Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

[89rabbit]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

[quote author=89rabbit link=1144419356/0#12 date=1144615837][quote author=Luckylucky link=1144419356/0#11 date=1144612745]Why do you think USD will allows itself to be left out of the association?

It doesn't sound like the Big Sky has any interest in USD.

http://www.areavoices.com/bisonmedia/

.  .  .  "When I asked him what options he sees out there for adding 3 more teams he said there were 2 schools in North Dakota that had positives and one in South Dakota."  (Fullerton said) .  .  .   .

Even if USD did decide to move up, that doesn't mean they would have a home.  


Go State!  
[/quote]

We don't have a home either.  I'll be very, very, pissed if NDSU and UND get an invite and we get left out in the cold.[/quote]

Don't get me wrong, I am not a big believer in anything that Fullerton has to say, and I still think there is a better chance that we will end up in the Mid-Con with just NDSU (gut feeling, based on no inside info).  However if you do believe what Fullerton is saying then it sound like USD is a day late and a dollar short as far as the Big Sky goes.  That is all I am saying.


To address your other point, no way does the Big Sky just add two teams and go to 11.  So I don't think you need to worry about a UND and NDSU invite only.  It just isn't going to happen. It is all of us (UND, NDSU, and SDSU) or none of us, IMHO.


Go State!  

[filbert]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

Given the Big Sky's ambivalence toward the Dakotas that they've already shown, I have a hard time believing that an invite to the Big Sky for NDSU/SDSU/UND will come out of the conference presidents' meeting in May.

The best possible outcome I can imagine from those meetings is that they announce that they're "explore additional expansion options" or some such academic/bureaucratese, and possibly open a new round of campus visits. That would mean an invite in spring/summer 2007 with full membership in 2008-09 or 2009-10.

Meanwhile, Tom Douple has to figure out what the future of the GWFC (if any) and the Mid-Con will look like.

I'll still believe that SDSU is a candidate for the Big Sky only after I see it.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

I would hope that communications are being kept open with all prospective conferences. The fact is that unless there is an offer to join made to SDSU, than there is nothing of consiquence. All of the conferences out there know about SDSU and that we are looking for a place to hang our hat.

As far as the BSC goes, it has always been my suspision that eventually they will expand to a 12 team conference with an East and West division. As a conference, they need to protect against losing members and thus losing their automatic bid for the NCAA Basketball Tournaments. It provides a perfect opportunity for SDSU, NDSU, and possibly UND if they announce they are going.

To me the BSC is still the best fit for SDSU. A conference of any kind would be a huge shot in the arm compared to where we're at now. We all just have to keep the faith and understand that this is not an overnight process!

My $.02!!!

SUPERBUNNY OUT!

[thebluehatman]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

the big sky would be a good conference for the SUs and UND to move to. although the location of us isn't the best for the conference choices but it would fit us good. we can already compete with UNC in their sports pretty well. we can compete with montana fairly good in football as of now.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

No matter what conference we get into, we're not going to be the best fit geographically. We're in the middle of the nation and North of everyone. We're not exactly in the hub of the nation's population. But, we are a great school with an excellent athletic history. If we were playoff eligible, I would be willing to bet we'd already be members of the Big Sky.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

I think you are exactly right Milwaukee!

Two issues we need to be a prime candidate for membership:

1. Get football scholarships to 63.
2. Become playoff eligible.

Everything else other than geographical location and some facility upgrades is there. We may become a member of a conference before that but we become infinitely more attractive to conferences when those criteria are met!

SUPERBUNNY

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Steve Hallstrom's take on the Big Sky

From a AGS thread about new/changed conferences, and this quote from RALPH (moderator at AGS/I-AA.org) related to a whole NCC move to D-I-AA

Originally Posted by dbackjon
But had you done that four years ago, the NCC would be halfway to getting an auto-bid for basketball. If a conference (for basketball) has seven core members who have been D-I for eight years, and have played basketball together in the conference for 5 years, then that conference gets an autobid. If the NCC meets those requirements, the NCAA by its bylaws would be required to award the NCC a basketball auto-bid.

Yeah but once they declare they are going D-I they have five playing seasons before they are D-I. Then eight playing seasons to be eligible ...

This is TOO LONG for Jacks to wait. IMHO. We're three years into this transition, and would be better suited to proceed. Only the UND possible move up appears to be soon enough to warrant consideration prior to 2009. My $ .02