Northwood Exit and Expansion Discussion

[KleShreen]

The GLIAC is not having success...that's the funny part, and they are about to lose the only team in the current conference that is doing anything to help. Only one other current member of the GLIAC has a national Championship besides Ashland and Grand Valley, Ferris State in 18. That's it, that's the list. Ashland has as many National Championships in the last 5 years as Grand Valley. The only other school to have more National Championships then Grand Valley and Ashland in the last 20 years is current G-MAC member Tiffin. Grand Valley can only prop up a conference for so long.

You make it sound like every other conference in the country has 10 schools competing for national titles in every sport. The number of conferences that have even more than one school consistently competing for national titles is very small. Most conferences haver zero schools seriously competing for any national titles at all. You just made multiple posts saying that GV being too good was killing the GLIAC, and now you're pointing out the parity that was in the conference. Make up your mind. Is GV too good for you to compete with, or is every other school too crappy for you to compete with?

[zimmy21]

The schools that left/are leaving would just leave for another conference once GV shows up, according to unc4life.

Lol well that's just starting to sound like the MIAC over here. Schools rebelling against a program that is just simply too dominant for them. Kick them out and let them figure it out. Haha not that the GLIAC would do that to the Lakers.

[NewEraWarrior]

Simply just not correct. Speaking solely from a Wayne State perspective in other sports, Men & Women's Swimming has outperformed GV for majority of the past decade. Women's Softball, Wayne St has outperformed GV in multiple years for the past 15+ years, same goes with Men's baseball, WSU has won multiple GLIAC either conference or tournament titles. Same can even be said for Men's Basketball, WSU Men won the regular season this past year. So please spare me on the GV dominates everything. It is simply not correct.

Has GV been successful in multiple sports, heck yeah. T&F, Women's Soccer, & golf to name a few they have dominated. But again, the GLIAC is competitive, every conference has a handful of schools that are consistently near the top and the GLIAC is no different.

[NewEraWarrior]

The GLIAC is not having success...that's the funny part, and they are about to lose the only team in the current conference that is doing anything to help. Only one other current member of the GLIAC has a national Championship besides Ashland and Grand Valley, Ferris State in 18. That's it, that's the list. Ashland has as many National Championships in the last 5 years as Grand Valley. The only other school to have more National Championships then Grand Valley and Ashland in the last 20 years is current G-MAC member Tiffin. Grand Valley can only prop up a conference for so long.

Again not correct. WSU Women's Swimming won a National Championship in 2012, came in 2nd (Women) & 3rd (Men) Nationally in 2014. WSU swimming in general has been a national contender for multiple years, men and women. WSU Football went to the National Championship in 2011. WSU Softball has been to the NCAA World Series a couple times the past 10 years.

[ctrabs74]

It's been rumored that Madonna is prepping for a move, they have been pumping of money in to scholarships lately, and have gone from nobodies to somebodies in a few sports. As for the others:
Lawrence Tech is nowhere right now athletically.
Siena Heights doesn't have the funding to join D2.
CUAA merged with CU-Wisconsin (DIII) a few years ago. CU campuses have had trouble financially lately, I don't see them moving this campus to D2. If anything, I think its more likely they go the otherway.

Concordia-Portland (GNAC, non-football) closed their campus within the past year, if I'm not mistaken. Concordia-New York (CACC, non-football) will cease operations at the end of the fall 2021 semester. I don't see any Concordia campus making any move into D2.

[MECFAN1421]

The GLIAC is on the ropes. Hopefully they can find a football member to join soon.

[Uindy18]

The GLIAC is on the ropes. Hopefully they can find a football member to join soon.

You are absolutely right. Unless on of the non-football schools drops a football program out of the sky, I have to think 1 or 2 of the 4 Michigan NAIAs is pretty much their only option for expansion. Maybe a D3, but the MIAA (the D3 version in Michigan) is fairly well established and I doubt any of them would move up.

[D2Ohio]

I think they can survive with 7, there is no AQ for playoffs, just EA, so playing GLVC schools for non-conference will help with getting the two schools in.

I don't know if adding any of the NAIA from Michigan would help, and wouldn't those private SE Michigan NAIAs be better off in the GMAC anyway?

Would they still qualify as conference with 6 teams?
Most likely problem would be if Tech stops football.
Possible problem Davenport would want to join a private school conference to the south.
Least likely is GVSU actually goes D1, maybe Horizon & MVFC.

[TSU_Mike59]

I think they can survive with 7, there is no AQ for playoffs, just EA, so playing GLVC schools for non-conference will help with getting the two schools in.

I don't know if adding any of the NAIA from Michigan would help, and wouldn't those private SE Michigan NAIAs be better off in the GMAC anyway?

Would they still qualify as conference with 6 teams?
Most likely problem would be if Tech stops football.
Possible problem Davenport would want to join a private school conference to the south.
Least likely is GVSU actually goes D1, maybe Horizon & MVFC.

The thing to remember is that the GLVC only has weeks 1 and 2 open now, with the GMAC scheduling alliance covering weeks 3 and 4. Weeks 5 through 11 are all conference play for the GLVC. Considering some GLVC teams look for guarantee games or have other NAIA or local rivalries they play early on, that will really limit the ability for GLIAC teams to find openings on GLVC schedules.

There's also really no incentive for the GLVC schools to "help out" by scheduling GLIAC teams just to help them get the number of games needed to be playoff eligible. Or at least, GLVC schools should be bartering for a lot of home games with no promise of a return.

[Brandon]

There's also really no incentive for the GLVC schools to "help out" by scheduling GLIAC teams just to help them get the number of games needed to be playoff eligible. Or at least, GLVC schools should be bartering for a lot of home games with no promise of a return.

If they do this, they are doing exactly what I have described.

[stealth]

Honestly, I think the GLIAC's best opportunity is PNW, and lessor so UWP. PNW is pushing to be respectable as a residential campus and shed that commuter campus tag. Football would do a lot to push that narrative. Also, to respectable FB in Northwest Indiana (besides ND). Valpo is a joke. Saint Joe suspend their campus. There is opportunity.

Parkside, is close to Chicago, not sure why they wouldn't add football, being DII would be a definite recruiting advantage in WI, but there must be a reason after all these years of opportunity.

[KleShreen]

Honestly, I think the GLIAC's best opportunity is PNW, and lessor so UWP. PNW is pushing to be respectable as a residential campus and shed that commuter campus tag. Football would do a lot to push that narrative. Also, to respectable FB in Northwest Indiana (besides ND). Valpo is a joke. Saint Joe suspend their campus. There is opportunity.

Parkside, is close to Chicago, not sure why they wouldn't add football, being DII would be a definite recruiting advantage in WI, but there must be a reason after all these years of opportunity.

No other school in Wisconsin besides UW is allowed to have scholarship football. Part of the agreement of the UW system.

[champgymusa]

No other school in Wisconsin besides UW is allowed to have scholarship football. Part of the agreement of the UW system.

I am not disagreeing with you but boy they sure find some interesting finance packages....LOL...Kinda like the MIAA here in Michigan...

[KleShreen]

Maybe the GLIAC should give Finlandia a shot just to appease MTU and NMU lol.

[Uindy18]

Maybe the GLIAC should give Finlandia a shot just to appease MTU and NMU lol.

That would be something, but I doubt a D3 bottom feeder will even be considered for GLIAC expansion