There are probably a lot of mixed feelings today [Wednesday] about the announcement that Niles will no longer be a member of the SMAC after this year and will be joining the BCS Athletic Conference beginning next fall.

I can understand that, but here are some things you should consider before you go blowing up Facebook with disparaging remarks or giving the decision by Niles to make the move.

First of all, Niles has been actively looking for a conference to join for the better part of five years. Athletic Director Jeff Upton has been very open and honest about how he feels on the topic. He has been transparent in what he has been trying to do and for that, he should be applauded.

Too many times, these decisions are made behind closed doors, and no one even knows what is going on until the choices have been made. Niles’ administration did its homework and looked at multiple options that would be best for its student-athletes.

That is what is important here. It is not about winning more football games. It is not about being a state power in wrestling or volleyball. It is about doing what is in the best interest of students.

Beginning next fall, Niles will no longer be getting students out of class in the middle of the afternoon to travel to Kalamazoo or Battle Creek to play a SMAC contest. Gone will be the late nights when buses return from those communities to Niles somewhere between 11 p.m. and midnight.

For that reason alone, I completely support this decision.

What is the best possible choice for Niles to make? Only time will tell. I personally thought and wanted them to join the Wolverine Conference when it became clear that South Haven was going to be leaving the league at some point.

I also had a much more selfish reason for the Vikings to join the Wolverine Conference. I wanted to renew the Dowagiac-Niles football rivalry, which until it ended following the 2005 season, was one of the longest-running continuous high school series in the state.

Niles and Dowagiac played more than 100 games in the series. Both schools had extended runs of success against the other. Each game was the talk to the town leading up to the contest and then immediately afterward.

It was a game that the stuff of legends was made of, including Dowagiac’s two-point conversion victory with Edgar Wilson and Hillary Bisnett’s game-winning field goal in the 100th meeting.

Another thing to be considered is the fact that this is just a first step for the BCS in creating a multi-level conference with divisions that can be aligned in a variety of ways, including geographically, by enrollment or for competitive purposes.

Right now, the BCS has a five-team contingent of schools that are playing eight-man football. River Valley could become the sixth such school to switch as the Mustangs had to cancel the remainder of this season due to a lack of numbers.

On the other side of the coin, Brandywine, Buchanan, Berrien Springs, Parchment and Comstock are all playing 11-man football. With the exception of the Bobcats, all are Class B schools by enrollment. There, they fall in the divisions that the Michigan High School Athletic Association sports are divided into, depending on the number of schools sponsoring teams in each postseason.

Adding Niles, which has not had a winning football season since 2003, gives the BCS a sixth school playing in the 11-man format.

The final thing I would like everyone to consider is the local rivalries that can be created. Niles already plays Buchanan and Brandywine in nearly every sport with the exception of football. It has also been years since the Vikings and Bobcats have met on the basketball court. I know people have been clamoring for Brandywine and Niles to square off in girls basketball.

The Bobcats have been the area’s best program for more than a decade now, while the Niles girls program is up and coming. I will predict right here and now, when those two square off next year, the crowd will be large and loud.

Having local rivalries also creates better gates for the school districts and the booster clubs who run the concession stands. I know this past week alone, I noticed that Sturgis brought about five people to Dowagiac for its soccer match. I know that has nothing to do with the new conference, but it helps make my point that travel distance is the key to having a vibrant league.

Battle Creek Central brought similar numbers to the Niles soccer match Tuesday night. Niles traveled to Kalamazoo for soccer Wednesday and then to Gull Lake today for football. With those contests starting at 5:30 p.m. or earlier, how many Niles fans can make it to the game on time? How many students will make that trip?

Very few would be my answer.

So, let’s all embrace this change and see how it works out before condemning it on social media or in public. Until the MHSAA fixes football so that everyone gets to play in the postseason as every other sport does, we will continue to have realignment and shifts anyway.

Someone has to be the brave one and make the first move. Niles and South Haven, which will also be in the BCS next year, were the ones to take the first step. Let’s see where it leads.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com