BTHC - Alvarez and OSU want to make it happen?

[Stromer]

The decreased revenue is due to? 2 new teams? Minny leaving and having to play the Final 5 in a smaller venue? Please explain.

If I understand the revenue sharing correctly, all first round playoff gates and the Final Five gates are shared between the schools in the league. Minn and UW have the 1st and 3rd largest arenas in the league and normally both host playoff series. If they leave, their spots as hosts will be filled by schools that likely have half of the capacity as those 2 rinks. Revenues will take a hit. Then at the Final Five, there is no doubt that UND and Minn fans make up the majority of attendees. Take Minn away, and I doubt the X would sell out. UND fans travel well as does UMD and to some extent SCSU, but losing a base as big as Minn would affect attendance. Plus you would lose walkup sales of general hockey fans living in the cities that may not be big Minn supporters. This of course is assuming it still stays at the X. DU and CC may push to get it moved to Denver (which I think would make the situation even worse) or Omaha (still not ideal). Either way, revenues would decrease, which could make Tech look for other options. However, I don't think the CCHA would be on much better ground after losing their big dogs as well.

[nodak hockey fanatic]

I don't think any of the Big Ten teams think they would be missing any rivals at all. For example, there would be no chance that UND/SCSU/Mankato/Duluth would turn down an offer from the Gophers to play, so we'd still get those games.

Plus the less hardcore fans would much rather see Michigan/tOSU/MSU than Bemidji/Omaha/UAA/MTU/etc.

sioux-gopher week is THE best rivalry in all of sports, bar none, but if the big 10 schools want to take their "superiority" to their own conference, i will be 100% in favor of not scheduling any of them at all, including um and uw, for the simple reason of the attitude gooferz so elequently displayed above (which is a common attitude of these "superior" schools, we'll get the games we want anyways). the wcha would obviously take a hit losing two great programs, but hopefully it would grow college hockey if this ever happens, and then i say F the bthc, and let them play each other 6 times a season (i realize these teams will have no problem getting games, but ideally, the rest of college hockey would stand up for itself and say, ok big guys, want to play us? come here and do it, god knows um doesnt travel ) i realize this is a pipe dream as these schools will fill a schedule every season, but just voicing my opinion as to what should happen if the bthc happens... stand up for each other college hockey. the sioux can schedule home and homes with holy cross or air force or merrimack for all i care, heck with the way the pwr works now, cupcake wins are worth a heck of a lot more than a tough loss to a good team anyways.

GO SIOUX!!

[Siouxtimestwo]

Let's face it, "regionalization" has nothing to do with Alvarez wanting to leave the WCHA. They are the top attendance team in the country, very wealthy, and would still likely fly to all their conference trips even in the new Big 10. The real reason Wisconsin wants to leave the WCHA is because it

[Goon]

Even if a Big 10 conference is formed, I don't think it will be the fatal blow some people do. Of course it will be bad for the sport, but hockey will still survive, unless they go to a BCS system.

Great point, think about this Boston Univerisity and B.C. are successful without the WCHA and the Badgers and Gophers. UND, DU would still remain great programs without the Gophers and Badgers as well.

[Blackheart]

If I understand the revenue sharing correctly, all first round playoff gates and the Final Five gates are shared between the schools in the league. Minn and UW have the 1st and 3rd largest arenas in the league and normally both host playoff series. If they leave, their spots as hosts will be filled by schools that likely have half of the capacity as those 2 rinks. Revenues will take a hit. Then at the Final Five, there is no doubt that UND and Minn fans make up the majority of attendees. Take Minn away, and I doubt the X would sell out. UND fans travel well as does UMD and to some extent SCSU, but losing a base as big as Minn would affect attendance. Plus you would lose walkup sales of general hockey fans living in the cities that may not be big Minn supporters. This of course is assuming it still stays at the X. DU and CC may push to get it moved to Denver (which I think would make the situation even worse) or Omaha (still not ideal). Either way, revenues would decrease, which could make Tech look for other options. However, I don't think the CCHA would be on much better ground after losing their big dogs as well.

So Barry Alvarez and UW (and possibly UM) may be looking at the Final as less revenue (2 more teams added) so they bolt for the BTHC leaving smaller teams and venues in the WCHA. If you play the Final 5 at one of these venues, it will by simple math generate smaller revenues....

IIRC, the Final Five at the X one year had neither Gofer nor Badger (at least after the play in game) and attendance was still pretty good. I'll base that on my memory as I am far too lazy to look it up...

[Blackheart]

"Also, the way the current selection process is set up, UND would be potentially replacing 8 games against 2 traditionally strong hockey programs with 2 traditionally weak ones. Since strength of schedule doesn't matter, who cares if the Gophers or Badgers don't want to play us anymore? I personally would hate to see the rivalry go away, but you can't force a team to be your rival. UND is going to get it's fans and it's money no matter what. I'm sure Minnesota would still play most, if not all, the Minnesota schools, so if those are the only games the Duluths and Mankatos of the world are able to draw fans for, I'm sure they'll still get them."

Currently, the UM will only play UND in hockey and that's only because of WCHA league games. If Minny leaves, they cannot/will not schedule UND because of the hostile and abusive nickname.

[Siouxtimestwo]

So Barry Alvarez and UW (and possibly UM) may be looking at the Final as less revenue (2 more teams added) so they bolt for the BTHC leaving smaller teams and venues in the WCHA. If you play the Final 5 at one of these venues, it will by simple math generate smaller revenues....

IIRC, the Final Five at the X one year had neither Gofer nor Badger (at least after the play in game) and attendance was still pretty good. I'll base that on my memory as I am far too lazy to look it up...

I also don't believe that losing UM and UW would kill the Final Five. Obviously, there are a lot of fans of both schools that the FF would be losing, but I think there are several other factors to consider, as well. I think with UM and UW out of the conference, Mankato, Duluth, and St. Cloud would be more regular participants in the tourney, so you'd get more fans from those schools. There are also a lot of UM and UW fans who have great seats reserved for the FF. Once those seats become available, I think you'd get even more UND and St. Cloud fans auto-renewing every year, not to mention fans of other schools. For example, my cousin is a UW alum and has 5 seats on the glass with his friends. I don't go the FF every year, but if I was able to get seats like that, you can bet I'd be there. Also, I hate to break it to Gophers fans, but the Big 10 conference tourney wouldn't be in Minneapolis every year. I think there would still be college hockey fans left in Minneapolis who would buy walk up tickets. Plus, you'd have Bemidji fans new to the table. If you add all those factors up, I think the WCHA would still be looking at a strong post-season tourney.

One thing to surely draw consideration would be having the tourney in Denver on a rotating basis, too. Denver and CC are 2 very good hockey programs. They don't have the history of filling opposing stadiums like UND, but they also have a lot farther to travel than every other meaningful team in college hockey (I'm obvious excluding the Alaska teams). Who's to say that the fans wouldn't support a tourney in Denver? Besides Minneapolis, Denver is the second largest city for UND alums, so you know we'd show up. I don't think it would draw as well as the Cities, but I also don't think you'd hear crickets if you had to move the tourney to Denver every couple of years.

[Siouxtimestwo]

Currently, the UM will only play UND in hockey and that's only because of WCHA league games. If Minny leaves, they cannot/will not schedule UND because of the hostile and abusive nickname.

By the time the Big 10 conference is actually formed, that issue will be long gone.

[mksioux]

sioux-gopher week is THE best rivalry in all of sports, bar none, but if the big 10 schools want to take their "superiority" to their own conference, i will be 100% in favor of not scheduling any of them at all, including um and uw, for the simple reason of the attitude gooferz so elequently displayed above (which is a common attitude of these "superior" schools, we'll get the games we want anyways). the wcha would obviously take a hit losing two great programs, but hopefully it would grow college hockey if this ever happens, and then i say F the bthc, and let them play each other 6 times a season (i realize these teams will have no problem getting games, but ideally, the rest of college hockey would stand up for itself and say, ok big guys, want to play us? come here and do it, god knows um doesnt travel ) i realize this is a pipe dream as these schools will fill a schedule every season, but just voicing my opinion as to what should happen if the bthc happens... stand up for each other college hockey. the sioux can schedule home and homes with holy cross or air force or merrimack for all i care, heck with the way the pwr works now, cupcake wins are worth a heck of a lot more than a tough loss to a good team anyways.

GO SIOUX!!

Will you also not care when interest starts to drop and UND is playing in a half-empty arena? One of the biggest reasons Fighting Sioux hockey grew in popularity compared to the other sports at UND was because it was the only Division I sport and played against the "big boys" on a regular basis. If you take away the "big time" element and play more no-name and DII schools, interest in the program will wane over time. The reality is that if the UM and UW leave the WCHA, UND would jump at any chance it has to play Big Ten schools. All of the WCHA schools would.

[nodak hockey fanatic]

Will you also not care when interest starts to drop and UND is playing in a half-empty arena? One of the biggest reasons Fighting Sioux hockey grew in popularity compared to the other sports at UND was because it was the only Division I sport and played against the "big boys" on a regular basis. If you take away the "big time" element and play more no-name and DII schools, interest in the program will wane over time. The reality is that if the UM and UW leave the WCHA, UND would jump at any chance it has to play Big Ten schools. All of the WCHA schools would.

first off, i said this was my opinion, i realize und would schedule either of these two if given the opportunity, i simply stated i don't feel we should, however i completely disagree with your thought that the support for sioux hockey would falter if they didn't. we would still play big time schools in the remaining wcha teams, and we could schedule some non-conference foes who would garner outside interest like we have in the past... maine, cornell or other bigger schools out east. the fact of the matter is, with the pwr set up the way it is, it is advantageous for the sioux to play a lighter non-conference schedule, ie - merrimack.

[mksioux]

It's also sad and a bit ironic that by opening it's doors to Bemidji and UNO, a move made with the intentions of helping to preserve college hockey, the WCHA could end up actually making the college hockey landscape worse. Let's face it, if the Big 10 wants a hockey conference, they were going to get it no matter what, but the addition of the 2 new teams to the WCHA seems to added gas to the fire.

Which is one of the reasons why I was against expansion, which wasn't a popular position on this board. I'm not saying UW and UM should be able to call all of the shots in the WCHA, but I think when you're talking about something as major as expansion, the league needed to think really hard about going forward without support from both of those schools. Those schools are unique and situated differently than the rest of the schools in WCHA. Like it or not, they just are. They have options UND just doesn't have. I think it's now pretty obvious that Wisconsin did not agree with this expansion.

Even if a Big 10 conference is formed, I don't think it will be the fatal blow some people do. Of course it will be bad for the sport, but hockey will still survive, unless they go to a BCS system. If UM and UW leave the WCHA, the conference is right back to a 10 team league. If Tech wants to leave and join the CCHA, so what? I don't see why a college hockey conference has to have an even number of teams, especially with the non-conference games that can be scheduled and bye weeks already in the schedule. Besides, UM and UW would have a ton of non-conference games to schedule if they were in a 6 team league, so I'm sure most WCHA teams would be playing them in the regular season anyway. If a 9 team league is not an option, then ship UAA to the CCHA, since they would be hurting for team worse than us.

Also, the way the current selection process is set up, UND would be potentially replacing 8 games against 2 traditionally strong hockey programs with 2 traditionally weak ones. Since strength of schedule doesn't matter, who cares if the Gophers or Badgers don't want to play us anymore? I personally would hate to see the rivalry go away, but you can't force a team to be your rival. UND is going to get it's fans and it's money no matter what. I'm sure Minnesota would still play most, if not all, the Minnesota schools, so if those are the only games the Duluths and Mankatos of the world are able to draw fans for, I'm sure they'll still get them.

Nothing is guaranteed and things change. It would not be prudent to assume that, no matter what, UND is going to be at the top of the college hockey world, sell out most of its games, and make a lot money. It hasn't been all that long since the early 90s when UND was playing in front of 3,000 fans. If there is a perception that UND hockey is no longer big-time and plays in a second-rate league, that will negatively impact interest and attendance.

IMO, you're probably right that the Big Ten Hockey Conference would not be a fatal blow. UND could still schedule non-conference games against other big-time programs to keep interest relatively high. But losing two Division I Big Ten teams from your own conference, including your undisputed biggest rival, would be a significant and noticeable blow.

[Esoxpirate]

Is there any chance or a better chance that if there is a BTHC formed that additional BIG 10 schools might start hockey programs... I could see Northwestern and or Penn St. Also the Illinois might be a possiblity...

Esox

[Siouxtimestwo]

Will you also not care when interest starts to drop and UND is playing in a half-empty arena? One of the biggest reasons Fighting Sioux hockey grew in popularity compared to the other sports at UND was because it was the only Division I sport and played against the "big boys" on a regular basis. If you take away the "big time" element and play more no-name and DII schools, interest in the program will wane over time. The reality is that if the UM and UW leave the WCHA, UND would jump at any chance it has to play Big Ten schools. All of the WCHA schools would.

I do agree with your last statement that any of the remaining WCHA schools would jump at the chance to play the Big 1o schools. That said, I'm with nodak regarding UND hockey's popularity. If UM and UW left the conference, UND would still be playing against the big boys on a regular basis. In fact, they would have the opportunity every year, just as they do now, to knock off the big boys like Michigan, Minnesota, BC, etc. in the NCAA tourney every year and win a national championship. You can't get anymore big time than that. This isn't football where you play Texas Tech or Minnesota in a regular season game then each go back to your own division. Are you suggesting that playing Minnesota in a regular season hockey game would enhance the program's reputation more so than playing Colorado College for the national championship?

[Siouxtimestwo]

Nothing is guaranteed and things change. It would not be prudent to assume that, no matter what, UND is going to be at the top of the college hockey world, sell out most of its games, and make a lot money. It hasn't been all that long since the early 90s when UND was playing in front of 3,000 fans. If there is a perception that UND hockey is no longer big-time and plays in a second-rate league, that will negatively impact interest and attendance.

Anything is possible, but let's look at what's probable. Hell, NDSU could start a hockey program and join the WCHA if we're going to consider all possibilities. The difference between the Sioux in the early 90s compared to the Sioux going forward is UND hockey has established itself as a brand, not just a college hockey program. Despite the success of the program in the 80s and before, the Sioux remained a regional product within North Dakota, much less the country. North Dakota was and probably still is very much a basketball state, but hockey is by far more popular all across the state than it used to be even 20 years ago. When the Sioux were winning titles, casual fans took notice, but never really became true Sioux hockey fans. Now, kids from small town North Dakota can tell you every single player on the Sioux. That was never the case back in the 80s. UND hockey has become popular because more people in the state are growing up hockey players, in addition to the success it's had.

I think you give way too much credit to Minnesota and Wisconsin for making UND hockey so popular. It's the players and coaches who deserve the most credit, and I don't think they came to UND so they could play against the Gophers or Badgers. Hell, now half of them are Canadian and could care less about UM or UW. UND puts players on the pros on a regular basis, so they're still going to get top flight recruits. Back in the 80s, that wasn't the case, despite all the great teams they had. College hockey has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Who knows how long college hockey will last with the money grabbing NCAA trying to destroy every sport, but I think it's a safe bet that UND will be there till the end.

[the green team]

I think your giving way to much emphasis hockey and it's importance around the state. I'm willing to bet that kids in small town North Dakota can barely name 1 Sioux hockey player let alone any of the team. I doubt it highly that in a town like Carrington, Lakota or even Mayville (which is closer yet) very few could name UND hockey players grades k-12. Heck I doubt very few in Minot could either. No offense, but that argument that it's branded and that it's caught on to all these youngsters across the state is a bit of an exageration.

[Siouxtimestwo]

I think your giving way to much emphasis hockey and it's importance around the state. I'm willing to bet that kids in small town North Dakota can barely name 1 Sioux hockey player let alone any of the team. I doubt it highly that in a town like Carrington, Lakota or even Mayville (which is closer yet) very few could name UND hockey players grades k-12. Heck I doubt very few in Minot could either. No offense, but that argument that it's branded and that it's caught on to all these youngsters across the state is a bit of an exageration.

How much time have you spent in elementary schools lately? I'm not saying hockey is king, as I was a basketball player myself. I'm just saying it's on the map and not hanging onto the ledge anymore. I was an elementary teacher a few years ago in a small town in the middle of the state that has (obviously) no hockey program. Sioux hockey was by far the most popular North Dakota college sport. I'm not saying every kid can, but the fact that some can do it at all is a lot more than you could've said 20 years ago.

[Stromer]

Which is one of the reasons why I was against expansion, which wasn't a popular position on this board. I'm not saying UW and UM should be able to call all of the shots in the WCHA, but I think when you're talking about something as major as expansion, the league needed to think really hard about going forward without support from both of those schools. Those schools are unique and situated differently than the rest of the schools in WCHA. Like it or not, they just are. They have options UND just doesn't have. I think it's now pretty obvious that Wisconsin did not agree with this expansion.

Nothing is guaranteed and things change. It would not be prudent to assume that, no matter what, UND is going to be at the top of the college hockey world, sell out most of its games, and make a lot money. It hasn't been all that long since the early 90s when UND was playing in front of 3,000 fans. If there is a perception that UND hockey is no longer big-time and plays in a second-rate league, that will negatively impact interest and attendance.

IMO, you're probably right that the Big Ten Hockey Conference would not be a fatal blow. UND could still schedule non-conference games against other big-time programs to keep interest relatively high. But losing two Division I Big Ten teams from your own conference, including your undisputed biggest rival, would be a significant and noticeable blow.

Very true. I also don't think UND would be in as bad as shape as other WCHA teams, but I can't imagine how the formation of the BTHC helps or at the very least does not hurt UND. Maybe it would be good for college hockey. Maybe it wouldn't. But there is only downside from UND's point of view.

[The Sicatoka]

I'd rather be an affiliate member of a Big Ten Hockey Conference (even if it cost the moniker, and they probably won't play us non-conference with it) than left behind with Bemidji State and the rest.

In closing, what "mksioux" said:

Let's face it, "regionalization" has nothing to do with Alvarez wanting to leave the WCHA. They are the top attendance team in the country, very wealthy, and would still likely fly to all their conference trips even in the new Big 10. The real reason Wisconsin wants to leave the WCHA is because it

[mksioux]

I do agree with your last statement that any of the remaining WCHA schools would jump at the chance to play the Big 1o schools. That said, I'm with nodak regarding UND hockey's popularity. If UM and UW left the conference, UND would still be playing against the big boys on a regular basis. In fact, they would have the opportunity every year, just as they do now, to knock off the big boys like Michigan, Minnesota, BC, etc. in the NCAA tourney every year and win a national championship. You can't get anymore big time than that. This isn't football where you play Texas Tech or Minnesota in a regular season game then each go back to your own division. Are you suggesting that playing Minnesota in a regular season hockey game would enhance the program's reputation more so than playing Colorado College for the national championship?

I didn't suggest that. But if the games are of equal magnitude (i.e. both regular season or both post-season), then yes, playing Minnesota enhances the program and the entire University more than playing Colorado College.

[Siouxtimestwo]

I didn't suggest that. But if the games are of equal magnitude (i.e. both regular season or both post-season), then yes, playing Minnesota enhances the program and the entire University more than playing Colorado College.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see how the hockey team playing Minnesota makes the chemistry department more prestigious. I don't know if you're an alumni or not, but the university itself has many other legs to stand on beside who the hockey team plays. If it didn't, maybe it would be time to shut the whole school down, much less the hockey program. Is UND anymore of a prestigious school this year compared to last for having played Texas Tech? Of course not. You think the law school's applications are going increase 5% if we schedule a game against Michigan in the Big House?

UND hockey has reached the point where it doesn't need anyone else, including Gophers in the regular season, to make it successful. The boys in green make their own destiny every year. We are a Division 1 hockey powerhouse! You seem to have the opinion that we are on the same scale in hockey with Minnesota as NDSU, for example, is in football. The Minnesota games are not, nor should they be UND hockey's Super Bowl. If the team plays Fighting Sioux hockey and brings home a national title, are we going to be bouncing our grandkids on our laps lamenting how the title and our degrees mean a little bit less since we only beat the Gophers in the tourney and not in October? When we only play the Gophers twice instead of 4 times, does that somehow diminish the team's accomplishments?

As much as college sports shouldn't be about money and empty suits, it also isn't about the fans. It's about the players and the coaches. The ones that actually put in the hard work, not the ones who go get drunk and swear at little kids during the games. Playing Minnesota and Wisconsin means much more to the fans, myself included, than it does to the players themselves. If you go ask every single player on the team whether they'd rather win a national title or beat the Gophers this weekend, I sure as hell hope they all take the title or else we might as well forfeit the rest of the games. A Big 10 hockey conference would be a bad thing for fans of the rest of the WCHA teams, but it wouldn't impact the Sioux's ability to compete for a national title one bit. As myself and other people have said, it would probably enhance it under the current system.

[Goon]

A Big 10 hockey conference would be a bad thing for fans of the rest of the WCHA teams, but it wouldn't impact the Sioux's ability to compete for a national title one bit. As myself and other people have said, it would probably enhance it under the current system.

I agree and said before BU and BC ahve survived with or without the WCHA and or Minnesota and Wisconsin so I think UND would be fine without them. The league wouldn't look as nice but UND would still make it. The Players know that UND will continue to send players to the pros and win games.

[star2city]

I'm sorry, but I just don't see how the hockey team playing Minnesota makes the chemistry department more prestigious. I don't know if you're an alumni or not, but the university itself has many other legs to stand on beside who the hockey team plays. If it didn't, maybe it would be time to shut the whole school down, much less the hockey program. Is UND anymore of a prestigious school this year compared to last for having played Texas Tech? Of course not. You think the law school's applications are going increase 5% if we schedule a game against Michigan in the Big House?

UND hockey has reached the point where it doesn't need anyone else, including Gophers in the regular season, to make it successful. The boys in green make their own destiny every year. We are a Division 1 hockey powerhouse! You seem to have the opinion that we are on the same scale in hockey with Minnesota as NDSU, for example, is in football. The Minnesota games are not, nor should they be UND hockey's Super Bowl. If the team plays Fighting Sioux hockey and brings home a national title, are we going to be bouncing our grandkids on our laps lamenting how the title and our degrees mean a little bit less since we only beat the Gophers in the tourney and not in October? When we only play the Gophers twice instead of 4 times, does that somehow diminish the team's accomplishments?

As much as college sports shouldn't be about money and empty suits, it also isn't about the fans. It's about the players and the coaches. The ones that actually put in the hard work, not the ones who go get drunk and swear at little kids during the games. Playing Minnesota and Wisconsin means much more to the fans, myself included, than it does to the players themselves. If you go ask every single player on the team whether they'd rather win a national title or beat the Gophers this weekend, I sure as hell hope they all take the title or else we might as well forfeit the rest of the games. A Big 10 hockey conference would be a bad thing for fans of the rest of the WCHA teams, but it wouldn't impact the Sioux's ability to compete for a national title one bit. As myself and other people have said, it would probably enhance it under the current system.

Agree that UND hockey doesn't necessarily need anyone else to continue it's success. But who UND aligns itself with athletically does in the longer term define UND's academic aspirations (and vice versa).

Conferences generally only invite academically similar institutions: hockey is the main anamoly to this general rule. Conference affiliations help define an institution: moving from CUSA to the Big East raised Cincinnati and South Florida both athletically and the perception of both academically. Even in DIII, there are strict athletic conference lines that divide acadmically-gifted institutions from those more challenged. If UND was not associated with Minnesota in hockey, longer-term, it would hurt. No offense to UMD, SCSU, MSUM, BSU etc, but if UND was only associated with them, that would be harmful to UND's hockey reputation (and longer-term academically).

[Riverman]

I'm sorry, but I just don't see how the hockey team playing Minnesota makes the chemistry department more prestigious. I don't know if you're an alumni or not, but the university itself has many other legs to stand on beside who the hockey team plays. If it didn't, maybe it would be time to shut the whole school down, much less the hockey program. Is UND anymore of a prestigious school this year compared to last for having played Texas Tech? Of course not. You think the law school's applications are going increase 5% if we schedule a game against Michigan in the Big House?

UND hockey has reached the point where it doesn't need anyone else, including Gophers in the regular season, to make it successful. The boys in green make their own destiny every year. We are a Division 1 hockey powerhouse! You seem to have the opinion that we are on the same scale in hockey with Minnesota as NDSU, for example, is in football. The Minnesota games are not, nor should they be UND hockey's Super Bowl. If the team plays Fighting Sioux hockey and brings home a national title, are we going to be bouncing our grandkids on our laps lamenting how the title and our degrees mean a little bit less since we only beat the Gophers in the tourney and not in October? When we only play the Gophers twice instead of 4 times, does that somehow diminish the team's accomplishments?

As much as college sports shouldn't be about money and empty suits, it also isn't about the fans. It's about the players and the coaches. The ones that actually put in the hard work, not the ones who go get drunk and swear at little kids during the games. Playing Minnesota and Wisconsin means much more to the fans, myself included, than it does to the players themselves. If you go ask every single player on the team whether they'd rather win a national title or beat the Gophers this weekend, I sure as hell hope they all take the title or else we might as well forfeit the rest of the games. A Big 10 hockey conference would be a bad thing for fans of the rest of the WCHA teams, but it wouldn't impact the Sioux's ability to compete for a national title one bit. As myself and other people have said, it would probably enhance it under the current system.

Good post.

[Riverman]

Strange that UW is so short sighted. Did they learn nothing from MTU when they left for the CCHA in 81 and returned in 84?

[gopherz]

You think the law school's applications are going increase 5% if we schedule a game against Michigan in the Big House?

While this isn't the best example, you saying that sports programs have little to no effect on the university academically is foolish. For example, when Davidson was making their magical run deep into the NCAAs, they saw a huge increase in applications, which leads to higher enrollment if that's a school goal, higher quality of student due to a larger application pool to pick from, and more revenue for the school in general.