GFG

I hope you're right because that's the only way they would probably consider opening up talk about a school like UND, but I don't think UCONN will turn them down. They're about to join the Big XII and want to be associated with big name schools.

Overall, no. What it does is add more teams. It allows the top programs like Minnesota and Michigan to record extra wins, similar to CC and Western Michigan in the NCHC, to bump them up and will help make for more 'average' teams, rather than a clear cut top 3 and a bottom 3.

Rick Pizzo had a few interesting tweets with people yesterday... By the looks of it the B1G is 100% adding affiliate members and he said "very soon". I'm going to go out a limb and say ASU is announced to the B1G whenever they're ready to announce it since they're supposed to make their announcement soon. From there I'd look at UCONN, like I said before.

I always try and look at things for how they really are. I think the B1G will be just fine whenever they add 2 more teams. They won't be the deepest conference but I'd bet money that they'll get 2-3 at-large bids in the NCAA tournament every year with an 8 team conference. One of those at-large bids can certainly turn into the auto-bid if they win the tournament, but I think the conference will be sitting fine. Judging by some of Rick Pizzo's tweets today I'd expect the B1G announces ASU as an affiliate member whenever they're ready to make the announcement ("very soon") and then they'll announce someone else. So I'm going to say the B1G is an 8 team conference for the 2017-2018 conference. Just one more year of this 6 team crap

And there you have it

I agree, but not necessarily because of the lack of strength of the conference. I agree because the B1G is a one weekend, single elimination tournament. In comparison, it's very hard for the bottom NCHC teams because they have to win the first round best of 3, which Wisconsin, MSU and OSU would all have trouble accomplishing if the B1G had the same format. There's a reason the top 3 B1G teams are so far separated from the bottom 3 in the conference standings. Whenever they add 2 teams they'll have the same format.

That could certainly help clear them for one of the 2 transition years. Problem is that I don't think Minnesota can play them if they're not fully FBS yet.

The facilities plan calls for a 25,000 seat retractable roof stadium right where Memorial is right now. The plan was to build that when the Alerus wasn't big enough for UND football which they supposedly were thinking would be around 2025-2030ish. If they have the opportunity to move up to FBS they might be able to find a big donor willing to help move the project up.

Alright that must be what it was! Whoever explained it must have misunderstood the rule and thought it included autobids. I remember bringing up the Wisconsin thing and they told me that they couldn't because of that rule. It appears they were wrong

Wisconsin hasn't won 3 games in a row all year, so winning 3 games in the B1G tournament when they've only won 2 conference games all year would be pretty impressive for them. Penn State is solidly the 3rd best team in the B1G this year. They're not quite as good as Minnesota or Michigan, but they're very well coached and are capable of beating anyone on a given day. They're without a doubt better than Wisconsin, MSU and OSU. Their series with Michigan this weekend will be interesting because since they joined the B1G they've kind of been Michigans kryptonite. They still have the talent to beat anyone in the country on a given night, and that's all it takes in the NCAA tournament. If you think RMU is better than Minnesota you're delusional.

I thought I saw that a team cannot play in the NCAA tournament with a sub .500 record even if they win their conference tournament. Can anyone confirm this for me? I swear somebody even showed me the rule but I can't remember if it was here, GPL or Reddit and I can't find it anywhere

That Michigan team also didn't lose a game to Wisconsin this year. It's a one and done situation, a lot can happen.

It's definitely not a guarantee that it happens, but it's undeniable that a lot of the pieces that are required for it to happen are falling into place. Do you even need those teams together for 'x' amount of years if you keep it under the umbrella of the BSC? Because I was under the impression his comments made it sound like you need those teams together that long if you're starting a new FBS conference just because of the basketball bid, but if you're creating the FBS conference under the umbrella of an existing conference the teams didn't need to be together 'x' amount of years because they already have the bball NCAA tourney autobid with the BSC. I'd appreciate if someone can clarify that one a bit for me. The Idaho AD's comments made it seem like it was entirely possible to make it happen, but at the same time he wasn't guaranteeing anything like that would happen. IMO, I think it will all depend on what happens with Idaho in the wave of realignments that will occur after UCONN and Cincy are announced to the Big XII. If they're able to find a permanent home after that wave of realignment the BSC schools that want to move up will probably stay put for now, but if it comes down to it and the BSC is Idaho's only option I bet they'll drop down to FCS and work hard on trying to make the FBS transition for the BSC.

Ole and Sven jokes...my mom used to be a huge fan of those

That's arguably the top 4 most storied programs in college hockey history in one regional.

Nah, it was more of a "We have an average team but still won the conference because the rest of the teams are so bad" kind of bragging...hence the shaking my head part at the end of it

The funny thing is they actually do stuff like this

In fairness, the NCHC can't say all of their teams are above 43

Agreed. There's no way under current circumstances that it would ever happen. As much as sports do rule much of this stuff, it's apparent that the B1G is the one P5 conference that truly does try and maintain academic integrity.

They're a weird team. Sometimes they can play good defense and have good offense, sometimes they can play with bad defense and good offense and other times they can even have no defense or offense. They're just a weird and inconsistent team. At full potential they can win the NCAA tournament for sure. But they can also lose to just about anyone on a given day. That'll be the death of them, IMO.

They really need more teams. It's so hard to have a 'deep conference' with 6 teams. Every team in the conference is in the top 43 in the PWR, so they're not as bad on the back end as some of the other conferences bad teams but they don't have any other teams to be bottom/middle level for the conference. It makes it difficult. Minnesota was a couple of early season collapses in non-conference games from basically being locked into the NCAA's. They've lost, I believe, 4 games where the opponent ties it up with an extra attacker. Mankato even scored 2 empty net goals in one game to tie and then won in OT. Stuff like that happens when you have 9 freshman and no seniors playing. As a fan it sucks, but it really shouldn't be unexpected to have mistakes that can cost you games when the team is so young. Minnesota made a lot of them early in the season and unfortunately for them all of their non-conference games are at the beginning of the season. Even when we're young and crappy we win the B1G...smh.

Just out of curiosity, how does this benefit the B1G more than the NCHC?

Mclaughlin for Grand Rapids was suspended for the state tournament for drinking...I was okay with that because what kind of idiot goes drinking before a state tournament? Until info came out that it was because a Duluth East player is the one who got him suspended because he sent in a photo from 9 months ago that he got from him on Snapchat after his team lost and didn't get to go to state this year. I know the kid shouldn't be drinking, but how much of a sore loser/prick do you have to be to do that? I'll never be able to cheer for Duluth East again just because of one kid doing something so childish. Puts them below Edina/EP in my book.

The biggest difference to me is that they're large, well known schools in arguably the 2 biggest hockey states in America (and Wisconsin sandwiched in the middle) with significant hockey history. With the big time school name in states like that I think it's a lot harder to fall into the abyss like some of the smaller schools have managed to do. If you think of what you would consider the top, most consistent programs of all time it's most of the 'big' schools + UND and Denver. And to be honest, I would basically consider UND a 'big' school in the college hockey world with their facilities. It's a lot more difficult for the smaller teams to sustain that success because they don't have the facilities to recruit as well or the coach that brought them the success eventually leaves. Quinnipiac will probably be the next program to fall from the heavens.

I've been there a few times. My biggest piece of advice if you ever go is to make sure you go to the Canadian side at Niagara Falls. It's a better view and MUCH, MUCH more clean and tourist friendly. So many restaurants and fun activity places to go to on that side. The US side is a complete garbage dump compared to the Canadian side. I never knew that until my last visit a couple of years ago.