Great West to become All Sports Conference?

[darell1976]

So now we don't have to follow the Bison to the Midcon or what ever they call that BBall conference they are in. Does the Great West have an automatic bid to the 64 tournament??

[GeauxSioux]

"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves."

One of my favorite movies of all times.

From the news release that Sica posted...

“Membership in the expanded Great West Conference represents an important next step for UND athletics in our Division I transition,” Faison said. “I am particularly excited for our student-athletes, who now will have an opportunity to compete for conference honors much earlier in the transition process than had been thought possible.”

“I’m excited for our players and our team to be able to play in a conference so soon,” Roebuck said.

Jones said. “This decision is a step in the right direction for our move to Division I athletics. Our student-athletes will now have an opportunity to be rewarded for their performances on the playing surface and in the classroom.

Dodson said. “Playing for a conference title will be huge for our kids and the community of Grand Forks until we’re able to compete for NCAA Division I postseason berths.”

I think we have a common theme here. This is big for the student athletes.

The Great West Conference allows us to recruit the potential student-athletes that will help us compete at the Division I level. This is a good day for UND athletics.

[GeauxSioux]

So now we don't have to follow the Bison to the Midcon or what ever they call that BBall conference they are in. Does the Great West have an automatic bid to the 64 tournament??

No and won't for some time, if ever. UND will be eligible for an at-large bid in 2012, I believe. But to get an at-large bid you would almost have to be in a power conference.

This is Step 1 of the reclassification.

[mnbison]

So now we don't have to follow the Bison to the Midcon or what ever they call that BBall conference they are in. Does the Great West have an automatic bid to the 64 tournament??

Yeah, that would be The Summit League and no you don't have to follow the Bison now that you've got The Great West. As for an automatic bid, I believe you are looking at about a 13 year wait for a new conference, but at least you didn't have to follow the Bison.

[bincitysioux]

From the Fightingsioux.com release:

UND is still seeking conference affiliation for women

[bincitysioux]

From the Press Conference:

There will be post season tournaments for men's and women's basketball and volleyball. UND has already submitted a bid to host the first volleyball championship.

Looking for affiliate membership in another conference for S & D.

Hoping to bring in full or affiliate members so the GWC can sponsor women's soccer.

All schools have agreed to a 3 year commitment to the new league.

[GeauxSioux]

All schools have agreed to a 3 year commitment to the new league.

Just in time for the lifting of the Moratorium.

[GeauxSioux]

In totally unrelated news, both the GF Herald and Fargo Forum's website's are down.

[mksioux]

So now we don't have to follow the Bison to the Midcon or what ever they call that BBall conference they are in. Does the Great West have an automatic bid to the 64 tournament??

UND still ultimately wants to get into the Summit (f/k/a MidCon). While UND will technically be eligible for post-season play in 2012, the reality is that they'll never make it to post-season play without an automatic bid from their conference. The Summit has an automatic bid. The Great West does not and won't for a very long time.

It appears UND gave the Great West a three year commitment. Hopefully UND will find a home in a conference with an auto-bid as soon thereafter as possible.

[NDSUguy]

3 year minimum requirement huh? It seems as if that is a really long time (considering how frequent teams move conferences). What if next year the Summit wanted to expand or replace a school or two? Would UND/USD really not be eligible to change?

That would be a huge kick in the nuts if other schools were added but they were not them due to a commitment? I wonder if there is some sort of buyout?

[NDSUguy]

The Great West Conference allows us to recruit the potential student-athletes that will help us compete at the Division I level. This is a good day for UND athletics.

I've never understood this logic.... How can being in a conference help in recruiting against other D1 schools that are already in conferences. This would make sense to me if you were recruiting against schools who were in a lower division or D1 without a conference. However, since many of those D1 independents are now a part of this conference I think that it's a moot point and really nothing more than a PR statement to help build false expectations in the community.

Students who choose UND for athletics will choose based on ALL other factors i.e. fit, academic/athletic programs, scholarships, locations, community, etc.

A conference full of teams that have almost no chance of reaching the post season (even after the exploratory period) is NOT a factor in recruiting

[star2city]

3 year minimum requirement huh? It seems as if that is a really long time (considering how frequent teams move conferences). What if next year the Summit wanted to expand or replace a school or two? Would UND/USD really not be eligible to change?

That would be a huge kick in the nuts if other schools were added but they were not them due to a commitment? I wonder if there is some sort of buyout?

There's always a buyout, and it won't be $500,000.

The year 2011 may see some major movements in many DI conferences: the IAA to IA moratorium will be lifted (where do Ga State, Jacksonville St, Texas St, among others, go?), the Big Ten may decide on its 12th member by then (especially now with the Big Ten Network getting a cable agreement), and the Big East football schools will either split off or a ninth Big East football team will be added. If travel costs stay high or worsen, that could very well have an impact too (e.g. La Tech in WAC, TCU in the MWC, SUU in Summit).

What everyone has to remember is that the Great West is basically a Summitt-run league: if the Summit needs a Great West school there's no issue. The Summit will need some of the Great West teams eventually and may, after three years, take what it wants and discard the rest.

[MplsBison]

The Great West will be eligibe for non MBB autobids in 2022.

Need another Core member for a shot at the MBB autobid.

[The Walrus]

"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves."

Here is a thought....Have the press conference at the Country Club in front of 200 Sioux Boosters, Supporters, Staff, Coaches, Sponsors......

Is that a positive.......?

[GeauxSioux]

No Joke: NJIT joining Great West Conference

Much about the conferences in college sports doesn't make a boatload of sense these days. The Big Ten, of course, has 11 teams. Marquette, located in that most Midwest state of Wisconsin, plays in the Big East. Louisiana Tech, nestled in the Deep South, calls the Western Athletic Conference home.

College presidents and athletic directors have made the geography professors on their campuses scratch their heads for years, so we shouldn't be surprised any more when they do something screwy. Then this news flash scrolled across your television screen yesterday.

NJIT is joining a conference.

The Great West Conference.

Enjoy.

[Goon]

As The Sicatoka said, it looks like all of the schools in the new conference are making the announcement at the same time. They are probably trying to show that they are working together and none of the schools are better or worse than the others in the conference. So none of the schools can make the announcement without the others.

I am sure that it would be difficult to avoid having some kind of conflict at every school involved. It just happens that it comes up against a fundraiser for UND. But I don't think it is a big problem since everyone knows about the new conference already. This is just one of those public PR things that needs to be done.

I wonder if they made the offical announcement from a tee box or a golf cart?

[The Sicatoka]

Regarding the time and place of the news conference, a guy who thinks about and does these things professionally just posed this to me:

I would've advised the leadership to hold the news conference at a time that was most convenient for the media to attend, thus assuring the widest possible coverage.

[NDSUguy]

There's always a buyout, and it won't be $500,000.

The year 2011 may see some major movements in many DI conferences: the IAA to IA moratorium will be lifted (where do Ga State, Jacksonville St, Texas St, among others, go?), the Big Ten may decide on its 12th member by then (especially now with the Big Ten Network getting a cable agreement), and the Big East football schools will either split off or a ninth Big East football team will be added. If travel costs stay high or worsen, that could very well have an impact too (e.g. La Tech in WAC, TCU in the MWC, SUU in Summit).

What everyone has to remember is that the Great West is basically a Summitt-run league: if the Summit needs a Great West school there's no issue. The Summit will need some of the Great West teams eventually and may, after three years, take what it wants and discard the rest.

I am aware of the Great West/Summit connection however I don't necessarily believe that it's a slam dunk that UND/USD could bolt the Great West just because Grom is managing both leagues.

My point had more to do with questioning the reason for conference status.

- I get the idea of scheduling but that could have been done with a scheduling alliance.

- I don't buy the talk of a conference helping with recruiting.

- I don't think that there will be an autobid for the playoffs anytime in next 10-15 years (outside of maybe football....)

Now, if something does come up in the Summit, UND would be required to stay 3 years in the GW or have a buyout..... It just seems as if it's uneccessary and at minimum a drain on money.

Also, Now that Utah Valley State joining the GW, it seems logical that Centenary be dropped and they be added to help with the SUU geographic problem. Might Chicago St. and UVSU be added instead of the UXD's?

It should be an interesting 3 years.

[mksioux]

Now, if something does come up in the Summit, UND would be required to stay 3 years in the GW or have a buyout..... It just seems as if it's uneccessary and at minimum a drain on money.

I don't think there's much of a downside in joining this league. I doubt another conference is going to extend UND an invitation in the next three years, but if they do, UND will pay the buyout and join it. We don't know the buyout figure yet, but I doubt it's very much. I don't see how joining this league will be a money drain compared to the other options that were available. The upside is admittedly not huge, but it's there. Conference championships being the main upside.

[NDSUguy]

I don't think there's much of a downside in joining this league. I doubt another conference is going to extend UND an invitation in the next three years, but if they do, UND will pay the buyout and join it. We don't know the buyout figure yet, but I doubt it's very much. I don't see how joining this league will be a money drain compared to the other options that were available. The upside is admittedly not huge, but it's there. Conference championships being the main upside.

I can see the conference championship thing. I wonder if that is worth the potential buyout $$$..... It'll be interesting to see what that is.

The conference will benefit UND from a PR front. While the upside of the conference is marginal, the perception will be that UND made it to a conference sooner than NDSU. The casual fan will equate that to success. After all, the UND backers in the GF/Fargo media won't worry about the details when doing their reporting.

[MplsBison]

The Summit is not going to offer UND and USD until they are in the last year of their transition 2011-2012. By then, both will be released from their GWC obligations.

The football deal, OTOH, is 5 years. That means that UND and USD are obligated to play in the GWFC through the 2012 season. They will be eligbile for the FCS playoffs starting the 2012 season.

Likely the MVFC will offer both teams to play starting in the 2012 season, possibily earlier. So there is potential for a buyout there.

[DI IN FARGO]

The Summit is not going to offer UND and USD until they are in the last year of their transition 2011-2012. By then, both will be released from their GWC obligations.

The football deal, OTOH, is 5 years. That means that UND and USD are obligated to play in the GWFC through the 2012 season. They will be eligbile for the FCS playoffs starting the 2012 season.

Likely the MVFC will offer both teams to play starting in the 2012 season, possibily earlier. So there is potential for a buyout there.

Just who do you think will be leaving the MVFC to make room for them? Another one of your wet dreams.

[mksioux]

I can see the conference championship thing. I wonder if that is worth the potential buyout $$$..... It'll be interesting to see what that is.

Of course it depends on the number, but when you factor in that a conference invitation in the next three years is very unlikely, I think that getting to play for conference championships is worth the remote possibility of having to pay a (likely small) buyout fee to get into a better conference. I really don't see any significant risk with this move.

The conference will benefit UND from a PR front. While the upside of the conference is marginal, the perception will be that UND made it to a conference sooner than NDSU. The casual fan will equate that to success. After all, the UND backers in the GF/Fargo media won't worry about the details when doing their reporting.

With NDSU doing so well, I can't believe you're concerned that the casual fan might perceive UND is doing well in its transition. You really need to shake your insecurity.

[choyt3]

I can see the conference championship thing. I wonder if that is worth the potential buyout $$$..... It'll be interesting to see what that is.

The conference will benefit UND from a PR front. While the upside of the conference is marginal, the perception will be that UND made it to a conference sooner than NDSU. The casual fan will equate that to success. After all, the UND backers in the GF/Fargo media won't worry about the details when doing their reporting.

Winning a title in a conference with the same name, albeit some different opponents were involved at the time, was worth enough to NDSU to get someone to spring for championship rings for the football team. It was worth enough to get those same players into the "Champions Room" or whatever it is called at NDSU.

UND, I'm sure, appreciates your concern for how this all works out for UND.

[4siouxnow]

Just who do you think will be leaving the MVFC to make room for them? Another one of your wet dreams.

You must be the one dreaming, there is no magic number for a conference, why would anyone have to leave to make room for 2 quality teams ! Only someone with a majior chip on their shoulder would be goofy enough to believe that. Check out conference numbers across the country any number can be worked out in a multitude of ways. That maybe difficult for someone to imagine that is living in a dream world however.