#MACtion

Doesn't matter if Ohio State Hockey isn't as good as Miami Hockey - the fact is that Miami would much rather be televised regionally on Fox Sports Ohio instead of Time Warner SportsChannel but Fox Sports Ohio instead chooses to broadcast only Ohio State Hockey games and could care less if OSU is terrible or not, they won't show Miami and OSU wants it that way. And if Fox Sports Ohio wants any other OSU sports coverage, than they better listen. NBC doesn't care if Notre Dame is bad at hockey and Western Michigan is better or even North Dakota - NBC shows only Notre Dame because that is the name brand that fans not familiar with hockey will watch. Notre Dame can also demand that they show exclusively ND hockey and NBC will cave because NBC doesn't want to risk losing ND Football. Big Ten will do the same and already is. Whomever wins the next Big Ten TV contract (Fox or ESPN) will be required to show Big Ten hockey regardless if they are crap or not or draw flies for ratings or not because they MUST if they want the other part of the contract. The same will happen with the PAC-12. ESPN may start showing some college hockey games, but it won't be North Dakota, just Big Ten conference games. Believe what you want, but North Dakota Hockey can only go so far not being in a Football Power Conference once those Football Power Conferences enter the hockey ring. Villanova Basketball is a storied program, rich in tradition, is in a solid basketball-only conference (for now....), draws good attendance, and is talented enough to win the basketball National Championship on any given year (for now...) - BUT if the Big Ten tells Fox Sports they can have the next Big Ten Conference TV package rights if they drop Villanova and the Big East like its hot...... guess what Fox is gonna do? regardless if the Big Ten is bad or not? The Big Ten will absolutely demand that Fox or ESPN or whomever give the Big Ten the prime-time slots, and biggest promotions, etc... Big East basketball is meaningless in the big picture in that scenario and I do think the Big East, Atlantic 10 basketball schools such as Villanova and Georgetown are gonna be rendered less meaningful in the future and will have a hard time keeping up with stipends and exposure in the long run.. North Dakota Hockey = Villanova Basketball and the NCHC = The Big East. The same thing is coming for hockey and the Power Football Conference 500-lb Gorillas will make it happen...

I don't agree at all. Plenty of fans in Philadelphia, Orlando, Boston briefly saw MAC football when we added Temple, UCF, and UMass and just as fast when they left those same fans could care less about the MAC and in fact makes us look below them now because Temple and UCF "dumped" us and moved on to perceived better conferences. You are sorely mistaken about any un-found "acclaim" from new FBS football fans and/or that those schools care about "growing the game" of hockey. Michigan hockey couldn't care less about Miami Hockey and refuse to play us unless we only play them in Ann Arbor now even though we had a long history in the CCHA and were our supposed BFFs. They don't care about the CCHA or it collapsing or the future of Bowling Green or UAH or Ferris State. They want to grow the Big Ten Network and make more money and more power and be the only face on TV for College Hockey and in fact would probably prefer that Arizona State, Alabama, Arizona, etc all join and then shut-down Ferris State, Lake State, BG, etc.... I couldn't disagree more with your thinking. I can assure you that there was no "acclaim" added from fans in Philly and Orlando and they look down on us and routinely laugh that they used the MAC and moved on and are now above us and refuse to play us (check the message boards - the MAC literally saved Temple Football, Temple NEVER beat a MAC team with a winning record in 6 years and are still bad, and yet they still look down on the MAC and mock the conference). Same thing with Michigan Hockey and the CCHA and will be the same with Arizona State once the PAC12 Hockey gets going to feed PAC12 Hockey. ESPN may pick up more college hockey, but it will only be to show PAC12 and Big Ten hockey conference games ONLY. There will be no benefit to North Dakota and will just further squeeze North Dakota in TV and recruiting. Best that North Dakota and the NCHC can hope in that scenario is to be the also ran college hockey conference like the Big East is to basketball. North Dakota Hockey will be Villanova Basketball and the NCHC will be the Big East. That would be the ceiling, just a well respected team in a solid league but no better off and being squeezed as the PAC and Big use their leverage to be shown on ESPN while the NCHC is fighting to stay on CBS Sports Network and keep up with the stipend-paying Joneses. Your theory is that it somehow betters you to date some decent looking floozy lady who you know will then use you for everything you can offer and then humiliates you and dump you as soon as the man she told you she already wanted to be with is back? Lyle Lovett is a stud because he once dated Julia Roberts how??? George Clooney is buying Lyle's concert tickets because of the found memories of when she once dated Lyle before she dumped him? Sounds weak.

I'm also not a fan of expanding and adding a member that clearly has plans of just using the NCHC as a stepping stone like Arizona State plans. There is no benefit in that. It took the MAC getting burned several times trying to expand before it finally realized it was never of benefit of the conference and merely created more competitors in the long run. Simple fact is that Temple University was up for vote to cancel their football program until the MAC gave them a sweet deal and kept them afloat. MAC also gave Central Florida and UMass golden tickets to FBS only to watch UCF leave soon after. The MAC finally wised up and asked UMass to bring basketball to the MAC so both sides could share in benefits of the arrangement and UMass said no and so the MAC said good-bye. MAC Commish has said this won't happen again and there will be no more such arrangements in the future. Temple lasted 6 years, UCF lasted 4, and UMass will have lasted 4 years. There was never any benefit realized for the conference just the MAC helping them launch their programs (like Arizona State will be) or saving them altogether (Temple). All three of those schools now compete with the MAC. No to Arizona State. Focus on Big XII schools (Iowa State) that don't have a conference network or other D1 schools (Buffalo, Liberty, Missouri State) that can benefit the conference in the long run "IF" expansion is necessary at all.

It doesn't matter because neither Miami or WMU are going anywhere. I wouldn't mind seeing UB get a big donation from Pegula like Penn State did and they start hockey though. I'm not particularly a big fan of the NCHC expanding at all either unless it financially benefits the existing members and provides more TV exposure. Splitting a declining number of CBS TV games with 10 members instead of 8 and making it tougher to move through 10 members instead of 8 to get an autobid doesn't make sense. Any new start-up like Arizona State will be a drag on Pairwise strength at least initially as well. Any NCHC expansion needs to come with a new TV contract and financial gain for all, otherwise why expand?

Miami is not joining a new CCHA. Don't know why SiouxVolley keeps throwing ideas like that out there.

Thats an interesting article. Sounds like Missouri State has everything needed to start D1 hockey and would be a good addition to the NCHC. Article mentions they have private funding to turn McDonald Arena into a hockey arena all for themselves. McDonald Arena is Mo State's old basketball arena before they build the new one and is sitting vacant right now on campus so Mo State already has cleared the biggest hurdle of starting up a program.

Here is what the ESPN on-campus studio that Miami and Western Michigan will be implementing this coming year will be like and will greatly enhance the quality of our NCHC.tv broadcasts. We'll have the studio, training, top-flight equipment, and people to produce high quality productions. Right now only our Time Warner Cable SportsChannel productions are high enough quality to broadcast on Fox College Sports. These ESPN productions will be higher quality than the TWCSC productions and all will be available for regional and national syndication of FCS and others. Miami may also try to syndicate on ESPN3. Here is Buffalo's set-up and photos and article. http://ubbulls.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20141217c4loec And here is what their fans think of the productions: http://www.ubfan.com/board/index.php/topic,15848.msg180147.html#new The NCHC has a bright future and we all have to keep striving to improve it.

Massa just got shelled and sat on the bench. Blais must not want 10 goals hung up against Massa's GAA.

UND #1 in the polls, but #9 in the PairWise with 3 NCHC teams in front of them. 1 Minnesota State 58 11-3-0 .7857 4 .6737* 1 2 Minnesota-Duluth 57 9-5-0 .6429 18 .6155 2 3 Nebraska-Omaha 56 7-3-2 .6667 15t .6143 3 4 Miami 55 10-4-0 .7143 10 .6121* 4 5 Michigan Tech 54 12-2-0 .8571 1 .6066* 5 6t Harvard 52 7-1-2 .8000 2 .6031* 6 6t Minnesota 52 8-4-0 .6667 15t .6007 7 8 Bowling Green 51 10-3-1 .7500 6 .5957 8 9 North Dakota 50 10-3-2 .7333 7 .5943* 9 Read more: http://www.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-rankings/d-i-men/#ixzz3KgMiHNWq Hakstol let Bowling Green be ranked ahead of them.... ouch. C'mon Hakstol...

Whatever it is, MAC said they would match. We got $2.5 Million in new revenue we hadn't had before on the way from new CFP contract.

Thats true, MAC has already said they will pay full cost of attendance so it won't be an issue for Miami or Western Michigan. We already have it budgeted.

I think you gotta keep Mankato in WCHA or that conference gets to a point where it folds. I just want Western to announce their new stadium and a couple Big 12 schools to join. I'd be OK with or without BG but feel there is pressure for them to be added. Only if they they commit like Western and their $60 million new facility though. I'm not trying to lobby for BG. Interesting that Schlossman mentioned Notre Dame in his live chat but I'm not sure I see that happening unless they want to reach more markets outside always New England or HE has had enough with them.

I'm just passing on information.

@chnews: If Arizona State joins NCHC ... does this open door for Bowling Green to join as 10th team to keep it even, as they originally hoped? College Hockey News later on says BG fits the NCHC profile over Mankato

BYU want nothing more than to keep up with Utah. If Utah launches for the PAC12, then BYU could be a good add for the NCHC.

Hey just for fun to get a reaction that probably won't go over well, but what about Liberty? They'd jump to D1 in a minute as they are hungry for national exposure in any sport as they want to be the next Notre Dame or BYU and have a national following and many alumni. Their club team gets 3,000 attendance (sold out) and ESPN3 carries all their games already. They also have their own national sports network and "Game On" which is an ESPN Sportscenter type sports highlight show. I know its not a flashy name but might be worth a look. Also, does BYU have a club team? I think they could play where the ECHL Utah Grizzlies play and bring BYU TV.

"I applaud Arizona State University for creating new opportunities for student-athletes," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said ASU is creating more opportunities alright, now if the PAC-12 Commish would have left out "for student-athletes" that statement would have been much more genuine.

John Buccigross @Buccigross · 1h 1 hour ago Arizona St First step in PAC12 hockey? It appears there is great interest there. TV network helps.

But could hurt UND also. Are you a college hockey fan more than a UND fan? Anyway, I'm interested in hearing more.

I like this ASU add, but I really think it ultimately tears up the conference 5 years from now and hurts North Dakota and Miami in the end via diluting recruiting and TV appearances.

John Buccigross ‏@Buccigross · 2m2 minutes ago NCHC is likely home for Arizona State. Greg Powers, who coaches ASU to ACHA (Club) National Title last year will be likely coach I was told.

I'm all for ASU joining NCHC, but I'd be very wary of more PAC12 teams launching because if you like being in a league with ASU, then I think they would be gone soon and possibly taking Denver and CC with them so it would be very short-lived. Big 12 teams are the way to go. West Virginia, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas should be the target NCHC teams. Longhorn Network could be an addition to NCHC without tearing the conference up. PAC12 Network is likely behind the ASU decision same as the Big Ten Network. They are the guinea pig. If they are successful than U of Arizona, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, etc are right behind them with possibly affiliate members CC and DU. Then the NCHC would take a big hit. If PAC12 add hockey they will also hog some TV appearance from CBSSN, ESPN, Fox, etc.. and push the NCHC further aside and dilute recruiting. Be careful what you ask for.

Creighton sure draws some monster crowds so I wouldn't say that Husker Football is the only thing Nebraskan's care about. Creighton basketball averaged 17,200 fans over the 17-game home season last year. Good for 7th best in the nation. UNO needs to work on getting more of that.

"That's the $60 million question. According to sources, that's the magic number, and a private donor from the Detroit area has pledged $30 million. Sources also say two other private donors have each committed $10 million. If true, WMU seems well on its way to replacing 40 year-old Lawson Ice Arena. http://www.mlive.com/broncos/index.ssf/2013/08/western_michigan_ad_kathy_beau_5.html#04 Western Michigan has plans they keep throwing out there but need to wrap up funding and get some shovels in the ground. They recently diverted money that was supposed to go toward a new basketball scoreboard and gave hockey a new one instead.

BG is very bitter at Miami and WMU and is the catalyst of all the "new" CCHA talk. They've lobbied and made a bunch of noise to Miami, WMU and Atlantic Hockey schools who want to offer full scholly allottment to form a "new" CCHA. They want Buffalo to start a program and want Ferris to join. Getting BG in the NCHC will calm all the talk of realignment in my opinion but I only want them in if they upgrade their program and fully resource it. If they are fully resourced and upgrade facilities they have potential. WMU needs to follow through to. I think eventually BG may succeed in a new CCHA with Ferris and Atlantic Hockey schools but Miami won't be joining. It would be a signal that BG has thrown in the towel at competing at ice hockey at the top level and just want to manage costs. Miami wants nothing to do with that and would be seen as a huge step back. Miami could have stayed in the original CCHA is that was their intentions.