I am really trying to get excited by the change in conferences, but I am not, I just don't get it, unless there is a significant financial benefit for the University. The teams in the Horizon League are not going to attract more fans to come to the Colonials' home games. Local fans would be more excited if RMU played University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown (D-2)) than University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. In football, they certainly would be more excited if the Colonials played IUP (D-2), rather than Campbell or Kennesaw State. Duquesne plays in the Atlantic 10 and local fans have little interest in seeing games against the quality opponents in that conference. I understand that moving to the Horizon League and to the Big South are steps up in competition. Okay, what does that get you? It will be more difficult to win championships, or even to have winning seasons. More RMU fans will show up to see their team win games while competing in the NEC than to see the Colonials as a middle of the pack or losing team in the Horizon League or Big South Conference. I know that the Horizon League has had multi teams in the NCAA Tournament in the past, but that is the past, they have also lost their better programs. Generally, it's a one bid conference. If the programs in the Horizon League are all about even and the likelihood of the Colonials winning the men's basketball tournament is once every twelve years for the honor of maybe being a 13 or 14 seed, and then having maybe a twenty percent chance of winning a game in the Big Dance, rather than a play-in game or a 16th seed, that does not seem to be enough reason to make the change in conferences. I know every fan of every low and mid major program dreams of their team being the next Gonzaga, just as every lottery player dreams of winning the Powerball. Good luck with that! This all seems to be even a worse move for football. Moving up in competition, having to offer move scholarships for the honor of having extremely long bus rides to every away game against teams with names most people from this area have never heard of, why? With that said, I do have great confidence in President Howard and AD Chris King. They would not make the decision to move conferences lightly, I am certain they have analyzed these moves from every angle. Assuming the reports are correct and the conference moves are going to happen, as a long-time Colonials' fan, hopefully I will soon be excited by all of this, I am just not there yet. Go Colonials!
