Summit looking at football

[Hammersmith]

I figure this will interest you guys too.

Summit League to explore possibility of adding football

Much farther off the landscape(vs. a UND site visit) – but still a bombshell of sorts – was the Presidents Council’s favorable review to think about football. Why?

“I think the question is why not?” Douple said. “We have a pretty big number of schools that are sponsoring it now and we just want to look at the feasibility of whether we should or shouldn’t. The timing is right.”

Full article in tomorrow's Fargo Forum.

I don't know about you guys, but I would hate the idea of Summit football. This makes me want SUU to get a Big Sky invite and fast. Without them, the voting would probably go 3-2 against(assuming UND gets in). I can't see SDSU, NDSU or WIU willing to give up the MVFC without one heck of a fight.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Summit looking at football

I figure this will interest you guys too.

Summit League to explore possibility of adding football


Full article in tomorrow's Fargo Forum.

I don't know about you guys, but I would hate the idea of Summit football. This makes me want SUU to get a Big Sky invite and fast. Without them, the voting would probably go 3-2 against(assuming UND gets in). I can't see SDSU, NDSU or WIU willing to give up the MVFC without one heck of a fight.

I agree, I hate the idea of Summit League Football. MVFC is the way to go.

[JackFan96]

Re: Summit looking at football

I saw that, too. Very odd. There aren't enough teams in The Summit now to consider football. I found something about students at UMKC hoping there could eventually be a football team there, but...it just makes no sense as things stand. In theory, The Summit could form a football league with SDSU, NDSU, Western Illinois, USD, UND (eventually, I assume) and Southern Utah. But I can't imagine the XDSU's nor Western really going for that.

I wonder if we would generate a bit more chatter if we moved this to the football thread. It's kind of a 'tweener, I suppose.

[leeshajo]

Re: Summit looking at football

my initial and still reaction is oh hell no. Why would we want to leave the MV an established respected football conference to start one that would probably not even get an automatic... bad idea in my mind... I don't see an upside.

[Nidaros]

Re: Summit looking at football

my initial and still reaction is oh hell no. Why would we want to leave the MV an established respected football conference to start one that would probably not even get an automatic... bad idea in my mind... I don't see an upside.

Ditto

[zooropa]

Re: Summit looking at football

Summit League to explore possibility of adding football

FCS + everything else conferences:

Big Sky
MEAC
SWAC
Southern
Southland
CAA
Patriot
OVC

Right? Am I missing any?

Looking at that list, I can see about two reasons why the Summit -might- consider football: the OVC to the E, and the Big Sky to the W.

But the odd part of that is the Summit would be happy to see SUU depart for the Big Sky, while none of the teams in the OVC footprint besides WIU offer football (IUPUI, IPFW, Oakland, WIU).

Given the ongoing cost of football (few million a year), and the considerably larger startup costs, in this environment I can't figure out how football would be attractive to schools that have glaring deficiencies in other areas (basketball venues: UMKC, IUPUI and IPFW)--or why three of the four current football members would ditch the Valley for a startup conference that -would- most likely qualify for an autobid, but would also be as thin as the tea at a Chinese restaurant.

Such a weird idea.

Edit: With only 6 football playing schools, they probably wouldn't qualify for an autobid, and look at how rugged scheduling would be! six non-conf games most years and seven in the rest.....

[Hammersmith]

Re: Summit looking at football

note: I'm just copying this from my Bisonville post, so ignore the owning goats part; that's a current running gag from the Nigerian scamming thread.


Okay, I've had a few minutes to think about it, and I might see where Douple is coming from. Remember that the Great West Football Conference was originally administered by the Mid-Con(just like the MVFC/MVC). After UND & USD joined, they split off and expanded to form the GWC. Well, once UND gets a Summit invite, there will be no schools in common between the football and all-sports sides of the conference. When that happens, the logical thing to do would be to split football off once again and let the Summit run it since 3 of the 5 schools will be Summit members.

As long as it's a return to the original status quo, I don't have a problem with it. But if there is an attempt to force NDSU, SDSU, & WIU into this league, then they can just go [bleep] [bleep] [bleep].


*I actually don't know what's in those bleeps, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with owning goats.

[22jack]

Re: Summit looking at football

This would take a lot of steam out of our program. This would be a big downgrade. I hope our President does not think this is a good idea.

I would not think that the Valley would want to lose three teams either.

[zooropa]

Re: Summit looking at football

the logical thing to do would be to split football off once again and let the Summit run it since 3 of the 5 schools will be Summit members

But how would that work?

Would the Great West--the NCAA's 'mystery meat' conference--continue to be an everything-but-football conference? Or would it sort of dissolve back into the 'alliance of D-1 independents, collectively screwed'?

How would sponsoring a football conference that the two best football programs refuse to participate in enhance the stature of the Summit? Wouldn't it sort of cement the Summit's status as the 'land of misfit toys'?

"Oh yeah, we sponsor football"

"Must be a pretty nice conference, SDSU & NDSU are real up and comers"

"Well, they stayed in the Missouri Valley"

"So, who do you have?"

"The UND Flickertails--they lost to an NAIA school, USD--they almost beat UNI once, and, uh, Southern Utah and some California schools--the Cal Poly Mustangs and the UC-Davis Roadrunners, I think."

"Aren't those schools in the Big West?"

"Yeah, but it's more of a baseball conference, you know."

[KUlawJack]

Re: Summit looking at football

If our long term goal is to gain membership into the Missouri Valley Conference for all sports, I would be willing to place a bet that SDSU and NDSU would fight this from the time any real exploration began.

As for football, the last thing we want to do is shoot ourselves in the foot and let our first real sustained football success in 45 years slip away.

I vote no. Do I have a vote? Well, if I don't I'm going to find out how I get one.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Summit looking at football

The MoValley could readily become the Summit Football conference with 1 to 2 subtractions, and two additions.

Should the Summit add UND, there will be 6 Summit League Football playing members. Currently split 3-3 between GWFC and MVFC.

If the MVFC loses YSU and IL St (who have both indicated desire to move to FBS), and MVFC replaces with UND/USD, then the MVFC has 5 Summit members, and only 4 MoValley members. Therefore, ala the A-10/CAA discussions, the MoValley should change names. Pick up the lone remaining Summit team SUU, until they get a western conference (Big West or Big Sky), at ten teams.

Just a reminder, the above scenario is only applicable if a couple of the MVFC members leave, like WKU did to open up the conference for SDSU/NDSU.

By expansion, a Summit League FB conference, plus the two CA schools, would be 8 FB schools, which is a good league size also. 9 is ideal, so I would say changes to what SDSU has would be required, otherwise SDSU is brought back kicking and screaming.

Being a midwestern school, IMHO, SDSU would be better off in a midwestern league, ala MVFC.

BUT, IF Neb-Omaha moves up, or one of the Missouri/Kansas power teams, then being a Summit football, as well as the other sports, would be a prime attraction, and leave the Summit in a great position to invite additions.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Summit looking at football

You can't blame the Summit for exploring football, I guess. That's a logical conference duty, especially with the UXDs coming on board. I agree that the best option for XDSUs would be to work their way into the Mo Valley for all sports. Meanwhile, the Jacks and Bison definitely should stay in the Mo Valley for football. Maybe the Great West could be be renamed the Summit Football League.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Summit looking at football

The Summit discussing football makes me wonder if the Presidents know something about the recent conference shifts that the rest of us don't. Maybe the domino effect could still take place.

[OKC_Poke]

Re: Summit looking at football

The Summit discussing football makes me wonder if the Presidents know something about the recent conference shifts that the rest of us don't. Maybe the domino effect could still take place.

You may be more right than you think.

I got a theory as to what will happen next but I'm kinda superstitious in that if I say it the exact opposite happens so I aint saying a word.

[LakeJack]

Re: Summit looking at football

http://www.indystar.com/article/2010...dding-football