SiouxVolley

Really. Did you look at MAC attendance? Once you qualify for FBS, you don't have to worry. So Fullerton has gone off on a half cocked FBS dream? It actually about 40 with Title IX. Synchronized skating. Chicks will flock to it.

PSU is insinuating that it is FBS or bust. PSU without football can go to the WAC or force the Big Sky to FBS. PSU has an FBS stadium. Montana doesn't want to stay FCS, and Montana State now has a stadium to go FBS. Sac St is ready. UC Davis, Cal Poly and UND need stadium expansions. Same with EWU: they will go bigger and one is planned. Imagine UC Davis if they can play Cal or UCLA at home or at a Bay Area pro stadium. PSU needs games vs Oregon and OSU. It's easier to get those as FBS and its pays more. Portland will never get an NFL team, so PSU can fill a little of the void. Same with Sac St and Davis. Nobody ever talks about the Raiders moving to Sacramento. A's maybe, but not enough money in Sacramento with state workers to ever move an NFL team.

Here's the MACs bowl roster. Why can't the Big Sky have bowls in Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver, and maybe Sacramento? Partner with the MAC in Mnpls, MWC in Seattle, CUSA or American in Denver, and Pac12 in Sacramento. MAC Primary Bowl Partners 2014-16: 2014 Bowl Season: GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West); Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. Conference USA); Bahamas Bowl – (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. American Athletic). 2015 Bowl Season: GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West); Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. American Athletic); Bahamas Bowl – (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. Conference USA). 2016 Bowl Season: GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West); Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt); Bahamas Bowl – (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. American Athletic); Bowl Game – TBA. - See more at: http://www.mac-sport...h.TPozmd2o.dpuf

Here's the MAC in 2012: Ohio 21,844 Northern Illinois 20,877 Toledo 20,552 Kent State 17,880 Central Michigan 16,036 Bowling Green 15,632 Miami (OH) 15,333 ------- below the unenforced line Western Michigan 14,579 Buffalo 13,242 Ball State 12,930 Massachusetts 10,901 Akron 9,275 Eastern Michigan 3,923 Fullerton has often stated that the Big Sky doesn't look different from the profile of a conference like the MAC and Sun Belt. UND should be at the level of competition with a Ball St, Bowling Green, Kent St, W Michigan, and C Michigan. The cities those schools are in are not significantly more capable for hosting FBS than Grand Forks.

MVFC schools have the option to join the MAC. Mo State might be doing it, and Ill St has wanted to. The Big Sky would say no to MVFC schools unless they switched basketball allegiances. A whole other conference has to go FBS to qualify for the $12 mill conference payout from the FBS playoffs. A loosely formed group doesn't get the money. UND would get $1 mill more in payouts, a share of whatever the conference gets from a TV contract, and a share of bowl payments. The FCS playoffs basically cost the schools participating unless these have huge attendance.

In another thread, I layed out how the Big Sky can obtain FBS status through Idaho and the Sun Belt. Naturally, bisonville went ballistic, so bison trolls are not welcome to comment. But would it be good for UND if the Big Sky went FBS? An Big Sky FBS with: Montana Montana St Idaho E Wash Portland St Sac St UC Davis Cal Poly UND New Mexico St Maybe Weber St or NAU Idaho St, SUU, NC can stay FCS with San Diego and maybe Weber St and NAU If UND went FBS, we need to at least qualify on an attendance basis during the transition. That wouldn't be so easy. Obviously, we'd need some facility improvements. The IPF helps, but a stadium with 17,000 is a must. Averaging 15,000 is possible with even a bad season, as the Foundation can buy up tickets at a 1/3rd of the price and it would count. If went FBS, think we could get Minnesota in a 2 for 1. Maybe ever play the home game in the Vikings stadium. That would be a big money game in the Cities with a lot of exposure. Could schedule the MAC or Sun Belt teams in a home and home. Money games against Big Ten schools would no longer be verboten if we were FBS. Recruiting, we could be the 2nd team after Minnesota and Wisconsin after the state schools there. NDSU and SDSU can't be FBS unless they join the Big Sky because no other conference wants them. The Big Sky would need some bowl games. The Vikings stadium would be ideal: Big Sky vs MAC. If UND qualified, that could be 30,000 against NIU or Toledo. The Seahawks stadium would also be ideal for the Big Sky: could play MWC teams like Montana vs Wyoming or E Wash vs Boise St. Its critical that UND football gets turned around if FBS is ever in the plans. To me, FCS just won't work for anybody but the bison. That's why school are scrambling to get out. There hasn't been a peep out of Montana, yet they have even said FCS is a losing proposition.

GM1 12:00 pm #1W-Bismarck High vs #4E-Fargo South/Shanley GM2 30 Min After #2E-West Fargo vs #3W-Bismarck Century GM3 6:00 pm #1E-G.F. Central vs #4W-Mandan GM4 30 Min After #2W-Minot vs #3E-G.F. Red River Attendance will be down without Grafton. Mandan made it as a number 7 from the West, largely because Bottineau-Rugby doesn't have enough depth for a three day tournament.

I know I am probably in the minority, but think UND could be a training center for winter Olympic sports athletes. Drop track and field (the Big Sky won't allow that) and sponsor biathlon, x-c skiing, long and short track skating, and curling. Curling should be an NCAA sport!. Just wishful thinking for sure, but the Olympic connections are golden.

Hugo's tends to reflect the purchasing power of the neighborhood that they are in. The 32nd St has by far the widest selection, including organics and high end. Those are not found in the north end store. The Columbia Rd, Washington, and EGF stores have minimal selection of the 32nd St store. Publix stores are not all the same- they reflect the neighborhood income - and neither are Hugo's.

The Mountain West has 11 BB/ 12 FB, so it could add another BB only to make 12. Wichita State would be a strong move there, but Gonzaga is another possibity. The MWC probably stands still. Wichita State has traditionally seen Tulsa as a rival. Tulsa is joining the American next year. The American needs more basketball strength with Louisville and Rutgers leaving. Ideally, Wichita State wanst that league. CUSA is another possibility.

The rumor is that the MAC will take them. The Sun Belt also wants them, but they don't want the Sun Belt. The MAC isn't the best basketball league, but UMass / JMU / Delaware would make it a lot stronger. If Wichita State leaves, the MVC would be no better than the Horizon most years.

The new playoff agreement guarantees conferences like the MAC and Sunbelt $1 mill / team and that on top of conference TV deals. Delaware's President announced that he wasn't against FBS, which is a big change. Read the MAC board: they want Delaware and JMU for the Washington / Baltimore / Philadelphia corridor that adding JMU and Delaware would give then a small piece of. If you have a stadium that seat 15,000, and a conference willing to take you, FBS is now a no brainer. That isn't true for NDSU, because no conference is willing to take them. You'd have to sue the NCAA and win to move up.

The P5 of the FBS will be satisfied with paying an athlete stipend. The NCAA will likely give them more say in how rules are written in return for no causing a breakup, which would be ugly for everyone involved. Nobody wants a split. A lot of the basketball schools in FBS (Kansas, N Carolina, Syracuse, UCLA, Louisville, Duke) don't want to risk a breakup. Everybody that has a chance to move up from FCS to FBS will do it, because FCS is a losing proposition both financially and national interest. The national media barely noticed that NDSU has won it three times. That proved to Delaware, JMU, and Missouri State to get out of FCS and move to the MAC. All three are supposedly negotiating with the MAC and ESPN on a new contract. Liberty, EKU, and Sam Houston St might get a Sun Belt invite, but that's it for this year. Maybe a basketball team or two (like Wichita St) could get a bid to a FBS league (MWC, American, or CUSA), but that's about it.

The Bison keep pounding their chest about how good the Slummit is. Next year the Bison will battle for worst team in DI. What's the Slummits RPI next year? The cupboard is bare. Saul wanted Shanks badly, as he doesn't have any bigs. Where are they gonna play while the BSA gets a redone?

UND needs to pick it up. UND 39 Weber 32 17min left

There were rumors before that UAA would look at the WAC and be travel partners with Seattle.

If NDSU and SDSU even talk about FBS, the Slummit implodes as it doesn't have enough members. NDSU is in a tough position. Poor Gene Taylor.

NDSU does not have any allies in the FBS quest except SDSU. That's not going to buy them any tickets on the FBS express. The Sun Belt want to shed Idaho and NMSU, but isn't gonna kick them out, as they have been valuable allies. The Sun Belt will add eastern locales (like EKU) and western ones (Mo St and San Houston) that fit their core geography. Then to find a home for NMSU and Idaho, they add a whole division of Big Sky teams and later shed them with Idaho and NMSU. Voila! In two years the Big Sky can be FBS be itself. Nothing the NCAA can do about it. UCDavis and or Cal Poly would have to join the conference, but its entirely doable. NDSU would never join the Big Sky. Too much pride there to follow UND. The MVFC is all for themselves, and they is no path for them to FBS (the basketball schools care about a path toward the Big East, not FBS) as the MAC and CUSA would not touch them (they'd touch Ill St, Mo St, and maybe UNI). No TV sets to make a difference for SDSU or NDSU. For UND, stadium additions are the biggest issues. I still say on campus open air stadium of 18k is the best option for early season games and then late season games in the Alerus, but the idea might force the Alerus to expand.

If Davis or Sac St went FBS, their interest would skyrocket. Sacramento could care less about 'DII' football. Wichita State would add tremendously to basketball, baseball, and volleyball strength so the MWC contract goes up. UND is tied to the hip of Montana and Montana St and the Big Sky.

The MWC would have no interest unless it lost 6 schools or more (seven schools from American and five from MWC form a new conference). If the MWC took anyone, it would look to Montana first, or possibly UC Davis or Sac St. I think the SUs are SOL as they don't have friends in the MAC, MWC, CUSA etc. Even the MVC isn't friendly toward the SU's, as Ill St, UNI, and Mo St aren't going to help the SU's find an FBS home when they move on to FBS land. The MWC would prefer even Wichita State before NDSU. NDSU and SDSU don't impact national ratings enough to even bother with. If the Big Sky could finagle its way to FBS status with Idaho and NMSU (as a Sun Belt western division), there would be too many schools in line (like UND) before NDSU gets a call. All the movement of the Alerus acquiring property and expanding makes bison fans nervous.

Murray St probably accepts if Mo St moves to FBS as it would be the perfect replacement for FB and BB. Wichita St wants to leave too (American even w/o football or maybe the Big East with Creighton), so if that happens the MVFC and MVC wouldn't be that much difference from the Slummit. UND should follow the Big Sky in what it does for football.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/business/energy-environment/accidents-surge-as-oil-industry-takes-the-train.html?_r=0

Like our a certain pol that said we have 57 states (coincidentally like Indonesia). Thought your banning was for politics!

http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/Sam-Houston-State-eyeing-FBS-future/9QTRcVZwJke2BpwU7WPTMw.cspx Sam Houston St has unofficially thrown its hat in the ring for a Sun Belt berth. Going FBS will gain it $1 million a year from the Sun Belt and fan interest from Texas would increased greatly. Delaware officially threw its interest in conference realignment with a press release. Its probably going to the MAC or possible CUSA. James Madison, E Kentucky, Jacksonville St, Mo State, Tennessee St, Ill St and Tenn Tech are just a few of the others that want out of the FCS.

It was over a thousand, good for top 50 in attendance. Wichita State, UNI, and Creighton we have our eyes on your spots.