DI Conference Hunt

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Yet another story in the same day from Chris, and a pretty good one at that. Here are the highlights:

http://www.argusleader.com/sports/Sundayarticle2.shtml

Michigan college understands what Jacks are facing
Chris Solari
Argus Leader

published: 6/6/2004

Oakland University made move in '97

If South Dakota State fans and administrators want a glimpse of what their Division I future could hold, they might look to one of the conferences the school hopes to join.

In 1997, Oakland University officials made the decision to take the Michigan school from the comfort of Division II's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to uncharted Division I territory.

Former foes lambasted and lampooned the announcement, Oakland Athletic Director Jack Mehl said.

"When an institution makes the decision to go Division I, it's pretty bold talk," Mehl said. "The eye of everybody changes as they look at you."

But the 16,576-student university caught a big break when the Mid-Continent Conference invited Oakland to join for the 1999-2000 season, before its teams had competed in a single Division I event. . . .

The jump also becomes an issue outside the athletic department, Mehl said. In complying with NCAA regulations for Division I, more paperwork is required from the admissions, registrar and provost offices.

"It tends to honk people off," Mehl said. "All of a sudden, there is a new work load. They said, 'We didn't have to do this when we were in Division II.' The answer is because you have to do it in Division I."

In a state saturated with Division I universities, ranging from nationally renowned athletic powers (Michigan, Michigan State) to more regional institutions (University of Detroit, Eastern/Western/Central Michigan), Oakland stamped its Division I presence almost immediately thanks to its men's basketball team.

The Grizzlies stunned Big Ten power Michigan 97-90 to begin the 2000-01 season. OU went on to win the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season crown that year, one of 12 such titles the school has already won in all sports. Including postseason tournament titles, the Grizzlies have 36 Mid-Continent championships.

While many people still mistakenly think the school is in California, the victory over Michigan did more to disseminate Oakland University's identity nationally than any brochure.

Mehl, who just completed a ninth year in his post at OU, knows how visible Division I athletics are in Michigan - and nationally - as opposed to regional interest in Division II.

"That's not to say we're competing with Michigan or identical. We have worked to get separation from our product and that of Michigan and Michigan State," Mehl said. "We're in the same NCAA division as they are, but we have different goals."

Mehl said there could be similar impacting victories for SDSU over regional Division I powers such as Nebraska or Minnesota. He likened it to reading Dick Tracy comics as a child - seeing the detective talk into his wrist watch and regarding it as science fiction.

"You have no idea what the future may have for your institution," Mehl said. "If that sounds pie in the sky, I suppose it is. But now, all of a sudden, people all walk around with cell phones attached to their ears. That's pretty close to Dick Tracy talking into his wrist watch."

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I have a feeling that we might be getting close to a Mid-Con invite.  There was the story over on chicagohoops.com about Steve Holden that said he was coming to State and we were joining the Mid-Con, the folks over at CollegeSportsInfo.com have been saying for sometime that we might be going to the Big Sky but would probably be going to the Mid-Con, and now Chris does a story with the AD from Oakland.  :-/  

I might be crazy, but isn't it fun to speculate. ;D  Mid-Con, Big Sky, Horizon, Missouri Valley, I don't care I just want to get in!

Go State!  ;D

[SDSUFAN]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

89rabbit:

I think you are on to something.  The Stan Marshall auction did reveal a peek at the 2004-05 schedule.  There was a trip to Manhattan NY, not Kansas for a night stay and to watch SDSU play U of Manhattan and to watch the Masey Thankgiving Day parade.  Another item on the auction was a trip to San Diego to watch SDSU VS SDSU.  There are some interesting games on the schedule.  From what I was the told, the hold up in announcing the schedule is that there are still details on some of the games, and maybe home games yet to be worked out.  The home schedule will not look to great from what I have been told.

Now that Idaho has walked away from the BSC, the BSC turns another page too.  There are no reasons not to be positive with all the things that are happening behind the scences.  

Fred Oien told me that the Manhattan U was a home and home contract. Manhattan comes to Frost in 2005-06.  For a team that was rated 34th in program strength last year, this will be quiet a game and should fill Frost. Bring on the Jaspers.

I asked about a game with Illinois-Chicago Circle and that apparently is also in the works and a home and home contract.

 Gosh I wonder if any one will miss the Mankato-St Cloud trip and the chance to walk around Mall of America on Saturday afternoon on a cold January day.  WOW ;D

[jackmd]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Chris Solari is a Michigan State grad (I believe), this may be part of the reason that he included the Oakland U. AD in the story. Maybe he has some connections there.

I have absolutely no doubt that we will find a proper conference for our athletic programs in the next 3-5 years. Things have been consistently in favor of the move to DI and I expect them to remain that way. In fact, we may even have 2 or 3 conferences to choose from if we bide our time and play our cards right.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

 Gosh I wonder if any one will miss the Mankato-St Cloud trip and the chance to walk around Mall of America on Saturday afternoon on a cold January day.  WOW ;D

No need to miss out on the Mall of America, we can always play Minnesota! ;D

Go State! 8)

[Coyote_Jack]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

The Mid-Con or Horizon is the conference to be in for two reasons.
1. The newly formed football conference will be better and more stable than the big sky. The California schools are going to stay put in the big west thus, won't be moving their football teams. UNC, NDSU, and SDSU will become the big players. It will provide a unique idenity for all the programs because of its overall strength and diversity.

2. The above mentioned conferences will allow all of the other sports to be competitive much quicker and recruiting (in my opinion) will flow in our direction from those areas if we choose. ex. a farm kid will stay here and not go to Chicago a city kid may like the college environment we offer and want to leave the hustle and bustle.

Going to the big sky is a bad choice in my opinion, we are better off keeping football the way it is set up. If the mid-con accepts a slew of southern schools, just split it up into divisions to cut down on travel.

[filbert]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Actually, the conference of choice (mine, anyway) is the Missouri Valley Conference.

They probably won't give us the time of day until we're eligible for the Big Dance though.

Until then, I'd like to see the GWFC/Mid-Con combination, with the Big Sky as a second choice.

The idea that's floated around for membership in the Sun Belt in all sports but football is pretty good for comic relief, but is probably as likely as membership in the Big West (moving to an all-California conference, if you've had trouble keeping track).

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Chris Solari is a Michigan State grad (I believe), this may be part of the reason that he included the Oakland U. AD in the story.  Maybe he has some connections there.

I have absolutely no doubt that we will find a proper conference for our athletic programs in the next 3-5 years.  Things have been consistently in favor of the move to DI and I expect them to remain that way.  In fact, we may even have 2 or 3 conferences to choose from if we bide our time and play our cards right.

Doc,

You could very well be right, however the line from Chris' story that got me thinking was "South Dakota State remains patient and confident that its purgatory will SOON be lifted."

I also have seen Jack Mehl (Okland's AD) interviewed on TV during halftime of a Mid-Con game of the week.  He is very much in favor of the Mid-Con adding three schools and having and East and a West Division.  Again, no insider info here, just a feeling that something might be in the works.

Go State! ;D 

[jackmd]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Doc,

You could very well be right, however the line from Chris' story that got me thinking was "South Dakota State remains patient and confident that its purgatory will SOON be lifted."

I also have seen Jack Mehl (Okland's AD) interviewed on TV during halftime of a Mid-Con game of the week.  He is very much in favor of the Mid-Con adding three schools and having and East and a West Division.  Again, no insider info here, just a feeling that something might be in the works.

Go State!  ;D 

I agree completely. I think there are several signs to indicate that something positive reagarding conference affiliation is in the near future.

[JACKGUY]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Once the conference question is put to bed our recruiting situation in Basketball will improve greatly. I agree that the tendency would be to take the first option out of the shoot. Maybe we are getting overtures from other conferences that are causing us to wait it out. I would love to see the Jacks in the Missouri Valley Conference as we would have some good regional rivalries with UNI,Drake and Creighton. The conference we join is not neccessarily where we will reside indefinitely. I'm just fine with the Great Western Conference which I think in short order will be the power confernce in DIAA Football. I think the Big Sky has an inflated opinion of their conference and will look back and regret they turned their backs on SDSU and NDSU. I think the most likely is the Mid-Cont with a geographically split of east and west schools.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

I also dont have any insider info. on the conference, but I do know that we are scheduling ourself into the web of the Mid Con teams to get into their game rotations so in a couple of years we can be easily added into the conference without much difficulty. We will also be eligible for post season play in just a couple of years after that occurs. Schedules are often set 2-3 years in advance. My humble opinion is we will be playing in the Mid Con officially in a 2-3 years.

[jackmd]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

I also dont have any insider info. on the conference, but I do know that we are scheduling ourself into the web of the Mid Con teams to get into their game rotations so in a couple of years we can be easily added into the conference without much difficulty. We will also be eligible for post season play in just a couple of years after that occurs. Schedules are often set 2-3 years in advance. My humble opinion is we will be playing in the Mid Con officially in a 2-3 years.

I agree with the timeline, 2-3 years, but I think the exact conference will remain under debate. The current shuffling of major conferences and the subsequent changes in the mid and lower conferences will continue over the next several years. This will likely result in changes on a nearly month-to-month basis. I think we will sit tight, weigh our options and make a choice. Who would have thought we would have a choice of conferences?? Maybe I'm too optimistic and we just need to jump at the first opportunity?

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Here are the highlights from Chris' latest work:


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


Conferences look at expansion

Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com            
published: 6/12/2004

SDSU hopes it will be talked about when Mid-Continent, Big Sky meet

Activity surrounding South Dakota State's search for a new conference is picking up.

Although the Missouri Valley Conference met Friday and dismissed the idea of SDSU joining the league anytime soon, the other three conferences mentioned as potential Division I homes for the Jackrabbits all have meetings scheduled in the coming weeks. Out of those discussions among university presidents could come an idea as to which leagues are interested in expanding and potentially adding SDSU to its membership.

"We're going to be in the mix, we think," SDSU athletic director Fred Oien said Thursday, "and hopefully, something will work out real soon."

While the topic of expansion almost certainly will be touched upon at the meetings, it won't be known until the doors open from their discussions as to which conferences are looking to add schools and which are content to stand pat.

The four leagues mentioned as potential fits for the Jacks throughout the process have been the Big Sky Conference, the Mid-Continent Conference, the Horizon League and the Missouri Valley Conference.

"The topic of membership is on everybody's minds," said Tony Hamilton, media director for the Mid-Continent.

Officials from the Missouri Valley Conference held their annual meeting Friday in St. Louis. Mike Kern, associate commissioner for communication, said the 10-school league did discuss the Dakota schools and the Great West conference, but that the MVC presidents were comfortable remaining at 10 members.

SDSU's chances to go directly from Division II into the Missouri Valley, a mid-major Division I basketball power conference, were always deemed minimal at best.

"They talked about scheduling opportunities, but nothing about expansion at this time," said Kern, adding that the topic likely won't be brought up again until after next athletic season, if at all.

The nine presidents of the Horizon League will meet Tuesday in Chicago, with expansion a possible topic, said Communications Assistant Kyle Smith.

Mid-Continent Conference presidents will meet July 1 at an undisclosed location, Hamilton said. League officials have become increasingly secretive about membership matters after adding Centenary to its alliance in 2002.

Heads of the eight Big Sky schools are tentatively scheduled to meet sometime in early August.

"It's still in the preliminary stages," said Dusty Clements, assistant commissioner. "What they'll talk about, I don't know."

Clements said about half of the league's presidents met in May in Sacramento and expansion was mildly discussed.  .  .  .


Idaho agreed last week to join the Western Athletic Conference, a move that could enhance both SDSU and NDSU in the Big Sky's eyes.

"These are all things we knew were going to happen," Oien said. "Conference expansion is not as fast as we want it.  We've just got to be patient."

SDSU has a conference for football. The Jacks helped charter the six-team Great West Football Conference in January, along with former North Central Conference rivals North Dakota State and Northern Colorado. However, SDSU's other 19 sports remain without a league.


I would say that things are heating up for us.  We may know sooner then some expected, although I agree with Dr. Oien that we need to be patient.  I still say Mid-Con, but maybe the Horizon is the front runner who knows.  :-/

Here are the web sites for the three Conferences that are still in the running.

Mid-Con:

http://www.mid-con.com/

Big Sky:

http://www.bigskyconf.com/

Horizon:

http://www.horizonleague.org/

Go State!  ;D

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

With all the AD's being in one place right now, Dallas, you have to think some interesting stuff will be coming back with Dr. Oien.  I know we are still looking for some games and I am sure Dr. Oien is politicing for us while he is there.  Good Luck to Dr. Oien.

Go State!  ;D

[JACKGUY]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

It appears my first choice Missouri Valley is out. I still think down the road (couple of years) after SDSU and NDSU esstablish themselves in DI this will be an option. As I mentioned before I like our football conference however I wonder how long UC Davis will stay before they chase DIA in football. That being said I think if the Big Sky came calling we would still jump at the chance and the Great West would be short lived. If they dont we are down to the Horizon and Mid-Cont and I think either would be fine. I like the fact we would have a couple of Wisonsin schools in the Horizon however like the Mid-Cont there are a lot of urban commuter type schools in the conference. I know the Horizon has some solid basketball programs in their confernce but don't know enough about how good some of the other sports offered are.