rabidrabbit

The Big Sky has 9 teams, so the "perfect" 4 home/4 away in conference with 3 OOC games. 1 of those OOC games will be a FBS game away. So really only two games available. If want to have 6 home games (like MT or Mt St) then never actually play "away". The Big Sky, since the addition of UNC, have been reneging on returning the "away" game. Because of that, SDSU/NDSU are saying NO to the Big Sky schools. ONLY IF THE GAMES START in Brookings/Fargo are they going to play Big Sky schools. Gateway will be at the same 9 teams issue starting in 2008. Southland is at 8 FB schools, with the other 4 schools in the conference looking to add football, so could be in same situations as Big Sky in near future. In Basketball, with 9 schools, 16 out of 28 (minimum # of D-I games) are in conference. The name of the game is to play RPI's that are high, not low. Also to play BCS conference schools, not the bottom 1/3 of conference ratings. Big Sky is a lower level conference, that rarely gets in more than one school. So for OOC, rarely did SDSU play more than one or two Big Sky teams, while in transition. SDSU Women's success this year was due to their successes against the top 100. All their 6 losses were to teams in the two post season tourneys. And they had wins against more than just AQ teams in the NCAAs. I'm certain that we'll see the UNC Bears on both the FB field and hardwood courts. Too much history to not compete again. However, it will be timed for a perceived boost to each school, not because we have to have a game.

Good Luck Sioux! Bring back a D-II title before you move up. Lady Jacks are hoping to add a Woman's NIT title at D-I to go with our D-II titles of yesteryears.

In '08, there will be 13 weeks to get in 12 games. That would bode well for lining up "one & done" games with the likes of Montana & Montana St. With 9 teams in the Big Sky & Gateway (assuming SDSU/NDSU accepted in Gateway) most seasons, won't be interested in playing in GF, so you'd likely see a buy-out of the return game. Likely, the home games in '08 would be the D-II's or check with Pioneer Conference members for a home and home (Drake, Dayton, etc.) Check with Presbyterian College, they'll be only a year ahead, and are in a 6 member conference.

As you are appealing for games with the Big Sky schools, be aware that they are demonstrating little support in EVER returning a game to the Alerus. 13 pages about the consistent lack of actually playing a FCS team away from their homes. IF you are negotiating a home/home, make the buy-out clause by the Big Sky school expensive!!! http://www.anygivensaturday.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18676 Great West for football will give you some games, and tough ones. It's better than being a total independent. Good luck with transition. It's a pain in the **s.

I see aff up here, but no clue who he is, at www.SDSUFans.com I try diligently to be the same person (RR) at any sports board. Again Great game vs UNI. Do well with the rest of the games. BTW, 89rabbit and aff ARE NOT the same person.

Nice Game Sioux! Like NDSU showed in 2003, you've demonstrated in 2006. Do everybody a favor, and mop up the NCC this year, and bring a D-II championship back to Grand Forks. BTW, this type of accomplishment also occurred in the 80's, by another Great West team, Cal Poly. Cal Poly (then D-II), beat the National Champ D-IAA (either Idaho or Boise St.), then went on to win the D-II title. The Great West members hope that you want to join the toughest conference out west. Think the Jacks won't benefit from your treatment of the Panthers!

Riverman - VERY DIFFERENT ISSUES here. First, football and the Great West vs Big Sky. The Big Sky is an established for years D-IAA conference with its roots in MT/ID/UT. It currently has 9 members. The Great West was established by BIG WEST (non-football conference) schools and the transitioning NCC schools. The other alternative was to be INDEPENDENT (which Poly and SUU were in FOOTBALL). UC-Davis, because of their successes as D-II powerhouse was INVITED to move up to be a Big West member, and needed a place for football. For ONE OR TWO GAMES, EVERY OTHER YEAR, these teams, agreed to be a conference. BTW, the Cal. schools, and SUU are traveling substantially further for their OOC games than to the DAKOTAS because at 9 teams, the BSC teams now have only 3 OOC games each year, and they've got to get in a $$ game, a home game, leaving only 1 game (in the I-AA 11 game season) that can play vs their choice. Try getting a 1-2-1 home-home series with that constraint! Therefore, there was really NO OPTION other than to create the GREAT WEST. What has turned out to be amazing is what an incredibly tough, competitive conference it has become. SDSU and SUU were, and continue this year to be the "lower competitive" teams in the conference. Yet, the Jacks and the T-bird's are playing 7 top 25, and 5 top 25 + 1 I-A schedules respectively. So if poor records, due to taking on the best that I-AA has to offer. Great West is only lacking due to few members, not because of the existing or past members. Get it to be an auto-bid conference, MEAC, Patriot, OVC could lose autobids BECAUSE OF PLAY-OFF SUCCESS by GWFC MEMBERS as invitees. For the other sports, especially basketball (drives the rest of conferencing) proximity is much more of an issue. Therefore, UC-Davis, Poly are very happy with their BIG West affiliations, and PAC-10 for wrestling, gymnastics, water polo, and various minor sports. SUU either needs a Mid-Con partner in neighborhood, or to go to Big Sky, where they've been rejected numerous times. However, the reason for the BSC rejection has been SUU's not funding a competitive football, and academics. SUU is resolving that football schollies issue, which they need to be competitive in either the GWFC or Sky. The Mid-Con now has SDSU, NDSU, SUU, with Western IL being the "other football playing school" in the Mid-Con. Bin has this pegged. About 2011, 2012, the Mid-Con will likely be interested in picking up another 1-3 schools, preferrably in the midwest. Get into the coordinated Mid-Con football conference (GREAT WEST), get into the Mid-Con as an ASSOCIATE member for Swimming & Diving. And the SIOUX will be the #1 pick up at that expansion. Sioux will suffer the transition independent status blues, like SDSU/NDSU have encountered, but you will survive. Likewise, I believe that SDSU/NDSU will be happy to play you on home/home arrangements when you count as a D-I event. Like Central Ark is going thru this year, and SDSU/NDSU did in '04, '08 for UND is going to be challenging. Good luck for a competitive game at UNI tomorrow!

This Rabbit appreciates the Star2City reasons, and most make sense. It's nice to see Kuppy choose to make a decision to move up to join your peers. You should have at least one conference (GWFC) awaiting you. In other discussions, the idea of getting UND Swimming & Diving into the Mid-Con has (apparently) been a good track for SDSU toward Mid-Con full sports membership. UND's location, sport interests tend to not mesh well with spring outdoor sports. Therefore, other indoor sports (like LaCrosse) make sense. You will find different conferences than the SU's for those sports, and celebrate those as something different than the SU's. Put your $$ and energies into the sports that will generate $$ for you. Your plan to go to 57 schollies in FB is a great way to quickly generate outside $$'s into UND sports, and ease the transition time. Both NDSU and UC-Davis have been successful with this. And even Southern Utah landed a D-I game for 2006.

Since the question is "Does Hockey help or hinder our request to get into a conference for other sports? Principally focused on basketball and football (because those are the defining sports for a conference) In Football, UND's possible conferences are: GWFC (5 members, one less than needed for auto-bid eligibility) nearest member <100 mi away and ex-NCC rival (GEE, this appears to be a slam dunk). The Big Sky - Nine football school, nearest team 700 miles away. No baseball or Swimming & Diving (UND sponsored sports). Gateway 8 members - No apparent interest in expanding at this time., nearest school is 450 mi away. Basketball - Move up NCC - 13 years of no auto-bid, but all local, assumes at least 6 existing NCC schools move up with UND. Mid-Con, all sports except hockey and football. Don't believe any of Mid-con schools have hockey. Emphasis is Basketball, and then baseball. Big Sky, no swim/dive or baseball. No hockey at any of the 9 schools? MoValley - won't touch a transitional. Horizon - Mid-West local, (bus trip) and Grand Forks is 500 mi from nearest UW-Green Bay. Some hockey schools, may help.

D-I requires 14 sports minimum. Rutger's plays Bowl football, translation, 85 men's schollies that need to be off-set by women's sports. Of 6 sports eliminated, 5 are men's sports. Surprised that a "founding" program, Crew is being eliminated. Personally, I believe that the Sioux should eliminate baseball, softball, and go, as suggested to LaX, both men's and women's, and certainly women's to start. Your thread on here describes why. Mid-con, about 2011, should be where you end up. GWFC in 2009. Big Sky = Big Tease. Until Sac St, Portland St. Prez publicly support Dakota schools, Big Sky is a Big Dream. Does ANYBODY AT UND truly believe that UND and NDSU won't be in the same conference? Likewise, because they're in such lockstep with each other, I don't foresee a time when NDSU/SDSU aren't in the same conference! By 2020, the Mid-con is going to become the move up NCC, with a few other schools is my expectations. And it'll take 14 years before I'm proven right or wrong.

Reading at the Bison & Bunny boards, there is a possibility of getting a game in '07, but that's something that needs to get arranged soon. Both Bison and Bunnies are close to a full slate for '07. Because of the hard feelings between NDSU/UND, I actually think a SDSU/UND is more likely in '07. We have a long rivalry also, just not quite as intense as intrastate flagship games (SDSU's is USD). '08 is likely to be a no play year for either Bison or Bunnies as they try for the I-AA play-offs in their first year of eligibility. The one caviat to that, is if invited to the GWFC for '08, then play. However, as a team that will count as a D-II when playing an I-AA team, may not get invitation that year. Can almost guarantee if any other NCC schools join you on moving up that GWFC won't invite because don't count toward I-AA game count. I-AA team MUST WIN 7 D-I games to make play-off. Cal Poly was denied (woofed) a play-off game in '04 because of their 2 D-II games vs SDSU & NDSU. '09 - playing UND counts as a I-AA team, you're in transition. GAME ON, and welcome to the GWFC!!!! Your toughest transition years start in '08. No longer D-II, not D-I. Limbo Land Get with the other transitioning schools that are 1 to 2 yr ahead of you for match ups. Southland, Big Sky, and OVC, Gateway and even SoCon teams (especially Ga Southern) love playing transitional games. A couple of your home games are likely to be D-II games in '08, and look into playing a non-schollie I-AA team that 1st year (home & home?) Drake would be overjoyed to get a game.

Bin - Copy this and supply to the athletic powers at UND. You are spelling out what is likely a successful path to Mid-Con membership. I, and likely Filbert & 89rabbit, are hoping that the Mid-con gets settled into the upper midwest via S/NDSU, and as the NCC creeps up that there is room made for those "creeps" . BTW, I think that getting rid of baseball, and enjoying LaCrosse up there fits your hockey image better. Yes, I know that the Mid-con is a baseball strong conference, but all the more reason as a nearly Canadian school to not try to be winning that battle. Enjoy the football dome for another season each year. Work them books! This Rabbit is looking forward to games/matches in the future vs UND

Yes

Here's the discussion about potential auto-bid requirements for the GWFC. http://www.anygivensaturday.com/forum/show...0924&page=3 I'll note that having 6 active member (completely thru transition) + 2 years of those 6 members is the key. Therefore, UND doesn't help get the conference there, until 2014. NEED an EXISTING ACTIVE D-I school to move to the GWFC. BTW, doesn't even need to currently be playing football. Western IL is one, U of San Diego, Drake, Eastern IL are all examples of schools that fit the need.

Actually that vote to visit ONLY IPFW, SDSU & NDSU was a very encouraging sign for UND. UVSU doesn't complete their transition to D-I until '10. UT-PA's advantage of being a core school right away didn't override the distance issues and support issues to get an invite now. UT-PA's advantage decreases over time. Effectively, the mid-con is leaving open the expansion to 12 for a future time. EVEN WITH NO DEFECTIONS, there is expansion room. With the 2 DSU's on inside, UND is geographically in the footprint. USD or a MN NCC school would be good for travel partners.