Possible Summit League Expansion

[FargoBison]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

Yeah. But after Mankato, no more.

We can stop at any time.

OK, maybe Grand Valley State, but after that, forget it.

OK, fine, maybe Southern Indiana.

OK, we'll stop after . . .

I get where you are coming from but there are only so many schools in our footprint and prying a school from another conference is tough...unless they have issues with the conference like Denver had.

The DII schools I would consider is a very small list.

As for UND, I'd bet every coach in their athletic department would be doing cartwheels if they could join the Summit/MVFC....travel has to be horrific for them in the Big Sky.

[joeboo22]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

I get where you are coming from but there are only so many schools in our footprint and prying a school from another conference is tough...unless they have issues with the conference like Denver had.

The DII schools I would consider is a very small list.

As for UND, I'd bet every coach in their athletic department would be doing cartwheels if they could join the Summit/MVFC....travel has to be horrific for them in the Big Sky.

Considering NDSU, SDSU, USD, Omaha and WIU are all closer then their closest Big Sky member (Montana-State), I would guess so. Are they a bus league in Olympic Sports?

[filbert]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

I get where you are coming from but there are only so many schools in our footprint and prying a school from another conference is tough...unless they have issues with the conference like Denver had.

The DII schools I would consider is a very small list.

As for UND, I'd bet every coach in their athletic department would be doing cartwheels if they could join the Summit/MVFC....travel has to be horrific for them in the Big Sky.

UND would (or should) definitely be at the top of Tom Douple's list at this time, now that the nickname silliness is behind them.

It is behind them, isn't it?

[Nidaros]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

Seems like I heard on the radio, that Ralph Englestad Arena was auctioning off a huge logo. Might be a little big for the average basement rec room, but no doubt there were bidders. There is some legal stuff still going on but by and large the silliness is behind them. The UND bb program has a very good coach btw, and the program is moving in the right direction.

[FargoBison]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

UND would (or should) definitely be at the top of Tom Douple's list at this time, now that the nickname silliness is behind them.

It is behind them, isn't it?

I'd say for the most part it is but some of these people are never going to give it up. It would have been nice if the school was able to move forward and select a new name but unfortunately our state's politicans cannot help themselves and need to use higher education to do their political grandstanding.

[joeboo22]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

The conference to keep an eye on is the Sun Belt, they essentially kicked Denver out for not having football (as well as other sports), and Arkansas Little Rock is currently the only non-football school in the conference. The conference is losing some teams to Conference-USA but is gaining some as well including Texas-Arlington who doesn't play football either. Yesterday it was announced that Georgia Southern, App-State, Idaho (football only) and New Mexico State (who use to be in the conference for all sports) would add football. I'm wondering if NMSU joins all sports and the conference plays hard with Texas-Arlington and UALR. There would be two opportunities. Its nothing that would be discussed probably until after next season, but that is where I would keep my eye on. UALR's A.D. (who is from Huron), has said the Summit League would be their first choice. Its a solid media market, a solid school, facilities wise is very similar, they have baseball, and the geography isn't terrible.

[SidelineObserver]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

Possibly looks like we can strike Oral Roberts from our list of suspects. ORU in preliminary talks with Missouri Valley Conference http://t.co/ltL9hPwKRo

[joeboo22]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

Possibly looks like we can strike Oral Roberts from our list of suspects. ORU in preliminary talks with Missouri Valley Conference http://t.co/ltL9hPwKRo

Not saying it won't happen, but I'm guessing that article could be written for Denver, ORU, Belmont, Valpo, and probably Loyola-Chicago as well. Denver has said they have had talks with the Valley. Having talks with a conference and negotiating with a conference are different. In articles I've read about Valley expansion, they all say that they are hesitant to add Oral Roberts.

[filbert]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

From the above linked article:

“I think it’s fair to say we have had some preliminary conversations with the Valley regarding membership,” ORU athletic director Mike Carter said Tuesday.

Translation: "We called up the Valley office and asked if they had any openings."

[Nidaros]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

What comes through loud and clear is that ORU is not happy with RPI of the Southland Conference. Hmm 19 might be higher than 25.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

The driver for ORU to the SOuthland was baseball, and that TX, OK, AR is more their recruiting area than the Dakotas, IL, IN.

It would be nice if there were some "bridge schools" from the states of MN or IA so the "eastern" Summit schools didn't think that the Dakotas were so far away.

Picking up UND and NoCo would be great. As would picking up EIU. MSU is a "reasonable" D-II move up, as would be UNK. Wouldn't mind getting SIU-E either.

[jacksfan29]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

What comes through loud and clear is that ORU is not happy with RPI of the Southland Conference. Hmm 19 might be higher than 25.

19 and losing a bottom feeder (UMKC) while (hopefully still) picking up a top 100 program (DU). That being said, I can't imagine ORU would come back to the SL unless there is somone like UALR coming with them. The Sun Belt seem to be more open today then in the past to add schools who are non-FB playing institutions. I like the idea of trying to get New Mexico State into the fold for a few years while the western FCS schools (specifically Montana/Montana State) figure out what their next move (if any) is. Both schools have flirted with moving up. The WAC option no longer exists and I don't see the MWC giving either the opportunity to come directly into membership before paying their dues as FBS schools. BYU and a few others get a shot at membership before either Montana school. I read it somewhere else where a poster was asking about the possibility of a Sun Belt Western division? Could SDSU join NDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho and NMSU in the move? I don't recall the timeline, but as Filbert said in another thread; we are upgrading CAS to 22,000 which gives us a leg up on UND, USD and even NDSU (who would need to build a new facility to get over 20K capacity).

The ORU train has left the station, I for one am happy to see them gone.

[joeboo22]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

19 and losing a bottom feeder (UMKC) while (hopefully still) picking up a top 100 program (DU). That being said, I can't imagine ORU would come back to the SL unless there is somone like UALR coming with them. The Sun Belt seem to be more open today then in the past to add schools who are non-FB playing institutions. I like the idea of trying to get New Mexico State into the fold for a few years while the western FCS schools (specifically Montana/Montana State) figure out what their next move (if any) is. Both schools have flirted with moving up. The WAC option no longer exists and I don't see the MWC giving either the opportunity to come directly into membership before paying their dues as FBS schools. BYU and a few others get a shot at membership before either Montana school. I read it somewhere else where a poster was asking about the possibility of a Sun Belt Western division? Could SDSU join NDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho and NMSU in the move? I don't recall the timeline, but as Filbert said in another thread; we are upgrading CAS to 22,000 which gives us a leg up on UND, USD and even NDSU (who would need to build a new facility to get over 20K capacity).

The ORU train has left the station, I for one am happy to see them gone.

I'm not opposed to eventually going FBS in football, but funding FCS football would be a good step

[jacksfan29]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

I would agree, and I think if FCS stays where it is right now we will be fine staying in the MVFC for the long term. However I think it is very possible that we may be forced to do something over the next 4 or 5 years. If the cards begin to be shuffled and FCS begins to lose more and more quality programs we do not want to be left behind like we were in D2. If the plan is to hang on in FCS till we are once again playing in a conference with several NSIC level schools I for one am not interested.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Possible Summit League Expansion

19 and losing a bottom feeder (UMKC) while (hopefully still) picking up a top 100 program (DU). That being said, I can't imagine ORU would come back to the SL unless there is somone like UALR coming with them. The Sun Belt seem to be more open today then in the past to add schools who are non-FB playing institutions. I like the idea of trying to get New Mexico State into the fold for a few years while the western FCS schools (specifically Montana/Montana State) figure out what their next move (if any) is. Both schools have flirted with moving up. The WAC option no longer exists and I don't see the MWC giving either the opportunity to come directly into membership before paying their dues as FBS schools. BYU and a few others get a shot at membership before either Montana school. I read it somewhere else where a poster was asking about the possibility of a Sun Belt Western division? Could SDSU join NDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho and NMSU in the move? I don't recall the timeline, but as Filbert said in another thread; we are upgrading CAS to 22,000 which gives us a leg up on UND, USD and even NDSU (who would need to build a new facility to get over 20K capacity).

The ORU train has left the station, I for one am happy to see them gone.

Montana State's athletic department had a budget shortfall of over $1 million this year. I don't see them moving up anytime soon mainly because the funding probably isn't there.