SiouxVolley

Bylaws do change. Don't think he was BS-ing

Maybe now that Phil Jackson has free time, he will donate some free services to UND.

Kolpack wants the NCC back. He seems worried. http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/4289881-kolpack-rate-old-ncc-may-come-back-dead Too many schools don't have baseball or men's soccer for that to work. FCS football at Minnesota schools seems impossible.

A CSNBBS poster had the bylaws and posted the one year and two year exit fee waived parts. Most posters there think the Summit is semi-doomed, but they don't have a clue about the NoDak-Montana history wanting the same conference. Minnesota schools didn't want to be DI and absolutely would not consider the Montanas. Montanas like Idaho back and for the first time they agree about the Dakotas. The Sac St, Port St, and Northridge St expansion in the 90's after Idaho, Boise St and Nevada left has been an unmitigated disaster and 20 years later they still don't have mbb facilities as promised. Chasing big media markets with sucky teams doesn't work. Academics has always been a main driver for really stable conferences. That's what Presidents want, a flagship to be associated with other flagships, not commuter schools. Like schools attract like schools.

And nobody believes the Montanas will leave the Big Sky except the Idaho President and AD. Really is a major revelation, as most think the Montanas are permanent fixtures in the BSC, but Idaho doesn't think that as they know differently. The Montanas have wanted the Dakotas in the Sky since the 60s, but they were always outvoted. Now for the first time, Idaho needs us if we all agree to go FBS, so they will agree with the Montanas. EWU will go where ever those other three go as remaining in the Sky will be a disaster, as those three schools have by far the most interest in E Wash.+

UND has a vote if ORU or Omaha raise a stink. UND can grease the skids for the northern Big Sky - UM, MSU, UI and EWU. It's how conference politics are played.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that Idaho needs seven more schools to form an FBS capable conference. Can state confidently that Idaho's President has had those conversations, or he's not doing his job and would be fired otherwise. Gave contract proof but the onus is on you to find it. Know that that contract was on the Sun Belt board, where for the first time I revealed that Idaho and NMSU would be given notice two years after they became affiliates if they would get extended beyond four years. The Sun Belt board went wild after I linked it because they didn't know the contract specifics before.

Big Sky requires one year notice for Olympic Sports for no exit fee. Big Sky requires two years notice for Football, then no exit fee. UND gave three years notice for fb, as we wouldn't be in the MVFC until 2020. An probable explanation for the discrepancy ( only need two years, not three): If the Montanas, Idaho, and EWU give their notice in the coming year ending July 1st 2018, their football exit date will be the same as UND. NDSU, SDSU, and USD might need to pay MVFC exit fees, but that's their problem. The Summit will need to sponsor football by 2020, or the Summit's mbb autobid and NCAA conference payments are likely dead. UND IMHO will never see the MVFC, but something better.

Thought I posted it before with a link. That link expired. Got it through an FOIA request to the U of Idaho. Have talked with key people years before U of South Alabama started football and went FBS. They talked about the steps needed to go FBS. Knew them through our church. Those same people never gave insight to the media into their FBS dreams for USA until the plans were in action. The previous President was steadfastly opposed, but as soon as a new one got installed, things started happening towards that goal, like a football study, more women's sports, having a new bball facility, more practice fields, better indoor facilities. They didn't have to be concerned for a 15k facility as they could use the city's 40k stadium, but there is plans now for an on campus stadium. In UND's case, we really need to cut expensive sports, which we did.

Gonzaga doesn't recruit like a mid major. They are a power program whatever league they are in. If Shanks was that caliber, he would have been recruited at Gonzaga's level.

For some reason, Idaho knew the Montanas were thinking about leaving the Big Sky according to their Big Sky acceptance contract. Montana fans steadfastly deny this, but Presidents of Universities know a lot more about potential conference movements than fans. Idaho's President has actually had earnest conversations with the Montana's Presidents at a level that fans never get to hear. Kennedy is too tuned in to knowlingly step in a pasture cow pie by joining a Slummit that is flailing. Something big is up.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2017/06/26/iupui-expected-join-horizon-league-week/103218394/ This report says the Horizon wants 14 teams in the future. Fourteen may be a stretch, but 12 isn't. The two most likely candidates are IPFW and Robert Morris, which both have new arenas coming aboard after this coming season. The probability IPFW within the year is gone is extremely high. The MVC has also stated that they are looking at 12 for the next season. The two likeliest schools to jump are Murray St and Milwaukee. If Milwaukee leaves, the Horizon needs another school. When Murray St leaves, the OVC will be looking, probably at W Ill. The OVC already knows Jacksonville St is looking real hard at FBS like Liberty, and they have another Olympic option with the Atlantic Sun. The OVC could pick off W Illinois easily. Think the Horizon and MVC both want to stash extra teams in their leagues because the Summit won't have more teams in their footprint anymore. If either of those leagues need teams again, the Summit won't have any more schools to pick off as those leagues have relied on the Summit to backfill. Omaha, UMKC and ORU could all have interest before this round of realignment is finished. A league of the Dakotas, Montanas, and Idaho would be incredibly stable, as no other school wants to travel to those remote parts. The Horizon and MVC look at the Dakotas as a forbidden zone with no people or media. Same is true for the MWC and Big West with regard to the Montanas. A lot of SDSU fans and some NDSU ones believe that the Summit is safe, as who doesn't want to go to Sioux Falls, Brookings, Vermillion, and Fargo for games. A schedule like that defeats the purpose of DI, bring notoriety and recruit students, for most Midwest schools. IUPUI and IPFW have been begging the Horizon for a spot ever since they went DI. They effectively hate the Summit and look on it as a conference that is holding them back from connecting with fans and prospective students. And their right. When Valpo and Oakland finally left the Summit, there was an Hallelujah chorus springing from their campuses for a year. IPFW considered dropping from DI nearly a year ago. With IUPUI gone, that drumbeat will get louder if they are stuck in the Summit longer with no real rivals.

Portland St just got a 7'1" grad transfer from Gonzaga, Ryan Edwards. Should be much tougher inside.

Could see AFA and BYU doing a fb only deal with the Big12, but Denver and AFA heading to the WCC and BYU staying there. AFA would hate a small market conference except in single sports.

The one-story apartment buildings that the U are tearing down at Stanford and University could be a possible place. The Mobile Home Park is west of I-29 - not very accessible.

That was my first thought too.

By charter, Grand Forks is only 793 air miles, while Fargo is 814. But don't tell eGriz that!

Football needs at least three more members to be viable as a league. That wouldn't be enough if IPFW leaves unless NoCo or one of the Dakotas start men's soccer. If W Illinois leaves too, both those sports of baseball and mens soccer would be down to four members. No Colorado wouldn't want such a fluid situation. Its common knowledge on Big Sky boards that flying to Grand Forks causes schools to go nearly broke. But at the same time, the Griz fans want another Crack at NDSU football, as Fargo is not nearly as far. Going east is insane for the Griz, unless they fly to Liberty or JMU or NDSU. Going south is so cheap and easy according to them, which is BS. The Montana fans absolutely deny that their presidents were the ones that insisted on UND and USD as they insist that Fullerton was the culprit for expansion Somebody had to insist on us getting in and voting for us. They seem to believe that a conference reunion with Boise St is inevitable, and the Dakotas are totally irrelevant, except a fb rematch with NDSU.

At least the Summit is not on watch for its mbb autobid yet. It has 8 for mbb, 6 for baseball, and 6 for men's soccer (E Ill is an affiliate). Since UND doesn't have those two other sports, it must start both to keep the bid once IPFW goes. Guess UND can start them both, but we'd have to sponsor two more women's sports. Far cheaper for the Summit to start sponsoring football, but it needs more teams.

The Horizon Commissioner LeCrone has been talking 12 teams for 18-19, so they have to move to add two more within a year. He has even talked about 14 teams later, which may target Omaha, UMKC and Oral Roberts. Getting the northern Big Sky seems key to the Summit's survival. If the Montanas and Idaho move, the Summit would be very stable as no other league wants those small state flagship schools in the American Outback.

Went on egriz this weekend and told them that the Montanas, Idaho and EWU were heading for the Summit. They blew up at me and said Montana can't afford the travel and a switch like that would harm recruiting, as they can kiss Oregon and California recruits goodbye. The MWC is the only possible move they exclaimed. Responded that the the MWC is so far out of their financial range and they needed to be in a DII league for cost containment and lower travel like like their old AD said would be needed. It's been moved to their smack board now as they obviously just thought I was trolling . I was serious.

The IUPUI athletic department has sent out tweets that there will be a big announcement Wednesday morning at 10 ET. IUPUI looks to be Horizon bound for this season, just barely beating the July 1st deadline. The Summit will be officially at eight members July 1st

It's nice to see a bank with only a small presence in GF become a major sponor. 1st International Bank and Trust has major operations in the Bakken and other ND cities. Thanks go out to the Stenehjems and their Watford City base.

If the Summit was going to depend on DII moveups, it's already too late. The transition time is longer than the NCAA grace period. The Summit needed to have DII call ups a couple of years ago. They didn't. If UND wanted or expected UMD, St Cloud St, and Mankato in the Summit, never would have dropped WIH but would have dropped softball. WIH is a chain around the neck of those schools. They have to drop it to go DI, but then Minnesota would call out hell on them. The only other options are UMKC and No Colo.

Think their is a high probability of these subsequent moves: The Horizon moves to 12 with IPFW and Robert Morris. Both have new arenas coming aboard in 2019. IPFW badly wants in now. The MVC goes to 12 and takes Murray St and Milwaukee. Horizon needs to add another school now, so it takes SIU-E. The OVC needs to replace two schools now so takes Western Illinois (which wanted to remain in the MVFC) and either Lindenwood or S Indiana. The Summit is down to seven and for the first time in its history, is all west of the Mississippi River (and even a state further). The Montanas, Idaho and EWU had better come, or the Summit is a world of hurt.