MplsBison

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/364024/ Congratulations guys!

DIII athletic departments are not allowed to provide any scholarship equivalencies of aid to student athletes. That's a philosophical pillar of the division. However, that certainly does not mean that individual institutions can not provide financial aid to their students, in the form of grants that are funded by endowed gifts from alumni, businesses, etc. Therefore, a DIII student athlete can receive financial aid from the institution like any regular student. It just so happens that some student athletes are "more eligible", shall we say, than the rest of the student body to receive the aid. *WINK WINK* So say at Joe Bloe DIII University, a hockey player has been selected to receive the "Excellence Foundation Award", which covers 50% of the tuition costs in the year of the award for any student meeting ___ criteria. And it just so happens that the tuition at this school is $50k. Therefore, the award itself has a dollar value of $25k. In theory, any student could've gotten this award. But in practice, it's some hockey player that meets the minimum criteria.

Looks like this will be a pretty good series of posts, the first one of which I mostly agree: http://www.bringonthecats.com/2012/5/28/3047659/conference-realignment-why-is-this-happening-post-1

Except for the fact that they're in the Tier 1 now, if only technically, because of the automatic slot in a BCS bowl for the Big East champion at the end of the 2012 and 2013 seasons. 2014 and beyond though, yes the Big East football conference will definitely be in tier 2 with CUSA, MAC, ACC, Sun Belt, Mountain West and the WAC if it survives. I do believe FCS conferences will remain in tier 3.

In case you haven't followed the updates recently - it's the Big XII that's going to be the survivor, not the ACC. This might be surprising unless you consider that the king of college athletics spending, Texas, is still in the Big XII. And Oklahoma ain't bad either, although it comes from a much less influential state. The Big XII and the SEC have made an announcement that they're teaming up to form a compliment bowl to the Rose bowl, which is between the B1G and the Pac 12 and also to be played on Jan 1. In my thinking (and some others as well), it sets up the following scenario nicely: BCS champion determined by a four team playoff, semifinal game 1: B1G champion vs. Pac 12 champion in the Rose Bowl, semifinal game 2: Big XII champion vs. SEC champion in the new Bowl, championship game between the bowl winners at a neutral site that is bid out each year. That sets the elite, tier 1 of college football as those four conferences. In fact the gears are already set in motion such that the best college football programs in the ACC are now desperately trying to secure their places in the Big XII. This includes Florida State, Clemson and Miami. Other rumors have SEC courting Virginia Tech. Auburn and Georgia Tech would also make a nice rivalry, but not sure if Georgia would sign off on that. You could also possibly see the Big XII and B1G both making plays for Notre Dame and maybe a couple other ACC schools would be trying to get in the B1G. Maryland is contiguous with Pennsylvania, including both the U of Maryland as well as the Naval Academy. And there's always Pitt. Rutgers, Syracuse or Louisville could be longshots as well to fit in there somewhere.

Not to mention that the rule isn't enforced now, anyway. They're never going to kick Eastern Michigan out of FBS.

Idaho to the Big Sky for non-football makes sense. They won't join for football. The AD listed the top 4 priorities and moving football back to FCS was the bottom one. Big Sky would be smart to let them in as non-football members because it then at least keeps the door open for Idaho's return to FCS if they decide that FBS independent isn't working out.

The Big Sky could still lose a couple members, but not anything that will threaten the conference's automatic births to NCAA post season tournaments. I can see Sac St going to the Big West, in other words getting the same deal that UC Davis and Cal Poly got. Football in the Big Sky and all other sports in the California bus league (Big West). I could also see Portland State eventually moving up to FBS and possibly joining the WAC basketball league, if it survives. Otherwise, a very outside shot at a Mountain West invite if Boise or San Diego St don't stay in the MW and they need to get to 12 for a conf championship game. Idaho won't be invited to the MW, regardless if Boise stays or leaves. NM St probably won't either, though supposidly NM lobbied for them to be included. Otherwise, the other members of the Big Sky in the Mountain and Pacific time zones have no where else to go. There is no other west region FCS confernece. The WAC could technically survive as a non-football conference with the following teams: Idaho - Boise New Mexico St - Denver Utah Valley St - CSU Bakersfield Seattle Portland St would be a nice travel partner for Seattle.

I bet you anything there are people who will vote no because they don't want the federal government interferring with their lives.......because they think the NCAA is part of the federal government. I don't live in ND, nor am I a UND alumni...but if I could I would absolutely vote yes. For nothing more than because the political science behind the law is garbage.

If enough petitions are signed and the state supreme court doesn't rule against it - why can't a vote on amending the constitution take place? How could that be overruled?

Can't this just be settled out of court?

It doesn't matter if NDSU actually "needs" a dedicated indoor field facility or if they can get by with the Fargodome. Perception is entirely what sells recruits on a college football program. I don't know how to explain this to you so you'll understand, maybe you won't budge anyway. But I guarantee you that if you take a tour of NDSU's football facilities in 5 years (assuming nothing new is built other than the indoor track and the BSA renovation) and then tour UND's facilities in 5 years (assuming the IPF is built) - you're going to say to yourself "wow...this IPF is such a nice facility for football, I wish NDSU had something that could match this". And that's the failure. No one can see it now. But they will. There's really nothing that can be done about it anyway. The indoor track is bought and paid for and being constructed now. It can't be expanded at any reasonable cost less than just building a whole new facility anyway. And even if NDSU decided they wanted something that could match the IPF for the Bison football program, there is no political way within the university or the athletic department to divert money away from the BSA project to that. The BSA "renovation" is going to be an anchor around the neck of NDSU's fund raising for years to come. I hope Bohl is satisfied with what he has to work with now, because it's going to be well into 5-10 years before any significant new facilities can be built for football.

So is there anything to talk about until the vote actually happens?

Well, for what it's worth, if the Pac-12, Big Ten and SEC wanted to leave the NCAA and form their own, private association - they could do that just fine. They'd not only survive, they'd make as much money as they do now. And they could get their bowls sponsored by whomever they please. UND is totally dependent on the NCAA. Unless they wanted to make the hockey team private, sort've like how Shattuck is to Minnesota high schools. Something like that.

This doesn't directly affect FCS schools, but I have to think there will be an indirect effect - especially for those seeking to move up to the FBS subdivision. http://www.usatoday....enario_st_u.htm One thing that's cemented, in my mind: there will no longer be automatic qualififiers for the champions of the six "BCS conferences". Those days are done. The only automatic tie-ins will be via contract. For example, I can't see any scenario in which the Rose Bowl will not be a game between a Pac-12 team and a Big Ten team. The BCS has mucked that up five times in recent history. It's going back to the way it should be. This also means in my mind that Boise and San Diego playing in the Big East for football is pure bunk. That deal will and should fall through. Same with the supposed CUSA & Mountain West merger.