star2city

Part of what the BSU President is attempting to do is to destabilize the WAC football side, IMHO. As long as UTEP is in CUSA, they will block N Mexico St, as UTEP has always historically done. (UTEP made its move out of the WAC out of disgust once NMSU was admitted.) If NMSU does get admitted to CUSA, UTEP would definitely leave for the MWC. La Tech simply doesn't have the media power to be attractive to CUSA. Memphis - which will be the main power in CUSA - won't want La Tech either. Tulane supposedly is sympathetic to La Tech though, as La Tech housed Tulane's athletic teams in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If UCF, Houston, and SMU go to the Big East, what seems likely is that CUSA would backfill into the Dallas and Florida markets with North Texas, FIU, and possibly FAU. East Carolina and Marshall also both want a school closer to them to help with travel: Appy St, Charlotte, and Ga State would all be decent adds. Where La Tech and NM St possibly end up is the Sun Belt. If FAU, FIU, and UNT all leave the Sun Belt, then that conference would abandon Florida and move west to Texas, probably adding La Tech, UTSA, N Mex St, and possibly Texas St. What the Boise St president really wants is a non-football WAC, with the Big East as the secondary BCS conference in the West. (BYU is rumored to be replacing WVU). With AFA, BYU, and Boise, the three most important western school names in football outside the PAC12 would be in the Big East. The MWC's status would drop to what the WAC's used to be. There's even talk that Boise St may be attempting to get one of San Diego St, Hawaii, or Nevada in the Big East for a true western division. The MWC would also have to add maybe two schools - UTEP, Utah St, or San Jose St. San Jose St would ideally like the same situation as Hawaii: football in the MWC and other sports in the Big West. If the Boise St president can destroy WAC football, then the WAC would become a basketball league: perfect for Boise St. New WAC: Boise St (football in Big East) Air Force (football in Big East) Idaho (football forced to drop to theBig Sky) Seattle Denver UT-Arlington (if it stays) Utah Valley St (or Utah St if it doesn't get in the MWC) Cal St-Bakersfield N Mex St (if it can only get football in the Sunbelt) That type conference would be bad for non-football sports in the Big Sky, as much of the western talent would rather go there than the Big Sky.

KXLF Butte: Bakken boom luring Montanans to North Dakota http://www.kxlf.com/news/bakken-boom-oil-boom-luring-montanans-to-williston-north-dakota-for-work/ Bozeman entrepreneurs head to North Dakota http://www.kxlf.com/news/bakken-boom-bozeman-entrepreneurs-heading-to-north-dakota/

This is a big story that will go under the radar by the media. If four Three Forks formations can yield oil economically, the number of oil wells that will be drilled will more than double. The Tyler formation, which is actually thicker and has more organic material than the Bakken and Three Forks, is also only now being developed. Oil and Gas Journal: Oil Promise seen in four Three Forks Benches http://www.ogj.com/a...ks-benches.html That said, some mid-major oil companies like EOG Resources and Newfield Exploration are reducing their Bakken drilling rigs in Mountrail and Williams - moving them elsewhere in the US - because of high completion costs from the lack of labor and infrastructure. When the labor and infrastructure situation improves, they will move back.

The way you have attacked posters on this board, as if you've been in long discussions with Bisonville posters, you're far from a "neutral" person. So just drop the whole facade. Back to the topic: Idaho Statesman: Where will other Boise State sports go? Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/11/02/bmurphy/if_boise_states_football_team_goes_big_east_where_should_broncos#ixzz1cbxvgkV7

Trefz and Smed will be difficult to replace next year. That said, if UND was in the Big Sky, we'd likely be running away with the conference this year. Utah Valley and Houston Baptist are now both more highly rated than any Big Sky team. Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado have both dropped about 75 spots in the ratings. UNI is currently the #5 team in the country (with Nebraska #2, Iowa State #3, and Minnesota #6), so there's a lot of DI talent in the area (tall Scandinavian girls ) http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/volleyball-women/d1

It's being spun as losing to Morehead St (Ky), who was in the NCAA tournament last year. "Moorhead" St was missing its best player, too. We've been told for years that a certain team in the FM area is stockpiling talent. Now we know which one.

The MVC and CUSA have really crashed lately and are more like mid-majors now. I'd put both the A-10 (as long as it still has Temple, Xavier, Richmond, and Dayton) as well as the Colonial (deep multiple bid league recently as well as VCU and GMU final fours, the CAA wasn't listed) well above them. The Big West and Sun Belt can sometimes break out of the bottom grouping, but their bottom teams just bring those leagues down too far.

The NCAA doesn't forbid an FBS school from playing football in one FBS league and other sports in another FBS league. (The NCAA does have a rule, however, that at least 8 FBS members must play football and 4 other men's sports and 6 other women's sports in that FBS league to continue as a voting FBS league and to maintain the ability to grant FBS status to FCS schools. In this case, Boise St and/or AFA will not count toward the 8 FBS members in either league. The WAC adding Boise St and AFA does not help it get to 8 FBS members.) Typically, FBS leagues themselves do not allow cross-membership because of branding and TV issues. In this case, the Big East simply wants non-basketball members that will bring high ratings in football (Boise St, AFA, Navy), and the WAC wants to be as attractive as possible to add FCS schools.

Reuters-North Dakota's oil boom poses political dilemma for US http://www.reuters.c...E7M21I120111102

I think Fullerton and the Big Sky Presidents want to see the WAC collapse - or at least not based in the Mt / Pacific time zone anymore. By taking Boise St and Air Force, the MWC will poach more WAC teams, forcing the WAC to either collapse or reconfigure itself as a Texas-based conference. Totally agree that adding Boise St and Air Force to the Big Sky would make it much more difficult for UND and other schools to make the Big Dance. Instead a 1 in 11 chance, it is not effectively 1 in 13, but more like 1 in 30 - at least in the near term. But adding those two schools also increases the probability that Idaho would rejoin, and maybe add Seattle and Denver, too. Boise St probably won't have routine 12-0 seasons in the Big East, but will still win with 11-1, 10-2, or 9-3 records. The BCS would much prefer them than an 8-4 Connecticut or and 8-4 Cincinnati this year. For Boise, they would make a ton more money, and that's the bottom line.

Wall Street Journal: Train Traffic Riding the Dakota Oil Boom http://online.wsj.co...eTabs%3Darticle

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/33074577 Boise St, Houston, SMU, UCF "all in together" for the Big East, Navy "definitely in", Air Force in once Navy is in Boise St has two hurdles: - needs Idaho SBoHE approval - needs a conference commitment for Olympic sports - Big West, or WCC or possibly WAC or Big Sky Air Force also needs a non-football conference membership So by Friday, more dominoes may start dropping: With WVU leaving the Big East, the Big East will need to add one more school (possibly BYU, Temple, maybe Memphis) MWC may need to replace two schools: Air Force and Boise St (watch out WAC, early favorites: Utah St, San Jose St, possibly UTEP from CUSA) CUSA may need to replace three schools: UCF, SMU, Houston (early favorites are FIU, North Texas, as well an another eastern school like Charlotte or Ga State) WAC and Sunbelt will then need to make moves to backfill

$32 mill for the Ralston arena vs $10 mill for the Betty.

Atlantic Sun conference adds Sand Volleyball as championship sport http://www.gohatters...TCLID=205323401 . Crank up Hyslop to 85 F and move in the sand.

Utah Valley's coach also votes, and he probably voted his own team 21st (for 5 point) and UND 25th (for 1 point). Kampe of Oakland must have voted for Oakland, Oral Roberts, and SDSU.

Sioux face SDSU (12-15 record) tonight and then USD (13-14) Tuesday night. http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=205325476

A dirty little secret of many NCAA institutions is that women athletes must terminate a pregnancy if the female athlete wants to retain an athletic scholarship. So in effect, there are informal policies against procreation - at least for women athletes.

West Virginia is suing the Big East to leave this summer - sounds like the $21 million buyout was not accurate. http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/33054284 The Big Sky seems open to changing its rules and allowing non-football members Boise State and Air Force to join: The WAC has said "no" to Boise State and Air Force. Boise State has reportedly requested membership in the Big West, but it may be a hard sell to gain access to that California/Hawaii conference. Air Force is supposedly also in discussions with the WCC, but the WCC is currently all church-based schools. Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/10/26/bmurphy/boise_state_has_not_contacted_wac_big_sky_or_big_west_about_hous#ixzz1cOWyCQZl

Really didn't expect you to be familiar with Bellarmine, but bison fans better get real familiar with them (or Southern Indiana) very quickly.

Keep in mind that UND's total athletic budget is really the following: = UND Athletic Budget + REA Budget - (amount reimbursed by REA to UND athletics). Not sure know much the REA Budget is, but all the hockey (as well as basketball, volleyball, women's hockey) ticket sales go through the REA. Just for men's hockey, the ticket sales are 220,000 x $25 avg = $5.5 million. Most of that money is not returned to UND athletics, but pays to run the REA. All of the Fighting Sioux Club budget directly affects the bottom line.

Looks like Youngstown State is concerned that the MVFC won't approve the stipend: http://www.vindy.com...ill-affect-ysu/

The Big Sky or the Women's WCHA would have to approve, too, not just the NCHC. Since the NCHC doesn't start for two years, the current WCHA would have to approve for next year. Doing this for all athletes (even partial scholarships, i.e. an athlete receiving 1/4 scholarship would get $500) would cost UND $360,000 or so. There would be benefits for all sports if UND could pull this off.

If the NCHC doesn't allow this, we should have stayed in the WCHA. WCHA, ECAC, and maybe HE schools probably won't approve this, but there is no question that the Big Ten will. Denver, UND, and Miami will vote yes. Maybe WMU, UMD, UNO, and CC, too. By the NCHC allowing the stipend, it doesn't mean that schools actually have to pay it.

Sioux beat Houston Baptist, 3-2, moving their record to 22-4. Houston Baptist is actually pretty good, with a 17-8 record.

There's also 20 MN High schools that play at the club level, mostly out-state, as their school districts have not yet approved varsity lax: http://www.mnlaxhub....a-varsity-2011-