MplsBison

Basically what everyone has known since UND moved up. UND and USD will partner up like NDSU and SDSU did and will be in the Mid Con for basketball and Great West for football to start out. Possibly the Gateway for football in the future.

If it comes to that, the Mid Con can add UTPA at any time. For now, they should focus on adding schools that will make them better. The Dakota 4 obviously do that.

Then what the heck are you talking about? The Mid Con is in no danger of losing autobid status if 1 member leaves. They'll still have 7 cores and 6 that have played together for 5 years. SUU is that likely member. No other member has anywhere else to go. NDSU and SDSU will be core in 2016 and obviously will have played with the other cores for 5 years by then. UND and USD will be core in 2020.

I think you're a bit off here. 2003 was the exploritory. 2004-2007 are the transition years. 2008 we're eligibile for the tournament. I believe once you're active you're eligibile. Then it's another 8 (for 5 + 8 = 13 years total) until you're core, which as you said would be 2016. Who are the Mid Con core members when Valpo leaves? Actually, they'll be down to 7 members, so that would mean they'd all have to be core members. But are SUU and ORU core members? Centenary will have been with the Mid Con for 5 years in 2007, and they were the last team added before this year I believe. What do the rules say if a team only has 6 core members? I imagine some sort of grace period, then penalties, and then loss of autobid. How long do they have? How long until IPFW is a core member? Because if the Mid Con could hold out until IPFW is a core member, they'd be ok with losing 1 more member, which would likely be SUU to the Big Sky. Or if the Mid Con loses SUU to the Big Sky and wants to think long term for the future knowing that IPFW will resecure the auto bid when they become core. Which isn't unlikely.

They want 10 members for scheduling. That's already a given. They're pretty much the only team in their current footprint that has a desire to join.

It's hard to give a logical response to an illogical, hate based one liner. I understand that UTPA is an active DI member (not sure if they're a core member or not). That really doesn't mean much to me, though. By 2009 both NDSU and SDSU will be active members. UND (and USD for that matter) offer far more in terms of market, facilities, and reduced travel cost than UTPA. Not to mention the sanctions against UTPA that got them kicked out of their previous conference. Wouldn't touch them with a long pole.

Then again, if SUU is added to the Big Sky to even bball numbers like I think they will, a set of events could easily be put in motion to get Montana upgraded to I-A and perhaps in the WAC. Montana State would probably try to follow. If that scenario plays out in the next 3 years and UND is still independant (expcept for the Great West) in 2009, would you then accept an invitation from a Montana/MSU less Big Sky when an invitation from the Mid Con could come at any time?

That was all I was saying. The point was that a school technically can do whatever it takes to meet the minimum requirements.

My point is simple. If you join the Big Sky, Montana (State) might leave. If they do, then what? If you join the Mid Con, NDSU, SDSU, and potentially USD will always be there, at least as long as UND is. If you can get into the Gateway, UNI also will be there for as long as UND is. All the rest of the schools in both conferences are former junior colleges or teaching colleges that are quite a distance away.

Again, I'm failing to see your point. My point is that if the bottom line is X number of tickets need to be sold, then that should be the only concern.

Not a single school in the Big Sky, save Montana and Montana State, are the same in scope or mission as UND. Idaho State? Nope. It's a former junior college that gained 4 year status some years ago and is trying to add programs. But it's no where close to Idaho and never will be. Weber State? Even farther. They don't even grant PhDs. They're soley undergrad education and are 4th or 5th fiddle in the state behind Utah, BYU, and Utah State, at least. Bottom line, if you get in the Big Sky and Montana and Montana State leave, you've basically alligned yourself with a bunch of former junior colleges who are at least 1000 miles away. Have fun.

No, I meant make the face value 1 dollar.

That's not even really true. The SD schools mostly recruit SD, NE, and IA. The ND schools mostly recruit ND, MN, and WI.

And, is there any rule that says a ticket has to be sold for a minimum amount? Shoot, sell 10k tickets for a dollar each.

If UND and USD could be guaranteed membership in the Mid Con and Gateway WITH NDSU and SDSU, would the Big Sky really still be the best choice for the UxDs? There's no way.

http://www.in-forum.com/Sports/articles/144783

I don't see it to be any stretch of the imagination that the Mid Con would consider going from 10 to 12 when the 2 added members are right next to 2 existing members.

I suppose. I just don't like the idea of non scholarship DI football. I mean, if you want to do something, do it all the way or don't do it. I'd rather see them put their focus on basketball.

Hoisted? Any chance that rule gets changed now that they're going DI?

Looks like USD is a lock for DI and DI-AA. I think they'll align with UND like SDSU did with NDSU. Ideally, all 4 would be in the same conference but I could easily see a scenario where NSDU/SDSU and UND/USD are in 2 difference conferences. Augi, who knows. They either stay where they are or they drop football and become a Creighton of Sioux Falls. Didn't realize that SD public schools can't raise student fees for athletics. ND can, right? Is it possible that USD could raise student fees for a general purpose fund or something like that and use that fund for athletics?

Market.

Not ND, no. But I don't think there's a rule saying people living in Moorhead and EGF can't cross the river to watch the game.

Control + Print Screen will copy a picture of whatever's on your monitor to the clipboard. If you paste that and save it as a file, you can upload it to a server and link to it. That is, if you didn't already know that.

I think the idea is Boise State, which has a chance to get an automatic birth into a BCS bowl this year with the new rules and a relatively low ranked ACC. Idaho has about 1.3 mill with Boise at 500k. That state supports 3 DI schools, of which 2 are I-A (Id, Boise, and Id St). North Dakota has about 600k with Fargo at 180k and GF at 100k. The state will support 2 DI (DI-AA) schools (NDSU, UND). Looking at those numbers, it's tough to say if both or even either of the ND schools could support I-A. If there is more growth, say ND gets to 800k in 20 years. Who knows. Doubtful though.