For the better part of a year or more, there have been rumors of a Division 2 conference merger between the Heartland and the Lone Star. Within the last several months, those rumors have turned into real discussions between the powers that be in both leagues. This was primarily fueled due to the massive Division 1 conference realignment that took place a few years ago and has since settled down a bit. The Lone Star had some of its members poached by the Southland Conference after some schools jumped ship to join the D1 ranks. So, that left the LSC with less than 10 member institutions going forward. All but two of the schools subsidize football (Texas Woman's, Cameron).
The question then becomes whether this merger, if it happens at all, is ultimately good or bad for Rogers State. No one asked my opinion, nor does it really matter. But, I'll offer it in this space anyway. When it comes to enrollment, the Lone Star schools are bigger. When it comes to budgets, the Lone Star schools are bigger. And when it comes to disrupting the current construction of the Heartland in terms of half the league being public and half the league being private, I think it's a bad idea. The Heartland is just settling into having some of its new members gain full D2 status in the next year or two. I think the timing is wrong for this move. I do believe it would benefit the LSC more than it would benefit the HC. The Lone Star NEEDS this more than the Heartland needs it. From a competition standpoint, the Heartland would eventually catch up in sports like basketball. But how long would that take. The budgets of those football-playing Texas schools will always be bigger. To me, that's a major issue. Travel might not necessarily be as big of a problem as you might think if they split the new proposed conference into north and south divisions. It would then create a weighted schedule. I guess it would be a plus to say our school plays in the biggest D2 mega-conference in the entire country (the PSAC currently has 18 members in Pennsylvania). The merger would create a 20-school league. If rumors are right, Eastern New Mexico would break away and join the Rocky Mountain. With Texas Woman's in the fold, that would even out the current scheduling snafu in the Heartland created by Dallas Baptist not sponsoring women's hoops. That's a real plus in my mind, but not enough to give this potential merger two thumbs up.
In the end, there is probably a 50/50 chance this merger happens. Talks seem to be the most serious they've ever been. I don't think it's a totally terrible or off-the-wall proposal. Come back to me a couple of years from now when the dust has settled for provisional members of the Heartland and maybe my opinion will have changed. For now, not all things are bigger in Texas.
***UPDATE***
It was announced February 13th by the Lone Star Conference that Texas-Permian Basin would be joining the league in all sports starting in 2016. The conference also added Oklahoma Panhandle State for football only, also beginning in 2016. I am thankful that cooler heads prevailed. The LSC is able to add two football members and not disrupt the immediate future of the Heartland. I think this is the best possible scenario for all parties involved. The bottom line here is that football still dominates the conference realignment landscape.
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