Stark Reality - ISU Sports

ICCYFAN

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2006
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Iowa City
Like everyone, I have been watching the realignment scenarios unfold with increasing levels of concern. We do not control our destiny, we do not have a Board of Regents that will assist us in finding safe haven (Ok. State, K-State, Texas Tech, etc.), we're not in a desirable television market (Mizzou) and we don't have a high-profile program with national following (Nebraska football & KU basketball). Our quality programs (wrestling, w-mens b-ball, volleyball) are not going to assist us in finding a new conference home.

Given the geography of the Mountain West and the Big East, I'm hard-pressed to see either as a legitimate solution to our dilemma. I shudder at the prospect given our history, but location and pertinent data (enrollment & endowment) place us in the profile of a Mid-American Conference school.

ISU Total Enrollment - Spring, 2010 - 26,283 - Endowment - $452M

MAC Schools: Mid-American Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't want to contemplate such a fall from grace but see it as a stark possibility that hasn't been discussed.
 
Like everyone, I have been watching the realignment scenarios unfold with increasing levels of concern. We do not control our destiny, we do not have a Board of Regents that will assist us in finding safe haven (Ok. State, K-State, Texas Tech, etc.), we're not in a desirable television market (Mizzou) and we don't have a high-profile program with national following (Nebraska football & KU basketball). Our quality programs (wrestling, w-mens b-ball, volleyball) are not going to assist us in finding a new conference home.

Given the geography of the Mountain West and the Big East, I'm hard-pressed to see either as a legitimate solution to our dilemma. I shudder at the prospect given our history, but location and pertinent data (enrollment & endowment) place us in the profile of a Mid-American Conference school.

ISU Total Enrollment - Spring, 2010 - 26,283 - Endowment - $452M

MAC Schools: Mid-American Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't want to contemplate such a fall from grace but see it as a stark possibility that hasn't been discussed.

If you're going down that road (and none of us want to go down that road) — which is worse: MAC or C-USA?
 
I doubt we go to the MAC unless they plan on adding another team. I doubt they'll want uneven divisions and such.
 
ISU belongs in a BCS conference, end of story. I'm still shocked that members of this conference are willing to give up a tradition that basically goes back to the orgins of football as a game... This is the strongest ever argument that this is truely nothing more than a business.... Soon will will have high school coaches earning seven figures?
 
It's not going to be the MAC

I wish people would quit acting like this ----->
notworthy.gif
 
Given the geography of the Mountain West and the Big East, I'm hard-pressed to see either as a legitimate solution to our dilemma. I shudder at the prospect given our history, but location and pertinent data (enrollment & endowment) place us in the profile of a Mid-American Conference school.

ISU Total Enrollment - Spring, 2010 - 26,283 - Endowment - $452M

MAC Schools: Mid-American Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't want to contemplate such a fall from grace but see it as a stark possibility that hasn't been discussed.

I don't think that the Big East or MVC solutions are legitimate either.
And believe me, the prospect of a university-wide fall is being discussed. Not on this board, but it is being discussed.
 
It's I wish people would quit acting like this ----->
notworthy.gif

I didn't come close to saying anything of the sort. Being worthy of inclusion in a major conference and getting the opportunity to participate in one are two entirely separate issues. My concerns are only with the second half of the equation - politics, logistics and economics are not on our side. I'm more than a little frustrated with those who blindly assail we'll land in a conference with BCS qualifier status simply because we've always been in one - life's not always fair...
 
I didn't come close to saying anything of the sort. Being worthy of inclusion in a major conference and getting the opportunity to participate in one are two entirely separate issues. My concerns are only with the second half of the equation - politics, logistics and economics are not on our side. I'm more than a little frustrated with those who blindly assail we'll land in a conference with BCS qualifier status simply because we've always been in one - life's not always fair...

I see our university profile lining up very closely to Miami of Ohio - great academics (Miami is ranked higher than us in US News), nice college town, pretty campus, MAC athletics.
 
I didn't come close to saying anything of the sort. Being worthy of inclusion in a major conference and getting the opportunity to participate in one are two entirely separate issues. My concerns are only with the second half of the equation - politics, logistics and economics are not on our side. I'm more than a little frustrated with those who blindly assail we'll land in a conference with BCS qualifier status simply because we've always been in one - life's not always fair...

I'm not blind to the situation. I understand where ISU fits (or more importantly does not) in the landscape. However, I'm saying that there are at least two other conferences higher on the food chain than the MAC that I believe will want ISU to be a part of their plans. If the Big East wants to survive, which I believe they do, then there is a possibility of landing there. Perhaps it is not a great as I would like to believe, but it makes sense to me that there is somewhat of a chance. Regardless of what happens with the Big East, both the MWC and C-USA are looking to be proactive and improve their status. I strongly believe both have or will extend an offer to ISU. I find it nearly impossible that ISU would either recieve no invitation from either of those leagues, or decide that the MAC was a better option. Therefore, I stand by my conclusion that the MAC, WAC, Valley, or any other league that gets thrown out there by annoying hawk fans, pesimistic ISU fans, or the inept Iowa media is not valid.
 
I stand by my conclusion that the MAC, WAC, Valley, or any other league that gets thrown out there by annoying hawk fans, pesimistic ISU fans, or the inept Iowa media is not valid.

I could do without the insulting "pessimistic" label, though unless (what remains of) the Big XII reaches an 11th Hour agreement to stay together, I do view our prospects as dismal. Our athletic budget was stretched to send our non-revenue teams to play border rivals. Even so, you somehow see it as feasible to send our women's softball team to play San Diego State or Syracuse. Alternatively, are you willing to further curtail our non-revenue sports so that football and basketball can stay in a "power" conference?

I don't know how this will ultimately play out, but you don't appear to be taking a "big picture" approach to the problem. If the Big XII completes its implosion (will happen) and ISU doesn't somehow pull a rabbit out of the hat and get a Big Ten invitation (won't happen), life as we know it has inevitably changed for the worse. Joining a make-shift outfit like the Big East or Conference USA isn't going to change that.
 
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I'm sure you are trying to be "realistic" and don't feel you are being pessimistic. The size of the student populations of all those outstanding institutions are of proximate size as ours. Your analysis fails to point out that our football stadium seats in some cases almost or even double of every single university in the mac with the exception of temple, who plays in an empty professional stadium. several of those schools have been lucky to even maintain DBS status. It also does nothing to compare the athletic performance of any of these teams at a national level, which pales in comparison to Iowa state. I know u are ttrying to be realistic. I don't feel that comparing the student size of a university is the way to do it.
 
I could do without the insulting "pessimistic" label, though unless (what remains of) the Big XII reaches an 11th Hour agreement to stay together, I do view our prospects as dismal. Our athletic budget was stretched to send our non-revenue teams to play border rivals. Even so, you somehow see it as feasible to send our women's softball team to play San Diego State or Syracuse. Alternatively, are you willing to further curtail our non-revenue sports so that football and basketball can stay in a "power" conference?

I don't know how this will ultimately play out, but you don't appear to be taking a "big picture" approach to the problem. If the Big XII completes its implosion (will happen) and ISU doesn't somehow pull a rabbit out of the hat and get a Big Ten invitation (won't happen), life as we know it has inevitably changed for the worse. Joining a make-shift outfit like the Big East or Conference USA isn't going to change that.

Yes.

The Big East would work. The new division wouldn't be any worse travel than we have now.
 

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