SiouxVolley

Sixteen non-predetermined sites will be announced on Sunday, Nov 27th for the first and second rounds. The four next sites are also unknown. The Final Four is in Columbus Ohio on Dec 15 and 17.

They probably will be placed in Minnesota's bracket. Minnesota is ranked 2nd. Nebraska is rated 1st, Wisconsin 3rd, and Kansas 4th, so there are other possibilites. All of those teams will almost certainly be hosting. Don't think they seed all the teams, just the top ones like in FCS.

Griffin, Dooley, and Moser are an outstanding core, but Merseli sets us apart and put us at the top. A weapon that we didn't have last year and really didn't come into her own until the second half of the conference season. Bruggeman is another straw now too as she plays like she has experience.

Dooley got her 1000th kill of her career!

SDSU took a huge risk in telling the MVFC: "If you don't take NDSU, you won't get us." NDSU owes SDSU big time for that, otherwise you would have been a wandering independent.

NAU won it's first NCAA DI championship in men's cross country today Congrats to the Lumberjacks. Edit: Didn't see this posted in another section. Delete as unnecassary.

You respond like I gave a detailed financial plan for Minot St DI hockey. Nothing could be further from the truth, as any figures given is a back of a napkin idea stage. Have heard for a number of years is that 4000 seat is the minimum rink size to support a DI program. And guess what, Ariz St just announced 4000 seats for the Coyotes practice rink and their home rink. 4000 seats has to average $30 per seat, regardless of where the money comes from: boosters, endowments, tickets, concessions, student fees, parking. You are a hopeless case even discussing any idea. The AHA just announced it will become a full scholarship league. Coincidentally, many of the teams in that league will play in bigger arenas now (Holy Cross, American International, RIT, Sacred Heart) or have an on new campus rink, Bentley. These are mostly private schools so they can waive part of the scholarship without getting political flack. Army and Air Force dont have scholarship costs anyyway.

Would be interesting if another Northern Sun school starts women's lax. Now, there are two NSIC schools, Concordia-SP and Upper Iowa, and three further south, Rockwood in KC, Lindenwood outside SL, and McKendree in IL. One more and they have an ssautobid conference. The public schools in MN don't have money though.

At the time, the Montanas were actively talking to the WAC about FBS. That created a panic in the Big Sky, because the Montanas are the lifeblood of the Root contract and bring many visiting fans to other venues. Fullerton and the other schools would do anything that would keep the Montanas FCS even if it was just a few more years. Fullerton's actions were just an extension of what the Montana Presidents wanted, as they wanted future FBS partners, keep western FCS schools from being forced to the WAC, and enough FCS schools to not royally screw the remaining Big Sky schools. Moreover, the Montanas got the Dakota access they have always wanted, but didn't have the votes to get them. Threatening to leave gave the Montanas what they wanted. Fullerton was just a mouthpiece, not the brains.

Much better play by all the team tonight. Looking for a repeat of UND's Big win in Flagstaff. That might have been their most impressive game.

The Montana board makes conference decisions, not the schools alone. That is common I'm many states. The Board has a duty to look after both schools and both schools were very instrumental in getting the Big Sky to take UND and nearly USD. The Board apparently sees wisdom in having close relationships with Idaho and Dakota schools. The Montana Board probably knows history, in that Montana St used to be a Rocky Mountain Conference school until Colo St, Colo, Utah, Utah St Wyoming, and BYU left them in the dust and Montana and Idaho used to be in the precursor of the Pac8 until those schools effectively left them out. Montana tried out the Skyline Conference with the big Utah and Colorado schools but was also left out when the big schools moved on. The Big Sky was formed in response to Montana and Idaho schools being evicted from higher conference groupings. The Dakota flagship schools are natural allies for a new conference (except NDSU will not forgive MSU for cancelling a return game).

So why does NDSU refuse a home and away series with UND but signs them with Montana and Weber St?

There would have to be nearly a college sports apocalypse for that to happen. The Montanas need like schools in finances, enrollment, and preferably academics. They are out of their league with the current MWC, and their Presidents know it.

It can go back to the WAC on its own. But the clause was there to protect it if the Montanas and UND had left before they joined the BSC. That's why it's easy to see an argument that those four schools are operating with the same conference endpoint in mind.

A state board in Montana makes decisions on conference affiliations. Not true for a private school like Jamestown or ND public schools. Many states have boards that reserve the right to veto or influence conference decisions. That how VA Tech got in before Syracuse to the ACC. Syracuse had to wait for years, even though it was actually picked well before, because UVa was under heavy pressure by their board to get VA Tech in the ACC. The VA board forced the ACC to choose VA Tech over Syracuse.

Montana isn't attractive enough for the MWC, which would much prefer Texas schools like Rice, SMU, UTEP, UTSA, and maybe even Houston, which might do a TCU like move to get in to the Big 12. Texas exports tons of talent and is meaningful for ratings and dollars. The State Board in Montana has tied the two Montanas together, and the MWC wouldn't take two Montanas unless it lost most of its membership. If it was left with San Jose St, Nevada, and Wyoming, the answer changes, but the top tier of the Big Sky would be invited.

He did it to cover UND's base of fans that wants the Slummit and MVFC. If UND announced it was moving to the WAC before the Slummit and MVFC were investigated, the pitchfork crowd that wants the Slummit and MVFC, like on this board, would be out in full force. NDSU has always been against UND football ever since they moved to DI, and opposes UND's membership in the MVFC but not the Slummit. The MVFC would mandate UND-NDSU games every year, which NDSU opposes with all its might. Ask why hasn't there been a UND-NDSU game in Grand Forks. Furthermore, NDSU fans would be enraged and contact their legislators if UND tried to one up them with an FBS conference. UND would be covered both on cost issues and the WAC as NDSU purposely put up road blocks to the MVFC. All fingers would point to NDSU as the culprit in the end. A perfect example of NDSU's hypocrisy would be exposed, so NDSU won't push it. Politics worked to perfection by Faison and Kennedy? Noticed that Faison and Kennedy had a long chat in the stands last night during the vball game. Just saying.

Faison texts could have been credible if he sent them to the President who was in charge of expansion for each conference. He didn't do that. Patty V is effectively the operations manager, not the CEO. The MVFC does not have appreciable money coming from TV contracts. If it did, then she would be very important as the negotiator and point man for a network. But she is not. The MVFC and even the Slummit can make an expansion vote without the commissioners even knowing that. I made FOIA requests to all the Presidents of the Slummit, so I have proof that Double was just a front man. Patty V is a front woman, as she doesn't have any real power except to suspend players and coaches and has no power or say in expansion. If Faison had sent a text to either MVFC or Slummit President who is now in charge of expansion, it would be believable. Miller and most of this board have been duped by Faison, as Faison has a special talent for deceiving. David Chicoine of SDSU, don't know if he is even President now, was formerly the point man for Slummit expansion. Don't know who is now.

Faison once stated that on an AD audio conference, all the other BSC AD's were livid about the Sioux name. I stated here that was total BS and got incredible grief on this board. Terry Wanless was later interviewed and he said the Sioux name was not mentioned. Presidents negotiate conference changes, not ADs. But by all means, you have a right to believe lies.

Funny how there were no texts from Patty. As said before, I can text Patty about conference membership but that doesn't mean squat.

Like to see Cloyd more involved now. Possession receivers Wanzek and Toivonen could make a very potent offense. We need another Clive in recruiting and a QB for 2018.

The MVFC is in a hot pickle. If they grant Wichita State a spot in the MVFC, they sign their own death warrant as a power basketball league. FBS conferences will immediately grant them membership when they get to full strength FCS. The MVFC has already said they are not interested in members who would use the MVFC as a launching pad, so that eliminates the Shockers. The best option for the Shockers is to go as a football affiliate to an FBS granting league directly. The only league that would do that is the WAC. The WAC would play FCS for a few years anyway, which is ideal for the Shockers. The MVC is royally screwed by Wichita St wanting FBS, and the MVFC has no power to stop it,

The biggest thing I get with this report is that Wichita State will only be FCS for a minimum time. The comparisons with the G5 are where Wichita wants to be. The MVFC be damned in their opinion. If Wichita wanted to be FCS, the MVFC would be begging UND to come aboard. There is no reason to believe that either school want the MVFC right now.

UND does not seem as sharp and crisp in passing as the previous games against NAU and UNC. Idaho is young but has potential.

Football is the only sport that W Ill can seem to do. E Illinois might be in more trouble, as their enrollment has been dropping. W Ill seems to rely on the Quad Cities for students and support. E Ill doesn't have any metro area with even tepid support. The less exclusive illinois schools are hurting bad, as it's almost cheaper to go to neighboring states with Illinois's tuition. Even N Illinois and S Illinois have been losing enrollment. SIUE is almost a St Louis school, and they have been holding their own. But W Ill has a tiny endowment and is the only school that hasn't escaped the Slummit in 34 years of existence. If Illinois cuts budgets further, W Ill might be running to the Pioneer league.