Gateway Conference

[filbert]

Re: Gateway Conference

I don't think a 12-team, two-division conference would work in I-AA (or the playoff group) since you could end up with no clear conference champion. Besides, Northern Iowa (or any other current Gateway team) may not want to be placed in the "west" division because they would have increased travel and would only get to play their current rivals every other year.

A 12-team I-AA league would have the option of playing a championship game.

But with the national championship being settled by a playoff, there's really not much incentive for a conference to hold a championship game--you'll just give your 2nd place team another loss and maybe possibly knock them out of the national playoffs or push them from hosting the first round to being on the road.

[Jacks99]

Re: Gateway Conference

The A-10 is a 12 team conference with North and South and I don't think they play for the championship.

[valleyrabbit]

Re: Gateway Conference

In I-AA (soon to be play-off subdivison) you don't want to have a conference championship game. It adds one more playoff game. So instead of having to win 4 games in a row to win a national championship you have to win 5 in a row. Also I am sure that none of the current Gateway members want anything to do with traveling to California and Utah if they don't have to. If we or any other current Gateway members want to play UC Davis, Cal Poly or S. Utah we can schedule in non-conference games.

[FargoBison]

Re: Gateway Conference

Here is a link to a blog entry I think you guys might find interesting about the Gateway and NDSU/SDSU.....

http://www.areavoices.com/bisonmedia/?blog=3686

[Jacks99]

Re: Gateway Conference

Good read, thanks! I could see it easily happening, but will also be cautiously optimistic. UND and USD would definitly improve the current situation with the Great West, but the Gateway would be much sweeter in so many ways ;D

[Ozark_Jack]

Re: Gateway Conference

The Gateway would be sweeter in EVERY way!! und and usd will enhance nothing.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Gateway Conference

with the Gateway comes instant stability. I like that as much as anything. Having stability and maintaining a rivalry with NDSU would be perfect. Plus, Southern Ill and UNI are pretty doable drives for me. I would miss playing UCDavis and Cal Poly, but I would bet they would be open for scheduling one of those non-conf games every couple of years.

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Gateway Conference

The xDSU's don't know with certainty what the UxD's will do with regard to D-1 and therefore cannot consider them in this equation should an option for the Gateway present itself.  Even if the UxD's move up and the xDSU's end up outside of any conference affiliations with them they will be an option for a regional bus trip type of non-conference opponent.  That isn't a bad situation for any of these universities.

[Jacks99]

Re: Gateway Conference

Agreed. If they move up they would enhance either scenario. Which do you prefer, a home and home with a LA school or USD/UND?

[Ozark_Jack]

Re: Gateway Conference

I would definetly prefer to play a home/home with a heavy hitter school like McNeese St, Southern or Nicholls St. or any other established D1AA program from around the country.  Fans around the country have actually heard of those teams!! I don't miss playing usd and have absolutely no desire to EVER play them in anything again.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Gateway Conference

that's because there was rarely ever any question as to who was going to win the football games in the last 20 years.

[Jacks99]

Re: Gateway Conference

OK, let me rephrase that.

Would you like to make an extra 50-100k per game and have more than 4 home games this season with UWL and NAIA Penn included???

Don't get me wrong, I like playing heavy hitters, but as I pounded on before we have a loaded schedule and could use some mid range home games.

My original intent by their "enhancement" would be to add confernce games on top of our whopping 4 per year in the great west or good local options for non-conference if we were in the Gateway. A Gateway schedule would provide plenty of top level teams.

[bisonbacker]

Re: Gateway Conference

[quote author=1stRowFANatic link=1158947230/0#8 date=1159102470]7 + 5 = 12

I like the sound of combining the Gateway and Great West. A west and east division could maybe work.  Add Northern Iowa to NDSU, SDSU, UCD, Cal Poly, and SUU.  Play 5 games in your half and 3 from the other every year with 3 non-conference games every year?[/quote]
No way, then you have a extra playoff game to see who wins the conference. The gateway is already a strong conference why have to beat up on each other for an extra game just to get to the playoffs?

[Jacks99]

Re: Gateway Conference

[quote author=Jacks02 link=1158947230/0#9 date=1159110239][quote author=1stRowFANatic link=1158947230/0#8 date=1159102470]7 + 5 = 12

I like the sound of combining the Gateway and Great West.  A west and east division could maybe work.  Add Northern Iowa to NDSU, SDSU, UCD, Cal Poly, and SUU.  Play 5 games in your half and 3 from the other every year with 3 non-conference games every year?[/quote]
No way, then you have a extra playoff game to see who wins the conference.  The gateway is already a strong conference why have to beat up on each other for an extra game just to get to the playoffs?[/quote]

See the A10 conference, which seems to be doing just fine. But I'd rather have a 9 team league myself....

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: Gateway Conference

I love the idea of the Gateway Conference. The Great West in a great conference but I think the Gateway is a better overall fit. Let UND and USD take our place in the Great West, then we can schedule one non-conference game every year against the U. In Brookings 2 years then Sioux Falls every 3rd . This way, we keep our new rivalry game with NDSU for the Dakota Marker and get to play a huge rivalry game that would no doubt draw 15,000+ to CAS.