DI Conference Hunt

[SDSUFAN]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

I guess I am on Mike's side this time, as mentioning the challenge of catching up on scholarships is hardly a jab but really a reality of the situation. The BSC committee if and when it visits will be asking questions about how this aspect will be accompolished. SDSU needs to be ready with a plan that will be convincing in order to gain membership in the BS.
I too appreciate KWSN interest in SDSU. Go look at all the logos on their webpage that represent sports in Sioux Falls, and SDSU is fortunate that KWSN has an interest in what is going on at SDSU.

I regret I missed the interview with Mick Holien, but busy with relocation stuff.

Thanks Mike for explaining how the show is made. Tape is fine. I too have tried to reach coachs during the day about a specific question, and often they are teaching class or off on some other project. Our coaches are accessible, but they too have schedules.

One the best things SDSU did this year was to have a booster gathering in the tent after the home football games. We have a long ways to go and I think the entire SDSU HPER staff is accessible and will continue to be. When they depend on fan support in attendence, financial help and other things, they need to be accessible.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Let's be real here KWSN and Craig/Mike don't care any more about SDSU than any other area sports team. If it wasn't for First Premier and CEO/SDSU alum Dana Dykhouse and their sponsoring  of Jackrabbit Report we wouldn't be seeing the enhanced coverage and discussion. It's all about money and KWSN is forced to pay attention to us because of the money that flows to the station for Jackrabbit Report. Many of us have gotten sucked in by the subtle jabs that Mike likes to take on this board. His goals are purely to increase the listening audience and not to further the DI march by SDSU! I for one am getting to tire of the bit. The folksy nature of the show is more focused on times gone by rather than looking to the future. I will continue to listen to the Jackrabbit Report to see if their are any thought provoking questions that are addressed to our coaches. I sense even the coaches are tiring of the same boring questions that are asked of them each week.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

I got really worked up about KWSN and Mike a few months back, but the more I see and hear what Mike has to say, I dont think he dislikes SDSU, but at the same token, he does not want to fall into the trap of promoting SDSU.  Its just not worth getting worked up about.

I believe KWSN carried the Jack games a few years back when USD captured WNAX and KJJQ was the flagship station for SDSU sports.

Right now KWSN carries USF events and apparently a good business relationship has developed.

I dont know exactly where KWSN stands in terms of signal strength but I believe its somewhat limited, and they have market to that listen area

Commerical radio station ownership is becoming very concentrated and those independents as in just about any business are having a rough time unless they are Clear Channel, or some other large group. Its a tough go and probably affects advertizing too.

I hardly am a business analyst, but I will venture to say that the KWSN programming reflects what it can sell in advertizing and listenship.  Mike may have very little to do with this unless he has ownership in KWSN.

JACKGUYII, you are right about First Premier Bank and Dana Dykhouse being the leader in this area. I have a great deal of respect for Dana and appreciate what he is doing, but again it is business for KWSN. If they truely dispised SDSU, there would be no Rabbit Report period. We all have to make a living so, KWSN accommodates by airing the program. So I guess its a win-win for SDSU and KWSN

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

(From the Moderator*)

We are getting way off topic on this one.

[jack100]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

jack100: I was talking about the guy we interviewed, Mick Holien. I don't see how this is a jab at SDSU fans. A couple of posts went up while I was posting. Sorry if that was confusing.

I was confused - thought were referring to FargoBison's question and his insights and insinuating SDSU fans' thoughts are getting old. Other Big Sky officials/media are great guests for your show.

[filbert]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Here's my guess as to what comes out of the BSC Dec. 13 meeting:

BSC announces campus visits to SDSU, NDSU, UNC, Southern Utah. That's it.

After the visits: I think SDSU and NDSU are locks to get in. Both schools are pretty obviously the best of the rest available to the BSC, which really needs to expand to have more than eight members and insure its future viability as a conference. I also think both UNC and SUU may also be in (but see the 'keep-the-GWFC-alive' scenario below).

Look for the BSC to ask the NCAA for a shortened probationary period for SDSU and NDSU due to their unique status as the flagship institutions in the last two lower-48 states to have D-I athletics. Look for the NCAA to laugh hysterically and deny the request.

So, what happens to UCD, Cal Poly, and the GWFC. I could see a 2006 GWFC which includes Central Arkansas, possibly another couple of D-II move-ups (maybe even UND), and maybe an outside chance of some struggling D-I programs like San Jose State. My guess is that the GWFC will live on, if only because UCD and Cal Poly have nowhere else to go.

Another possibility is that the BSC may actually want to help the GWFC survive to have two I-AA conferences in the west. In that case I think they may only take SDSU and NDSU, leaving UNC and SUU in the GWFC. UNC then joins the Mid-Con, where SUU already is.

Just some idle musings . . .

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Highlights from the Forum:

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/ind...894§ion=sports

A bigger Sky
By Jeff Kolpack, The Forum
Published Sunday, December 12, 2004

Eight Big Sky Conference college presidents will gather at a Salt Lake City airport hotel Monday to decide if expansion discussion should continue to fly or be grounded.

It's the second step of a three-prong process that was laid out at the last Presidents Council meeting in August. It will also, perhaps, be the most telling.

If the Council agrees to continue, it is expected to decide if it will make campus visits for potential members. North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah have been the four most-mentioned possibilities.

It is not clear if the University of North Dakota, which sent a letter of inquiry back to the conference last week, will factor into discussions. It is also not known if the presidents will vote on a particular aspect of expansion or -- like it did in the August meeting -- come to an agreement.

"We're right on track," Montana State president Geoffrey Gamble said. "I think the presidents are very serious on this issue. I think they feel expansion is in the best interest of the Big Sky Conference." . . .

If the Big Sky does expand, one issue that will probably be on the table, Fullerton said, is a two-division setup -- something that is becoming more common in other leagues.

The Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 Conference each have two six-team divisions. The Mid-American has a six-team and a seven-team division.

Dividing the Big Sky would help with travel costs, Fullerton said, with North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

"If people want to seriously talk about having the Dakotas, we need to look at divisions," he said.

That would probably require an additional four teams. Although a plan hasn't been publicly discussed, it appears the league would split into a North Division (NDSU, SDSU, Montana State, Montana, Eastern Washington, Portland State) and a South Division (Northern Arizona, Weber State, Cal-Sacramento, Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah).

"We're very encouraged that they're talking about a 12-team deal," said NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor. "I think that would save a lot of money and ease some of their concerns."

In football, each team would play its divisional foes every year and rotate on a yearly basis playing three from the other division. In basketball, the conference would probably play a full schedule of 22 home-and-way league games.

More league games, the theory goes, would probably help from a revenue standpoint since fans tend to take more interest in conference games.

The three-step process the Big Sky is taking in its expansion talks are standard to the one most leagues take. In general, they invite applications, go on campus visits and give a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

In general, once a school gets to the campus visit stage, the odds of getting rejected diminish, perhaps significantly.

"They wouldn't be traveling to your school unless they were pretty interested," said former North Central Conference commissioner Noel Olson. "So I would say, yes, that's a pretty good sign." . . .

Go State! ;D

[SDSUFAN]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

89rabbit beat me to the punch on posting the link to this article. I guess I need to stop going to bed so early.
At any rate this article is an excellent review of what has transpired in the Big Sky and what is about to happen next week.

[filbert]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

The schools and divisional alignment in the Forum article pretty much line up with what I expect to happen.

The divisions and travel partners:

BSC North:
SDSU - NDSU
Montana - Montana State
Portland State - Eastern Washington

BSC South
Northern Colorado - Northern Arizona (Denver-Phoenix)
Southern Utah - Sacramento State (Las Vegas-Sacramento)
Weber State - Idaho State

This not only is the most logical geographic partnering, but also splits the new members evenly between the two divisions.

I think SDSU and NDSU are close to no-brainers for the BSC. I don't think UND will get any serious consideration by the BSC. Besides messing up the above travel partners (which as laid out above are close to optimal), UND has the teensy little problem of being a D-II school which hasn't announced any move to D-I at all. We've seen the cold shoulder originally offered to NDSU and SDSU by the BSC, and there are now plenty of other, better options for the conference than UND. SUU has the singular advantage of already being a full D-I school, easing the BSC's immediate concern with maintaining their numbers. UNC is actually the weak sister in the group of four from my point of view, but they're a pretty strong "weak sister." So, I think all four will be in, unless the BSC campus-visit team uncovers something really nasty under someone's rock somewhere.

I agree with the article's take on football scheduling (five divisional and three from the other division for an eight-game conference schedule). I don't like the 22-game basketball conference schedule, home and away with everyone. I'd rather see a 16-game basketball conference season with home and away in the division and 3 home and 3 away against each of the schools in the other division. This is only a little bit harder to schedule, and gives you a nice slate of 9 non-conference games rather than limiting you to 5 NC games. You need to play good teams from other conferences to move your RPI up, if you want any hope of getting more than one team into the tournament.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

The Big Sky expansion meeting have started. It is another big day for SDSU and the Big Sky. I expect that we will move ahead in the process, and have site visits set for early next year (2005).

Go State! ;D

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

So will we "officially" know today if UND is considering the BSC and if the BSC is condidering UND? We know 4 out of 5 school (SDSU, NDSU, SUU, and UNC) and speculate that UND is the 5th school that will be discussed today.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

So will we "officially" know today if UND is considering the BSC and if the BSC is condidering UND?  We know 4 out of 5 school (SDSU, NDSU, SUU, and UNC) and speculate that UND is the 5th school that will be discussed today.

Chris Solari wrote a good piece in today's Argus.  I think the answer is yes, unless the Big Sky is not interested in UND.  I think we will know who all the "offical" canidates are later today.

Highlights from Today's Argus Leader story:

http://www.argusleader.com/sports/Mondayarticle1.shtml

SDSU expected to move closer to Big Sky

Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com

published: 12/13/2004

League meeting today should confirm Jackrabbits as contender for league

South Dakota State should expect to hear today that it has reached the next round in the Big Sky Conference's expansion process.

The eight current Big Sky presidents will meet this morning at the Hilton Hotel near the Salt Lake City airport. They are expected to talk about expansion for five hours. . . .

"I think we will probably talk about the question of how many (schools to add) and how we want to align," said Stephen Jordan, president of Eastern Washington University of the Big Sky.

The Big Sky told interested schools in August to formally apply for membership. Jordan said SDSU is one of five schools that have expressed an interest in joining the conference.

Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said he will not reveal which schools other than the four already mentioned have applied, nor would he would say how many total schools have sent in applications.

"We're not trying to be secretive," Fullerton said. "We're being protective of people who haven't made the decision yet. Some people are wrapped up in other places, some schools that I definitely won't talk about." . . .

Fullerton said in August that the league was looking to possibly add between one and three teams. However, talk has surfaced that the Big Sky might consider adding four schools and splitting into two, six-team divisions to help minimize travel costs.

"I think that has gained some momentum," Fullerton said last week. "I'm not talking about with the presidents. I'm not sure where they are. ... But people say if we do add schools, and particularly go into the Dakotas, that we should add more members and go to two divisions."

Jordan said any such plans won't be finalized at today's meeting, but that they will be a prime topic of discussion. He added that the presidents, along with deciding which schools to visit, will form the group of Big Sky officials that will do the campus visits.

"If we want to continue looking at a school, we plan on visiting after the first of the year," Fullerton said. "We would tell them (after today's meeting), so there's no way we would keep it a secret. We would ask the schools that we're interested in if they would be OK going public with it." . . .


Go State!  ;D

[jackmd]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

So will we "officially" know today if UND is considering the BSC and if the BSC is condidering UND?  We know 4 out of 5 school (SDSU, NDSU, SUU, and UNC) and speculate that UND is the 5th school that will be discussed today.

My understanding is that Fullerton will not discuss which specific schools outside of the 4 already mentioned are being considered. Something about wanting to provide confidentiality for any other institutions that may have a conflict of interest, i.e. membership in another conference (or division) currently. So, I don't think we will know which specific schools are still in the running after today.

I don't even think we'll know if any schools have been eliminated from discussion. In fact, I think all we'll know for sure is that they plan to expand and the number of teams they plan to expand by. Maybe they will even discuss divisions, but I doubt that.

[Rabbit74]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

There is, of course, lots of speculation going around. But one source I read or heard, indicates that Caly Poly and Cal Davis may be in the mix. They would make a lot of sense if the league goes to 12 and have more going for them perhaps then UNC and SSU in terms of location, (Cal Davis and Sacraemento State are big rivals), academic reputation and attendance. Although Fullerton said he would not discuss the other schools in advance, I think they will announce the schools to be visited today or perhaps in a day or two. He was quoted as saying that there would be no way of keeping that a secret.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Cal-Poly and UC-Davis are both long long long shots. They have each expressed their satisfaction with their current all sport D-I conference the Big West. It is on it's way to being a California only confence with lower travel costs and and a sports offering that better matches those two universities (with the exception of football). IMHO, the only way I see them in is if the Big Sky wants them as "football only" schools, because they are not going to leave the Big West for the Big Sky in all other sports.

Go State! ;D