (and this is third hand, also for what it's worth), that the University of North Alabama is contemplating FCS in football, D-I in basketball and has inquired about joining the OVC. I believe if they were in the OVC in football, they would have probably won it or finished a close second - have been a long time power in D-II football with mult. national championships and a couple of NC's in basketball, too. Good football venue, average-to-poor b'ball venue and great baseball venue...I would love to see the OVC at 12 teams and even expanding the region somewhat, but mainly the conference has to get better in b'ball and football in it's competitiveness with other conferences - its' become a pretty poor conference, ratings-wise. Adding a Division II power may go a long way to enhance OVC football. After all, look what what the XDSU's are going to do for Gateway football next year! That conference is about to be an even bigger bear. Northern Alabama sounds good and I would think JSU would like having a school in their neighborhood.
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NKU
Dec 20, 2007 10:14:38 GMT -5
Post by ttueagles on Dec 20, 2007 10:14:38 GMT -5
Lipscomb and Belmont are private uni's about 3 miles apart in Nashville. Both have nearly identical (and very nice) basketball arenas. Both have good baseball facilities, too...But, they don't draw a lot for basketball unless they are playing each other (the few games I've been to...) - so they'd fit right in with the OVC! (Kidding)...Again, I want the OVC to upgrade it's football stature, so those two don't excite me for joining the OVC. Belmont got destroyed last night by Austin Peay...
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NKU
Dec 20, 2007 13:46:12 GMT -5
Post by moreheadeagle on Dec 20, 2007 13:46:12 GMT -5
North Alabama would be OK, but then I'd say just change the name from OVC to something else. I have no problem with private schools joining the conference so long as they stick around for more than five years. I think Samford is making a mistake by leaving but they might get more football money. I'd like to see the OVC add another northern team or stay at 10. Split into two divisions and you could have a 15 game conference season and expand your opportunities for better Out of Conference games. This is for basketball of course.
For football nine teams is good, but it may be 10 in the future b/c you never know what MSU plans to do on that front. Let's just say I've heard rumblings and some of them have apparently come from more than the fans. MSU is fixing up the facilities too over the next few years so we'll have to see.
I think the OVC though needs to be more basketball centric like the MVC, CAA, Horizon, etc. That's where the mid-majors can get attention and $$$$. As much as I like FCS football, it's a money draining venture for most schools.
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NKU
Dec 20, 2007 21:04:04 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Dec 20, 2007 21:04:04 GMT -5
North Alabama would be OK, but then I'd say just change the name from OVC to something else. I have no problem with private schools joining the conference so long as they stick around for more than five years. I think Samford is making a mistake by leaving but they might get more football money. I'd like to see the OVC add another northern team or stay at 10. Split into two divisions and you could have a 15 game conference season and expand your opportunities for better Out of Conference games. This is for basketball of course. For football nine teams is good, but it may be 10 in the future b/c you never know what MSU plans to do on that front. Let's just say I've heard rumblings and some of them have apparently come from more than the fans. MSU is fixing up the facilities too over the next few years so we'll have to see. I think the OVC though needs to be more basketball centric like the MVC, CAA, Horizon, etc. That's where the mid-majors can get attention and $$$$. As much as I like FCS football, it's a money draining venture for most schools. Get a few Murray fans on here and we'll really hear the call for the focus to be on basketball! Whatever the answer is, the OVC needs to do something to boost its profile. Unfortunately, OVC basketball has fallen so far that it's as far from national significance as OVC football. I guess I'd like to see a concrete plan with measurable goals in place for both sports. I'd also like to see OVC schools do more to ferment rivalries or relationships between each other. One thing that keeps coming up is the football rule. I think EKU was a big stickler for that because the school was scared that football would become an afterthought. Austin Peay and Morehead had just dropped scholarship football and UT-M wasn't playing with a full allocation and MTSU was about to move out. As the Colonels' primary sport, I think the EKU administration pushed for an emphasis on football. I don't think those same warning signs of football doom are still out there, so I would think EKU would be willing to soften it's stance on the rule. Then again, I did hear people say that Austin Peay was successful because they could put so much more money into basketball because they didn't have football. I don't think that arguement holds much water, but the notion is still out there.
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rbm1
3rd String
I root for the MSU Racers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pitt Panthers, and Wagner Seahawks
Posts: 50
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NKU
Dec 22, 2007 20:56:52 GMT -5
Post by rbm1 on Dec 22, 2007 20:56:52 GMT -5
Okay, pardon my ignorance here, but what other D1 conference has nearly all of their state sister schools in the same conference? I'm afraid adding NKU will make it nothing more than the KY league + a few others (no offense but you know what I mean). I don't think adding a new D1 is going to strengthen the OVC at all. Actually I see it moving back even further (if that is possile).
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NKU
Dec 23, 2007 22:05:40 GMT -5
Post by moreheadeagle on Dec 23, 2007 22:05:40 GMT -5
The MAC has most of the Ohio and Michigan D-I schools with the exception of a few. Adding NKU would make the OVC only slightly more KY-centric. There are four Tenn. schools as it is. Adding a new D-I makes sense if it is a powerful D-II moving up. NKU has played for the men's basketball title several times, there non-revenue sports are nationally ranked, notably softball and their baseball and women's soccer isn't that bad either. If the OVC would sponsor men's soccer we could add their nationally ranked men's soccer program to the mix as well. Their facilities are as good if not better than most of the OVC and they'd compete right away.
Adding another school that's just moving up but doesn't bring anything to the table isn't good. Also, if a conference like the Horizon is interested in NKU, then they're on to something. The Horizon is a better overall conference than the OVC.
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NKU
Jan 17, 2008 21:33:25 GMT -5
Post by ekumaroons on Jan 17, 2008 21:33:25 GMT -5
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