DI Conference Hunt

[OKC_Poke]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Just had a crazy thought (not a complete one)!

1) the BSC adds UNC now starting in, say, 2006.

2) Somehow during the next couple of the years or so, the Big West decides to add Sacramento State or Portland State.

3) The BSC, then, decides to add the Dakota to go to an even 10.

That way, the conference can have an even member of schools, no divisional alignment (thus no conference title game in fottball), and no need to add Southern Utah.

[NorCalJack]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Look, I'm as disappointed by the BSC decision as the next guy, but lets try and look at the bright side if we can. It had been previously reported that Sac. St. wanted to drop football and probably wanted out of the BSC. Maybe UNC is being brought in to replace Sac. St.

If the BSC wants to expand again I think we can get the UNC vote being a former NCC school. If Sac. St. leaves the BSC, then that will be one less voice apposing our inclusion into the conference. SDSU and NDSU will also be further along in the reclassification. The closer we get to being fully vested as a D-1 university the better our chances are of being picked up by a conference.

We all knew when the D-1 move was announced that it was going to take a while to find a conference. It has not even been one year, so we still need to be patient.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Too hell with the Big Sky. I wouldn't waste any more time on soliciting them for membership. We have been left at the alter twice and clearly they are focused on things other than making their conference stronger. We should strive to make the Great West Conference stronger and try to get in the Missouri Valley or Horizon.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Let's get serious about this travel issue. Once you're on a chartered plane (and you will be if you're going from Sacramento to anywhere else in the Big Sky) the costs don't increase that much if you're going to Sioux Falls instead of Denver.

It has to be Fullerton's BS about media markets that drove this stupid decision.

[JackJD]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Disappointed. But, like someone else said: it's the first year and SDSU has already made a statement. We have to be optimistic that only good will come out of this decision. The administration has done a nice job so far and they will continue to do so.

Personally, I'd like to see something worked out to rekindle the relationship among SDSU, NDSU and Northern Iowa, our old NCC foe/friend through about 1978. We've all been so focused on getting into a conference...for now, I'd take the Great West Football Conference over the Big Sky any day.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

First news story, highlights from the Grand Forks paper:

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/10408914.htm

Big Sky will take closer look at Northern Colorado, but not NDSU

Associated Press


SALT LAKE CITY - The Big Sky Conference on Monday decided to take a closer look at Northern Colorado, but not North Dakota State, for possible membership.

"It's hard, but on the other hand, we knew this is something that was going to take time," NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor said. "I don't think anyone thought we would have serious discussions on a conference in our first year as a Division I school."

Northern Colorado and NDSU were among four institutions to publicly express interest in the conference. The others were South Dakota State and Southern Utah.

Commissioner Doug Fullerton said the President's Council was committed to building a consensus, which just wasn't there for the schools in the Dakotas or Southern Utah.

Travel issues for member schools, especially those in California and Oregon, to North Dakota and South Dakota likely doomed them from further consideration, Fullerton said. . . .

A visit to Northern Colorado, currently a member of the Great West Football Conference, will be scheduled early next year, he said.

"Expansion in the Big Sky Conference is not inevitable," Fullerton said. "We are eager to visit the University of Northern Colorado campus to further explore the institution's commitment to academic excellence, the athletic facilities, and other important components. Upon the conclusion of the visit, we will report back to our Presidents Council and they will make the next move."

A formal invitation for membership could come this spring, or not at all, he said. If Northern Colorado is invited to join, it likely would begin participation in 2006.

Taylor said losing Northern Colorado from the Great West Football Conference, in which the Bison also compete, would not necessarily mean the demise of that conference.

"There are some Division I-AA conferences with five teams," he said. "We'll look at that down the road." . . .

North Dakota State plays football in the Great West Football Conference and all other sports as a Division I independent.

Taylor said coaches were disappointed with the Big Sky's decision.

"We pumped them up about the possibility of getting into the Big Sky," he said. "I think everyone thought we were going to be in the mix."

He said NDSU might at some point look again at the Midcontinent Conference, which earlier said it was not interested in expanding.

"I think when people see that we have stable programs, they'll take another look at us," Taylor said. "We're not going to give up." . . .


Sounds like the two weakest schools in the conference (the ones most often linked with rumors of leaving) held the others hostage. Nice. : :-/

Go State! ;D

[filbert]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

OK, we've only got a couple of weeks of D-II basketball left.  Time to start thinking seriously about the future.  

It sure ain't the GWFC, but we could be looking at a de-facto Leftovers Conference for Basketball for 2004-05 made up of this year's independents plus the newbies from D-II:

South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Brookings, SD.(26-6)
Utah Valley State College Wolverines, Orem, UT (23-5)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, Corpus Christi, TX (15-11)
North Dakota State Bison, Fargo, ND (16-13)
Texas Pan American Broncs, Edinburg, TX (14-14)
Northern Colorado Bears, Greeley, CO (6-22)
Longwood University Lancers, Farmville, VA (5-22)
Savannah State Tigers, Savannah, GA (4-24)
IPFW Mastadons, Fort Wayne, IN (3-25)

Not much of a conference, but think about making the Texas trip some time in January or February...can anyone say Padre Island?

Plus, that's sixteen D-I games to help fill up January and February when everyone else is in conference, and a nice 9-team tournament to finish up the year.  Let's face it, we've got a few years of wandering in the wilderness in front of us before "real" D-I conferences take us seriously.  Might as well have a temporary conference to call home while we do our penance in Reclassification Purgatory.

Oh, and I can't seem to come up with a better name than the Leftovers Conference...anyone care to take a shot at it?

Well, here we are again folks.  I suppose the BSC could come away from their UNC visit and say "no thanks." Portland State and Sac State could both drop football and bolt for the WCC and the Big West respectively.

The Mid-Con could wake up some morning and decide they want eleven conference members.  The sun could rise in the west, too . . .

In the meantime, we're by default in the Leftovers Conference until further notice . . .

[JACKGUYII]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Getting into a conference will enhance our recruiting efforts significantly especially in Mens Basketball.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

STUNNED.

I can't help but think that the UNC visit is a formality to say we looked at it, without having to say they didn't want to expand. Adding one team, no matter which one it was, just doesn't make sense

Fullerton is to be on KWSN tomorrow according to their promos ... hope he doesn't have a "conflict" arise. Mike_H you better be ready for some real spinning.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

More outrage from Big Sky fans:

http://www.egriz.com/GrizBoard/viewtopic.php?t=7099

Go State!

[FargoBison]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Well after hearing the news I was completely shocked, I thought the Big Sky would have at least given our schools a visit. I mean a unamious decision in this part of the process is very strange to me, whats the problem with at least giving SDSU and NDSU a look. What would the problem be with a 6-2 vote on deciding to just look at NDSU and SDSU, it's not like the were admitting us into the Sky. I think Sac St, Psu and maybe NAU pushed hard for this unamious decision thing, because they knew if they brought a group to look at our two schools they would have no reason for not accepting us, none. This came down to pride and fear. Pride in being just group of rockey mountain schools, and fear from Sacto and Psu that NDSU and SDSU are already above you and the last thing they want is another dominant school in their conference. All is not lost however, there are still 4 years to find a conference or for Sacto to leave the sky. Hopefully D2 cuts schollies and then the GWFC could add UND and Pitt St(or any other D2 power that leaves) into the GWFC and we could make it the Best of the West football Conference. I also hope the Horizen or Mizz Valley comes a calling in the next 4 years, anything but the Mid Con is fine with me. We just have to be patient and things will turn out all right, NDSU and SDSU will have a home by 2008. And hopefully next year the dakotas will pull off a Montana sweep, that will show them what they are missing out on. If you can't join em, beat em.

[89rabbit]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Highlights from the Fargo Forum:

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

Big Sky decision 'a hurdle'
By Jeff Kolpack,The Forum
Published Tuesday, December 14, 2004

The North Dakota State men's basketball team had just finished practice early Monday evening when head coach Tim Miles grabbed a Big Sky Conference press release and read it.

It explained the league's desire to take a closer look at Northern Colorado -- and not NDSU.

"Disappointing day," he said. "But the battle is not all lost."

That's the spin NDSU's administrators and coaches took on Monday. The school had high hopes in the last couple of months that the Big Sky was serious about NDSU.

Those hopes were dashed in a one-page explanation.

Athletic director Gene Taylor said NDSU is still in the early stages of the Division I transition and didn't expect to gain a conference membership bid until it was eligible for postseason tournaments.

"We've had conversations with two conferences and we're just in our second year so that is a positive," he said, referring to the Big Sky and Mid-Continent. . . .

The benefit of the Big Sky, particularly for a basketball team, is the comfortable feeling of having a set schedule every January and February. Miles said as an independent, getting games on the schedule will not be the problem.

"I'm not worried about that," he said. "I'm more worried about recruiting and the spirit of the crowds." . . .

But he did make a note to tell his younger players, particularly NDSU's five redshirt freshmen, "that this is just a hurdle. It is not a barrier."

Only the Bison football team, which is a member of the Great West Football Conference, has an affiliation. Yet, with Northern Colorado apparently on the move, the Great West will now be down to five teams: NDSU, Southern Utah, California Poly, California Davis and South Dakota State.

Northern Colorado would most likely not begin a Big Sky football schedule until at least 2006.

"We'll just keep our conversations open," said SDSU athletic director Fred Oien. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy. Other schools gone before us and we've seen the patience it takes." . . .

"There's always movement," he said of leagues in general. "We'll continue to monitor what's going on across the country."

Oien said SDSU "is committed to staying the course" on the transition. He said the school will maintain conversations it's had with other conferences.

"We're confident and patient that more change will be occurring," Oien said. "We certainly wish we would have been in the mix in the first go-around. It didn't happen so we'll keep progressing."


Go State! ;D

[jackmd]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

Well after hearing the news I was completely shocked, I thought the Big Sky would have at least given our schools a visit. I mean a unamious decision in this part of the process is very strange to me, whats the problem with at least giving SDSU and NDSU a look. What would the problem be with a 6-2 vote on deciding to just look at NDSU and SDSU, it's not like the were admitting us into the Sky. I think Sac St, Psu and maybe NAU pushed hard for this unamious decision thing, because they knew if they brought a group to look at our two schools they would have no reason for not accepting us, none. This came down to pride and fear. Pride in being just group of rockey mountain schools, and fear from Sacto and Psu that NDSU and SDSU are already above you and the last thing they want is another dominant school in their conference. All is not lost however, there are still 4 years to find a conference or for Sacto to leave the sky. Hopefully D2 cuts schollies and then the GWFC could add UND and Pitt St(or any other D2 power that leaves) into the GWFC and we could make it the Best of the West football Conference. I also hope the Horizen or Mizz Valley comes a calling in the next 4 years, anything but the Mid Con is fine with me. We just have to be patient and things will turn out all right, NDSU and SDSU will have a home by 2008. And hopefully  next year the dakotas will pull off a Montana sweep, that will show them what they are missing out on. If you can't join em, beat em.

I would go on with my rant, but I think FargoBison pretty well sums it up. Don't underestimate the role that our potential athletic strength in the conference played. I will admit I was stunned when I heard it was UNC alone. Location, location, location.

[Jacks-D1]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

THIS REALLY SUCKS!!!

Now I just don't know what to think. Personally I want a conference that has all sports. The Mid-Cont and the Horizon don't have football. I don't like being in a separate conference for football and then a different conference for all other sports. So now I just don't know.

[Jacks99]

Re: DI Conference Hunt

I'd rather have seperate confernces than wait 4+ years