Why not form a new conference

[IndyVU]

Why don't all the schools without a home form a conference to:
1. Create home games
2. Have a basketball tourney on ESPN

SDSU, NDSU, No Colo, Utah Valley, IPFW, Texas A&M - CC, UTPA come to mind immediately...Savannah State, Florida Gulf Coast, Longwood.....

Everyone in the conference is looking to move to something better. Every school knows this going in.

ESPN2 broadcast the Mid-Con tourney championship several years ago when no automatic bid was given and would probably broadcast this.

A 7-9 team conference fills 12-16 games and half of those would be home games.
It would work for women's basketball as well.

Other sports could use a smaller schedule or just get together for a weekend and have conference championships.

Makes too much sense....

[jackmd]

Re: Why not form a new conference

My understanding is that the DI administration wants no new conferences for BB or FB. I am unsure of the reason for this and I may have the wrong info. Maybe someone can enlighten all of us.

[Mike_H]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Wow, that is one impressive list of University's! Good thing you are leaving behind all those Division II losers that no one has ever heard of!

Actually, SDSU has said they don't want put together a conference that would not meet the needs of all of their other sports since forming the Great West for football. Of course, they also said they would not make a move to DI without a conference, the move to DI would provide more opportuinties for South Dakota kids, scholarship limitations are coming to DII,......

[jackmd]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Scholarship limitations are already a reality in DII it only a question of how many more cuts will be recommended. Its on the table for the 2005 meeting. The RMAC and PSAC (Pennsylvania State AC) will support a proposal to cut FB scholarships to 24 equivalents, the same as the NAIA. Playoffs have already expanded and new members with limited athletic budgets are being welcomed with open arms.

DII is not the best fit for SDSU. We sponsor a wide variety of sports providing opportunities for a larger number of student athletes than most institutions at the DII level. We are much more similar to a mid level DI team as our most of the premier DII institutions. The continued move up will only continue as DII is further diluted. Its just a matter of time. SDSU chose not to wait in the stagnant environment that the NCC schools had chose to create and moved forward behind UNC and with NDSU. UND will soon follow and USD has similar aspirations as do almost all the NCC members.

Mike H, explain to me how adding scholarships, adding sports programs, and increasing athletic funding hurts S.D. students and citizens? I just don't get that argument. Why not give the 30+ students from S.D. who compete at the DI level a chance to stay in their home state? Oh yeah, thats right, they aren't good enough to compete with students/athletes from other states in the nation.

I forgot about the inferiority complex thats so prevalent in S.D. since I left the state. Thanks for bringing it to the forefront. When I return I hope to continue the trend to reverse this problem. First thing might be finding some radio talk show hosts who have some respect for our students/citizens instead of a "stuck in the mud" attitude and a level of comfort with the status quo. Try having some aspirations for a better S.D. and an improved attitude about change.

What do we have to lose? Our reputation as a small, non-progressive state where education is on the back burner (as reflected by our teachers salaries) and our brightest students leave the state for higher education? Then, when they return to make things better they are ridiculed for having left in the first place (Steph Herseth)?

Give me a break Mike, you are against the move to DI and SDSU in general. The NCC is your baby and you hate to see where it is headed. My recommendation, stop worrying about SDSU and focus more on the problems currently confronting the NCC and DII as a whole. Go ahead and keep your press pass.

[89rabbit]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Wow, that is one impressive list of University's! Good thing you are leaving behind all those Division II losers that no one has ever heard of!

Actually, SDSU has said they don't want put together a conference that would not meet the needs of all of their other sports since forming the Great West for football. Of course, they also said they would not make a move to DI without a conference, the move to DI would provide more opportuinties for South Dakota kids, scholarship limitations are coming to DII,......

Mike, I was going to point out that posts like this typically get the people fired up. I am not sure that the sarcastic remarks will add to the civilized conversation that some on the board claim they are looking for. I can see that you fired jackmd up. It is ok to state your opinion in whatever manner you choose, but don't be surprised if you reap what you sew. There off my soap box now.

Go State!

[Mike_H]

Re: Why not form a new conference

jackmd: I thought you were the moderate one of this group! That is one of the funniest things to the "non-believers". If you point out any of the hypocrisy or things that have not gone the way folks thought they would go you are met with the automatic "it is apparent you hate State" argument, which of course is no argument at all. It is all over this board how watered down DII is getting. How is that different than what these other schools are doing to DI?

I love the passion on this board, but please. None of us know how this is going to go. We may think we know, but we don't. It is ALL speculation at this point.

Sure I took a cheap shot, but after reading some of the stuff on this board and restraining myself, I just had to let it out. Sorry!

[jackmd]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Mike H,

I just don't care for any charades.  I'm calling you out on your stance regarding the move.  If your opposed I respect that stance as long as you are honest about the reason for your opposition.  Maybe I have misinterpreted your comments.  If so, I suspect things will be clarified over time.  Perhaps my banter and chest beating in the previous post was a little excessive.  For that I apologize.  Too much caffiene today.

P.S. 10 guests and 5 members active on the board!! Way to go Mike H., might be more people visiting this board than listening to your show! (Thats smack, sorry)

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Jack MD,
I nominate the post above for the first annual "post of the year" award, Mr. H is obviously not going to be converted nor should we continue to try. It's too bad as many people in south dakota will hear his opinions over the airwaves (and even if they are semi positive on air, the negative jabs will be remembered) and take what he says as the gospel of why SDSU is destroying the state. It doesn't take much for people with a negative attitude to build on their opinions. I personally think the show on KWSN is pretty good and they do try to show both sides of the story by getting some SDSU people in studio to build confidence in what is happening. I just wish they agreed with what they heard for the betterment of the state.

[Mike_H]

Re: Why not form a new conference

Jackmd: Your shot is well placed and well taken!

1979: What I say is far from gospel, nor should you think I am leading any kind of charge here. There are several ways to do that, but if you listen to the show, the show is not about us or our opinion, except on a rare occasion. My opinion is just that: my opinion. I know I am likely to take more shots than the average guy, because I am the only guy on here that is using his real name! I can live with that. I am not forming any public sentiment on this issue. I am repeating what others say, and bringing up points to ponder. Today we are talking VFW baseball on the show. Want my thoughts on that that I won't share on the air?

[Mike_H]

Re: Why not form a new conference

And by the way. Do we have three listeners, or do we influence the thinking of the entire state? I really think we need to form a consensus here

[89rabbit]

Re: Why not form a new conference

And by the way. Do we have three listeners, or do we influence the thinking of the entire state? I really think we need to form a consensus here

Very funny! ;D

[jackmd]

Re: Why not form a new conference

You have gained a new listener in the last several days. I can't listen everyday but I will tune in via the internet when possible. I am a sports talk radio rube, I love it. Here in Rochester, MN we now have ESPN radio along with KFAN (twin cities) and Fox sports radio. Its all I listen to.

P.S. My real name is out there if you do a little investigating.

[bisonguy]

Re: Why not form a new conference

I believe a new conference would suffer a 13 (possibly 8 ) year wait before an autobid would be granted. The NCAA legislation (2003-13) calls for the reduction of the probationary period if, and only if, a schools joins a school that already is eligible for an autobid.

There already is an "alliance" of some of the indy's to play in 2005 including NDSU, SDSU, Texas-PA, Texas-CC, and a few other schools.

[89rabbit]

Re: Why not form a new conference

jackmd: I thought you were the moderate one of this group! That is one of the funniest things to the "non-believers". If you point out any of the hypocrisy or things that have not gone the way folks thought they would go you are met with the automatic "it is apparent you hate State" argument, which of course is no argument at all. It is all over this board how watered down DII is getting. How is that different than what these other schools are doing to DI?

I love the passion on this board, but please. None of us know how this is going to go. We may think we know, but we don't. It is ALL speculation at this point.  

Sure I took a cheap shot, but after reading some of the stuff on this board and restraining myself, I just had to let it out. Sorry!

Mike,

To paraphrase, you ask how is SDSU moving to D-I any different then say Beacom College, Green Mountain College, Holy Family College, North Greenville College, etc. moving into D-II.  The answer is simple it is in the numbers.

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/gove..._sheet_d2.html

According to the NCAA the avg. D-II school has an enrollment of 3,400 students.  Of the 279 schools that are D-II, 87.6 % have enrollments of 7,499 or less.  Only 12.4% of D-II schools have enrollments greater then 7,500 and look like (most) the schools in the old NCC.

Beacom College enrollment 1,700
Green Mountain College enrollment 700
Holy Family University enrollment 2,530
North Greenville College enrollment 1,615

Compare that to SDSU and our move to D-I.  Again according to the NCAA of the 326 schools that compete at the D-I level, the Avg. D-I school has an enrollment of 10,277.  SDSU’s enrollment in the fall of 2003 was 10,561.  As you can see we are above the avg. by some 284 students and we continue to grow.  Mike I hope this answears your question.  Please let me know if you would like additional clarification.  

Go State!  ;D  

[89rabbit]

Re: Why not form a new conference

I believe a new conference would suffer a 13 (possibly 8 ) year wait before an autobid would be granted. The NCAA legislation (2003-13) calls for the reduction of the probationary period if, and only if, a schools joins a school that already is eligible for an autobid.

There already is an "alliance" of some of the indy's to play in 2005 including NDSU, SDSU, Texas-PA, Texas-CC, and a few other schools.

Bisonguy, you are 100% correct.  If SDSU was to form a new conference it would not be eligible for the NCAA Men's or Women's basketball tournament for 13 years as compared to 5 if we join an established conference.  It has been reported that we have worked out an "alliance" and the schools involved are SDSU, NDSU, UNC, Utah Valley State, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, University of Texas Pam American, and IPFW.  I think this will meet our needs until we have a conference home.

Go State!  ;D