UND misses Summit window

[zooropa]

Re: UND misses Summit window

I have heard that UNO is making the big jump in hockey, so no so surprising from that perspective that they would consider the jump in all sports.

Between the D-1 application fee, the number of scholarships they'll have to add (NCAA is requiring a pretty fast ramp up in scholarships under the new regime), and the entry fee that they'll have to pay the Summit, I doubt that UNO goes D-1.

Their athletic budget for '08/09 was $6.7M ( http://webapp.nebraska.edu/about/Gen...CampusPage=uno ) which is in support of 15 sports, with only three Summit League sports offered on the men's side.

Their homecoming game drew 2,788 fans to the football game.

Basketball attendance is in the high hundreds.

Their sole revenue sport appears to be hockey, and that's only drawing 5k or so to the rink (there are only two divisions in hockey, and it is the only sport where you can compete in D-1 as a D-2 or D-3 institution).

----

I don't see how they can get the revenue required to bump up their scholarships and travel budgets by the requisite amount.

Basically, UNO would need a few generous donors to fund a huge chunk of the time period necessary to establish their athletic programs at the D-1 level because, frankly, I'm not seeing how they could do it on revenue, and I'm going to guess that student fees and appropriations aren't going to be available either.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: UND misses Summit window

I believe that UNO is in the CCHA of Div 1 and next season or so will be moving to the WCHA.

[JackJD]

Re: UND misses Summit window

I believe that UNO is in the CCHA of Div 1 and next season or so will be moving to the WCHA.

I think that is correct. I have limited knowledge of what the heck hockey is all about but I believe the WCHA is much more desirable than the CCHA.

[jacksdistance]

Re: UND misses Summit window

You didn't see it coming? I sure as heck did...along with Augie, Mankato, Duluth, St. Cloud. Heck before you know it the NCC will be one big happy family again(heck might as well just change the name back and get out of the MVFC too), as soon as ORU, Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW, Southern Utah, UMKC and WIU bale.

Makes me want to puke my guts out...but then again...that's just me, I'm sure I'm in the minority.

Mr. Mark Burgers, if you are ever the comissioner of the MVC or AD of Creighton, will you please make room for us in the next 10 years??

Go Jacks!!

Most of the teams mentioned are in MN and will never be D1 because the state only wants one D1 school. I doubt we will ever be in the same conference as a MN school again.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Most of the teams mentioned are in MN and will never be D1 because the state only wants one D1 school. I doubt we will ever be in the same conference as a MN school again.

The same argument was used in regards to UNO (would never go D-1 because of Lincoln). However, I'm with Zooropa on this one...UNO would have a heck of a time moving up...at least until (and if) their hockey program gets big-time as far as attendance/revenue goes.

[Nidaros]

Re: UND misses Summit window

The same argument was used in regards to UNO (would never go D-1 because of Lincoln). However, I'm with Zooropa on this one...UNO would have a heck of a time moving up...at least until (and if) their hockey program gets big-time as far as attendance/revenue goes.

I always been curious why UNO was not D1 years ago, since they are dead smack in the middle of Omaha and have such a large business community as potential sponors and donors, but the mystic of Lincoln and the Cornhuskers seems to have really curtailed that and even the best fund raiser seems to be marginally successful. So many in Omaha hardly know the school exists and it really does function as a evening college, but that does not make raving fans out of working adults, so they have their challenges and I would think the new requirements of the NCAA are not helpful in making a move. The new AD Treb Albert is to turn things around. Only time will tell if that is true.

I was living in Columbus when the hockey idea was born and it seemed to have some support at first, but from what I can tell its seems to have leveled off. That blaze' feeling seems to have taken over, like everything else in Omaha, meaning there are so many things going on, that its hard to compete for attention and retain that attention.

I do think though that its hard to depend on one sport to carry the rest in terms of revenue as we can see with last years football attendence. It was a big step forward, but it certainly did not cure all our budget challenges.

[zooropa]

Re: UND misses Summit window

I think the problem in Omaha is:

"I like football. I go to Huskers games."

"I like basketball. I go to Creighton games."

UNO wisely created a Hockey market:

"I like hockey. I go to Maverick games."

But is Omaha big enough for three -competitive- D1 programs? I don't think so.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: UND misses Summit window

USCHO.com DIVIsION I MEN'S RANKINGS
1. Denver
2. Miami
3. Wisconsin
4. St. Cloud State
5. Yale
6. Bemidji State
7. Boston College
8. North Dakota
9. Cornell
10. Minnesota-Duluth
11. New Hampshire
12. Michigan State
13. Colorado College
14. Ferris State
15. Union
16. Maine
17. Alaska
18. Vermont
19. Nebraska-Omaha
20. Boston Unviersity

[MaddogJack]

Re: UND misses Summit window

I would agree. Actually, UND may have missed the Summit window completely, with Centenary leaving and USD coming in. The only way that UND gets in IMO is if they come in with another school (or somebody elses leaves...SUU??) and the league goes to 12. That is certainly possible, but the list of colleges that would fit in is limited. Would expect it to be an eastern team and the league might well split into east and west divisions if that happened. How stupid are those people up in Grand Forks???

In 2011-12, assume travel partners will become NDSU/SDSU, USD/UMKC, ORU/SUU.

To answer your last question - - pretty stupid. Perhaps they are clinging to the "ND" - identity in remaining independent (NoDak AND Notre Dame). I hate to even mention them in the same sentence (or at all for that matter), but the arrogance of the two are actually very similar.

Now the Notre Dame people (at least some people are) fueling the hypothesis that Notre Dame is the next member of the Big 10. Day late - Dollar short. Time will tell, but I hope UND has to sit ANOTHER year for being stupid enough to think this thing was going to take care of itself or better yet - GO AWAY!

[KUlawJack]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Well, the Big Ten is looking at expanding. UND must have known this was going to happen and is just waiting on its invite.

[BTownJack]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Thankfully the NCAA slammed the door on schools moving up, now you have to have a conference invite in hand before moving up. I don't see NDSU voting to add any of these schools outside of UNO.

Do you have some documentation that states you have to have a conference invite in hand before moving up? I haven't heard that before. That would make NDSU and SDSU very lucky!

[zooropa]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Do you have some documentation that states you have to have a conference invite in hand before moving up? I haven't heard that before. That would make NDSU and SDSU very lucky!

http://ncaa.info/wps/portal/ncaahome...news+-+1-11-01

relevant snippet:

New members must have a bona fide offer of membership from a multisport, voting Division I conference.

I don't think this has been officially approved yet, but it is almost certain to pass.

[FargoBison]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Things are getting bizarre now, but with UND and the higher ed board involved it is hardly surprising that... Our interim president is going to approach the league at the next meeting and present a contingency plan that makes it possible for UND to be added to the league in 2011-2012.

[NorCalJack]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Things are getting bizarre now, but with UND and the higher ed board involved it is hardly surprising that... Our interim president is going to approach the league at the next meeting and present a contingency plan that makes it possible for UND to be added to the league in 2011-2012.

Well I am sure that there are some NDSU fans that can't understand why NDSU admin would approach the league about letting UND into the Summit.

But there is one consistent policy that D-1 universities have and that is if you can help them make more money and/or reduce there costs, then they will support your cause. Having UND in the Summit will increase the gate revenue for NDSU and will reduce there travel costs.

D-1 universities treat athletics as a business, so if it makes sense on a business level, then that is the direction they will move toward. From a business sense it is a no-brainer to have NDSU, SDSU, USD and UND in the same conference.

[FargoBison]

Re: UND misses Summit window

Well I am sure that there are some NDSU fans that can't understand why NDSU admin would approach the league about letting UND into the Summit.

But there is one consistent policy that D-1 universities have and that is if you can help them make more money and/or reduce there costs, then they will support your cause. Having UND in the Summit will increase the gate revenue for NDSU and will reduce there travel costs.

D-1 universities treat athletics as a business, so if it makes sense on a business level, then that is the direction they will move toward. From a business sense it is a no-brainer to have NDSU, SDSU, USD and UND in the same conference.

I understand it, it is just ironic that when we left DII it was to cries from UND backers about how they don't need NDSU. Their admin openly said we would fail and that DI was this terrible place.

Now we have to come in and save the day due to the mess they have gotten themselves into with nickname. Which is also ironic since one of their classic nickname defenses was that it wasn't UND who wasn't honoring the nickname, it was instead their rivals NDSU and Minnesota.

I am fine with UND joining the league, I just wish we didn't have to go to bat for them. They certainly don't deserve it, I would have loved to see them squirm another year without a conference.