MJG

UND and Northern Colorado are BSC travel partners. Now UNC is the odd school out with no travel partner . They are not close to anyone except Denver. The Big Sky could save money with one less share and less travel. I think allowing UNC football only in the BSC is possible. Use IUPUI'S exit fees to cover the fees for UNC.

Realignment happens one move at a time IUPUI leaves now it's the next move. Northern Colorado works for really everyone and doesn't hold back any future moves.Ideally a conference with six good travel partners that bring something to the table is ideal. UNC-Denver, Dakota four, Montana's, EWU-Idaho, UNO-Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa would have to be the last pick up as this conference would be superior to the MVC.

UNM was meant to be UNO

I would add Northern Colorado for Denver's travel partner adds baseball and possible sixth football if needed.Also helps push PUFW and WIU out the door maybe ORU. Not that they won't already be looking.Travel partners academics and fan interest are the qualities a conference will be looking for in new members.Idaho was fourth in ESPN3 numbers in the SBC. The Montana and Dakota schools have good numbers on ESPN3 compared to the usual directional commuter school.Flying to Fargo and bussing to Grand Forks or flying to Spokane and bussing to Moscow is how travel partners save money. Denver-UNC NDSU-UND SDSU-USD Montana-MSU Idaho-EWU ORU-UNM Nine for football eight game schedule Twelve for a twenty two game conference schedule basketball schedule.

One of the CFL teams built a nice new outdoor stadium with cold weather in mind. A sunken bowl with wind breaks from close buildings like an IPF. The stands are covered like Washington cold and wet is the worst. So you limit wind and rain for fans and keep the homefield edge for the team. Add glassed in luxury suites for the revenue boost. Fifteen or sixteen thousand capacity with an SRO around twenty thousand would be great.

Ten teams with good travel partners make sense. UND-NDSU USD-SDSU Denver-Portland ST or Northern Colorado Montana -Montana ST Idaho -EWU basketball tournament rotate between Brookings and Spokane gives half the conference a drivable option every other year. That is the reason for Portland St new arena football stadium being expanded to 26k . Big underserved Metro easy cheap flight to Denver. 28k students 26th biggest metro 2.4 million add to that Spokane and Denver and they offset the small population states.

Say the MVC goes to twelve with whatever combination. The Indiana Schools and Omaha get taken by one of the three Horizon, MVC,OVC then ORU goes to the WAC. leaving Denver ,WIU and the Dakota four. Would a raid of the Northern BSC teams be possible or desired. The Montana's, EWU,UI,PSU and Sac St. Seven Flagship schools Eight football stadiums that will meet FBS requirements soon. Travel partners line up pretty well. Denver,Sacramento, Spokane, Portland and Fargo for markets. I think it would be a great conference probably won't happen. Too many moving parts but if the Summit lost enough teams it would be a possibility.

I don't get the Idaho connection that makes a conference eligible to move up. I believe a conference could be better than the MAC or Sun Belt with some of these schools. The Summit would make sense especially if the non football schools left. Because its an existing conference and has three Dakota schools in it. UND,UM,MSU and Idaho could join it possibly even NMSU. Keep Denver and Omaha. Or the WAC could almost collapse and all the FBS potential state flagship schools join it. Twenty seven FBS teams averaged under twenty thousand. Most counted tickets sold for a couple thousand at the least. Montana,MontanaSt,NDSU,SDSU,IDAHO and NMSU together have a higher average than the MAC. The rules might make it impossible especially the conference invitation rule.Eliminate that rule then it might have a chance. I still don't get why it has to be the Big Sky or see Idaho's importance in making it happen. The three newly orphaned programs could help schools move up if allowed. NMSU and U Mass would be needed as much as Idaho.