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Conference story coming out of Utah

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  • Conference story coming out of Utah

    Here is a funny (odd) little story about Utah Valley State. It is oddly writen and some of the facts seem a little off but it probably ties into what we are doing as far as finding a conference goes.

    http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600118679,00.html

    UVSC talking a new game

    School officials are discussing formation of athletic conference
    By Laura Hancock
    Deseret Morning News

    OREM — Top administrators at Utah Valley State College are meeting with NCAA officials and leaders at 10 colleges to discuss the possibility of forming a new athletic conference.
    If the the early stage plan to create a new conference is realized, it would mean UVSC, which has been granted Division I provisional status, could cut short its probation period.
    Among the proposal's challenges: The schools mulling the move are scattered throughout the country. Teams from Texas, California and Virginia would play Orem-based UVSC.
    "It's a long shot, schools from that far apart. It's not cost effective, but at least we're trying," said UVSC Athletic Director Mike Jacobsen, who traveled with college President William Sederburg to Indianapolis to participate in the meeting.
    UVSC must go to such great lengths because the school doesn't have a football team — the big reason it's been so difficult to earn an invitation to join a NCAA Division I conference.

    "These schools that we're meeting with, there's four schools that have football — out of 11," Jacobsen said.
    Sederburg and Jacobsen traveled by plane to Indiana Monday night. They are scheduled to meet with the other colleges and NCAA officials today and return to Utah tonight.
    While UVSC officials pursue the possibility of a new conference, they also continue to court representatives of the Mid-Continent Conference, of which Southern Utah University is a member, and the Big Sky Conference, of which Weber State University is a member. Both conferences are division 1-A for football, however.
    UVSC is in the third year of a seven-year provisional period the NCAA has mandated.
    Normally, the provisional period is five years, but UVSC, which previously competed against junior colleges, was given an extra two years of probation. . . .

    Students and school boosters have pushed for a football program at UVSC several times.
    This year is no different. Jared Sumsion, UVSC's new student body president, said during the campus campaign that he wanted to start looking at ways to establish a gridiron program.
    Utah's Board of Regents, which oversees all tax-supported colleges and universities in Utah, has nixed the idea in the past, saying it was too expensive.
    For now, the college is focusing on developing other sports. Jacobsen, however, doesn't dismiss the idea that UVSC will never have a football team.
    "That's not just a priority right now," he said.
    The next step in UVSC athletics is to add women's golf and tennis teams, a move that officials hope will make it more attractive to the Big Sky Conference. In April, Jacobsen said he will know if money is available to start the programs next school year.
    The Big Sky Conference has discussed allowing one school without football because it could accommodate the schedule, Duckworth told the college's Board of Trustees on Thursday.
    A negative side of being part of the Mid-Continent Conference is location.



    Go State! ;D





  • #2
    Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

    I wonder if two of the ten schools in attendence are SDSU and NDSU.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

      Highlights from the Fargo Paper:

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

      NDSU reps discuss conference affiliation

      By Jeff Kolpack, The Forum
      Published Wednesday, March 16, 2005


      Representatives from nine NCAA Division I independent schools, including North Dakota State, met in Indianapolis on Tuesday to discuss possible conference affiliation.

      NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor said the meeting was "informational" in nature and no decisions came from it. He said NDSU, in its second year of a five-year Division I transition, is looking at its options and a possible grouping of independents may be one of them.

      "We re just talking the;what-ifs," Taylor said. "Who s interested? Is there other interest?"

      NDSU, South Dakota State, Longwood University (Va.) and Utah Valley State are Division I transition schools looking for a league. Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American and Savannah State (Ga.) are independents that are full-fledged Division I members.  .  .  .

      The group had a member of the NCAA, which is based in Indianapolis, present to talk about regulations for forming a new league.

      For starters, a newly formed conference must wait seven additional years before it may be awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA men s and women s basketball tournaments.

      "Those are some of the things we need to talk about," Taylor said.

      "We re seeing what the feeling is, what hurdles there are."

      Several independents have discussed at varying times in the past year about forming a scheduling alliance to help ease the year-to-year pressure of finding games for its programs.  .  .  .

      Go State!  ;D



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      • #4
        Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

        Scheduling alliance until can get into a conference sounds ok.  New conference consisting of SDSU, NDSU, Utah Valley, Texas-Corpus, Texas-Pan American, Longwood, Savannah St. - doesn't sound so good.  Plus a new conference would have no automatic bid in the NCAA tournament.  

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        • #5
          Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

          Also, isn't Savannah St the team that went o-fer the season in Mens BB this year?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

            Yes they are. Also Longwood went 1-30

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

              I really am not too warm on the idea of the formation of an actual conference with all of those schools, but would be in favor of some type of scheduling alliance. even a year ending tournament of some type. However if forming a conference gets us through the next 2-3 years until we get closer to the end of our 5 year probationary period I would be ok with that. Ideally I wish there were one more western & midwestern team to partner with Utah Valley St. and IUPFW Then we could have travel partner situations. Not real crazy about Savannah and Longwood.

              NDSU
              SDSU

              Tex-Pan Am
              Tex-Corpus Christi

              IUP-FW
              ?

              Utah Valley St.
              ?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                Good thing: We'll be able to fill the schedule in Jan. and Feb.

                Bad thing: will hurt our RPI.

                Good thing: we have the RPI to worry about.

                Bad thing: It'll be a long time before our RPI gets us into the tournament.

                Good thing: Other teams who are tournament-eligible will be interested in our RPI.
                "I think we'll be OK"

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                  If it gets us more quality home games in bb I am all for some kind of affiliation. I can only imagine what our travel bills are going to be with all these spread out schools. I guess that is for other people to worry about.
                  I know that Big Sky is dead for now but has anybody heard anything about possible MId Cont or Horizon Conference interest.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                    I haven't heard a thing from the MidCon. Some rumblings/rumors/speculation that a Western Kentucky upgrade from the I-AA Gateway to the I-A Sun Belt might break some things loose, and possibly cause some Gateway-Horizon shuffling that could open the door to SDSU and/or NDSU.
                    "I think we'll be OK"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                      The view from Fort Wayne:

                      http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journal...s/11159462.htm
                      "I think we'll be OK"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                        There does seem to be some movement toward the formation of a new conference. I think that there is appeal in having a conference tournament and hardware to play for.

                        If a new conference was formed, it would still be possible to keep looking for a better conference affiliation, wouldn't it? Would starting a new conference make it more difficult to find a new conference?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                          Originally posted by Rodentia
                          There does seem to be some movement toward the formation of a new conference.  I think that there is appeal in having a conference tournament and hardware to play for.

                          If a new conference was formed, it would still be possible to keep looking for a better conference affiliation, wouldn't it?  Would starting a new conference make it more difficult to find a new conference?
                          No matter what we do, we roll the bones.  I think a scheduling alliance and how that works out could mean a new conference.  

                          Possibly the Big Sky could see how committed SDSU and NDSU is to D1 and we see a less concern about travel to the Dakotas.  

                          I am not so sure the BSC is done in admitting new members.  Sac State and Portland  where treated very ginererly at the December meeting.  This is a part I really dont understand as rumors were that their conference affliation in the BSC was in jeopordy. Maybe its was about the NCAA qualifer thing for the big Dance money, or some other reasons. I would loved to been a fly on the wall at that meeting.

                          With Arnold running Calleefornia, higher education in that state is fighting for its life as it was his goal to balance the budget and higher education will not escape the choping block.

                          Sac State is only one of 30 or more state assisted universities.  What they receive from the state in the form of assistance could affect both athletics and academics. If Sac State is forced to make cutbacks in athletics, they could leave the BSC or they may just decide the Big West is a better fit.

                          There are so many uncertainties that could affect SDSU and NDSU in their search for a conference. I think we need to patient and go for the scheduling alliance for now.

                          Each year is a different year, and the BOR never set a time table for finding a conference. Unless Mike Rounds gets bumped in the next GOP primary, I think we dont have much to worry about in terms of state politics, its finding a home in a conference that the big hurdle.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                            If this conference is formed, it would be a much better conference for many sports than the current conference NDSU/SDSU have currently.

                            Basketball, volleyball, track, crosss-country, golf, women's soccer, baseball and softball (both of which the Big Sky does not sponsor), and tennis (for SDSU) would all benefit from this.

                            What's the worst that could happen? Ten years down the road and the MoValley calls up and asks NDSU/SDSU to join and we have to leave this conference?

                            I like that scenario a lot better than sitting by the phone on the weekend, waiting for Doug Fullerton to call. :

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Conference story coming out of Utah

                              Good ol' Argus, always a day late on this sort of news.

                              http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...503180336/1002

                              Solari must be on assignment somewhere.
                              "I think we'll be OK"

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