GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

[purduefan11]

I am thinking that there could be some major shifts within these four conferences in the next few years. From what I am hearing, schools are looking to cut travel costs, so here is what I am thinking how it could break down.

GMAC - lose Kentucky Wesleyan, Trevecca Nazarene, Alderson Broaddus, Davis and Elkins (confirmed to be leaving), and Ohio Valley
add Notre Dame College, Ashland, Urbana, Uindy, and maybe an NAIA school like Marian or Indiana Wesleyan
GLVC - Lose Uindy and Lewis
add Oakland City and Kentucky Wesleyan (also try to go after Washburn and/or bring back Lincoln from the MIAA)
GLIAC - lose Ashland and
add Lewis (also look at adding some NAIA Michigan schools)
MEC - Lose Urbana and Notre Dame College
add AB, D&E, OVU, Salem, and Bluefield

Thoughts?

[michiganfb]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

With St Joe gone, Lewis dragging their feet on football and Bellarmine putting everything into basketball it's time U Indy moved into a conference with closer and better rivalries. The GMAC with Hillsdale, Ohio Dominican and Findlay already there is the obvious place to be. Future possible GMAC additions of Ashland and Urbana better yet.

[Try II]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

I am thinking that there could be some major shifts within these four conferences in the next few years. From what I am hearing, schools are looking to cut travel costs, so here is what I am thinking how it could break down.

GMAC - lose Kentucky Wesleyan, Trevecca Nazarene, Alderson Broaddus, Davis and Elkins (confirmed to be leaving), and Ohio Valley
add Notre Dame College, Ashland, Urbana, Uindy, and maybe an NAIA school like Marian or Indiana Wesleyan
GLVC - Lose Uindy and Lewis
add Oakland City and Kentucky Wesleyan (also try to go after Washburn and/or bring back Lincoln from the MIAA)
GLIAC - lose Ashland and
add Lewis (also look at adding some NAIA Michigan schools)
MEC - Lose Urbana and Notre Dame College
add AB, D&E, OVU, Salem, and Bluefield

Thoughts?

Washburn has been in the MIAA since 1989 and isn't going to leave that league --- with 4 other Kansas D2 schools -- to play in the GLVC. What would be a good reason? As for Lincoln ... don't think they offer the needed sports by GLVC by-laws. But please take them anyway!!

And invite Oakland City if you need a tin can to kick around year after year

[TSU_Mike59]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

I am thinking that there could be some major shifts within these four conferences in the next few years. From what I am hearing, schools are looking to cut travel costs, so here is what I am thinking how it could break down.

GMAC - lose Kentucky Wesleyan, Trevecca Nazarene, Alderson Broaddus, Davis and Elkins (confirmed to be leaving), and Ohio Valley
add Notre Dame College, Ashland, Urbana, Uindy, and maybe an NAIA school like Marian or Indiana Wesleyan
GLVC - Lose Uindy and Lewis
add Oakland City and Kentucky Wesleyan (also try to go after Washburn and/or bring back Lincoln from the MIAA)
GLIAC - lose Ashland and
add Lewis (also look at adding some NAIA Michigan schools)
MEC - Lose Urbana and Notre Dame College
add AB, D&E, OVU, Salem, and Bluefield

Thoughts?

I wouldn't discount UIndy or Lewis leaving, but I don't see any of the four mentioned of add-ons even being remotely possible. The GLVC could easily settle back into a 12 or 14 team league before reaching for some of those schools. It's been documented many times here that Lincoln isn't even an option because they don't come close to sponsoring the league-required sports of the GLVC. Why would the GLVC take OCU or KWC if two of the east/north schools are leaving the league in this scenario? Washburn isn't leaving the MIAA.

[ctrabs74]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

Those UIndy and/or Lewis leaving the GLVC rumors might heat up a little bit now that Bellarmine will officially make the move to D1 and the Atlantic Sun Conference in fall 2020:

https://www.wdrb.com/sports/crawford...ae2c7e255.html

[Wabbott9]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

Everyone needs to forget that Oakland City plays D2, because they only barely do so, and I seriously doubt that that will change anytime soon. There's not a conference that would take them, even if they moved their campus to someplace more geographically convenient.

Having said that, this is at least more realistic than some D1 FBS realignment scenarios I've seen :-) . The flaws:
1) Why would KWC join a conference they just left for reasons that haven't changed that is moving even further from them, and is losing two of its closer members, the closest for the conference it would then be leaving??
2) That's a ton of turnover in the GMAC. If it's that unstable, why assume it stays around at all? This isn't like the pre-split Big East, where there's something (a BCS berth and the basketball tourney) to keep schools interested in them. If schools are coming and going, how can you realistically evaluate travel expenses.

[BlueBlood]

Re: GMAC/GLVC/GLIAC/MEC Realignment

2) That's a ton of turnover in the GMAC. If it's that unstable, why assume it stays around at all? This isn't like the pre-split Big East, where there's something (a BCS berth and the basketball tourney) to keep schools interested in them. If schools are coming and going, how can you realistically evaluate travel expenses.

There has been a lot of turnover. However, the turnover has resulted in a stronger, more compact and cohesive conference. The G-MAC lost schools like Salem, D&E and Central St; and gained schools like Tiffin, Findlay and Hillsdale. I don't think the turnover is finished yet, but I don't think that should be viewed as scary. There are still some geographically-based moves that are somewhere in the range of possible-to-likely.