Thunderbirds still hoping for BSC someday

[89rabbit]

You can tell that Southern Utah has a long term goal of getting into the Big Sky, of course this is not news.

http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs...607090322/1006

Moving to higher-profile league no easy task
What are SUU's chances?Why not SUU?What changes are ahead?

By RICH JOHNSON
rjohnson@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY - Years ago, Jerry Graybeal felt the same frustration that Southern Utah University is feeling today.

While Graybeal was serving as head football coach at Eastern Washington University, the Eagles were striving for acceptance into the Big Sky Conference.

But ...

"The first time we tried to seek admission, we were denied," said Graybeal, now the athletic director at Weber State University in Ogden. "At that time, we weren't a match."
Neither was SUU last year, when the Big Sky rejected the Thunderbirds and instead added Northern Colorado University, an apparent geographic mismatch.

The next time the Big Sky is interested in expansion, SUU wants to be ready. . . . (read more)


Go State!

[Jacks_Backer]

Re: Thunderbirds still hoping for BSC someday

the Big Sky rejected the Thunderbirds and instead added Northern Colorado University, an apparent geographic mismatch.

That is an article quote not a 89 rabbit quote.

How can they be an apparent geographic mismatch when they are just north of Northern Arizona University?  Greeley is not within driving distance from anywhere also but are closer to a major airport.

[NightHawk78]

Re: Thunderbirds still hoping for BSC someday

This is the BS Conference you're talking about.....unless SUU changes its name to East Las Vegas State, the BS Conference will instead try to find schools that are in or right outside metro areas. I hate to say it, but UNO and St. Cloud State probably have a better chance of entering the BS Conference than SUU. If the BS adds a tenth school, it will likely be a non-football school such as Denver or Seattle........

[OKC_Poke]

Re: Thunderbirds still hoping for BSC someday

Well, THAT explains why SUU could never get in the Big Sky. I always thought that NAU and Weber State was hell bent on keeping SUU out.

[filbert]

Re: Thunderbirds still hoping for BSC someday

My overwhelming impression of the Big Sky Conference is that they have an excess of arrogance.

If it wasn't for Montana, they'd be a low mid-major basketball conference and just a good football conference. Their single-minded fixation on breaking into major media markets is, IMHO, why Southern Utah will continue to be way down on the list of potential BSC members (also, incidentally, why UND and USD will be if anything below SUU on that list).

I see little incentive for the BSC to add additional members from any direction, in the current conference environment. Montana (or, possibly, Sac State) deciding to follow Western Kentucky into I-A football is probably what would be necessary to shake them up.