Horizon, MAC, and NEC

[YSUGO]

I keep hearing how great the Horizon league is and Valpo was a 13 Seed, while Buffalo was a 12 seed, which I think since Butler left the Horizon has become a bottom tier conference again.  The NEC  winner Was Robert Morris  Mmmmm

[YSUGO]

It's all about getting into the tournament.  Just saying you are in a tough league means squat.  Robert Morris is in the playin game. 

[YsuPride]

The Horizon League has diminished.  The MAC ruled the Horizon head-to-head this year.  Not even close.
This year we only had I think 3 teams with winning records.  And YSU finished last place in this poor League.
Yikes!   But Slocum is still here.  Mind blowing

[Spiderlegs]

I guess it depends on what sport you are looking at. If it's women's basketball, the toughest conference of the three conferences arguably is Horizon and NEC isn't even in the picture.

[YSUGO]

Robert Morris with a 34 yr old Coach wins their game and keeps dancin!

[Penguin Nation]

RMU MBB is the PERFECT example of how a higher RPI conference is not the best way to determine the best fit for a team.

The last place HL MBB team (YSU) beats RMU.  Later that same season, YSU gets eliminated in the first round of their higher RPI conference, and RMU is televised worldwide winning an NCAA tournament game. Incredible postive exposure for RMU.....and a great ROI for RMUs investment in athletics.

Now who has the more attractive offering for a potential recruit?

I've said this about the MVFC.  If being in the best conference does not deliver the post-season, and AQs from woeful conferences are getting in....then who's getting the best ROI for their athletic budget?  Did Noah Spence transfer from a BIG school to an MVFC school?  No, he chose a big fish in a little pond.  He chose a dominant program in the lowly OVC.

I realize, it is more complicated than that.  The HL likely placed three teams in the WNIT due to the strength of the HL, and the MVFC finally placed 5 teams in the FCS post-season in 2014.

I'm just saying conference affiliation needs to be re-evaluated continuously.  There are lots of variables to consider.  The HL is a decent geographic fit, the MVFC is not.  The issues with MBB go far beyond the HL, including the HC and poor OOC scheduling.

[Spiderlegs]

I suspect our conference affiliations will be reevaluated once enrollment stabilizes and the consequences of recent decisions by the NCAA are fully understood. Until then, the effort will be to maintain the status quo. The reevaluation might conclude that we stay where we are at.

I personally think the geographically best solution for all sports is NEC, though Horizon makes a lot of sense outside of football. However, if OVC decided to split into two divisions (North & South, or Yankee & Confederate ) and it could entice YSU, RMU, Duquesne, and maybe St. Francis to join as group as part of the North, this could make sense too.