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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
this topic is heating up hopefully by july we will have a conference home.
this topic is heating up hopefully by july we will have a conference home.
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
This is ultra-huge. Congratulations for Valpo and the Horizon in keeping this completely off of the radar screens.Originally posted by Jacks-D1
IPFW is in the Mid-Con for sure now, in order to keep the full D-I school count up in the conference for the next year or two. They might just go south to Texas-Pan American for the same reason.
IUPUI and Oakland might very well be quietly looking for other homes too.
The Mid-Con needs to look at the medium- and long-term future. Centenary's future is questionable, and the Mid-Con needs a better geographic focus. Their best chance for long-term survival might be to become a D-I NCC (call it the Big North Conference). Bring NDSU and SDSU in, get UND to jump to D-I, and take Minnesota State, St. Cloud, and USD when the NCC implodes in a year or two.
The whole conference hunt just got a LOT more interesting (not that it wasn't interesting before . . . )"I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
The Mid-Con conference release is here:
http://www.mid-con.com/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=3980"I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Originally posted by jackrabbit1979
If they added IPFW as well (I believe they are already eligible) wouldn't they count towards the auto-bid number and give them the number they need until 08-09 when the SU's become a counter for the autobid. Plus that would put the conference at 10 which would be much more desirable than the 9 members they would have by just adding the SU's. Down the road, in all speculation, Centenary leaves, they add UTVS or maybe a UND who has finally decided to take the D1 plunge...[/quote]
Personally, I see this as a likely scenario. UTVS isn't eligible until '09, and UND til '11 at earliest, these two become affiliate members, ineligible for post-season until thru transition. BTW, this is an unstable league. VERY possible that this could become the "moved up" NCC by 2020.Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Originally posted by rabidrabbit
If they added IPFW as well (I believe they are already eligible) wouldn't they count towards the auto-bid number and give them the number they need until 08-09 when the SU's become a counter for the autobid. Plus that would put the conference at 10 which would be much more desirable than the 9 members they would have by just adding the SU's. Down the road, in all speculation, Centenary leaves, they add UTVS or maybe a UND who has finally decided to take the D1 plunge...[/quote]
Personally, I see this as a likely scenario. UTVS isn't eligible until '09, and UND til '11 at earliest, these two become affiliate members, ineligible for post-season until thru transition. BTW, this is an unstable league. VERY possible that this could become the "moved up" NCC by 2020.[/quote]
Conferences have a two year grace period before losing their autobid. Say that Centenary left the Mid-Con today too, leaving the conference at six members. The conference would need to have seven full D-I members in the 2008-09 academic year to maintain their basketball autobid.
NDSU and SDSU are full D-I members in 2008-09. No problem. (Unless the Big Sky moves first. I expect that Fred Oien's and President Miller's phones are ringing about now.)
Great minds think alike--I just posted the "NCC v2.0 Scenario" over on the CollegeSportsInfo board:
http://ncaasports.proboards10.com/in...39&page=21
"I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Oh, and . . .
I'd rather be in NCC v 2.0 (with a basketball autobid) than in the Big Sky, if anyone was wondering . . .
And, for better or worse, I just sent an e-mail to Tom Douple, commissioner of the Mid-Con, with the NCC v 2.0 strategy for the Mid-Con. We'll see what, if anything, he says . . ."I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Man, Valpo leaving the Mid-Con caught me by surprise.
The problem in DI basketball is that a conference needs 7 core members to get the autobid. To be a "core member" you have to have been an active member of DI for the 8 preceding years! Plus 6 of a conference members have to have been in the conference for the two preceding years. I'm not sure if NDSU and SDSU are active members yet. I'm not sure that NDSU and SDSU are even considered active members yet so the Mid-Con is down to the bare minimum right now. If I were the Mid-Con, I'd want at least one member who joined DI before 2000 and then get whoever else I could.
Of course, even if the Mid-Con loses another member, having a conference is better than not having one and at least there'd be a definite deadline for the autobid.Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Well in that case . . . Texas-Pan American, welcome to the Mid-Continent Conference! (IPFW didn't go D-I until 2001, I believe . . . )Originally posted by tony"I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Highlights from The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne Newspaper):
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/14603016.htm
Valparaiso move might help IPFW
By Blake Sebring bsebring@news-sentinel.com
IPFW’s chances of joining the Mid-Continent Conference may have gotten a significant boost Wednesday, but it came at the cost of a potential rival. Valparaiso University announced it is leaving the Mid-Con to join the Horizon League in the 2007-08 school year.
This might create an opportunity for IPFW which was already applying for Mid-Con membership. IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State were recently asked to submit information.
“It’s very logical now,” IPFW Associate Athletic Director Tim Heffron said. “To me it makes sense if they took all three schools. That would give them 10 and that’s a pretty logical number. It’s clear with them asking for our information that they are interested in us.” . . .
Mid-Con Commissioner Tom Douple was unavailable for comment but said in a statement, “We respect the decision of Valparaiso University and wish them all the best in the future. Valparaiso has been a good member for the Mid-Continent Conference, and the conference has been a very good home for Valparaiso over the past 24 years…
“The conference will immediately explore all of the options available for the future. We will make decisions based on what is best for our current membership and the long term viability of the Mid-Continent Conference.”
The Mid-Con is expected to vote on new members at its annual league meetings starting June 27 in Chicago. . . . (read more)
Go State!
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
From the Argus:
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...47/1002/SPORTS
Valparaiso's departure could help Jackrabbits
Mid-Continent now down to seven members; Big Sky also appears interested
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
May 18, 2006
In less than a week, South Dakota State appears to have gone from convincing different conferences that it is worthy of membership to becoming a desired commodity.
Mid-Continent Conference charter member Valparaiso announced Wednesday that it would leave the conference to join the Horizon League for the 2007-08 school year.
That could create a battle over SDSU and North Dakota State between the Mid-Con and Big Sky conferences. The presidents of the Big Sky, who twice shunned the Dakota schools because of their location, will meet next Tuesday with expansion on the agenda.
"I think what we're starting to see out of the Mid-Con is that South Dakota State and North Dakota State are becoming more attractive toward the end of their transition," Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said Tuesday. "They're more attractive now than they were two years ago."
SDSU and NDSU, who will complete the NCAA's required five-year probation period for moving to Division I before the 2008-09 school year, have played as independent schools since moving to D-I in 2004-05.
The Mid-Continent presidents will meet June 27 in Chicago. Both SDSU and NDSU, along with Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, have been asked to submit institutional profiles for potential membership into the league, which is now down to seven members. . . .
Fullerton does not expect any action to be taken at Tuesday's Big Sky meeting in Missoula, Mont. Montana State President Geoff Gamble said he supports expanding the league from nine to 12 teams and breaking it into north and south divisions. . . .
Both Fullerton and Gamble said the push for additional expansion is being made because athletic directors discovered they were having diffuclties scheduling for basketball in a nine-team league.
"One of the things we'll have to ask ourselves is should we consider, at the very least, a travel partner for Northern Colorado," Gamble said. "Maybe the future of the Big Sky is to be a slightly bigger conference." . . . (read more)
Go State!
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Does the Valpo move throw up in caution signs for us???
I'm leaning towards the Mid-Conn over Big Sky but the Valpo move makes me scratch my head.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HHHMMMMMMMM!!!!!
SUPERBUNNY
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, BIZUN!!!Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
There's no caution signs. Valpo leaving means that the Mid-Con need to expand, which is good for NDSU and SDSU. The Mid-Con is not a very stable conference, but that's not very important. Expansion will help stabalize it. Teams come and go from this conference - NDSU and SDSU will probably not spend 10 years in the Mid-Con before finding another home.Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Valpo has wanted into the Horizon since that league was founded by a bunch of teams who departed the Mid-Con (and Valpo).Originally posted by SUPERBUNNY
The schools to watch now are Oakland and IUPUI--the two easternmost Mid-Con schools and probably the two with the largest number of potential new conference homes. That's why it's a no-brainer for the Mid-Con to pick up IPFW. Also why Utah Valley State, a logical pick-up to give Southern Utah a travel partner (but not eligible for D-I championship play until 2009) is probably not on the short list. Texas-Pan American, a full D-I which the Mid-Con needs to keep the automatic bid safe, is also a possibility but has serious geographic issues, too.
"I think we'll be OK"Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
The Argus has a long update on the conference search. It is good reading although perhaps nohting new for those who have been following the issue closely. It talks about the MidCon, Big Sky and timetables. Hopefully in about 6 weeks we will be celebrating.
http://argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll...605210330/1002
A lot of the people on the NDSU board continue to be captivated by the Big Sky. Although I would be happy with either, I think the Mid Con has the potential to do a lot more for us, just from the time zones perspective alone. If we are in the Big Sky, all of our away evening events will be starting to late to get same night TV sporst coverage or next day Newspaper coverage. This may seem like a small detail but in terms of building awareness and support for the program statewide and in the region it is huge. Papers typcially carry much smaller reports on games where the report is a day old due to missing the deadline for next days paper and I doubt that we will see TV caryying flim clips that are a day old. This can also cause recruiting challenges I think if prospects from the regions where we have done most of our recruiting can't get information on results for our teams. This is not as much of an issue for football where many games are afternoon games. I know this has been said before but thought it should be brought up again.Comment
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Re: Huge Mid-Con news
Originally posted by Rabbit74
It's a minority, although very vocal one, that feels that way. : Most of those that feel that way are either from or living in western ND, or currently living very far west of Fargo.
For one home football game in football vs. Montana every other year, NDSU would also gain:
1)alumni and fans closest to the university having to listen to BB games that are an one, two, or even three hours later than home games
2)The closest away game (not including SDSU) of 750 miles, and 950 miles for the next largest area of NDSU alumni (Minneapolis)
3)No exposure in the 'new' recruiting areas for NDSU (Chicago and Detroit)
4)No conference home for baseball/softball
Not worth it IMO, especially if the Mid-Con offers first.
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