MplsBison

I'd go Notre Dame 1 and Pitt 2. Both have the athletic history and would increase TV revenue. Pitt brings the most in terms of academics and research (they're already at the Big Ten level). Rutgers is smaller on research (less than SUNY Buffalo) and has much less athletic history, but a much better potential market (if they could capture it). Missouri is about the same as Rutgers on athletic history and academics/research, but with smaller potential market. Syracuse is the least of the options, although they have good athletic history. Doubt they'd be interested in anyone else.

That conference does look pretty strong, Star. The UALR thing is definitely a reach, but UCA isn't a factor. Little Rock is very strongly Razorback country. The city probably wouldn't even care if UALR started FBS football in Memorial. But Fayetteville would not allow it.

New Orleans is going DIII: http://www.wbrz.com/news/uno-to-drop-athle...division-three/ So assuming this happens and Denver leaves, the Sun Belt will look like: Ark State (FB) Ark Little Rock LA - Lafayette (FB) LA - Monroe (FB) North Texas (FB) ? Troy (FB) South Alabama (FB...SunBelt in a few years) Western Kentucky (FB) Middle Tennessee (FB) Florida Atlantic (FB) Florida International (FB) Looks like they would have an opening for either Texas State, UT-San Antonio or Lamar. Then you would think that the Southland would FINALLY have to throw UT-Pan American a bone...right? I also see no reason why Little Rock couldn't start football, with Memorial stadium right there. They can always play on the road when the Razorbacks are in town. Highly doubt big Arkansas would let that happen, though.

Come on. This collusion stuff is tin-foil hat to the level of Bush causing 9/11. What good does even coming up with this stuff do? Say you were even right...is there anything you can do about it? No. And 99.999% you're completely wrong. Kelley is not going to get dragged into the nickname mess. He has a school to run. The nickname is very minor part of a small section of the university.

You can pull your tin-foil hat on as tight as you want (collusion, etc....which is a complete joke from the nickname supporters). The requirements from the SBoHE are what they are. Sure, they could be rolled back or eliminated. But until they are, those are the requirements. And once again, you have all the right in the world to be pissed off at an obviously crappy situation. But to them take it out on the university and players? Childish and pathetic, IMO.

3 points: 1) I believe the Summit has already "quietly" reviewed UND's application and approving it will just be a formality...IF the nickname issue is resolved in a timely manner. If they took USD, then the writing is on the wall that UND would be approved. I believe the Summit wants to use the Dakota flagship public schools as an opportunity to build something special and less transient, in terms of membership. They want to compete with the MVC. 2) Why is everyone ignoring the SBoHE's 2nd requirement, that the tribes must agree to 30 year contracts? Obviously we haven't even got to that point yet because both tribes have not agreed to support the nickname in the first place. But I don't get the attitude here that "if only we cold just get a SR vote on the issue, we win". No, you don't. It means you finally made it half way. The other half would be the negotiation between the SR and SL and the state on the contractual deal to support the nickname. 3) Anyone who would not support UND just because of the nickname being retired is not a true UND fan, IMO. It's your right to be pissed off and bemoan the unfortunate situation. But why continue to punish your own university and the current/future players?

Thank you. It's nice to see there are some UND fans who, while perhaps still saddened at the potential loss of the nickname, have the guts to approach the issue with something more than an appeal to emotion.

The court ruling on a case via interpreting the law is not the issue. The issue is the court effectively changing the contents of the law via their ruling outside of the law's written content. This should be forbidden.

There is no link. There are plenty of schools that are inferior choices to UND but that the Summit would live with. Utah Valley and Chicago State come to mind.

This is true. There is no link because it's my conjecture. I think it's correct, though.

Here's a link

I'm not either of those things. The writing is on the wall.

Nov 30th is too late. At best you've got until Q1CY2010 or the Summit will move on, without UND. UND administration and the ND SBoHE will not let this happen.

UND is clearly the head and shoulders best choice of the possibilities...but the Summit will not wait until Nov 30th 2010 to make it's decision. It will live with other schools and exclude UND if it can not get this solved in a timely matter. There are serious $$$ (both directly and indirectly) related to Summit membership. The SBoHE knows this and they will not hesitate to speed up the retirement of the nickname in order to facilitate the process of joining the Summit. The SR has been given ample time and numerous extentions (both by the SBoHE and by frivolous lawsuits) to do something. It's clear that they are dragging their feet. It's time to move on...

Quite the contrary, what you said was: This is your opinion. Not fact.

They (judges) should be able to interpret laws as they are currently written in order to make a ruling on a case. They should not be able to rule if a law is valid or not just because someone brings up a case. Laws need to be reviewed for validity when they are created...not post-creation in the court system. Thus, as I said, the correct method would have been for the SL group to seek an amendment to the current law in order to limit the power of the SBoHE.

I don't care if UND keeps the Sioux nickname or doesn't. I want UND in the Summit because it gives UND bball players (and the rest of the sports) the only possible chance to get into the the post-season NCAA tournaments. I want the best possible chance for North Dakota's teams and in-state athletes to compete at the highest level (not JUST the hockey team). The only way that happens is for UND to join the Summit. And the only way that happens (IMO) is for UND to drop the nickname.

Please. The only UND team that even romotely loses if the Sioux nickname goes away is the hockey team. Considering the money they'll have to kick in to "fix" the REA. The football team doesn't care. They're already in the GWFC for the time being. And the bball and rest of the teams will be grateful to finally be in an auto-bid conference (Summit).

The settlement between the NCAA and the state does not bind the SBoHE in any way, shape or form into waiting until the deadline to instruct UND to retire the nickname. It could've legally and correctly done it the next day, if it wanted to. But they were logical and considerate of the emotional attachment that some UND alumns have for the nickname. They gave it due process. It's clear that SR is not being cooperative and will not support the nickname in a reasonable amount of time. Further, it is not even in the slightest way been demonstrated that either tribe will agree to a 30-year contract, another stipulation which seems to have been swept under the rug by nickname supporters who are desperate to get the SR to vote. So what if they vote? Is the SR tribal council (or SL for that matter) going to agree to a 30 year contract? Doubtful.

Are you capable of addressing arguments using logic? Or only ad hominems and emotional appeals?

That's not a fact, it's your opinion. UND or any school or group of schools are free to leave the NCAA and start their own association or just be independent.

Could you be any more red herring? No one is talking about a court reviewing a new law for constitutionality! We're talking about a court interpreting a long existing law BEYOND what is written. Which they should not be allowed to do. The courts had their chance to review that law when it was written. If there was nothing wrong with it then, they shouldn't get to effectively add on to what is written now. The SL tribe should be requesting an amendment to the constitution to note that the SBoHE does not have the authority to tell the schools what athletics nickname they can use! That's all they really want!

Their job is to apply the law AS IT IS WRITTEN to situations where the law may or may not have been broken. They should not be allowed to interpret a law BEYOND what is written. That should require an amendment to the law.

Kelley is already on record: he doesn't want the nickname controversy to detract from the academic operations of the school. And he's exactly right. In the grand scheme of things...he has a school to run! Athletics is a very periphery function of a school. And a nickname is a very insignificant part of that periphery function. He has more important things to do, as he should.

Please enlighten us with your grand understanding.