The Sicatoka

Jerseys? Terrible. They look dirty. Nike Black Ice where are you ... Team? Give a two-goal lead again. How about show up from the start! You won't have to chase the whole time. The team I saw Saturday night looked like a team with new faces and little chemistry yet: passes don't land, little touches are off speed or not expected. And no one goes to the net. All that screams out as a team that needs to gel and find an identity. Add in a very quick PSU team that seems to have scouted UND's standard plays very well and it's not a great formula for a young team.

The Sicatoka is not real; it is an artificial intelligence, so it is and was everywhere ...

About as many as you see on those current Tue/Thu football games.

Trying to track ... only noting conferences with changes ... Big 12 Subtractions: Oklahoma, Texas Additions: BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston Future look (12): Baylor, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia SEC Subtractions: none Additions: Oklahoma, Texas Future look (16): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt American Subtractions: Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston Additions: Alabama-Birmingham, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, Texas-San Antonio Future look (14): Alabama-Birmingham, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, SMU, South Florida, Temple, Texas-San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa Sun Belt Sun Belt subtractions: none Sun Belt additions: Southern Miss, Old Dominion, Marshall Sun Belt future look (13): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy Rumor (10/29/21): Add James Madison Conference USA C-USA subtractions: Alabama-Birmingham, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, Marshall, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, Texas-San Antonio. C-USA additions: none C-USA future look (5): Florida International, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Western Kentucky Rumor (11/2/21): Add Liberty (indy), NMSU (indy), SHSU (FCS), Jacksonville State (FCS) No changes: B1G, ACC, PAC-12, MAC, MWC.

Dare the Montanas/Idaho risk not making a move if the Dakotas did.

Anyone know if Chaves went to Nashville? Would've been smart to go and try to meet some of the folks at Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro*). MTSU with LaTech, FIU, UTEP, and WKU are the dying embers of C-USA. Yeah, they're going after NMSU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, and Sam Houston. But should C-USA look to bolster, creating a northern tier/division would be a future lifeline. *Drove through part of the MTSU campus the other day on the way to some little town, Lynch-something, vague recollections of what's there.

If Bill Chaves is as was advertised, yeah, the home front ain't looking so great right now, but there is opportunity to create the "western MAC". It would take someone with connections to both the Summit/MVFC and the northern tier of the Big Sky.

Geography says the northeast. It also says not in C-USA. They're looking south and closer to what remnants remain.

Tell him Bryn Chyzyk played here and that he'll fit ryght in.

ORD is in the middle of the rain event that was in eastern ND yesterday.

No ... we'd play Team X and the winner would play in Fargo.

WALSH That should ring some road trip to Maine bells.

OK, I'm going to be the wet blanket. Pass. It looks right out of 1970. <-- Not compliment.

Who knew Evander Kane posts here.

Click on chart to see full display.

Domed field.

Not buyin' MSU-Mankato making a moooo-ove. Not at all. What say you @bale31

Or the converse: The Sun Belt could pick apart the remaining C-USA bones, namely SoMiss, Marshall, and ODU. C-USA remnants (8): FIU, LA Tech, Marshall, MTSU, Old Dominion, USoMiss, UTEP, WKU.

I thought grumpy bears go hibernate this time of year, and not come out.

The AAC pulls all SIX new members from the current C-USA. Already leaving AAC: UCF, Cincy, Houston AAC remnants: East Carol, Memphis, USF, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, Wichita St Six from C-USA to AAC: UAB, FAU, UNC-Char, UNT, Rice, UTSA C-USA remnants (8): FIU, LA Tech, Marshall, MTSU, Old Dominion, USoMiss, UTEP, WKU. <-- Who will those eight go after? Footprint says ...

Watch some of the kicks Simmering puts out right here.

Looking through the media guide, here's since last century. Brady Leach 2018-20 Reid Taubenheim 2014-17 Zeb Miller 2010-13 Brandon Hellevang 2006-09 Jeff Glas 2002-05 Camerson Peterka 1998-01 Peterka was a machine. Given the choice would I take him or ... Glas feels like the last weapon. <-- 52 yards for the win? Nothing but net. Hellevang was steady and reliable (but still not Peterka/Glas). The dip started with Miller. It got a little better with Taubenheim, but it's back down with Leach. Data from p 67/161 here.

Can we put this one to bed and focus on Western Illinois?

If C-USA is reaching out to JMU ... there's the rock in the pond to start the FCS ripples.

Rice is presently Conference USA. The AAC isn't much more prestigious. That's why Rice surprises me, unless it's to get back in a conference with U of Houston ... but wait ... Houston is headed for Big XII in 2023. Is this AAC trying to stay relevant in the Houston TV market (uh, no).