The money issue is the only one I see as a problem. That is a pretty hefty lump of change for leaving the NCHC. If the Big Ten wants us bad eneought they would pay the exit fee though. As far as being Villians for destroying the NCHC. Who cares if we are doing what is best for the program and future. We already got Vilified for killing the WCHA and creating the NCHC.
Edi
I would love to have Michigan on a regular basis. We don't play them much but it is a good time when we do. Also miss the Wiski games they were pretty fun as well.
27,000 is crazy but I would say 10,000 easy. There were alot more people I talked to trying to get tickets that had no interest in NYC. On top of that there will always be a good crowd against the gophers.
I lived in Minneapolis for a while. I would say it is pretty close to the basketball program in terms of coverage. The football program is definitely #1.