Denver to Summit?

[Keeper]

Re: Denver to Summit?

Very good news - will be interested to see if anything else happens.

[gojacksgo]

Re: Denver to Summit?

This is good news. I'm not sure if Oakland will get the invite, but Denver to Summit did not make the decision. A nice market to get into, even if they are second-fiddle to the larger schools. They won 22 games last year in the Sun Belt.

Who are some other potential Summit League targets, in case Oakland is gone? I truly think they are.

I would rather the Summit have 10 teams.

[joeboo22]

Re: Denver to Summit?

This is good news. I'm not sure if Oakland will get the invite, but Denver to Summit did not make the decision. A nice market to get into, even if they are second-fiddle to the larger schools. They won 22 games last year in the Sun Belt.

Who are some other potential Summit League targets, in case Oakland is gone? I truly think they are.

I would rather the Summit have 10 teams.

UND, Northern Colorado, a Minnesota school (dropping football going D-I), SIU-E, Northern Kentucky, Univ Arkansas Little Rock, some others who would fit geographically but I'd put as highly unlikely Eastern Illinois and Central Arkansas

Some would need a football conference, but if the conference is talking expansion with anyone else my guess would be they are on that list.

[LakeJack]

Re: Denver to Summit?

Looks like it is official:

http://www.denverpost.com/du/ci_2206...c-after-1-year

[Rabbit74]

Re: Denver to Summit?

UND, Northern Colorado, a Minnesota school (dropping football going D-I), SIU-E, Northern Kentucky, Univ Arkansas Little Rock, some others who would fit geographically but I'd put as highly unlikely Eastern Illinois and Central Arkansas

Some would need a football conference, but if the conference is talking expansion with anyone else my guess would be they are on that list.

The teams you mention are all in stable conferences (at least as stable as they get these days.). Schools that have to be looking are the remaining WAC and Great West Schools. That list includes Chicago State (who was more or less kicked out about 10 years ago) Pan American, New Jersey Tech, New Mexico State (who wouldn't be a bad travel partner for Denver, Utah Valley, Seattle and Cal Bakersfield. Some of these are a long ways from the footprint and I don't think would be considered but they are the ones that are obviously looking. There are no independents left that is if the WAC lasts until next year and adds Bakersfield. The other possibility of course is a DII move up program and there are several possibilities there including Missouri St. Louis, Bellarmine, Southern Indiana. These have all supposedly talked about moving up at some point.

[Coyote_Fan]

Re: Denver to Summit?

I like the idea of adding Denver to get to 10. With them I would like to see Northern Colorado and North Dakota follow. That would put a nice bow on the conference but give it more stability in case the eastern schools start to bolt which is probably getting to be more and more a possibility. If UNC is to come to the Summit which I think is possible, UND would probably be added at the same time. I would actually like a 12 team full round robin basketball conference. Scheduling good non conference home games even with a 10 team conference seems hard to do in basketball without traveling all over the country to try to get teams to return the favor. Of course if this was to happen the MVFC would almost be forced to go to 12 schools and split into divisions. UNC-UND-NDSU-SDSU-USD-UNI & WIU-ISUr-ILSt-SIU-MOSt-YSU

Travel partners could easily break down as such

UNC-Denver
UND-NDSU
USD-SDSU
UNO-UMKC
WIU-IUPUI
IPFW-Oakland

That just makes too much sense. If Oakland or any other eastern teams leave it would give some more flexibility going forward. I would say a conference such as this could at least give the eastern schools some reason to stay and some reason to feel more stable. It would make the Summit Tourney a little more than practically an automatic birth. The bottom 4 would be out.

[FargoBison]

Re: Denver to Summit?

I'm not sure UNC can be lured out of the Big Sky(UND would leave the second a Summit/MVFC invite was given though) but that does make a lot of sense.

[zooropa]

Re: Denver to Summit?

Not a fan of a 12 team Basketball conference.

If Oakland leaves the Summit, you look at expanding, but not before.

UND's relationship to the Summit is pretty much the same as Oakland's to the Horizon. The Summit would have them at 'hello', as I'm sure the Big Sky would cheerfully keep the FB program, if it means they can ditch all the other programs.

Also seems fair to say if Oral Roberts stayed in the Summit, the Summit wouldn't be interested in Denver.

[joeboo22]

Re: Denver to Summit?

I agree that UNC would be a tough get, but having Denver as a member has to help the chances.

[zooropa]

Re: Denver to Summit?

UNC is valuable under this scenario:

The Summit needs to add a member (say Oakland and somehow IUPUI get invited to the Horizon), and the Big Sky will not allow UND to be an associate member for football.

The Summit's four FB schools (NDSU, SDSU, USD, WIU) can invite both UNC & UND with the understanding that if *both* accept, they will either be absorbed into the MVFC, or the Summit will sponsor a FB conference consisting of those four schools, UND and UNC. This would leave the MVFC with only six schools as well, and at risk of losing their auto-bid if any of those schools left the MVFC.

[Coyote_Fan]

Re: Denver to Summit?

UNC is valuable under this scenario:

The Summit needs to add a member (say Oakland and somehow IUPUI get invited to the Horizon), and the Big Sky will not allow UND to be an associate member for football.

The Summit's four FB schools (NDSU, SDSU, USD, WIU) can invite both UNC & UND with the understanding that if *both* accept, they will either be absorbed into the MVFC, or the Summit will sponsor a FB conference consisting of those four schools, UND and UNC. This would leave the MVFC with only six schools as well, and at risk of losing their auto-bid if any of those schools left the MVFC.

So in a way what you are saying is that the Summit may have some power over the MVFC afterall. If it makes sense for the Summit to add UNC and UND and both want in I just don't see the MVFC saying no to either school especially if it helped stabilize the Summit, which the MVFC needs as a strong conference. If you are UNC does it really matter geographically where they fit. They have flights to many schools in the Big Sky as it is. If being in the MVFC/Summit is considered the better option I am sure they would make the jump especially knowing they have a partner in Denver. As much as UND says they like the Big Sky if their former rivals UNC, UNO, NDSU, SDSU and USD all reside in a different conference and that conference is a closer geographical fit I think the influencial alumni would lean towards rejoining what they have always known best. Without USD, lets face it UND is on a pretty major island that is about as isolated as it gets for them.

If I am Douple I am going hard and fast after UND and UNC immediately while the iron is hot regarding western and northern expansion. Regardless of what happens to the Summit Eastern block the goal is to expand around the Dakota's, Nebraska and Missouri. I would rather take too many legit Summit candidates than for the Summit to be left with their pants falling down if teams start to depart. Maybe I am the only one that would like a 12 team Summit versus 10. I like the scheduling certainty of it and the stability in it.

Whatever happens one would have to think UND and the Summit is eventually going to happen. UNC is a wildcard but certainly an intriguing one considering their history with the programs in the Summit. They could go either way.

[zooropa]

Re: Denver to Summit?

So in a way what you are saying is that the Summit may have some power over the MVFC afterall.

If I am Douple I am going hard and fast after UND and UNC immediately while the iron is hot regarding western and northern expansion.

Actually, it's not so much me as it is Hammersmith, only Hammersmith's posited school was Eastern Illinois--which probably prefers the cozy confines of the OVC to the sprawling Summit and MVFC.

Further, there's no value in pursuing UNC and UND. Neither school is going anywhere, and they would add nothing to the Summit.

A good conference will expand when it adds value, or when it protects value. UNC and UND do neither.

[filbert]

Re: Denver to Summit?

Hmm . . . a conference with Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, and SD?

Where have I heard that before?

(heh)

[LakeJack]

Re: Denver to Summit?

Metro State might be a D-I option someday (with baseball).

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/ne...2m-sports.html

[OldHare]

Re: Denver to Summit?

I enjoyed this take on Denver's move from Brendan Loy of Mile High Mids:

http://milehighmids.tumblr.com/post/3661....-league-in-2013

Lots of comments from DU faithful on this post as well:

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=17196208&postID=10121399200658374 58