Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

[Jacks15]

http://media.www.duclarion.com/media...-3373576.shtml

Saw this on Sioux Sports. Interesting how this would affect conferences out west.

[filbert]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

They fit most naturally IMHO into the Big Sky, and next most naturally in the West Coast, although they're an awfully long way from the nearest WCC school.

I can't see WAC or Mountain West being terribly interested in a non-FBS-playing school. WAC might however give them a sniff because of the Denver market.

Don't see the geographic sense of the Missouri Valley at all.

With the rise in oil prices, travel expenses are going to be more and more of a factor in conference memberships, I think, to the extent that it might be the major factor spurring the next round of conference realignments.

[Nidaros]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

They fit most naturally IMHO into the Big Sky, and next most naturally in the West Coast, although they're an awfully long way from the nearest WCC school.

I can't see WAC or Mountain West being terribly interested in a non-FBS-playing school. WAC might however give them a sniff because of the Denver market.

Don't see the geographic sense of the Missouri Valley at all.

With the rise in oil prices, travel expenses are going to be more and more of a factor in conference memberships, I think, to the extent that it might be the major factor spurring the next round of conference realignments.

In general, I would agree. One unfit factor for UD is the absence of a football program, which should bother the Big Sky, however, they seem to be so impressed with the Denver media market that this may not be a problem.

Personally, I think media market want by more rural institutions that make up the Big Sky can be a red herring, when you consider that the institution located in that major media market is not in the news everyday and gets minimal coverage when they do have a good program. i.e Chicago State and UNO are two prime examples. UD is in my opinion in that same boat.

What is even more a laugh is that the Big Sky admitted Cal State-Northridge years ago in hopes of getting a piece of the LA media market. Cal State Northridge was nearly forced out of the BSC because of irregularities in the football program and the institution did not have the resources to upgrade facilities. I know where CS-Northridge is located, namely in a growing middle class San Franando Valley. It should have had great support for D1 athletics, but did not and probably did not make page one of the LA Times sport section until, the NCAA levied its sanctions and the football coach was fired.

When the economics of the neighborhood surrounding the institution that do little or nothing for promotion and marketing of athletic events, then what help is that in getting exposure in a major media market?

Its a few years ago now, but when SDSU was in the regional for Men's bb at Fort Hays Kansas, UD was also in the tourney and eliminated in the first round. Yes they were D2 then, maybe 1995? Fort Hays Ks. was closer for DU fans, then for SDSU fans, and DU has only a handful of parents on hand to watch their opening round loss. SDSU had a quite a contingency.

I tend to think the Denver media is more interested in telling the public about what is going on at the institutions at nearby Boulder and Fort Collins. I hope I got that right, meaning the locations of U Of Colorado and Colorado State University.

The fact that DU has gone this far and been able to make it in D1 indicates strong financial support from their alums, as I would be willing to bet that there are Denver residents who do not know that U of Denver exists.

I do wonder about how much the travel costs will impact the future in general. Right now it looks like a big impact.

[Hammersmith]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

Beyond not having football, DU* also does not have any running teams. That means of the 14 sports the Big Sky runs, DU only has 7. Also, it would mean that DU would have more sports outside its "main" conference than in it(DU has a total of 17 sports). I may be proven wrong, but I don't think DU is Big Sky bound. I don't think anyone will know anything until the NCAA releases the new DI and FBS requirements in 2010 or 2011 and until the Mountain West conference makes some overt decision on the direction its member schools choose to go.

*for some reason the University of Denver reverses its initials

[filbert]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

Beyond not having football, DU* also does not have any running teams. That means of the 14 sports the Big Sky runs, DU only has 7. Also, it would mean that DU would have more sports outside its "main" conference than in it(DU has a total of 17 sports). I may be proven wrong, but I don't think DU is Big Sky bound. I don't think anyone will know anything until the NCAA releases the new DI and FBS requirements in 2010 or 2011 and until the Mountain West conference makes some overt decision on the direction its member schools choose to go.

*for some reason the University of Denver reverses its initials

I've heard elsewhere that the initial-reversal tends to be mainly a midwest/great plains/old Big 8 thing . . .

U. of Kansas is KU (Kentucky is U of K);
U. of Oklahoma is OU;
U. of Colorado is CU;
U. of Missouri (when not Mizzou) is MU (Minnesota is U of M);
And you'll occasionally hear of Nebraska being referred to as NU (although, I think, more common nowadays is UNL).

[dozer1981]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

I used to live in Denver for 9 years. Some of them being when DU was division II and then after they changed. Went to a few games at DU and a lot of games at Metro State. Either team you could show up for basketball games at start time and sit center court in the front row. I would guess that there was never more than 200 to 500 people at the games. Only times they got a crowd was if they played Ft. Hays or Kearney. Then they seemed to draw some people. That was also when Metro had national championship status. Both colleges are suitcase colleges with a lot of grad students. DU has their hockey program and that is about it. They fill the stadium for every game and have a kick ass stadium. The guy that started the cable tv outfit in Denver built if for them. It is one of the nicest stadiums I have seen. I should say that it was for swimming. basketball, and hockey. Something like Frost but very nice. All padded seats in the hockey rink. I never heard anything about any other sports at DU other than Hockey.

[Hammersmith]

Re: Denver being forced out of Sun Belt

Well, it looks like moving to DI and the Sun Belt has helped DU's attendance. With one exception(2006-07), their attendance has been on the rise, topped this last year at 2,454. Metro State, on the other hand, is dropping and was only 273 this year.