NDSU grad

Didn't the Forum report an anonymous 1M donation a couple of months back? I think some of that was used to purchase K-State's basketball floor, but some may have been used to offset any budget shortfalls.

I never saw any of UND's advertising, so I can't answer that question. However, it does appear there could have been better communication between the two universities.

I think what ruffled people the most at NDSU was how it was marketed, and not necessarily it's existence, but that's pure speculation on my part. IMO, I don't care if UND has a distance education center in Fargo, but I don't think they should offer a classroom curricula in courses that NDSU has.

Absolutely, and I think Fullerton is now on record as saying expanding to 4 teams is a possibility. Let's say UND is interested and joins the Big Sky. The conference could look like this: North NDSU UND SDSU Mont. St. Mont. Eastern W. South UNC U. North. Ariz. Sac. St. Port. St. Weber St. Idaho St. Other people have speculated UNC to be in an eastern division with the SU's, UND, and the Montana's. Either way, it would be a pretty cool conference

Intelligent post. I'm sure President Chapman is shaking in his boots at the thought of feeling the wrath of the UND alumni.

In my mind the formation of two divisions is a no-brainer. It would kind of suck for football because every team wouldn't play each other in a given year and a conference championship game doesn't really make sense at the I-AA level. It would be great for other sports though, especially basketball.

Who's being the weasel? "The second part of Potts' letter aimed to patch another rift that arose when UND's telemedicine program contacted Sen. Byron Dorgan -- without NDSU's knowledge -- about a collaborative project with NDSU's telepharmacy program." Also, contrary to what ScottM said, NDSU was already offerring a doctorate in education when UND moved in, so we were taking the lead in that area.

This kind of thickens the plot. Does this come as a surprise to you guys? I sure wasn't expecting it.

I think that's odd too. They could have filed by December 1 if they knew in August the BSC was interested, making 2004-2005 their explatory year. I'm pretty sure they would have known the Sky's intent in time to remain in DII, but alot of this is speculation.

The Big Sky decides on December 13 whether it wants to continue with its expansion plans. I see no other reason why Thomas would impose the 12 day deadline.

I agree with PCM. I don't think there's anything new here. As far as the Big Sky inviting UND to inquire about membership, that would have never happened if NDSU and SDSU weren't already showing interest in DI.

Scott was a sophomore in 96, he started as a true freshman in 95.

Does anybody how many scholarships Florida Atlantic is allowed to give out in their first year of I-A. NDSU was only allowed to increase scholarships by 18; does the same rule apply to a team making the jump from I-AA to I-A?

Guys, you're falling for the 1234 trap. Pretty soon you'll be discussing current farm policy and the trajectory of the Hail Mary pass, amongst other mindless topics.

Sic, do you know if the numbers for Eastern Washington were for Joe Albi Stadium or Woodward (sp). I think they've been playing in Spokane for a while while they were renovating their stadium in Cheney. I really don't know the capacities for either one.

Men's tennis.

On your last point, I'm pretty sure the BSC could not play a championship game. Even if it would work logistically, there is really no point to it. The BSC would almost certainly have multiple bids to the playoffs, so nothing would be decided by having a championship game. And I highly doubt there would be a large revenue stream produced with a I-AA conference championship game. If played at a neutral site, it would probably garner enough revenue to offset travel expenses for the schools involved.

The Ralph is irrelevant as a hockey facility, as a bball facility that's another story. Based on your list I'd say it's a tossup. I think both schools need an indoor facility for football (wait until you get 1234 started on this). I really don't know what you mean by the "athletic atmosphere" UND is creating, although I will grant you that both our men's and women's (NDSU's) bball schedules suck, but should be much better next year. In any case, the next few months will be very entertainig. Key dates: January 10th; whenever the Big Sky announces their expansion (or lack thereof) plans By the way, how many of you think that success at the two schools is a zero sum game? Not a rhetorical question, seriously asking. Myself, I really don't know.

I really think that it's in the semantics. I'm 99% positvie that NDSU got 6 points for the loss to Davis last year, even though they were not from a qualifying conference and not eligible for the playoffs. I think it's like RD17 said, if the I-AA school plays at a level above DII, then they count as if they were from a qualifying conference. Some of that stuff the NCAA puts out can be pretty hard to interpret.

I think ND was admitted into the union before SD (even though it was on the same day), so we should get to put our quarter out first, right?

Definitely, although I think there is a better chance in womens' bball to advance farther in the tournament than on the mens' side. SMS made it to the final 4 twice in the 90's (the last one may have been 2000, but I think you get my point). Also, teams like Old Dominon and Louisiana Tech are consisitently pretty good. At any rate, first the Bison have to get into a conference, be competitive in that conference, and then worry about national prominence (if it ever happens). If Amy Ruley can recruit well during the transition period and we're in a conference, I see no reason why the women won't be competing for a tournament in their first year of eligibility.