New conference

[my view]

Does anybody feel like we should complete in a conference where the institutions have fan bases who actually care? In our current leagues, it seems like the Jacks and Bison are the only teams who fall into this category. USD cares, but only when they’re playing us down in Vermillion. I would love to be in a conference that looks something like this:

SDSU
USD
NDSU
UND
Montana
Montana St.
Idaho
Idaho St.
New Mexico State is playing as an FBS independent. Perhaps they’d be interested in joining.

What do these schools have in common? Yes, they all have football teams. In addition, none of their names start with Northern, Southern, Eastern, or Western. For the most part, very few of these so-called “directional schools” have engaged fan bases. Last year’s non-conference football game at Montana St. seemed almost perfect. It was a sellout crowd between two land grant universities from the same region of America. It was a polar opposite atmosphere of most other places we play at in the MVFC or Summit League where high school-sized crowds seem to be the norm.

You might ask, “Why would you want to play in front of hostile crowds? Wouldn’t that mean a greater chance of losing?” Although there’s truth in that statement, that’s not how rivalries are created. It’s hard to have rivalries when most of our opponents’ fans don’t care. If we had more regional rivalries, I’m convinced we’d draw more fans to Dana J and Frost.

[bigticket1]

Re: New conference

I think that a big advantage of being in the Valley for football and the Summit for BB is that we are now playing games in many of the prime areas we draw recruits from. Not sure that trading Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri for Montana and Idaho would be a good trade-off. Plus, I remember the Great West days of games starting at 9:00, which I definitely wasn't a fan of, and which also doesn't increase our exposure in the main areas we recruit.

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: New conference

Generally, I agree with the premise that we should be surrounding ourselves with other large, state landgrants that play FCS. But the recruiting point is a fair one. One difference between the Great West then and this western league now is that all 4 Dakotas were not in the Great west at that time. They would be now. We currently don't recruit Ohio and Indiana much with our existing league, so we wouldn't lose much there. Illinois/Iowa/Missouri is a little different.

The best case scenario in my mind would be an all sports league with the MVFC, minus YSU. It won't happen though, barring some big shifts.

My next preference would be to play in a conference similar to the one listed above. Also won't happen, because those western schools have no real incentive to do so.

For the record though, I am firmly in the camp that given a chance for something better, we need to get out of the summit.

[SoDakJack]

Re: New conference

Does anybody feel like we should complete in a conference where the institutions have fan bases who actually care? In our current leagues, it seems like the Jacks and Bison are the only teams who fall into this category. USD cares, but only when they’re playing us down in Vermillion. I would love to be in a conference that looks something like this:

SDSU
USD
NDSU
UND
Montana
Montana St.
Idaho
Idaho St.
New Mexico State is playing as an FBS independent. Perhaps they’d be interested in joining.

What do these schools have in common? Yes, they all have football teams. In addition, none of their names start with Northern, Southern, Eastern, or Western. For the most part, very few of these so-called “directional schools” have engaged fan bases. Last year’s non-conference football game at Montana St. seemed almost perfect. It was a sellout crowd between two land grant universities from the same region of America. It was a polar opposite atmosphere of most other places we play at in the MVFC or Summit League where high school-sized crowds seem to be the norm.

You might ask, “Why would you want to play in front of hostile crowds? Wouldn’t that mean a greater chance of losing?” Although there’s truth in that statement, that’s not how rivalries are created. It’s hard to have rivalries when most of our opponents’ fans don’t care. If we had more regional rivalries, I’m convinced we’d draw more fans to Dana J and Frost.

Perhaps we should focus on getting every SDSU game to the point of being a sellout before we start casting stones. I understand what you are saying, but we have a lot of work to do in-house first.

[filbert]

Re: New conference

The ideal conference for SDSU IMHO would be an all-sports version of the MVFC.

Lots of farirly improbable things would need to occur for that to happen however.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: New conference

Perhaps we should focus on getting every SDSU game to the point of being a sellout before we start casting stones. I understand what you are saying, but we have a lot of work to do in-house first.

This and dont get me started on late season football and playoff attendance again.

[Justwin]

Re: New conference

The ideal conference for SDSU IMHO would be an all-sports version of the MVFC.

Lots of farirly improbable things would need to occur for that to happen however.

I guess I would be on the opposite side of the fence on this one. Wrestling would suffer if we went to a conference such as that one. IMO we need to be in the best conference per sport. If we were FBS football and a high major I can see one conference working but with our current situation I just don't see it.

[my view]

Re: New conference

I guess I would be on the opposite side of the fence on this one. Wrestling would suffer if we went to a conference such as that one. IMO we need to be in the best conference per sport. If we were FBS football and a high major I can see one conference working but with our current situation I just don't see it.

No worries. We’d stay in Big 12 for wrestling.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: New conference

The ideal conference for SDSU IMHO would be an all-sports version of the MVFC.

Lots of farirly improbable things would need to occur for that to happen however.

This is my preferred option. I'll think we'll get there some day.

[thumper_76]

Re: New conference

This is my preferred option. I'll think we'll get there some day.

Zero percent chance that ever happens, zero percent chance the opening post dream conference happens, and zero percent chance chance of us ever enticing UNI/Montana/Montana State/Illinois State to the Summit while were at it. An all sports version of the MVFC would mean that 100% of the schools would have to sign on to dropping half their conference to join it while the MVC schools might be signing up to lose some NCAA tourney money, on top of somehow convincing the eastern teams to send their Olympic sports to each Dakota school in every sport every year when they won’t even agree to send their football teams every other year? I want some of what y’all are smoking. Don’t even get me started on the “the Montana’s and Idaho’s will joint is because they don’t have a direction in their name” stuff.


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[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: New conference

Zero percent chance that ever happens, zero percent chance the opening post dream conference happens, and zero percent chance chance of us ever enticing UNI/Montana/Montana State/Illinois State to the Summit while were at it. An all sports version of the MVFC would mean that 100% of the schools would have to sign on to dropping half their conference to join it while the MVC schools might be signing up to lose some NCAA tourney money, on top of somehow convincing the eastern teams to send their Olympic sports to each Dakota school in every sport every year when they won’t even agree to send their football teams every other year? I want some of what y’all are smoking. Don’t even get me started on the “the Montana’s and Idaho’s will joint is because they don’t have a direction in their name” stuff.


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Agreed. I wish it weren't so, but it is. If SDSU ever wanted to find themselves in a league with the Montana's, they'd have a better shot at petitioning the big sky to let them in as the 14th member than they ever would of convining um/msu to leave the sky for the summit/valley. And that ship sailed last decade when they went with the California schools over NDSU/SDSU. It's just not going to happen. And honestly, NMSU to the big Sky isn't likely either. If they ended up dropping down in football, it'd probably be to the Southland. Las cruces is close to Abilene, Houston and Nacodoches than it is to Moscow, Cheney, and Bozeman. Even Cedar City Utah is farther from Las Cruces than a game against SHSU.

All of the above is very unlikely though.

[Hammersmith]

Re: New conference

Just something to think about...

Major cities closer to Brookings than Missoula:
Albuquerque
Dallas
Shreveport
Memphis
Lexington, KY
Cincinnati
Cleveland

Cities within 50mi of the distance from Brookings to Missoula:
Toronto
Pittsburgh
Knoxville
Chattanooga
Jackson, MS
Waco

And that's not considering the Idaho and NMSU which are over 100mi beyond Missoula(Rochester, NY or Atlanta) . I think we often forget the distances involved with the Big Sky schools just because Montana is adjacent to the Dakotas. We are far more geographically and culturally aligned with the Midwestern states of MN, IA, NE, KS, WI, IL, IN & MO.

[Nidaros]

Re: New conference

Does anybody feel like we should complete in a conference where the institutions have fan bases who actually care? In our current leagues, it seems like the Jacks and Bison are the only teams who fall into this category. USD cares, but only when they’re playing us down in Vermillion. I would love to be in a conference that looks something like this:

SDSU
USD
NDSU
UND
Montana
Montana St.
Idaho
Idaho St.
New Mexico State is playing as an FBS independent. Perhaps they’d be interested in joining.

What do these schools have in common? Yes, they all have football teams. In addition, none of their names start with Northern, Southern, Eastern, or Western. For the most part, very few of these so-called “directional schools” have engaged fan bases. Last year’s non-conference football game at Montana St. seemed almost perfect. It was a sellout crowd between two land grant universities from the same region of America. It was a polar opposite atmosphere of most other places we play at in the MVFC or Summit League where high school-sized crowds seem to be the norm.

You might ask, “Why would you want to play in front of hostile crowds? Wouldn’t that mean a greater chance of losing?” Although there’s truth in that statement, that’s not how rivalries are created. It’s hard to have rivalries when most of our opponents’ fans don’t care. If we had more regional rivalries, I’m convinced we’d draw more fans to Dana J and Frost.

It is ironic that the eight schools with the exception of NMSU, did at one time considered forming a conference. I was a student at the time, and it was more talk than action. The presidents from those eight schools did have a meeting in 1963. If I recall they met in the Twin Cities.
It was a very short meeting as travel costs were the deal breaker back then as they were in 2004 when the Big Sky turned down membership for SDSU and NDSU, but instead choose UNC for membership.
Just the thought of attempting to form a new conference back then really pulled the trigger on the Argus Publisher Mr. Christopherson. It was in his opinion a big threat to the NCC, and then tiny Augustana was left out. Christopherson thought the NCC, with then only seven members might be wise to add some Minnesota schools such as Mankato and St. Cloud which did happen in 1970’s. l remember too, the editor of the Collegian, Roger Christensen got involved in the debate with Mr. Christopherson and it went back and forth. Some name calling and Roger held his ground. The Argus was status quo in Christensen mind.
The Montana schools from time to time scheduled the Dakota schools. Montana State and SDSU signed a 10 year home and home contract between 1956 and 1966. Buyouts were unheard of in those days and the Pacific Coast Conference was not looking for easy games.
Personally, many decades later, I offer this status quo comment. We have the best of all worlds in the Summit League and the MVFC. I know we don’t see many Sycamore fan buses, but maybe someday.

[Justwin]

Re: New conference

It is ironic that the eight schools with the exception of NMSU, did at one time considered forming a conference. I was a student at the time, and it was more talk than action. The presidents from those eight schools did have a meeting in 1963. If I recall they met in the Twin Cities.
It was a very short meeting as travel costs were the deal breaker back then as they were in 2004 when the Big Sky turned down membership for SDSU and NDSU, but instead choose UNC for membership.
Just the thought of attempting to form a new conference back then really pulled the trigger on the Argus Publisher Mr. Christopherson. It was in his opinion a big threat to the NCC, and then tiny Augustana was left out. Christopherson thought the NCC, with then only seven members might be wise to add some Minnesota schools such as Mankato and St. Cloud which did happen in 1970’s. l remember too, the editor of the Collegian, Roger Christensen got involved in the debate with Mr. Christopherson and it went back and forth. Some name calling and Roger held his ground. The Argus was status quo in Christensen mind.
The Montana schools from time to time scheduled the Dakota schools. Montana State and SDSU signed a 10 year home and home contract between 1956 and 1966. Buyouts were unheard of in those days and the Pacific Coast Conference was not looking for easy games.
Personally, many decades later, I offer this status quo comment. We have the best of all worlds in the Summit League and the MVFC. I know we don’t see many Sycamore fan buses, but maybe someday.

I agree we have the best of all 3 worlds, SL,MVFC and Big XXII.

[Nidaros]

Re: New conference

I agree we have the best of all 3 worlds, SL,MVFC and Big XXII.

I forget Big12 and wrestling, a major consideration. Going west requires travel time and money, however a trip to Youngstown can not be a cheapie either.