nodakvindy

Tornadoes are truly devastating. Hopefully the National Guard can get deployed quickly to help out. My thoughts are certainly with the folks in Warroad.

Where does that leave the likes of the Sun Belt, MAC, WAC, C-USA and probably Mountain West, who will rarely (and for the first three leagues likely never) get a sniff of the BCS?

I don't think there is that much confusion, I think it's that schools don't like being called I-AA. When it comes to March Madness, I have never heard anyone say, "I hope that I-AA Southern Illinois can advance." It's even more disingenuous to rename the I-AA Championship, the Division I Championship, as it does not include all Division I schools. This is another NCAA solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

Kolpack apparently isn't aware that the proportionality prong is the only one that is airtight in court. And that's a much bigger problem with the NCAA. People really seem to have difficulty grasping that Title IX isn't some NCAA concoction, it is federal law. On the skills and abilities front, once you aren't accomodating an expressed interest, you are no longer in compliance. That's a huge risk to take.

That's a great point about proportionality. I can't recall a case when anyone has been successful with either of the other prongs in court, despite their existance. I was shocked that NDSU was trying to pull that off as their means of Title IX compliance. Although it certainly explains how they were able to move football up so quickly. I would be interested to see if volleyball got any extra schollies. If not, with the problems that program experienced last year, another bad year could open the door to a lawsuit, legit or not.

I'll admit it takes some vision to enter a conference where you are 800 miles from the closest member. And as for the media package I was talking UND's, not the conference. It's a tough to sell ad time when most of your audience is in bed. La. Tech and TCU had few options at the I-A level, so they took what they could get. I'm not sure why the Big Sky is viewed as a bastion of stability while the Mid-Con is scorned. In the past decade, Idaho, Boise St. and Cal St. Northridge have all departed, while the additions have been Sac. St., Portland St. and UNC. All three of the new additions have been weak. And in any future conference shuffle, the Big Sky will be where the WAC looks for replacements. In addition, the Mid-Con is a better match for UND's athletic offerings. There is a difference between settling for the worst, and being in touch with reality and not tilting at windmills. If UND is headed for the Big Sky, it will almost certainly be with NDSU, with either SDSU or Denver as the third.

I think the likelihood of adding Canadian schools is slim and none. That would open the NCAA up to the laws of another country, including a possible erosion of powers. That simply won't happen. But more importantly, why would UND want to be in such a 12 team Big Sky. It would be utterly geographically isolated, the only conference school in the central time zone. That puts nearly all road games with 9:00 or later start times. Not something thats going to make your media package very valuable. And this scenario seems based on three teams leaving. I'm assuming that two of those would be the Montana schools. Isn't that rivalry the primary attraction of the Big Sky. Finally, with air travel to GF only possible via Minneapolis, the only realistic direction to look for a conference is east, not west. The lack of any competition into GFK is a huge barrier for UND, creating considerable travel costs. Logic dictates that UND's DI future lies with the Mid-Con, or some derivation of it. The ideal situation woud have UND, NDSU, SDSU and USD forming the core of a Mid-Con western division. That would restore rivalries and lower travel for all four schools.

That's surprising. I would have thought with a reinvigorated football program, there would be more funds coming in. Although looking at the sports I'd have to see it looks like Title IX at work. I too hope that no UND sports meet their demise, but I'd say that baseball and softball will likely be on the chopping block due to the weather difficulties up here.

I'd guess because they are two of the most prominent members of the caucus. And I think it's laughable to call me out for "playing politics" in light of the obvious behind the scenes shenanigans that lead to Potts' outster. And as for Fargo getting back it's sales and income tax, why should it. Hard as it is to believe, Fargo is a part of the state of North Dakota. Just as North Dakota gets a bigger per capita share of the federal pie, rural areas do for the state. This helps to support infrastructure in these communities. It's also why you will still have water in 50 years. Trust me, I'm not jealous of Fargo. I just wants best for the entire state. I can actually see the bigger picture.

Equally important, the AG was not able to investigate the time period prior to Jan. 25. This whole thing has likely been brewing for quite some time. It will be interesting to see if Heitkamp and Every request another opinion for the period of April 25 until Potts' resignation.

Those dates are because you only have 90 days to challenge an illegally closed meeting. I'm pretty sure that was in the opinion. As for why the Gov would do this, that's easy, voters are in Fargo and he's playing to his base. The guy's an empty suit and his administration has been rife with shady activity, so this fits right in. It looks like it will be important for Grand Forks to align with the western part of the state to keep the Fargo legislative delegation in check. Otherwise we will be moving precariously close to a Minnesota-like situation where the Twin Cities gets everything, and the outstate fights for the scraps. Look how well that turned out for Duluth and the DECC.

It also seemed like several of the Board members were backpedaling from statements. They all seemed to know what to say so as to avoid violating the law. It seems clear that members were meeting separate with the expressed purpose of circumventing the law. Several members seemed unhappy with Potts, a plan forms seemingly out of thin air to boot him, yet nobody actually talked to each other. This is the kind of thing that makes North Dakota look like a backwater hick state and deservedly so. The constant need to get rid of people who "aren't from around here" and failure to accept new ideas is strangling the state. I'd like to see the media investigate this further, but I'm sure the chances of that are slim and none.

Swimming makes sense because the added fact that there is an individual component. A great single performance could make someone an All-America. That simply won't happen in soccer or volleyball. I think we should seriously look at Bowling and Rifle. Both are far cheaper that lax would be. Jumping in on the ground floor is a good way to be successful and UND could quickly move up in Bowling. Also imagine Grand Forks hosting the NCAA finals, with Red Ray lanes hosting the majority of the tourney, but the finals being at the Ralph with those portable alleys like the PBA uses. Rifle also has the potential of producing future Olympians, and as women's hockey showed, that can be a publicity goldmine. Lacrosse may be growing, but the power is still in the traditional areas. While the western league has some big name schools, that conference is to lacrosse what the CHA is to hockey.

Actually, there were no alcohol sales at the West Regional, as it was an NCAA event. But I do agree that there seems to be an overemphasis on alcohol being part of the the enjoyment of games. This is especially disconcerting knowing the level or binge drinking and alcoholism in this region.

That was a great game with great memories. And I also know the fate of the gopher.

The women's hockey team is in turmoil, so that academic finding isn't a huge shock. The men's team is hurt by the numerous departures of recent years with guys leaving for the pros. They could have been making normal academic progress, but because they left school the number falls. With the small roster size, a few guys leaving for the pros can make a huge difference.

Because UND's volleyball team isn't competitive in D2, and it's swimming teams could see some success at the D1 level, particularly on an individual level.

No, hockey doesn't count because there is no Division II Championship. So UND can move up one men's sport and one women's sport. And theoretically, UND could add other sports that also have no Division II championship, like Rifle or Women's Bowling. I believe moving up two sports right now would put some teeth in the current decision and show that UND isn't going to back out of this. I think this is especially important in appealing to conferences, as the current decision actually shows no formal commitment to DI at this time.

It will be interest to see if UND takes the opportunity to announce an immediate move of two sports (I'd guess mens and womens swimming) under the current play up rule. That would give a measure of credibility to this "internal move" and make the two likeliest non-revenue sports that could be competitive eligible for postseason competition sooner.

Just saw this story. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2494149 While it's a long-running joke on USCHO, these network could be viewed as an outlet for games for a Big 10 hockey conference. The Big 10 should pocket a fair amount of money on this venture. This could be a catalyst for Penn State to move up. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this.

I agree. Also, UND and NDSU would likely be the kingpins of a D1 NCC and would have frequent shots at a tourney bid, which likely wouldn't be the case in any other league. Also costs would be much lower travel-wise and existing rivalries maintained. It would also be a much better situation for the hockey schools if the dreaded Big 10 hockey conference came to pass, as the remaining WCHA could take on the NCC name and then be recognized as an all-sports conference, which has a stronger standing within the NCAA.

Did you actually look at how those courses are delivered? Virtually all are online courses. Only two are IVN classes actually in Fargo. Are you proposing that the UND.edu extension be blocked from computers in the FM metro area too?

Interesting, although I have to wonder about the location. Somewhere in McLean or Mercer would seem to make a lot more sense. That would put you near Falkirk Mine, Coal Creek Station, Great Plains Synfuels and the hydroelectric power of Garrison Dam. It's also on a major four lane highway closer to major cities, so construction costs would likely be less. There are also many more viable communities in that region that could take on the population increase construction and ultimately operation of the plant would bring.

This would be ideal. Just not any I can recall of the top of my head.

Kupchella will be the cornerstone no doubt, but I think it is also critical to get people like Ben Brien, Greg Holy Bull, and any of the countless Native American doctors and other alums who are supportive of the name. They would add a great deal of credibility to the arguments being made by the University. It is likely that the NCAA will trot out the Russell Means and Vernon Bellecourts of the world and UND must be prepared for that. It might be also be a good idea to find others who the NCAA has bullied, like Jerry Tarkanian and Jeremy Bloom, to serve as reminders of the history of overreaching by the NCAA.