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NCC -- Then there was one

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  • NCC -- Then there was one

    With USD all but certain to announce a move to Division I next month, the fate of current and former NCC members is pretty much known.

    Morningside logically dropped down to NAIA. SDSU, NDSU, UNC, UND and USD are either in or headed to their rightful place in D-I. Minn.-Duluth, Minn. St.-Mankato and St. Cloud State have reaffirmed their commitment to Division II, according to a recent St. Cloud newspaper article. UNO also is staying in D-II but has its sights set on the MIAA. UNO's interim chancellor has wasted no time and already met with MIAA officials.

    That leaves Augustana. Now, I have no inside knowledge which way school officials are leaning. But I am somewhat familiar with how the school is run, and the administrators always have been very good stewards of the school's money. (I guess you have no choice at any small private school not named Carleton or Macalaster.)

    As has been stated many times before on this board, the only way Augie can go D-I is without football or with a non-scholarship program. I just can't see Augie being able to boost its athletic budget all that much. The money not spent on football could be used to offset the increased expenses related to a D-I move in the other sports.

    My hunch is school officials will take a long, hard look in the financial mirror, decide to remain in D-II and apply to the NSIC. That said, there has been virtually no news about Augie's deliberations, so who knows what's going on. I haven't even heard if the school has hired a consultant to rubber stamp, er, assess D-I status. It seems whenever a school announces it is studying a possible D-I move these days, more often than not it ends up going.

    Either way, we'll know within a few weeks.

  • #2
    Re: NCC -- Then there was one

    Some of my family members are still very much a part of Augie athletics and Augie in general. From what they are saying, the move to D1 has all but been decided already.
    "You just stood their screaming. Fearing no one was listening to you. Hearing only what you wanna hear. Knowing only what you heard." Metallica

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    • #3
      Re: NCC -- Then there was one

      I guy I work with is an Augie alum and has been contacted by a couple of the sub-committees about his opinion in formal meetings. He wasn't comfortable talking too much, but he told me his impression is that Augie is going D-1, with scholarship football. He thought there is a slight chance they might go to non-schollie football, but only if the final review of their research found a major flaw in the analysis of the finances.

      I tried and tried to get him to tell me what they asked him about funding, conference affiliation, etc. but he wouldn't give it up. So, he may be pulling my chain, but I think the decision has been made.

      You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can never teach a stupid dog anything.

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      • #4
        Re: NCC -- Then there was one

        Wow, I must say I'm shocked, assuming that both USD and Augie make the final step. This could explain the 3 schools being looked at for the Great West expansion.

        With USD, Augie and UND within bus distance, that would definetly make SDSU/NDSU think twice about the move to the Gateway conference.

        My biggest hangup would be how soon would the Great West be granted their auto bid.

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        • #5
          Re: NCC -- Then there was one

          I don't think that the bus trips will weigh in as much as the autobid and protection.

          Also look at protection. There is plenty of speculation that within 10 years NDSU and UC Davis will look to the next level and step up to D-I football. If this happens the Gateway provides much more protection than the GWFC would.
          "The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all."
          -Leo Rosten

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          • #6
            Re: NCC -- Then there was one

            Maybe Augie will be adding women's crew (or equestrian) if they go D-1 with football schollies.........

            As for GWFC schools (UC-D and NDSU) jumping up to I-A (or the BCS level), UC-Davis could feasibly do it soon and would be in a good place for finding a conference (either MWC or WAC). NDSU has the fan support and an adequate facility, but they would need a larger facility in the long-term and would not be the best conference fit (MWC and WAC are too far west, MAC is too far east, and they aren't in the callibar of the Big 12, likely the best hypothetical I-A fit for NDSU....) The GWFC likely won't go away right away, even if SDSU and NDSU join the Gateway......

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            • #7
              Re: NCC -- Then there was one

              Gateway trumps playing transitioning division II schools that spit on us and refused to play us when we moved up. There is no benefit to being in a conference with UND, USD and Augie. The Gateway has an autobid that will be there in 2008 when NDSU and SDSU are eligible. If UND, USD and Augie are the three schools that the Great West thinks will make NDSU and SDSU change their mind they need to go back to the drawing board. If that is the expansion the earliest an autobid happens is 2014. 6 long years after the 2008 eligibility that both NDSU and SDSU have. No way to NDSU and SDSU hang around the Great West for former NCC schools. That would be foolish and stupid. The administrations at NDSU and SDSU are far to smart to throw away an autobid in a great conference like the Gateway to stay with NCC schools.

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              • #8
                Re: NCC -- Then there was one

                I'll just reprise what I said on another thread.

                The Great West Football Conference is a good conference right now. An expanded GWFC would be better still. I would not have a problem with SDSU staying in the GWFC, but . . .

                The Gateway with it's automatic playoff qualifier and plethora of Missouri Valley Conference institutions is better still.

                It's a win-win for SDSU no matter how it plays out.
                "I think we'll be OK"

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                • #9
                  Re: NCC -- Then there was one

                  I would think that Augie would be much better in the Pioneer with San Diego moving over to the GWFC.

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                  • #10
                    Re: NCC -- Then there was one

                    Just a few quick points:

                    1) Augie did play us in 2004, our first year as a I-AA team.
                    2) Augie would have to go non-scholarship football to play in the Pioneer; they would likely join the GWFC if they have schollies.
                    3) San Diego would have to add schollies to join the GWFC.

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                    • #11
                      Re: NCC -- Then there was one

                      Originally posted by kchats
                      Gateway trumps playing transitioning division II schools that spit on us and refused to play us when we moved up.  There is no benefit to being in a conference with UND, USD and Augie.  The Gateway has an autobid that will be there in 2008 when NDSU and SDSU are eligible.  If UND, USD and Augie are the three schools that the Great West thinks will make NDSU and SDSU change their mind they need to go back to the drawing board.  If that is the expansion the earliest an autobid happens is 2014.  6 long years after the 2008 eligibility that both NDSU and SDSU have.  No way to NDSU and SDSU hang around the Great West for former NCC schools.  That would be foolish and stupid.  The administrations at NDSU and SDSU are far to smart to throw away an autobid in a great conference like the Gateway to stay with NCC schools.
                      The Great West must have some hope if they are trying to expand. Or they are trying to lure those 3 schools while SDSU and NDSU are still present.

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                      • #12
                        Re: NCC -- Then there was one

                        Scratch Augie from the list....

                        http://www.sdsufans.com/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1163535365

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