FargoBison

Star2city-Well actually I believe it was the MVC and Horizen that publically denied interest and the Mid-Con didn't say much of anything and they still aren't. The Big Sky will probably continue to flirt with the idea of adding NDSU and it will take Sac St leaving or a miracle that would make Sac change their mind for entery. And I'll I said was take a look, I didn't say anything about a gentleman's agreement. The only conference completely out of reach is the MVC, they said join a conference and became solid in mens basketball and maybe you will get looked at in 10 years. NDSU will be in a conference by the end of the transition, I think the Mid-Con will want to expand into a 12 team league so they can be ensured of stablilty when the Big East spilt occurs.

Star2city- As you've probably been told 100 times already by now that the Mid-Con, Horizen, and especially the Big Sky told NDSU to go D1 and then look for a conference invite 4 or 5 years down the road. And as of now NDSU hasn't even finished year two of the transition, there is still plent of time. The Mid-Con may give us a better look this summer and hopefully give NDSU an invite. Who knows Sac St could leave the Big Sky and NDSU would basically be a shoe-in for conference admission. NDSU will get into a conference some where, they are just too strong of a school not to be in a conference. As for staying in D2 and waiting for a conference, NDSU waddled around in D2 for far too long it was time to leave, NDSU should have left in the early 80's or 90's and the program(football) eventually paid the price by staying in D2 for too long by years of scholarship cuts and D2's constant lets lower the elite down to the level of everybody else attitude. NDSU had basically outgrown D2 and it was time to leave and look for new challanges. Maybe UND will outgrow D2 some day and can to move onto bigger and better challanges.

Those two D2 schools were all in better shape in finding a conference since they were all located near D1 conferences looking at adding teams. NDSU is miles away from most D1 conferences and needs to prove itself before gaining entry into one. And if D2 cuts schollies tommarrow what is the green and white turtle to do, if a huge mass of teams decides to leave D2 there is no garuantee that the NCAA will let them jump divisions since they don't want to add anymore auto-bids for basketball. And also NDSU will most likely be in a conference by 2009-10, the mid con will eventually add them or another cofernce will panic since they may be picked apart by other conferences looking to replace teams. Even if NDSU isn't in a conference by then they will look much more attractive then UND since they will be tournement eligable for every sport and will have established it's program in D1, so they will be ready right away. NDSU was patient and pobably waited too long in making the D1 move, this should have happened in the early 80's or 90's. As for planning NDSU spent 2 years planning their D1 move and by no means rushed into the decision like UND may have to do if schollies are cut.