The Sicatoka

Speculation on that falls into one of two categories: - removing the "interim" from the title of their current head FB coach - preliminary findings report from the NCAA investigations into rape allegations surrounding the Montana FB team

The old rule was you had to have a 30,000 seat stadium. They changed the rule to "have to average 15,000 in attendance". Then they changed it to "average 15,000 one out of every two years". I'm not sure when Alerus was planned during all that, but I'm pretty sure the planning was done before the "15k average" rule came around.

The mods can't be everywhere and miss some things. This board can self-police pretty well when it needs to. Nothing wrong with that. I actually find it refreshing.

I don't mean to come off as a jerk about this, but honestly, how many of you recognize, by voice alone, Pat Sweeney, Dan Hammer, Tim Hennessy, Jack Michaels, or even Paul Ralston, Darin Looker, Jim Bollman, Tim O'Keefe, or Scott Swygman?

The WAC could become an Olympic sports (no FB) conference if conference members with FB could find homes for their programs (or survive as independents). The WAC? Make money? Oh, ... wait, ... were you serious? As it sits now, I suspect the biggest revenue source for the WAC will be exit fees paid over five years from schools like Nevada and Fresno State or maybe MBB tournament dollars.

NFC North.

The WAC could be stable if their leadership had a plan to achieve it, and not just stop-gap quick-fixes. The WAC has a few good things going for it still, like the exit fees that'll be coming in from some of the schools that bolted for the MWC will provide some nice cash over the next five years.

For NDSU (or SDSU) to do anything before their 8 years in Summit or MVFC is up would cost them $500k per conference. Yes, for NDSU to completely "jump ship" on both the Summit and MVFC before spending the full 8 years would cost them a total of $1,000,000.00. NDSU is through 4 of the 8 years. They 2016 season is the first season they could play outside the MVFC and not have to pay a buy-out. And if you ask NDSU fans at Bisonville, the end game for them is full membership in the Missouri Valley.

More about the MWC shunning Idaho and NMSU. http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/07/25/bmurphy/mountain_west_rules_out_adding_idaho_new_mexico_state_again

We cleared all this up earlier.

If you weren't familiar with what a "junk-punch" would feel like, ask the athletic departments in Las Cruses and Moscow. As of about two hours ago they're familiar.

Is Midco a full-time job for Hammer or will he still be on Valley News Live?

The new voice of UND Hockey on Midcontinent?

Could it be that we are losing Pat Sweeney but returning to ... Hammer Time! Given the nature of the new Midco deal, I wonder if Dan Hammer wouldn't do both hockey and football for TV. I'd take that in a minute.

That's the prayer in Missoula, Montana.

Khrushchev and Mao were "First Chairman" for their respective Central Committees.

The Montanas wanted UND because UND looks like them academically and athletically, and has many of the same long-range goals and aspirations.

{DING!} You are correct, sir. Note the school of athlete number three of the four: http://www.wacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=45926&SPID=4116&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205429834&DB_OEM_ID=10100 Here's the WAC WIki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Athletic_Conference#Affiliate_members

Then something there changed for the better. (Probably surface traffic control.)

The WAC, if it doesn't sponsor football, which it wouldn't under this notion (Idaho would be FBS indy; other schools would play Big Sky FCS FB), has to play MBB and two other mens team sports. The options are baseball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and I forget what else. (Tennis, golf, wrestling, track, CC, swimming, aren't team sports, but are considered individual sports.) So yes, I'm in GeauxSioux's boat: Baseball, which I've advocated dropping in favor of lacrosse, could work to UND's advantage in this situation because the WAC is close to having enough baseball playing members. Maybe there is a good reason why they invested in Kraft Field. The other thing I know: If Montana or Montana State foster FBS dreams they need to add two sports each. It's 14 sports to be DI (FCS); it's 16 sports to be FBS. The Montana schools are both at 14. Wouldn't it be a kick if they decided on lacrosse with Denver playing it already. The UND would probably have to relook at its mens sports alignment. (Correction: Montana is adding softball so they'll be at 15; MSU is at 15 as they sponsor womens skiing.)

Oh my oh my, no, no, no. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. I think the NCAA should rename the Executive Committee and President to Central Party Committee and First Chairman.

One more thing: I'm am definitely not in favor of how the NCAA did this. This was the Executive Committee and NCAA president making it up as they go along ... again: Another pure power-grab move.

A school transitioning from DII to DI (FCS): - no playoffs for four years - scholarships capped at 63 Penn State child sex abuse penalty: - no playoffs for four years - scholarships capped at 65 Puts a little different spin on that part of what PSU got, doesn't it. (Disclaimer: Concept stolen from another forum.)

You have to remember that number more than likely includes scholarship costs (and DU being private is not cheap). You can see the sports they sponsor here: http://www.denverpioneers.com/ DU isn't listed in here, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2012-05-14/ncaa-college-athletics-finances-database/54955804/1 , because they are private.

Love him, hate him, miss him, whatever, here are the thoughts of "NoDak" about who wants to align with whom if all this were to come to pass. And to the point GeauxSioux drew out, is the BSC really interested in saving the WAC? Well, if you mean "Fullerton" when you say the BSC, no. He'd rather have Idaho back in the BSC and be done (and have one less competing conference to his BSC in the west). If you mean "Montana and Montana State (and probably three other BSC schools)" when you say BSC, yes. Montana and Montana State (and the others) want to keep an FBS option open to them in the west. The only way to do that is to keep the WAC alive (even if it is on life-support for a while). All I know is that Faison is "crazy like fox" in getting a "$0 buy out" from the BSC for UND when UND joined. UND may be the BSC-noob right now, but - UND's AD came from current WAC member NMSU - UND's academics rank above everyone in the BSC (and only behind DU and Idaho in this BSC / WAC conversation) - UND has a $0 buy out from the BSC if they exercise it correctly - UND got into the BSC for some reason (and the suspicion is that Montana and Montana State wanted a name, national school with aspirations and potential for higher levels) Those things make me smile because they put UND in a very nice position as all this unfolds. Mr. Faison has done some very good things in his time in Grand Forks. I wonder if he has one or two more things for us.