Oakland volleyball (Photo by Damien Dennis, 2012)
Less than a month ago, it was announced that Oakland University would be moving from the Summit League to the Horizon League in July of this year. Being alumni of Oakland, we can’t help but find ourselves with a somewhat vested interest in their decision.
Brad Jeffers
First, we need to set the record straight. For as good of a school as Oakland University is, they are far from known for their athletic prowess. Add in the fact that the school doesn’t even have a football team (with no signs of that changing in the near future) and that only further hinders Oakland’s ability to join several major conferences in the NCAA. Taking those factors into consideration, the move to the Horizon League does make a lot of sense.
When I was a student at OU, I noticed that a lot of my fellow students had little to no interest in the athletic programs at the school. While it’s not a direct fault of the school, there were several things that I feel contributed to this. The biggest being the fact that we didn’t have any sort of rivalry within our conference.
Just look at the schools in the Summit League and you’ll quickly realize that no other school is even from Michigan. If you want excitement and a rivlary, proximity to them is always a factor. Although the Summit League does feature a few schools in the Great Lakes area (two schools in Indiana and one in Illinois), you’ll also notice that most are significantly further away.
No matter how hard you try to convince me, there will never be a rivalry between a school in Michigan and a school in one of the Dakota’s (the Summit League features two schools from South Dakota and one from North Dakota). Moving to the Horizon League changes that completely.
One of the best parts of OU joining the Horizon League is that students will finally have an interstate rivalry. The University of Detroit Mercy will finally allow students the opportunity to realistically commute to various sporting events. I can’t help but imagine that the possibility for increased attendance and revenues was a major factor in joining the Horizon League.
Overall, it really does seem like a perfect fit for OU. By finally being in a conference with schools in closer proximity (all happen to be within the Great Lakes area), students should find themselves with a renewed interest in their athletic programs.
Oakland hockey in a fight with Davenport. (Photo by Damien Dennis, 2012)
Damien Dennis
As Brad said, an interstate rivalry with Detroit is something that has been lacking when it comes to Oakland athletics. One of the most popular sports on campus happens to be Oakland Division I hockey, which is technically a club sport. The hockey team plays in the GLCHL conference of the ACHA and has their own interstate rivalry with Davenport, a college based in Grand Rapids.
Oakland basketball and the other NCAA-level sports at Oakland lack any rivalry of any sorts. Before Oral Roberts left for the Southland Conference last year, they were seen as the Golden Grizzlies rival. But that university is in Tulsa, OK. Fans and students have no easy accessibility to those games.
For me, a move to the Horizon League has other benefits aside from student and fan support. I enjoy the idea that the Golden Grizzlies will earn more TV time and more eyes on the university. Oakland is no powerhouse athletically, but they sure can make a run at any championship in any sport the school supports.
Women’s soccer defeated Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament in November for the first time in school history. Men’s basketball has appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times, including back-to-back appearances in 2010 and 2011, the latter of which they narrowly lost to Texas. More recently, Oakland baseball lost in the Summit League championship.
Fact is, Oakland can compete. This level of competition with the addition of more eyes nationwide and in specific markets will attract higher caliber athletes to the university. Oakland has athletes from across the nation, but the majority are from the Metro Detroit area. The Horizon League opens recruiting possibilities in larger markets, such as Chicago, Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Personally, an added benefit for me takes us back to Oakland hockey. The Horizon League is still a smaller league, but a major move up for Oakland. The lack of a football team will forever keep Oakland from the ranks of a Big Ten or SEC. As for hockey, last fall I spoke with then-head coach Jeremy Bachusz before the season began about the possibility of Oakland moving into the NCAA league for hockey.
Bachusz had told me the idea has been tossed around and brought up but with nothing major in the works. While it may be a long ways off, the fan and student support is among the strongest at Oakland and may, eventually, lead to the inculsion of hockey as a campus sport. Oakland has competed for national championships in the ACHA and even knocked off top ranked Penn State in 2011 to advance to the finals of the ACHA tournament, sending the Nittany Lion Icers out of the ACHA to the NCAA with a loss.
Overall, the move is good for a variety of reasons. New rivalries, lessened travel times, recruiting and national visibility coupled with possible new opportunities for the university make for a positive step forward.
