bincitysioux

That would make so much sense for Sac. State (who we all know has an aversion to travel) and the Big West (bringing membership to 10). But how often do things that make sense happen in the world of NCAA athletics?

According to Wayne Nelson, South Dakota is the most likely schools to head for DI if UND does indeed decide to make the move. Link

I agree to a point. If UND joins the Great West, you've got 3 Dakota schools & three west coast schools (counting SUU). From what I gather from reading various message boards is that alot of fans of Poly & Davis desire keeping the GWFC viable and want members to join. I have no idea what the administrations of these universities think, but they're both good football programs that would benefit greatly from an auto-bid. With a GWFC autobid, down the road you could routinely see two, sometimes even three, Great West teams make the playoffs. The west coast schools could open to more expansion later, probably another west coast school (U of San Diego?), which in turn could open the door for another Upper Midwest school (St. Cloud, South Dakota?) Far-fetched? Probably, but I don't think Poly and Davis has as big an aversion to travel to the Dakota's for football as some think. Remember, they're travel expense for all sports except football (Big West members) is miniscule compared to any other GWFC or NCC members.

Here's an article about St. Cloud State, the NCC, and Divisoin I. Huskies, NCC Face Uncertain Future

Another benefit of associating with WDAZ-TV is the fact that it is carried on cable in Winnipeg & Southern Manitoba and is available in about 250,000 homes in addition to the 80,000 or so households it is in in North Dakota and Minnesota. I agree though that it would be optimal to get ForumComm's TV stations in Bismarck and Minot on board.

It is getting wild.

I am 100% in favor of a DI move. My level of giving will increase if the University moves up. I can't think of one UND fan, supporter, alum that I personally know that feels that UND is in the right place in being DII. The few people that I do personally run into that thinks UND belongs in DII are fans, supporters, or alumni of a different institution, and I would say that of all the fans, supporters, & alumni of a different institution that I personally run into where I live the vast majority of them even think or want UND to move up.

There has been quite a bit of discussion about DI on the USD Coyote Fan Board. Also, it sounds like Doug Fullerton will be interviewed at 4:00 today on a South Dakota radio station that is the flagship for USD sports, so they must be talking about it down there. You can listen online here. Personally I'd like to see USD move up along with UND (if we go).

Does anyone think that it could be a good thing if Clear Channel got both the UND and NDSU contracts? I wonder if it could lead to some more local sports coverage/talk shows during the off-season and non-gamedays. They'd have to have something for all those play-by-play guys to do (Hennessey, Hammer, Miller, Swygman), if they were all under one roof. I'm still pulling for Leighton to get the bid, though. Sidenote: Does anyone else think Scott Miller is the most overworked sports announcer in the area? Bison football, basketball, Primetime Sports, Redhawks baseball. He's a busy guy.

Oh yeah, that's right, it was the biggest thing since the JFK assassination! That's what Coach Miles equated it to, wasn't it? Talk about blowing things out of proportion. You're probably somewhat right about that. I've been on the DI bandwagon for quite some time, but I do think that upset opened the eyes of alot those who were on the fence before.

We've just been tossing it around as a possible replacement for baseball/softball. Baseball just doesn't work this far north, (I think UND played around 45 games this year and 8 were at home) and UND's field leaves something to be desired. It is no Newman Outdoor Field. Larosse could be played in the Alerus in the spring and has the potential to make revenue, (at least moreso than baseball)

He still does. It's called "News about other Schools".

Asking for that extension in itself could be an indications of intentions to move DI. If UND were staying DII, that sudden revelation about the earlier deadline would have been more reason for Kupchella to stand pat for the time being.

I don't know if I agree with that. All the other affiliates are based in Fargo, just like Clear Channel. And unless it is game day, Clear Channel's radio coverage of UND is poor at best. I like the way WDAZ covers the Sioux.

I guess we know where Bunning stands. I find it interesting that he said he notified the NCC two weeks ago about UND's intentions to leave.

If WDAY did actually lose the rights to NDSU broadcasts, I'd imagine that Scott Hennan, also being the operations manager, would make a big push to get UND on WDAY. Sidenote: Steve Hallstrom could possibly drink himself into oblivion if WDAY lost NDSU sports.

Since there are already so many of us perplexed, I will say that I am perplexed by this:

Whattaya mean "sacrifice other programs"? Show me what programs at UND have had success at the Division II level other than Football, Basketball, and Swimming. I firmly believe these sports would be competetive at the next level. Personally I'd pay more attention to UND baseball, soccer, softball, and tennis if they were competing against Minnesota, Montana, or Northern Iowa than if they compete against Shippensburg or Upper Iowa.......even if they do lose. No, but I expect UND to be in the running for the best North Dakota, western Minnesota, and even northern South Dakota athletes. It is a fact that UND football lost recruiting battles for the top 5 to 7 athletes on their wish list to NDSU this year. And IIRC, this is the first year in several years that there will not be any South Dakota athletes joining the football team. I doubt that this is all by some strange coincidence. If athletes that UND used to recruit continue to choose NDSU or SDSU because of the DI label, that means that UND will be forced to go after the recruits that Mayville, VCSU, and Jamestown College have traditionally gone after. No offense to those athletes, but is that the type of product you think The University of North Dakota should be putting on the football field or basketball court. Stop thinking of DI as only Notre Dame, Duke, and USC. The reality is that DI is vast and includes peers of UND such as NDSU, SDSU, UNC, Montana, Montana St., Northern Iowa, Creightion, etc., etc., etc. There are alot more schools in DI that resemble UND than are in DII.

I'd say that the majority of athletes currently at UND would be unwanted by most DI schools. A move to DI would most likely mean better athletes coming to UND. What coaches? If UND remains DII, they are at far greater risk of losing Dale Lennon than if they went DI in my opinion. I don't know about Roebuck, but I'd think that after decades of domination, he'd be ready for a new challenge.

You should be able to get 710 KXMR (hockey), or 550 KFYR (football). I'm in east central ND, and alot closer to GF & Fargo than I am to Bismarck. I get both those stations loud & clear.

Forget the faculty. What we need is a petition to keep the name signed by members of the Sioux tribes.

Absolutely, I agree 100% The core of the NCC is not a problem, the scary thing for me is the possible additions that have been thrown out there. Former Dac-10 schools, St. Thomas, Winona (although I respect them alot athletically) are not peers of UND and I don't want to be regularly associated with them. Duluth was a very nice addition (considering what the NCC lost), but they are no peer of UND. USD is a peer of UND, and so is UNO. I don't consider them a "commuter school", they are the second largest university in Nebraska.

What can I say? I'm getting desperate.

Don't forget about Kupchella. Unfortunately, I think he is a major obstacle regarding DI.