nodakvindy

Sadly, this wouldn't surprise me at all. I think we are now under the NCAA microscope, and should expect a lot of decisions to go against us. On another note of interest, Newberry is hosting.

Count me in for the Mid-Con. It is a better fit with schools that are closer than the Big Sky, and also better matches UND's sports offerings. It is also closer to the main alumni base in North Dakota and Minnesota. And now it has traditional rivals with NDSU and SDSU. It makes a lot more sense to quickly re-establish those rivalries in a conference setting, than trying to do so with non-conference games. Working against the Big Sky is that time zone issue, with many away games starting late in the evening for broadcast purposes, think UAA hockey. Also, many of the schools are at altitude, putting UND at a not insignificant disadvantage. It terms of prestige, that's really negligible, we're not talking BCS conference here, or even a well known Mid-major like the MAC or Missouri Valley. These are one-bid leagues for hoops. The only thing remotely attractive about the Big Sky is Montana and Montana St., and even then, of the border state ties to Montana are the weakest.

For those satellite viewers out there, I found out the CN8 is broadcasting the Dartmouth Tournament and apparently they are/might be FTA. I'm no expert, but I found this link showing where CN8 is. Hope it works our for you. I know they show a lot of other games out of New England as well (Hockey East and ECAC). http://www.lyngsat.com/amc1.html Check under 3940V Hope this helps.

It will be interesting to see how the NCAA deals with the Southland Conference/Central Arkansas proposal. If it's passed, that would allow the Mid-Con (or Big Sky) to take the Us immediately and not hurt their conference. For the Mid-Con getting to 12 would allow Divisional schedule that would likely lower costs for all schools as well as provide an extra buffer should Southern Utah or Centenary eventually leave. Like the SUs, the Us are attractive as flagship schools, and could really help boost the profile of the league. If it was done quickly, it could also make a Mid-Con football league a reality. The NCAA favors all-sports leagues, and in that way the Mid-Con could be preferable to the Gateway, especially if Western Illinois could be brought in. That would drop the Gateway to six, and with Youngstown as a possibly defection to I-A a loss of the autobid could happen.

Boston to Hanover would be about 2-2.5 hours. Fly into Manchester, NH instead. The airfare on Northwest is about the same right now, but you are an hour closer, and it's a much easier airport to navigate. Rental cars are usually cheaper and there are fewer taxes and airport surcharges. Also, when you drop off the rental car, it is right at the airport lot, so you don't need to take shuttle like at Logan. And there is no big dig to worry about.

Denver and Seattle to the WCC makes a lot of sense. Moves the conference to 10 for basketball and allows it to join the MVC to SuperMidMajor status. Don't know why travel would be a problem, as Denver is as easy to get to as Spokane. And for Denver, as hockey grows on the West Coast, the additional exposure for the school certainly doesn't hurt in landing recruits.

To me, it's a no brainer as a North Dakotan, blood is thicker than water. I'm pulling for the Bison. I also don't understand anyone from North Dakota who can be a Gopher football fan, when there is a school two states south with infinitely more in common with North Dakota and a fanbase every bit as passionate as those that bleed Sioux green. I hope UND's first I-A game is against Nebraska, so we get a taste of real big time college football, not that stuff served up in the Metrodome.

Tickets sold, Go Twins!

I don't think it will make huge difference, but you will see a lot more home and homes between schools from the non-BCS conferences. It might actually free up more slots for I-AAs to play games against the BCS teams, as the I-A teams will be forced into playing more home games.

So much for the NCC being down. Massey has it ranked 8th overall, behind only the 6 BCS Conferences and our potential new conference, the Great West. There are no off weeks in the NCC. Long live Massey!

If you make that drastic of cuts, I think it would make more sense to keep Devils Lake and Williston over Bismarck. It would be much easier to make use of the Bismarck State Campus for other purposes, like state agencies. It would also help those communities maintain their status as regional centers.

Minot would probably also want to rekindle their rivalry with Mary.

That's great news, although I'm not sure who they would/could get. I think Delta and United are out because they already in Fargo, and I think it would be difficult to generate the additional traffic to Salt Lake and Denver. Other options US Airways - Slight possibility for a direct flight to Phoenix, would be very popular in the winter. But neither US Air or American West have much history up here so would require a fair amount of promotion. Frontier - Would be the only low-cost carrier operating in North Dakota, and would be another option for those travelling to Fargo to catch United to Denver. Don't know if they are expanding or would consider a market as small as Grand Forks. Horizon/Alaska - Could offer a flight to Seattle. They are in many Western cities, but Grand Forks would be a long flight for them. Also a partner of Northwest, so that may discourage them doing it. American - The only major airline not in North Dakota. Don't really have a Western hub, but could offer flights to St. Louis or Dallas.

Unless said sugar daddy is dropping Gates/Buffett kind of money, UND still could not be a major football powerhouse at the DIA level. Look, Minnesota is a team with a pretty rich tradition and it isn't even a powerhouse anymore. And if you are dropping that kind of coin, why not make a run at hiring Phil Jackson and simply put basketball on the map.

Isn't anyone concerned about the statement "If UND wants to reach its goal of being a major football powerhouse, we have to go IA." Since when is this a stated goal. I bleed green as much as anyone, but this is insane. UND is never going to be Michigan, Tennessee, Miami or USC. North Dakota is simply too small a state to devote the funding that would be needed to be successful at that level. The Alerus is fine as is, and could likely be expanded by adding seating on the south end if the magical 15,000 seat mark was needed. Upgrading the basketball program and trying to be a George Mason or Gonzaga is a much more realistic goal than thinking a run at the BCS is possible.

Yes, right on the border with Vermont. Closest airport to fly into would be Manchester, NH. Boston is another hour south. Manchester is much easier to navigate, obviously.

I'd say hs football and hoops probably switch especially if you factor in the Mandan girls and the Dakota Wizards move in at 5 behind the Twins. Bismarck really supports its minor league teams. There Indoor football teams have usually drawn pretty well.

Why We Fight was actually a series of documentary/propaganda films by renowned director Frank Capra for the US Army.

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.