Does USD even play baseball? Why add a university that doesn't even field baseball team?
It's called a very good indoor track facility.
It's worth noting that USD has lost a fairly recent Title IX battle that led to axing baseball at Vermillion. And that is in the D-II days! So now USD goes from 36 to 63 MENS scholarships in football. That's a LOT of WOMEN's sports to add, women's schollies to add. There won't be ANY men's sports added at USD UNTIL they have made it back into Title IX compliance.
USD will, like the Dakota States, be driven by our big sports. #1, (especially at NDSU) is FOOTBALL. #2 is men's basketball. #3 is WBB.
Baseball, in frozen tundra country, is a well respected, but essentially a SUMMER sport. Unfortunately, when you're not safe from snow until May, the spring season that college baseball is, is non-conductive to creating really competitive teams.
To be specific, some have suggested absolving the 2 for 1 with Delaware to schedule a more regional program.
When I say appropriately left behind, if we had wanted to keep the rivalry we'd probably be in the NSIC right now.
USD announcing a decision to go DI, the Summit announcing the addition of USD, its all great news for USD. It may be very beneficial to SDSU as well, there are many arguments that can be made in favor of their addition and the resumption of the rivalry. I'm not getting on the USD love boat (as Nidaros calls it). When we play them in conference I'll be cheering for SDSU just like I did when we played Augie, Morningside, etc.. and just like I do now when we play Georgia Southern or Centenary or UMKC.
For some fans this single match-up will shape their whole opinion about each program. That is the definition of short-sighted and part of the attitude that created much of the opposition to the move up in the first place. Keep the focus on NDSU, Oakland, Cal-Poly and encourage USD to achieve a level of respect similar to those budding rivalries. Don't let some hope for the return of what use to be a mutually respected rivalry distract.
We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from life. -Sir William Osler
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
To be specific, some have suggested absolving the 2 for 1 with Delaware to schedule a more regional program.
Keep the focus on NDSU, Oakland, Cal-Poly and encourage USD to achieve a level of respect similar to those budding rivalries. Don't let some hope for the return of what use to be a mutually respected rivalry distract.
Ah. I see. I haven't read that thread.
In football, I see no particular problem playing USD every year. 1) SDSU's present schedule may be a bit too tough out-of-conference (Stig basically admitted as much last year) and a counter USD team would probably be a bit easier to take then say, playing Delaware AND Georgia Southern in the same season. 2) It'll boost attendance in the NDSU road years.
Once in a great while you could have USD play on Hobo Day, but I'd reserve the USD game for its own weekend.
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For me, playing USD is about having an extra excuse to go to a game and make noise. Plain and simple. It's not about defining one program vs. another, or anything crazy like that. It's about going to Brookings (mostly) and participating in six generations of noisemaking and playful partisanship.
For me, playing USD is about having an extra excuse to go to a game and make noise. Plain and simple. It's not about defining one program vs. another, or anything crazy like that. It's about going to Brookings (mostly) and participating in six generations of noisemaking and playful partisanship.
I don't disagree with that part of it. I'm in Yankton, I work with, play with, and interact in other fashion with USD fans every day. They have little interest in what DI holds outside of playing SDSU again. I'm not condemning them for that I'm just telling you what they tell me.
I'll enjoy cheering for our athletes when we play USD again. I hope, for their sake, that the environment in Vermillion is better that it had been. I have many colleagues and friends who played for SDSU and not one of them is wasting time on being excited about a renewal of this rivalry. There are greater goals than beating up on USD some more.
We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from life. -Sir William Osler
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
I don't disagree with that part of it. I'm in Yankton, I work with, play with, and interact in other fashion with USD fans every day. They have little interest in what DI holds outside of playing SDSU again. I'm not condemning them for that I'm just telling you what they tell me.
I think Jackmd is on to something here and its what I have sensed a great deal about USD. The committment up and down with all the fans and alums is not what it should be and this could be costly down the line, especially if all the USD-SDSU matchups in the major revenue sports do not pan out to be money makers.
I am too lazy to go back and look but I believe someone posted a link to the Yankton paper that covered a press conference covering the BOR mandated budget cuts at USD. I was surprised that President Abbott was really questioned about the D1 move in light of the budget cuts. Most people can not see the budget cuts and D1 move as mutually exclusive issues. I really wonder how well USD has done in educating the community about the move to D1. I would be very concerned if I was a Coyote CLub contributor. Of course the budget cuts for SDSU could be coming down the pike, and President Chicoine could get the same type of questions. Who knows.
My point is USD needs to work and promote among their constituency the importance of a D1 progam and what it can do for the institution. It a great deal more than playing SDSU again.
To be specific, some have suggested absolving the 2 for 1 with Delaware to schedule a more regional program.
I had the opportunity to visit briefly with Coach Stig recently. We talked about scheduling, specifically about the 2 for 1's and about other teams buying out their game in Brookings. From my conversation, I inferred that Coach Stig has full belief that all three games of the 2 for 1 series with Delaware will be played as scheduled. Any error in that statement would be one of me misinterpreting what Coach Stig said, but I really believe from that conversation that cancelling all or part of the series with Delaware is not an issue of discussion.
Finding is never about seeking. It is about opening yourself to what is already there. - Henry Meloux
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