McFeely blog: Why did Valley add Murray State? Good question. Can't wait to hear the answer.

Expect word salad and a "unanimous" vote by the presidents of the league. It'll be smiles all around.

News leaked Sunday that Murray State has been voted into the MVFC. An official announcement will come Monday.

Why?

That should be the first question posed to league commissioner Patty Viverito. Because this doesn't make much sense from the outside looking in. The Racers are not good at football.

Maybe most of the current MVFC are fine with the Racers becoming the 12th team in the league. Who knows? It'll take some reporting to find out what athletic directors and coaches around the league feel about it. In the weeks and days leading up to the league presidents' vote over the weekend, Viverito and her staff locked down any public debate about Murray State's possible admission.

There were, in the words of one league source not located in Fargo, "many directives from St. Louis" regarding information about Murray State's fate. St. Louis is the home of the MVFC office. In other words, Viverito didn't want loose lips to give any information or opinion about what was happening.

Kudos to NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen for being a company man. On numerous occasions last winter and this spring, when I'd see Larsen at an event or press conference, I'd pepper him with questions about Murray State and the MVFC. Each time, Larsen would offer nothing besides, "You'll have to talk with Patty." The man doesn't crack under extreme duress.

The problem, of course, is that Patty didn't want to talk. What the big secret was, we'll maybe find out Monday. Or at least we'll ask. Why it was so untoward to discuss publicly whether Murray State would be a good addition to the MVFC or not remains a mystery. Contrary opinions not allowed, apparently.

The MVFC is one big happy family. Or at least that's the public image Viverito and the presidents want promoted. Smiles, everyone, smiles.

The truth is, we'd surmise, not that.

Murray State is no doubt populated by fine people and its football program is filled with quality individuals who are trying their best to improve. That's not the issue, so don't take what we're about to say personally if you're reading this in Kentucky.

But what in the wide, wide world of sports does Murray State's football program add to the mighty Missouri Valley Football Conference?

Because, that's the point of expansion, right? Poaching a program from another league or adding a school looking for a new home is about getting stronger, correct? Think Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference. Or Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and Brigham Young to the Big 12. Or, on a smaller scale, James Madison and Marshall and others to the Sun Belt. Positive additions.

Reminder: This is FCS. Maybe nobody cares. After all, Viverito and others have floated expanding the 24-team playoff field even though finding 24 deserving teams each year has been a problem.

The question Viverito will face Monday is simple: What does Murray State add to a league that already has 11 teams and wasn't desperate for an addition?

The Racers, bluntly, have not been good in football for a long, long time. Like, two decades. That's the last time they made the FCS playoffs. In 2002. Since then, playing in the weak Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State has been unable to win the league even one time to gain a postseason auto-bid.

Murray State last season celebrated a 6-5 record, which is an improvement over its usual success. When the Racers join the MVFC in 2023, they will be the worst program in the conference.

So the question is: Why?

Murray State is a terrific basketball school and will join the Missouri Valley Conference (non-football) for most of its sports next year. That is a huge get for the MVC. But like most MVC schools, football is a secondary sport at Murray State. It is not a priority.

So why? Absent a compelling reason for needing another team, what is the reasoning behind adding Murray State to the MVFC?

Could it be that the "have nots" in the league want another "have not?" It seems to be a pattern that the "have nots" have more say in the league than the handful of "haves." We learned this during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Or maybe there's only one school in the conference that is a true "have" and nobody else cares all that much.

Why?

That is the question Viverito and whatever presidents and ADs who will speak have to answer. Maybe there's a good explanation. That's a possibility. If somebody offers one, I'll concede that fact.

But up until now, nobody's explained it. Or been allowed to explain it.

We wait with bated breath for Monday afternoon. Don't expect to be satisfied.