I think, though there were a few blips, Jeff has deep ties and long history with the NCC, and most of the NCC schools are clinging to that past glory.
People I've talked to have said for all intents and purposes, this was a move to get Harrison out because they were becoming too dominant in most/all sports. Harrison and McCutcheon are basically joined at the hip so if Harrison got the boot so did McCutcheon.
I think south makes more sense for MHS and HHS, but I think they'll be in a really tough spot finding a conference or a handful of schools willing to join them.