star2city

North Carolina HS lacrosse is getting a big boost: North Carolina sanctioning HS lacrosse But only women's lax benefits on the college level: Charlotte adding women's sports -LAX - in additon to FCS (later FBS) football - pending approval High Point (NC) becomes fourth DI women's lax team

GeauxSioux: Congrats on the new addition. I'll miss the game too, as recently relocated to East Tennessee. Have to wait for an Appalachian State game or a Nat Championship game in Chatanooga.

2008 Best Schools for Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review Top 25 Undergraduate Programs 1. University of Houston 2. Babson College 3. Drexel University 4. University of Dayton 5. University of Arizona 6. Temple University 7. DePaul University 8. University of Oklahoma 9. University of Southern California 10. Chapman University 11. Ball State University 12. Baylor University 13. University of North Dakota 14. Northeastern University 15. Syracuse University 16. Miami University 17. Loyola Marymount University 18. Washington State University 19. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 20. University of Alabama 21. University of Cincinnati 22. University of Iowa 23. Belmont University 24. Xavier University 25. Suffolk University

According to a New Mexico State board, NMSU is looking to add another game, but it much prefers it to be a IAA counter because of a bowl berth potential. Sept 6th is probably too logistically challenging, considering the distance, for these three at such a close date: Villanova, Portland State, and Illinois State have opens dates Sept 6th Oct 4th has a number of IAA schools with openings. NMSU's AD is probably calling these schools first to gauge interest / potential. NMSU probably doesn't offer that much of a $ contract ($200k guessing) and some of these schools already have IA games or don't want a IA game while in their conference schedule. Stony Brook New Hampshire Fordham Wofford (plays at South Carolina two weeks prior - conference play begins previous wk vs Ga Southern) Sam Houston St (plays at Kansas two weeks prior - exclusive conference play starts Oct 11) Alcorn State

After Katrina and especially after 9/11, schedules were majorly reconfigured, so there's precedence (new opponents scheduled, revised dates etc). If it's important for NMexSt to have six home games (they've promised season tickets holders that), they will likely play somebody Oct 4th. UND would not be their preference, but Faison/Mussman should certainly make a few phone calls (no more 20 day lapse in playing - two weeks to heal up after NMexSt, more prep for Texas Tech game next year). NMexSt probably not going to go bowling with a 6-6 record anyway (if they had beaten Nicholls), so UND's non-counter status isn't that big a deal. Also, with a strong home schedule (including NMex, Boise, Hawaii), NMexSt shouldn't have any concerns about the 15,000 attendance limit. Making travel arrangment 30 days in advance is much easily than Nicholls State changing their travel to play NMSU on 9/6. Doesn't hurt to make an inquiry.

Going with night games will raise attendance regardless, IMO. Saturday days are not good for many fans in the fall: harvesting, hunting, yard work, etc. Students are more apt to go out in the evening than they are on a Saturday afternoon. With fans choosing between the last major weekend to go to the lakes or a Saturday football game, a Thursday night game has always made the most sense.

Because of the threat of Hurricane Gustav to it's Thibodaux campus (and all the impending evacuations of coastal Louisiana), Nicholl State has canceled it's game against New Mexico St in Las Cruces, NM for this coming Thursday, Sept 4th. Nicholl State's and N Mexico State's schedule do not have dual openings for the rest of the year. At this late date, New Mexico State may have to do some shopping for another home game in Las Cruces for their only remaining open date, October 4th. Who just happens to have an opening for Oct 4th? A school with an AD that was formerly AD at NMSU. Not many counter IAA's available that would play on that date. UND needs another game and a guarantee to pay expenses +.

Saluki coaches inspired by greats

Engelstad Family Foundation keeps the tap open: College of Southern Nevada announces $8.2 millino gift

Cass County used to be about 12% of ND's population. Now it's more like 25%. Grand Forks county (not GF city) has actually declined in population most decades. Take both those counties out: and which school is the real choice of non-commuters?

MSU-Moorhead and Edna Note to Edna: add men's hockey (even if it means dropping numerous other Dragon sports), play in the Urban Plains arena, become Bemidji's partner, saving the CHA, and you'll gain MSU-Moorhead a level of support in the F-M area they have never before witnessed.

From the second blog, rather doubt the ACC, Pac10, SEC, or BigTeleven will move to 16, fuel costs are causing major headaches for the WAC (Hawaii to Ruston, La for nearly every program), CUSA (El Paso to Greenville, NC), and even the MWC (with nine members and only one in Texas), budgets and tempers will be flaring if transportation costs stay high. A mini-big bang could occur at this non-BCS level (and some IAA teams could be winners or get free passes because of it). The MAC, being mostly a bus league, is, ironically, probably the most stable non-BCS conference.

Have to give SDSU credit for their DI basketball transition. Keeping up with SDSU will not be easy, while NDSU has tons of work to do. Meanwhile, USD hasn't issued any of their BB schedules.

How is it humanly possible to miss the earlier poiint, Herd? Is your Bison DI ego that huge - it needs a pin to pop.

So the student apartments will have underground parking? That would save some space on the property (but make them expensive for the students). Almost expect the next structure to be 4 stories: condos with commerical on the first floor.

@ Texas A&M January 5th So 2009 will likely bring home games against UMKC, No Colorado, Montana and at least one and possibly two of UW-GB, UNI, or Wichita State.

An FCS school needs to average 56.7 scholarships (90% of 63) for the prior two years prior to being a bowl counter (unless this has changed). Going into the 2009 season, we would be at 49.5 average, but in 2010 we should average 63. If UND is getting that payout, Faison's contacts in West Texas/N Mex are paying off well!

UND has less pricing power until 2010 due to the scholarship averaging rule, so Texas Tech probably spent less on a guarantee than other FCS teams would require, and unlike other FCS teams, a loss doesn't risk post-season and Texas Tech got seven home games. With Idaho likely not giving that high of a quarantee and actually being a winnable game (and with us needing games), I would suspect UND would play at least two FBS teams those years.

An event like the World Juniors can only help UND. Even if it lost some money, the regional economic impact and status of hosting a marquee event successfully only helps UND and the community. The Canadian publicity is incredible, which can only help recruiting Canada in other sports (e.g. the recently recruited Quebec football players). The challenge for AD is to use the success of hockey to brand the entire athletic program at the DI level. It's interesting that Moorhead (not Fargo and the Urban Plains) became the partner in the bid. Politics of GF(UND) vs. Fargo (NDSU) with Fargo leaders not wanting to be the lower level partner? Moorhead leaders and hockey boosters have no such constraints.

Missoulian - Montana to play Duke Hopefully the Montana, Northern Iowa, and UW-Green Bay are all return games.

New Swarm owner wants Minnesotans on team Hmm, the most important metro market for UND growth needs a feeder college program for the Swarm.

Reynolds appears to be especially gifted on kickoff returns: College of the Canyons football stats KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long --------------------------------------- Reynolds,Raphae 21 622 29.6 2 94 Carpenter,Hayo 14 303 21.6 0 36 He was also overshadowed by a Freshman, Fred Winborn, who was Player of the year in their JUCO league. RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G ----------------------------------------------------------- Winborn,Fred 12 178 1565 41 1524 8.6 21 92 127.0 Reynolds,Raphae 12 131 1033 28 1005 7.7 9 66 83.8 Not a lot of pass receptions but a 26.5 yd average: RECEIVING GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G ------------------------------------------------- Carpenter,Hayo 12 80 1404 17.5 12 72 117.0 Augustus,Jovonn 8 30 426 14.2 4 46 53.2 Winborn,Fred 12 23 310 13.5 3 45 25.8 Jones,Andrew 7 15 143 9.5 0 17 20.4 Austin,John 10 15 82 5.5 1 20 8.2 Jones,Nate 6 7 87 12.4 0 23 14.5 Reynolds,Raphae 12 6 157 26.2 1 61 13.1 College of the Canyons had seven DI recruits, two former players drafted by the NFL, and 4 grads active in the NFL.

Can't believe you keep whining about this. The Great West all-sports contract is like a three-year rental agreement between six roommates for a big house. No one signing this agreement necessarily expects anything long-term to develop. If the whole NCC had gone DI, it would have been more like a mass wedding. But at least one and possibly two schools would already divorced and jumped to another conference, screwing everyone else with eight-ten years to go.

Count me now as someone who thinks the probability of this is now very, very slim. The Great West affiliation sponsored by the Summit, fuel costs, the inability of Sac St and Portland St to upgrade their facilities and programs (while SUU has), the lack of Denver or Salt Lake air service to GF, all make this less likely. When NDSU and SDSU left the Great West and UND/USD joined, the Great West schools could have asked the Big Sky to administer the conference rather than the Summit (Cal Poly, Davis, SUU, UND, and USD would all have loved some some type of football-only membership with the BSC). It didn't happen. Now UND and USD are more closely stuck in the Summit's web. Fullerton still talks about the Big Sky going IA football, but don't see how that is possible without at least Cal Poly and Davis being associate members. The Great West with Summit affiliation, is of little help with either of those two schools to accomplish their longer term football goals. With the moratorium on moveups and Sac State's lack of progress, UC Davis can easily move up with a stadium expansion to the top of the WAC expansion list come 2012 or 2013. Here's an excerpt from Missoulian: UM officials say jump to big-time football not in the cards, where Fullerton seems to be talking out of both sides: