Pac12 Expansion

[Prairiehaas]

Reporting published today the PAC12 will expand bringing in BSU, CSUF, CSU & SDSUr from Mountain West.

[hareball]

That would be Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State & San Diego State. This may have ripple effects in the Dakotas.

Is the new basketball floor in Frost Arena fully installed & finished? It will be interesting to see if the Summit League logo is on the floor.

[ringthebells]

What if the Mountain West brings in the Montana schools and leaves the Dakotas behind? The FCS playoffs would get really boring, really fast.

[GoJacks2011]

What if the Mountain West brings in the Montana schools and leaves the Dakotas behind? The FCS playoffs would get really boring, really fast.

This is my thought. I fear if the Montana's go, we are going to be disappointed if we stay behind. They are a better for MWC in terms of geography but I still think losing them, drops us permanently into a lower tier of competition.

[Jacks-02]

As much as I like the thought of being with the Montana schools in an FBS conference, I really dislike the thought of us being in a conference dominated by Mountain and Pacific time zone teams. Game times and travel would suck, and not just for football, for all sports.

[ringthebells]

As much as I like the thought of being with the Montana schools in an FBS conference, I really dislike the thought of us being in a conference dominated by Mountain and Pacific time zone teams. Game times and travel would suck, and not just for football, for all sports.

That is one thing I dislike about joining up going westward. UND's foray into the Big Sky showed that those late starts for basketball were brutal for the fans.

[GoJacks2011]

As much as I like the thought of being with the Montana schools in an FBS conference, I really dislike the thought of us being in a conference dominated by Mountain and Pacific time zone teams. Game times and travel would suck, and not just for football, for all sports.

Same. I still prefer we look east/south. While we border Montana, Wyoming the majority of our population isn't connected to those states and has more in common with Minnesota, Iowa, etc. Easier travel for fans and teams both to go east vs going west.

[Jacks-02]

Same. I still prefer we look east/south. While we border Montana, Wyoming the majority of our population isn't connected to those states and has more in common with Minnesota, Iowa, etc. Easier travel for fans and teams both to go east vs going west.

We share a border with Montana, but I agree that doesn't mean much considering the location of MSU and UM. Brookings is 1,050 miles from Missoula and 800 miles from Bozeman.

For reference, Youngstown, Ohio is 980 miles.

[ringthebells]

Are there any west coast time zone schools left in the Mountain West?

[LakeJack]

Interesting read.

https://herosports.com/fcs-pac-12-re...o-effect-bzbz/

[LakeJack]

Are there any west coast time zone schools left in the Mountain West?

San Jose State

[JacksFan80]

Same. I still prefer we look east/south. While we border Montana, Wyoming the majority of our population isn't connected to those states and has more in common with Minnesota, Iowa, etc. Easier travel for fans and teams both to go east vs going west.

There’s really no where to go in that direction either. The MAC is predominantly centered around Ohio/Michigan so not exactly close. C-USA is all over the place and none of them are close, same goes for the AAC. There’s never going to be an ideal fit in terms of geography for SDSU/NDSU in an FBS move, we are in a desert for G5 programs.

[LakeJack]

More reading.

https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/...=BrettMcMurphy

[Prairiehaas]

There’s really no where to go in that direction either. The MAC is predominantly centered around Ohio/Michigan so not exactly close. C-USA is all over the place and none of them are close, same goes for the AAC. There’s never going to be an ideal fit in terms of geography for SDSU/NDSU in an FBS move, we are in a desert for G5 programs.

Any move will involve more travel. Without a change to the way conferences work, that means travel for every program at State. Playing in a different time zone is not ideal. I could make a cogent argument for the State of SD to be in a single time zone, the mountain zone. Any move may eliminate regular games with current rivals, will require more money and will eliminate possibility of football national championships for the time being.

The MVFC is an excellent league, but FCS football is becoming less competitive. The Summit League is questionable in long term stability. An opportunity to move to a more stable situation for most sports and provides strong competition is desirable. The successful move from DII to DI shows that State has the leadership and resources to take the next step and the organizational commitment to be successful.

I believe the current organization of college athletics governed by the NCAA will see a major change in the next 5-7 yr. The money associated with major college football, basketball and to a lesser extent hockey and baseball is huge. It is hundreds of million dollars now and will exceed a billion dollars soon. There are reports of venture capitalists planning billion dollar sums to set up independent college BB or FB leagues. The big schools cannot ignore this and will, at some point, take the money and walk away from the NCAA. Even more so if more NIL compensation sums are shifted to them. When that happens, IMHO, the best place for State to be is in the highest tier remaining.

Given all of that I believe State should move up if the opportunity presents itself, either to the MWC or the MAC.

[discoDancinRabbit]

Surely the pac isnt done raiding the mountain west. Cant imagine anybody would go for it in the east. They already have enough schools to choose from and plus gonzaga might think it is time. That would have to feel about right for the ones that got left behind. But of course the coin will have to determine it.

Maybe this leads to the dakotas, montanas, the big sky and whatever is left of the mwc.