Mid Con Vacancy?

[jackrabbit1979]

This was posted over on the bison board:



Centenary, a current member of the Mid-Continent Conference, has been asked by the Southland Conference to join in on expansion talks.  Centenary is based in Sheveport, LA.  It, along with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American, Tarleton State, and Central Arkansas are under consideration.  

This summer, the Southland will be down to ten members with Louisiana-Monroe leaving for the Sun Belt and seven that play I-AA football.  I would believe, if the SLC expands, at least one school will play football.  But Centenary would be right in the middle of all the SLC teams that currently make-up the conference.  

For those of us hoping that NDSU gets into a current conference for non-football sports, we should be pulling for Centenary to get into the Southland.  

The Mid-Con would be down to eight members and likely NDSU and SDSU could fit right in to get the conference to 10 members.

I know that the Mid-Con was not our favorite conference of choice but I think most of use would agree that it would be better than the Conference 32 prospect with schools in Indiana, Utah, Virginia, Texas, New York, and New Jersey.  

The Mid-Con also would give us a chance at automatic tournament eligibility once the probation is over.  

Here is the article on Centenary being contacted by the Southland Conference:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...505190310/1026

[Jacks-D1]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

I think this is good news. Centenary is geographically more suited to the Southland than the Mid-Con. If they were accepted, I think the Dakotas would have a great chance to be in the Mid-Con, which would be better than trying to create a new conference out of independants, even though the Mid-Con does not have football.

[filbert]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Mid-Con's good for me, here in KC

[89rabbit]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Interesting talk on another board.  Seems that to maintain the balance of power between Football playing and non-football playing schools in the Southland Conf. that one of each will more then likely be added when the conference expands.  

Apperently the Southland is trying to expand it's geograpic foot print to the North and East.  Looks like the front runners may be Central Arkansas (football current member of D-II) and Centenary (non-football, located in Shreveport, current member of the Mid-Con).

This could be good news as it would allow the Mid-Con to add four teams and do the East/West Divisional split, to help drive down travel expenses, that has been rumored for so long.

Mid-Con East

Okland (Mich.) - current member
IPFW - possible new member
Chicago St. - current member
Valpo- current member
IUPUI- current member
Western Ill. -current member

Mid-Con West

SDSU - possible new member
NDSU - possible new member
UMKC - current member
Oral Roberts - current member
Southern Utah - current member
Utah Valley State - possible new memeber

This line up would also give each school a travel partner and seems to make a lot of sense.

Of course, if the Central Arkansas and Cent. rumor are true it will leave TAMCC and UT-Pan American also looking for a home.  Isn't talking about all the possibilities fun.  :


Go State!  ;D

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Interesting talk on another board.  Seems that to maintain the balance of power between Football playing and non-football playing schools in the Southland Conf. that one of each will more then likely be added when the conference expands.  

Apperently the Southland is trying to expand it's geograpic foot print to the North and East.  Looks like the front runners may be Central Arkansas (football current member of D-II) and Centenary (non-football, located in Shreveport, current member of the Mid-Con).

This could be good news as it would allow the Mid-Con to add four teams and do the East/West Divisional split, to help drive down travel expenses, that has been rumored for so long.

Mid-Con East

Okland (Mich.) - current member
IPFW - possible new member
Chicago St. - current member
Valpo- current member
IUPUI- current member
Western Ill. -current member

Mid-Con West

SDSU - possible new member
NDSU - possible new member
UMKC - current member
Oral Roberts - current member
Southern Utah - current member
Utah Valley State - possible new memeber

This line up would also give each school a travel partner and seems to make a lot of sense.

Of course, if the Central Arkansas and Cent. rumor are true it will leave TAMCC and UT-Pan American also looking for a home.  Isn't talking about all the possibilities fun.  :


Go State!  ;D

I really think the scenario described above is a very likely
result. While the Mid-Cont is not my first choice I think its a good start. I think from a Basketball perspective it's a better situation than the Big Sky. Also provides our baseball team with some good team to build a rivalary. With Centenary potentially out I like the geography makeup of the conference!

[gojacksgo]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

This wasn't my first choice either, but they could get in the mid-con and stay in the Great West for football. It is a much tougher basketball conference than the Big Sky ever will be, and it will open up recruiting to more big cities like Kansas City and Chicago.

I hope that scenario happens.

[filbert]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Interesting talk on another board. Seems that to maintain the balance of power between Football playing and non-football playing schools in the Southland Conf. that one of each will more then likely be added when the conference expands.

Apperently the Southland is trying to expand it's geograpic foot print to the North and East. Looks like the front runners may be Central Arkansas (football current member of D-II) and Centenary (non-football, located in Shreveport, current member of the Mid-Con).

This could be good news as it would allow the Mid-Con to add four teams and do the East/West Divisional split, to help drive down travel expenses, that has been rumored for so long.

Mid-Con East

Okland (Mich.) - current member
IPFW - possible new member
Chicago St. - current member
Valpo- current member
IUPUI- current member
Western Ill. -current member

Mid-Con West

SDSU - possible new member
NDSU - possible new member
UMKC - current member
Oral Roberts - current member
Southern Utah - current member
Utah Valley State - possible new memeber

This line up would also give each school a travel partner and seems to make a lot of sense.

Of course, if the Central Arkansas and Cent. rumor are true it will leave TAMCC and UT-Pan American also looking for a home. Isn't talking about all the possibilities fun. :


Go State! ;D

I'd be quite comfortable with this alignment.

I'd probably make the UMKC-ORU road trip annually, the SUU-UVSU road trip occasionally, and maybe a trip to one of the eastern road trips annually as well. Not to mention making it up to Brookings to use my season tickets for at least a couple of conference weekends.

So, if there are any Mid-Con Conference lurkers here, that's cash money that this Kansas City area resident is willing to spend going to your conference games if you take SDSU.

[cal_jack]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Selfishly, I still vote for the Big Sky. Assuming that Sacramento State stays in then I get to see the Jacks BB at least once a year.

[filbert]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

The nice thing is, no matter where in the country you are, now that we're D-I there's a good chance the Jacks will be in your neigborhood in the next two or three years.

[GoJacks]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

The nice thing is, no matter where in the country you are, now that we're D-I there's a good chance the Jacks will be in your neigborhood in the next two or three years.

 

Very True STATEment

The Jacks played exactly 2.3 miles from me today!

[glb]GO[/glb] JACKS!

[SiouxFallsJack]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

 

Very True STATEment

The Jacks played exactly 2.3 miles from me today!

[glb]GO[/glb] JACKS!

Hey D-town were you able to attend the game on Friday or planning on going this weekend?

[SiouxFallsJack]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Never mind, I guess I should have read your other post first. :-[

Were their very many Jacks fans at the game?

[89rabbit]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

Here are highlights from the Fargo Forum (subscription site, but it is free):

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/ind...section=Sports

Shuffle could benefit NDSU
By Jeff Kolpack, The Forum
Published Saturday, May 21, 2005

The first thing Indiana University-Purdue Fort Wayne athletic director Mark Pope wants a conference.

Any conference.

“It is my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night,” he said.

Like a deck of cards, conferences are still shuffling teams. The Big Sky officially added Northern Colorado this week and appears to be settled with the expansion issue – at least for the near future. . . .

A ray of hope for both schools could come today when Centenary College (La.) officials meet with the Southland Board of Directors in Houston. Centenary is considered to be a better geographical fit for the Southland than its present league – the Mid-Continent Conference.

A marriage of Southland and Centenary could leave the nine-team Mid-Con open for expansion.

“We would anticipate they would begin as early as June to re-discuss the issue of expansion,” NDSU women’s athletic director Lynn Dorn said.

Dorn believes Southland’s talks with Centenary, Texas-Pan American, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Central Arkansas and Tarleton State (Texas) is a sign the Southland may be seriously looking at a 12-team or 14-team league. Pan American and Corpus Christi are independents while Central Arkansas and Tarleton State are Division II schools that have declared interest in moving up to Division I.

“What we know is there is a culture that suggests you don’t want to be at eight,” Dorn said. “And expansion to an even number 10, 12 or 14 is most desirable. It’s the most cost-effective as well.”

The best-case scenario for NDSU would be if Centenary bolted the Mid-Con. The loss of the league’s southern-most member could put NDSU and perhaps South Dakota State in the Mid-Con geographical picture. The league includes Midwest schools Missouri-Kansas City, Chicago State and Western Illinois. Oakland University (Mich.), Valparaiso University (Ind.) Indiana University Purdue-Indianapolis are not far from Midwest distinction.

The Mid-Con has 17 sports, but not football. NDSU is a member of the Great West Football Conference.

“There are so many benefits our athletes would gain being a member of a conference,” Pope said. “I try to do something every single day to try and get us in one.”


Good story, I had to laugh a little about the line that this could "perhaps" help SDSU. Clearly the Mid-Con would be interested in SDSU maybe more then NDSU if they only added one because of our Baseketball history. That being said, I am sure that if the Mid-Con takes one of us they would invite the other. Today will be an interesting day for us (both) down in Houston.

Go State! ;D

[filbert]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

News from UT-Pan American territory:

http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProces...Section=Sports

The Broncs, along with four other collegiate institutions, will attempt to persuade the Southland Conference that they’re the program primed for SLC affiliation when Street, president Blandina Cárdenas, vice president of business affairs James Langabeer and faculty athletic representative Tony de la Peña meet Saturday in Houston with the league’s board of directors.

UTPA rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Centenary, Central Arkansas and Tarleton State are the other four institutions.

. . .

Southland Conference expansion will be discussed officially at a meeting in Galveston during the first week of June when the 10 presidents of the member institutions will be present, league commissioner Tom Burnett said. The Southland Conference hasn’t decided on how many institutions it would like to expand to, if it does go into expansion mode, Burnett added.

[89rabbit]

Re: Mid Con Vacancy?

More news from the Southland and Centenary.  Here are highlights and a link.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...505220323/1001

Third time's a charm for Centenary and SLC?
Centenary takes another run at SLC
May 22, 2005

By Scott Ferrell

sferrell@gannett.com

Introductions weren't mandatory Saturday when Centenary College officials met with Southland Conference presidents and a select group of athletic directors in Houston.

Many of the Southland officials and Centenary officials were familiar with one another from the school's previous attempts to join the SLC in 1998 and again in 1999.

Six years later, though, Centenary's chances of joining the Southland appear to be better than at any time in the 1990s.  .  .  .




Go State! ;D