zonadub

good point. problem: FBS schools rarely have an opening for the following season. they are typically scheduled a year or two in advance, unless someone pulls out of a game with them too. That said, how about another Drake game or San Diego, or even a game against a hockey school like Harvard (who will be here this Christmas)

a connection, maybe?

Drake is rated # 133 in RealTime RPI. San Diego # 138 UND #139 USD # 147 http://realtimerpi.c.../ncaaf_Men.html

one more note... when it comes to football, especially, you are not going to get a bison fan to go to a Sioux game by advertising the Sioux game, no matter how compelling the ad is. Nor would you want them to. the green team has a point about targeting your advertising - those that are going to drive in from the western part of the state are already doing it. again, do you think a cool ad will make someone drive 4 hours each way from Bismarck to watch the Sioux play Black Hills State? maybe next year when its Montana State.

all kidding and sarcasm aside, the WAC was a proud conference with a great history. It is a shame to see this happening to the conference that started with Arizona, Arizona State, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and BYU, to end up whimpering as a basketball/olympic only conference. Unfortunately, the WAC no longer has stability or respectability. That said, the loss of the WAC will mean the loss of the stepping-stone FBS conference in the west. If all the rest of the schools leave and Idaho is the only one left, could they invite new schools to reform the conference? it sounds like everyone else is leaving and Idaho is left holding the conference name.

but Northern Kentucky does not have football

so where do you think they are expecting the D-I invitation to come from?

In NKU's D-I feasibility study, they identify the Horizon League as the most desirable, followed by Ohio Valley, Summit & Atlantic Sun. Since the study was competed, Centenary, Southern Utah & Oral Roberts have announced they are leaving the Summit & South Dakota & Nebraska Omaha have joined. The Horizon has 10 members & Northern Kentucky would be #11. Would the Horizon add an 11th member without a 12th? While its not likely that Detroit U will allow Oakland admission into the Horizon, nor would Butler want to add IUPUI, would they add IPFW? What happens to the Summit if they lose another team? Best scenario for the Summit is for the Horizon to turn down NKU so the Norse would turn to either the Ohio Valley and become their twelfth school (and have it stop there) or the Summit itself and move it's center a little eastward.

If USD would be available for a game on the same weekend as the SD Mines game is scheduled (Sept 1, 2012) this is a call and a conversation Mr Faison should be having next week.

Exchange Cal Poly and SUU and you have a pretty good summary of the UND season in this part of GoAgs' post. Which team shows up for the Sioux this weekend? The team that played SUU or the team that played SF? UND has the people to get the job done but it all starts with the coaching.

2012 NCAA Tournament Jerseys?

try collegesportsinfo.com http://collegesportsinfo.com/conference-realignment-grid/

and no one has said that Nielson or DeBoer would come to North Dakota either...

something I have found out in many years of life - when you don't ask, the answer is always "no". Stoops is from Youngstown, Ohio and went to college at the U of Iowa. Who knows what he might say?

I am still in the get Bob Nielson corner, he has been nothing short of great at UMD. However, for those of you who feel that the next head coach must have D-I experience, I submit the name of Mike Stoops. He was dropped by the Arizona Wildcats this fall after a poor start, but had taken over a program that was consistently in the bottom third of the PAC 10 and made contenders out of them. Another plus for UND is that he was a successful football coach at a basketball school, so he would not have a complex about UND being a hockey school (as Nielson has been able to do at Duluth).

and yet, the Idaho board gave their blessings for BSU to begin the final destruction of the U of Idaho's conference...

Didn't know where to put this...

this ^^^^ NBC & Notre Dame have history. Notre Dame, because of their football history, is a school with national fans. Fans that already associate NBC with Notre Dame. On the other hand, there may still be (the Gopher-less) Fox Sports North, later games on Versus (doubtful), Altitude, ESPN3. Who knows what Faison & NCHC have planned at this time?

ok, the "easy" work is done, Mussman is up to #18. S F Austin's J C Harper (#17) is almost 200 ahead of Mussman. time to get those hockey people on board!

don't bring it up or they soon will

another crazy thought for this... Northern Colorado

Wouldn't that be the point? Then you could break off UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, Utah State and add Idaho State for an awesome 9 team northern tier FBS conference! I mean, we're getting crazy, right?

it ne-ever rains in California (if you are old enough to remember that song by B J Thomas)

as of 10:45 today, tied with Trent Miles of Indiana State, #19. Mussman is #1 Great West, #3 Big Sky

I hope you are right, Sica. How many of the changed nicknames were something other than a color or weather phenomenon? Miami (Ohio) RedBirds? Any others?