Jackrabbit vs Bison is a better all around rivalry, IMO.
“I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems scary and wierd. It’ll happen to you.” — Abe Simpson
I think that fund drive was for academics only, I could be wrong though.
I wonder if boosters will be burned/cashed out after being pumped for $125 million? "Hey Mr. Alumni! Thanks for that $1000 commitment for academics. Could you spare an extra $1000 for athletics?"
Maybe they really do have a large donation waiting in the wings.
Time will tell.
“I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems scary and wierd. It’ll happen to you.” — Abe Simpson
I would also guess that the $125 mil is commitments only... those checks have not been cashed yet.
Hey, I'll donate $10,000 to USD...the checks in the mail!
“I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems scary and wierd. It’ll happen to you.” — Abe Simpson
Listening to KFAN and the "two clowns" leading the show, all they are talking about is how the Mid-Con would be absolutely nuts to not be on the phone to both USD and UND and get them signed up ASAP!
That really suprises me, but you have to consider the source! Maybe that's how it will shake out but I severely doubt it!
They also are talking about how the rivalry will resume soon which I also doubt will be happening soon!
Listening to KFAN and the "two clowns" leading the show, all they are talking about is how the Mid-Con would be absolutely nuts to not be on the phone to both USD and UND and get them signed up ASAP!
That really suprises me, but you have to consider the source! Maybe that's how it will shake out but I severely doubt it!
They also are talking about how the rivalry will resume soon which I also doubt will be happening soon!
SUPERBUNNY
They did talk about how the Mid-Con would be dumb not to take USD/UND. I wouldn't think it would be so dumb...and let's not forget SDSU and NDSU have a counting vote in that decision if there ever is one since they are current members of the conference. I can assure you the vote will start 0-2 against these schools. That is out of 10 and we'll likely have an influence on some other schools' votes.
One of the "two clowns" named Bob also said that he thinks Augie will now also make the move to D-I in a few years. He thinks it would be great to see all 3 schools at the D-I level. These guys must be drunk!
Listening to KFAN and the "two clowns" leading the show, all they are talking about is how the Mid-Con would be absolutely nuts to not be on the phone to both USD and UND and get them signed up ASAP!
That really suprises me, but you have to consider the source! Maybe that's how it will shake out but I severely doubt it!
They also are talking about how the rivalry will resume soon which I also doubt will be happening soon!
SUPERBUNNY
Yes, and I also recall how SDSU's and NDSU's membership the Big Sky Conference was an absolute no-brainer when we first came out of the gate and announced our re-classification---a no-brainer according to some fans, that is, not from the Athletic Departments, which always said either the Big Sky or the Mid-Con made the most sense but were more circumspect for the most part.
I think both USD and UND will quickly find a home in the Great West Football Conference.
It remains to be seen whether or not the member schools of the Mid-Con will be interested in two road trips per year to the Dakotas vs. one with NDSU and SDSU.
And, to tie this to the other big story of the day, it occurs to me that KELO or some other media outlet might be willing to ante up some significant dollars to pay to televise the first football and basketball games between SDSU and USD at the D-I level.
They just brought it up again and this time they phrased it "if the Mid-Con has any brains at all, they would be calling USD and UND today and saying staying by your phones in the future" (paraphrased)
Here's the full announcement from the USD web site:
Nov 29, 2006
USD to Move Athletic Programs to Division I
VERMILLION, S.D. -- The University of South Dakota President James W. Abbott announced today that via letter last week he formally requested Regental permission to begin the process of moving its athletic programs to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-AA for football and Division I for all other sports.
Currently, The University of South Dakota participates at the NCAA Division II level and is a member of the North Central Conference (NCC). The U sponsors 17 intercollegiate, varsity sports with more than 350 student athletes.
In July, Abbott appointed a 26 member Athletic Review Task Force, chaired by First Fidelity Bank President John Lillibridge and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Tina Keller, to review The U’s NCAA division classification and conference affiliation. The task force, comprised of students, faculty, alumni, administrators, coaches and community members, retained the Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting group to assist in a comprehensive review. On Nov. 6, 2006, the task force recommended to President Abbott that the University reclassify its athletic programs to Division I.
“We felt very comfortable in Division II and in the NCC, but with the University of North Dakota’s Division I announcement earlier this year, it is clear that the competitive experience our student athletes have enjoyed for nearly a century will no longer be available in Division II,” Abbott said. “Our student athletes and fans deserve a competitive experience. Based on the recommendation of the task force, the consultant and the information gathered via public forums, we are convinced that seeking a change in athletic classification is in the best interest of our students, our fans and the University.”
Strong academics and competitive athletics co-exist at USD. For the 2006 spring term, the all-athlete grade point average totaled 3.15 on a 4.0 scale compared with 3.01 for all undergraduates. And, in the past three years alone, seven of The U’s student athletes were awarded prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships, earning The U a sixth place ranking among the 1024 NCAA member institutions in terms scholarships awarded. Since 2003, athletic teams in 14 sports participated in NCAA post season competition; a member of both the men’s and women’s basketball squads have been named national player of the year; and two USD athletes have been finalists for the Harlon Hill trophy—the Division II outstanding football player award.
Pending approval from the Board of Regents, the University will enter an exploratory year in 2007-2008. The exploratory year is a transition year allowing the University to address primary issues including: alumni and fan support, conference affiliation and funding.
“The University of South Dakota, the state’s flagship institution founded in 1862, values its role as the state’s comprehensive liberal arts institution. We want to compete with institutions that share our commitment to academics and have a similar mission,” Abbott said.
About The University of South Dakota
Founded in 1862, The University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a comprehensive College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, the state’s only School of Law, School of Medicine, the accredited Beacom School of Business and the College of Fine Arts. It has an enrollment of approximately 8,700 students taught by 400 faculty members. More information is available at www.usd.edu/press/news.
This material is available in an alternate format upon request. Please contact University Relations at 605-677-5759. If you are a person with a disability and need a special accommodation to fully participate in any university activity or event, please contact Disability Services at 605-677-6389 as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the event, so that appropriate arrangements may be made.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Doug Murano -- University Relations
The University of South Dakota
605-677-6258
605-677-6534 - Fax urelate@usd.edu www.usd.edu
These guys on KWSN are clueless... Do they even follow SDSU athletics, or do they just listen to water cooler talk?
They just said SDSU has not developed any rivalries since being in the Great West.
19000+ for NDSU game
16000+ for Hobo Days
9000+ average home attendance
Fans are coming to the games when a quality product is on the field/court.
“I used to be with it. But then they changed what it was. Now what I’m with isn’t it, and what’s it seems scary and wierd. It’ll happen to you.” — Abe Simpson
These guys on KWSN are clueless... Do they even follow SDSU athletics, or do they just listen to water cooler talk?
They just said SDSU has not developed any rivalries since being in the Great West.
19000+ for NDSU game
16000+ for Hobo Days
9000+ average home attendance
Fans are coming to the games when a quality product is on the field/court.
I believe the answer to your question is yes, the KWSN guys are in fact clueless about Division I athletics. It's a shame that they haven't used the four years since SDSU announced our move to educate themselves, and have instead carped, complained, and criticized SDSU's "arrogance" at leaving the NCC.
Now that the NCC is pretty much finished imploding, they're discovering that maybe they'll be OK with D-I after all.
And, I think I just heard JackMD calling into their show . . . was that you, JackMD?
Well I guess it is time that we start talking about moving up to DI-A football. With all these tiny d2 schools moving up, the DI-AA landscape is becoming waterdowned and soon these schools will be asking for scholarship reductions. :-? :
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