Northern Sun to Expand to 16?

[The Sicatoka]

The North Central is gone.

Some to DI (FCS), other to the Northern Sun (NSIC).

It seems the NSIC filled the void left behind.

The NSIC is 14 today.

Will it soon be 16?

[Stromer]

The North Central is gone.

Some to DI (FCS), other to the Northern Sun (NSIC).

It seems the NSIC filled the void left behind.

The NSIC is 14 today.

Will it soon be 16?

I think its about time USF and Minot move up but you might as well have Dickinson and Jamestown move up and make it 2 conferences of 9.

[Yote 53]

Morningside anybody? Haven't heard much out of Sioux City, but I would think Morningside, being USF's rival, would be looking at going with them. Or maybe they are happy winning in NAIA.

[star2city]

Morningside anybody? Haven't heard much out of Sioux City, but I would think Morningside, being USF's rival, would be looking at going with them. Or maybe they are happy winning in NAIA.

No way did Minot State and Sioux Falls move up to D2 without already having informal talks. "Formal" talks are now ongoing. Morningside hasn't started a move back to D2, so it doesn't meet the NSIC's timetable.

After the NSIC accepted the four NCC schools, they agreed to stay as a unit until like 2013. Don't be surprised if the NSIC splits and a NCC is reborn, with the Minnesota schools and Augustana staying together. UMD, SCSU, Mankato, CSP etc would rather just have short trips with more gate against local rivals than Minot St, Wayne St, Mary etc. Schools like Dickinson St, Black Hills St., UNK might then join the western half and possibly Morningside going to the eastern half.

[RD17]

No way did Minot State and Sioux Falls move up to D2 without already having informal talks. "Formal" talks are now ongoing. Morningside hasn't started a move back to D2, so it doesn't meet the NSIC's timetable.

After the NSIC accepted the four NCC schools, they agreed to stay as a unit until like 2013. Don't be surprised if the NSIC splits and a NCC is reborn, with the Minnesota schools and Augustana staying together. UMD, SCSU, Mankato, CSP etc would rather just have short trips with more gate against local rivals than Minot St, Wayne St, Mary etc. Schools like Dickinson St, Black Hills St., UNK might then join the western half and possibly Morningside going to the eastern half.

I believe Minot State and Sioux Falls are both as good as in the NSIC. There are some rumblings that Augustana wouldn't be happy with USF in its league, but Augie would also find itself in a tough spot politically if it tried to block USF. It would have to take something very surprising like Michigan Tech or Nebraska-Kearney showing interest for the league to shift in a different direction.

I also firmly believe there will be no future split of the NSIC. From what I'm hearing, the former NCC schools are pretty happy with being able to be the big dogs in their new league. Everyone in D-II is still alarmed by how the NCC crumbled, and even though 16 schools seems like a lot, the odds that a group of schools would try to form a new smaller conference and potentially find themselves isolated again are slim.

The former NCC schools also know that the only way they will get their old NCC rivalries back is to move to D-I, which isn't in the cards for any of them. I know Mankato's president has a long term goal of solidifying MSU as the premier school in the state behind UMTC, but unless Glenn Taylor really opens his pocketbook, the facilities and fan support aren't there to make D-I work. Not to mention the probable new requirements just to start up the D-I process are likely to be quite prohibitive.

Also, I believe Black Hills State and South Dakota Tech will both declare for D-II within the next couple of years and both will end up in the RMAC. I cannot understand why schools like Dickinson and Jamestown don't see the writing on the wall and start studying their options. They will be left completely out in the cold if/when the DAC falls apart.

[star2city]

I also firmly believe there will be no future split of the NSIC. From what I'm hearing, the former NCC schools are pretty happy with being able to be the big dogs in their new league. Everyone in D-II is still alarmed by how the NCC crumbled, and even though 16 schools seems like a lot, the odds that a group of schools would try to form a new smaller conference and potentially find themselves isolated again are slim.

The former NCC schools also know that the only way they will get their old NCC rivalries back is to move to D-I, which isn't in the cards for any of them. I know Mankato's president has a long term goal of solidifying MSU as the premier school in the state behind UMTC, but unless Glenn Taylor really opens his pocketbook, the facilities and fan support aren't there to make D-I work. Not to mention the probable new requirements just to start up the D-I process are likely to be quite prohibitive.

Also, I believe Black Hills State and South Dakota Tech will both declare for D-II within the next couple of years and both will end up in the RMAC. I cannot understand why schools like Dickinson and Jamestown don't see the writing on the wall and start studying their options. They will be left completely out in the cold if/when the DAC falls apart.

You're much closer to the situation: mine was just speculation that an amiable separation could occur doubling the autobids and allowing for interlocking schedules between the "conferences". I just have to believe that UMD, SCSU, MSUM, Winona, and CSP would prefer as many games as possible between themselves. A 16 team conference just makes travel and rivalries difficult.

[RD17]

You're much closer to the situation: mine was just speculation that an amiable separation could occur doubling the autobids and allowing for interlocking schedules between the "conferences". I just have to believe that UMD, SCSU, MSUM, Winona, and CSP would prefer as many games as possible between themselves. A 16 team conference just makes travel and rivalries difficult.

Butch Raymond has been hinting that alignment will be looked at after they get to 16. So it could be that they end up with an East/West format instead of North/South. If it went to East/West all of those Minnesota schools you mention would be in the same division.

Bottom line is that smaller conferences are a thing of the past in D-II. The MIAA is a key conference in the middle of the country because they are a natural non-conference opponent for surrounding leagues. But they are going to 12 football teams in a couple of years and there is talk that they will go to an 11 game conference only schedule. Makes the prospects of out of conference scheduling in football very daunting if you're an NSIC AD.