(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

Good info, thanks.

How would you rank ISU's rivalries among the in-state public schools of EIU, NIU, SIU and WIU?

(11-13-2021 02:50 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

This is the position of anyone who’s worked at ISU I’ve talked to, including their former AD.

I pretty much was just summarizing what i have been told but people who are actually in the know (i persnoally am not in that category) but I am totally ok with that being the direction we go. I like that I dont have to haul down to BloNo to see a basketball game. My sister also went to Loyola so we tend to talk some smack about our matchups, I think for the alumni base the MVC works real well. Aside from NIU and Miami their is just no real MAC presence in Chicago, I know a ton of Loyola, Bradley, Valpo and SIUc alumns.

(11-13-2021 02:58 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

Good info, thanks.

How would you rank ISU's rivalries among the in-state public schools of EIU, NIU, SIU and WIU?

Eh EIU is one of the oldest rivalry in all of football (not just college literally all of football) so even though SIU and WIU are conference, I am going to say panthers. WIU is closer but SIU is in our conference for everything so that kind of means more. Bradley is our tried and true rival in all sports. I could not care less about NIU (though on a personal level as a current chicagoan I do pull for them to win the MAC) The huskies are just so much better than us at football and traditionally so much worse than us in hoops that there just is nothing their. But to answer yourquestion for football 1. EIU 2. SIU 3. WIU 4. NIU

(11-13-2021 03:05 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:50 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

This is the position of anyone who’s worked at ISU I’ve talked to, including their former AD.

I pretty much was just summarizing what i have been told but people who are actually in the know (i persnoally am not in that category) but I am totally ok with that being the direction we go. I like that I dont have to haul down to BloNo to see a basketball game. My sister also went to Loyola so we tend to talk some smack about our matchups, I think for the alumni base the MVC works real well. Aside from NIU and Miami their is just no real MAC presence in Chicago, I know a ton of Loyola, Bradley, Valpo and SIUc alumns.

But I think its going to end up being a marketing priority. ISU has become clearly the best state school outside of U of I's... increasing money spent on football is worth the money if it attracts more students. it feels foolish that one of the directional schools is FBS, but the State school is not.

(11-13-2021 03:35 PM)Illini1968 Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 03:05 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:50 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

This is the position of anyone who’s worked at ISU I’ve talked to, including their former AD.

I pretty much was just summarizing what i have been told but people who are actually in the know (i persnoally am not in that category) but I am totally ok with that being the direction we go. I like that I dont have to haul down to BloNo to see a basketball game. My sister also went to Loyola so we tend to talk some smack about our matchups, I think for the alumni base the MVC works real well. Aside from NIU and Miami their is just no real MAC presence in Chicago, I know a ton of Loyola, Bradley, Valpo and SIUc alumns.

But I think its going to end up being a marketing priority. ISU has become clearly the best state school outside of U of I's... increasing money spent on football is worth the money if it attracts more students. it feels foolish that one of the directional schools is FBS, but the State school is not.

In a time where many public schools in illinois are having budget issues and shrinking student bodies, ISU is financially sound and growing. Football does not and will not have a major impact on ISU student body. In reality Illinois has a massive population and the premier state school is so selective that their is always a massive amount of students looking for affordable in state options with solid academics. Only one school really fills that void. No one is saying I would go to ISU if they played MAC football. Also ISU, due to its profile, really only recruits students from Illionois and in Metro East and Chicagoland ISU is extremely visible/well known having BS football wont improve that profile.

(11-13-2021 02:45 PM)mvcfan76 Wrote:  I am loving this ISU love 3 of the last 4 posters have essentially said its a great school. Hey, you know what? I agree 100% but we actually like the MVC, a lot. We play regional schools in all sports that actually draw interest for us. Loyola, Bradley, SIU are all in our conference which has a heavy st louis and chicago influence (our two biggest alumni and student recruiting areas). On top of that we hae a set up where we get to play all our regional rivals in football too (EIU and WIU). I know we kind of institutionally look more like an FBS school than FCS but we have little to no interest in leaving our athletics situation we have now.

Me too, but I have no desire to move to the FBS. There are very few positives and a lot of negatives with a move like that.

(11-13-2021 02:58 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Good info, thanks.

How would you rank ISU's rivalries among the in-state public schools of EIU, NIU, SIU and WIU?

For me it's EIU, SIU, WIU, and then NIU.

(11-13-2021 03:35 PM)Illini1968 Wrote:  But I think its going to end up being a marketing priority. ISU has become clearly the best state school outside of U of I's... increasing money spent on football is worth the money if it attracts more students. it feels foolish that one of the directional schools is FBS, but the State school is not.

UIC is considered to be a better school than ISU and they don't even have football. It's not a problem at all. As for enrollment, ISU has stated they like the number of students currently attending and has tried to maintain similar numbers for decades. There are currently 20,233 students at ISU and as far back as 1971 there were 18,000 students.

IIRC, both MoState and ISU did their feasibility studies and pegged themselves to CUSA. Or so it was said some years ago. And I think it’s why both have been hanging out there with the MAC not rushing at all to reach down and pluck them up.

Honestly, I like UNI (but of the group, I voted for MoState), but the infrastructure needs a boost. I thought they were onto something a few years back with their basketball. That came and went, with Creighton and Wichita leaving them in their collective dust. The basketball arena can pass, but the football stadium, the UNI-Dome…needs a reboot, imo.

Missouri St

The Illinois/Indiana/Ohio schools don't expand the footprint, but the Dakota schools are too far out. Missouri St expands the footprint but still keeps it reasonable.

I do like the idea of Illinois St or Indiana St tho. I'd prefer them over the Dakota schools.

(11-14-2021 01:27 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  IIRC, both MoState and ISU did their feasibility studies and pegged themselves to CUSA. Or so it was said some years ago. And I think it’s why both have been hanging out there with the MAC not rushing at all to reach down and pluck them up.

CUSA has dropped in stature each iteration.

CUSA 1.0 was 7th best conference, particularly in BB where it was 4 bid.
CUSA 2.0 was the 8th best conference behind the MWC, ahead of MAC/SBC.
CUSA 3.0 was ahead of the SBC initially.
CUSA 4.0 is now a FCS move up conference.

MoState I think would have been on deck for CUSA 3.0 like ODU was if given the chance to move up but I don't think so for CUSA 4.0.

(11-14-2021 02:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Missouri St

The Illinois/Indiana/Ohio schools don't expand the footprint, but the Dakota schools are too far out. Missouri St expands the footprint but still keeps it reasonable.

It's not much difference. Missouri State is 7 hours, 10 minutes from the nearest MAC school. South Dakota State is 8 hours, 10 minutes. North Dakota State is 8 hours, 30 minutes.

To me, this is no contest. North Dakota State is an actual state flagship with Big 12 potential upside.

(11-14-2021 02:47 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(11-14-2021 02:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Missouri St

The Illinois/Indiana/Ohio schools don't expand the footprint, but the Dakota schools are too far out. Missouri St expands the footprint but still keeps it reasonable.

It's not much difference. Missouri State is 7 hours, 10 minutes from the nearest MAC school. South Dakota State is 8 hours, 10 minutes. North Dakota State is 8 hours, 30 minutes.

To me, this is no contest. North Dakota State is an actual state flagship with Big 12 potential upside.

Missouri State is not over seven hours from WKU. Remember, this new school will be #14 in the MAC, along with #13, WKU.

(11-14-2021 09:37 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(11-14-2021 02:47 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(11-14-2021 02:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Missouri St

The Illinois/Indiana/Ohio schools don't expand the footprint, but the Dakota schools are too far out. Missouri St expands the footprint but still keeps it reasonable.

It's not much difference. Missouri State is 7 hours, 10 minutes from the nearest MAC school. South Dakota State is 8 hours, 10 minutes. North Dakota State is 8 hours, 30 minutes.

To me, this is no contest. North Dakota State is an actual state flagship with Big 12 potential upside.

Missouri State is not over seven hours from WKU. Remember, this new school will be #14 in the MAC, along with #13, WKU.

6 hours and 55 minutes is pretty close to 7 hours

Springfield is practically in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

ESPN would say North Dakota State

Many who want to stay in footprint and have a quality school would say Illinois State

Nobody says Missouri State, except Missouri State fans who want Missouri State to eventually join the Sun Belt Conference.

(11-14-2021 02:47 PM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(11-14-2021 02:06 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Missouri St

The Illinois/Indiana/Ohio schools don't expand the footprint, but the Dakota schools are too far out. Missouri St expands the footprint but still keeps it reasonable.

It's not much difference. Missouri State is 7 hours, 10 minutes from the nearest MAC school. South Dakota State is 8 hours, 10 minutes. North Dakota State is 8 hours, 30 minutes.

To me, this is no contest. North Dakota State is an actual state flagship with Big 12 potential upside.

Still no to NDSU. What about Northern Iowa?