Conference Realignments - Take 2

[Yote 53]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 4:38 PM, SiouxVolley said:

USD, SDSU and NDSU are too fearful of killing it because it would dry up Sanford’s vaunted money trail. 

Leave it to UND, DU and Omaha to do the mercy killing.  Augie can start hockey in the WCHA.

If Augie does this then they are going to have to drop football or go non-scholarship as I don't ever see the Valley side of the MVFC allowing Augie football in.  The Dakota schools don't have to apply the mercy killing as YSU, ISUb, ISUr, etc. will do it for us.  Faced with that, I think they will lose a lot of support to move up from the football side of the fan base.  In a nutshell, Augie has a football problem.

[SiouxVolley]

24 minutes ago, Yote 53 said:

If Augie does this then they are going to have to drop football or go non-scholarship as I don't ever see the Valley side of the MVFC allowing Augie football in.  The Dakota schools don't have to apply the mercy killing as YSU, ISUb, ISUr, etc. will do it for us.  Faced with that, I think they will lose a lot of support to move up from the football side of the fan base.  In a nutshell, Augie has a football problem.

Augie doesn’t have to have a scholarship FCS team to move up as only Summit approval is needed.  The Pioneer needs midwest teams and won’t block them (the other MVFC schools don’t have a vote in the matter).   Augie can even lay low with Pioneer football and then move to scholarship like Mercer and Campbell have done later.  NDSU, SDSU, and USD are historically too dependent on Sanford money to kill Augie’s bid, so at least to Sanford’s face, they have to support Augie’s DI bid.  If UND wanted to be “nasty” to those other flagship schools, Sanford paying for new UND football facilities would be to price for UND support.

[jdub27]

50 minutes ago, SiouxVolley said:

Sanford paying for new UND football facilities would be to price for UND support.

UND has turned down Sanford money in the past. The money would have to come with no strings attached and that isn't going to happen.

[fightingsioux4life]

3 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

UND has turned down Sanford money in the past. The money would have to come with no strings attached and that isn't going to happen.

We put Altru on the Alerus Center turf, but we won't cut a deal with Sanford? Please tell me how that is smart.

[SWSiouxMN]

1 hour ago, Yote 53 said:

If Augie does this then they are going to have to drop football or go non-scholarship as I don't ever see the Valley side of the MVFC allowing Augie football in.  The Dakota schools don't have to apply the mercy killing as YSU, ISUb, ISUr, etc. will do it for us.  Faced with that, I think they will lose a lot of support to move up from the football side of the fan base.  In a nutshell, Augie has a football problem.

Plus didn't they put a lot of $$$$ into upgrading their FB facilities not too long ago?

[SiouxVolley]

18 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

UND has turned down Sanford money in the past. The money would have to come with no strings attached and that isn't going to happen.

The strings are pretty simple:  vote in Augie, not rename the Med School after Sanford like before.

 

10 minutes ago, SWSiouxMN said:

Plus didn't they put a lot of $$$$ into upgrading their FB facilities not too long ago?

The Pioneer League contains many schools that Augie would salivate at to be associated with:  Drake, Valparaiso, Dayton etc.

Not that I want Augie in the Summit, but if Sanford is behind them, he can throw some big $’s around to get Summmit votes.

Getting Omaha, ORU and Denver and UND to say “yes” may take a lot of $’s.

[jdub27]

51 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

We put Altru on the Alerus Center turf, but we won't cut a deal with Sanford? Please tell me how that is smart.

Because it's an either/or proposition, both are after the same thing. UND chose to continue and expand their longstanding partnership with Altru (significant local presence), who donated $10 million at the time (turf and HPC) instead of taking money from Sanford (minimal local presence). Taking money from Sanford would have required severing ties with Altru. Sanford isn't going to donate money with no strings attached. NDSU faced the same situation and chose to go with Sanford, severing ties with longstanding partner Essentia.

 

Quote

Altru Health System has pledged a $10 million gift to the University of North Dakota through the UND Foundation in support of a sports medicine partnership between Altru and UND. According to UND President Robert Kelley, $9 million will serve as the leadership gift for a new UND Athletics Complex, an indoor practice and competition facility on campus.

The remaining $1 million is directed to support the replacement of the football turf at the Alerus Center.

 

[Yote 53]

I'm saying that there is a good portion of the financial backing at Augie that comes from football people.  A move to D1 that eliminates football or downgrades it to non-scholarship may not be palatable to them.  They would then lose donors, donors they need to make this move.  So Augie may need to find a home for an FCS scholarship football program, and I don't see the MVFC letting them in.

So yeah, I think the Summit membership won't be a problem.  But what to do with football will be a problem.

[SiouxVolley]

9 minutes ago, Yote 53 said:

I'm saying that there is a good portion of the financial backing at Augie that comes from football people.  A move to D1 that eliminates football or downgrades it to non-scholarship may not be palatable to them.  They would then lose donors, donors they need to make this move.  So Augie may need to find a home for an FCS scholarship football program, and I don't see the MVFC letting them in.

So yeah, I think the Summit membership won't be a problem.  But what to do with football will be a problem.

Sanford will have to finance a move, not Augie fb boosters, who don’t amount to much anyway.

Sanford can even finance an FCS scholarship move and the Summit starting fb.  That would get the Summit out of being dependent on men’s soccer and baseball to keep its autobid and would be huge for the other Dakota schools.  The XDSU’s fantasy of being considered for the MVC has been blown up by their recent additions.  The XDSU’s are merely for convenience for the MVFC, and not for actual consideration of MVC membership and think they have finally realized that fact.

[Yote 53]

None of us are going to give up the MVFC and games against UNI, Illinois State, etc.  The MVFC is the premier FCS conference in the country.  No way we leave it willingly.

[darell1976]

47 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

Because it's an either/or proposition, both are after the same thing. UND chose to continue and expand their longstanding partnership with Altru (significant local presence), who donated $10 million at the time (turf and HPC) instead of taking money from Sanford (minimal local presence). Taking money from Sanford would have required severing ties with Altru. Sanford isn't going to donate money with no strings attached. NDSU faced the same situation and chose to go with Sanford, severing ties with longstanding partner Essentia.

 

 

Why is it either/or with Altru and Sanford when it was both Hugo’s and Hornbachers sponsoring the Potato Bowl. Hornbachers is the official sponsor of UND athletics and Hugo’s is the sponsor of the “Potato Bowl”. 

[Siouxphan27]

7 minutes ago, darell1976 said:

Why is it either/or with Altru and Sanford when it was both Hugo’s and Hornbachers sponsoring the Potato Bowl. Hornbachers is the official sponsor of UND athletics and Hugo’s is the sponsor of the “Potato Bowl”. 

[UNDBIZ]

Does Denny actually give a sh*t about Auggie?  Or is it just the Sanford Health president that cares?

[bincitysioux]

21 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

Does Denny actually give a sh*t about Auggie?  Or is it just the Sanford Health president that cares?

I'd like clarification if the "Sanford" we are talking about regarding funding Augie is Sanford Health, or T. Denny Sanford.  Because I believe they are two very different things.........

Correct me if I am wrong, but when we talk about the other three Dakota schools and their ties to Sanford, we are talking about the Health organization, not T. Denny right?

 

[UNDBIZ]

1 minute ago, bincitysioux said:

I'd like clarification if the "Sanford" we are talking about regarding funding Augie is Sanford Health, or T. Denny Sanford.  Because I believe they are two very different things.........

Correct me if I am wrong, but when we talk about the other three Dakota schools and their ties to Sanford, we are talking about the Health organization, not T. Denny right?

Good point.  I view T. Denny as much more capable of single-handedly financing a DI move than the hospital.

[jdub27]

1 hour ago, darell1976 said:

Why is it either/or with Altru and Sanford when it was both Hugo’s and Hornbachers sponsoring the Potato Bowl. Hornbachers is the official sponsor of UND athletics and Hugo’s is the sponsor of the “Potato Bowl”. 

 

 

[darell1976]

29 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

 

 

Schools can have more than one medical sponsor. 

https://gocreighton.com/news/2012/1/4/sponsors.aspx?path=marketing

Creighton did

[dakotadan]

2 hours ago, Yote 53 said:

None of us are going to give up the MVFC and games against UNI, Illinois State, etc.  The MVFC is the premier FCS conference in the country.  No way we leave it willingly.

Idk, UND was dumb enough to give up the Big Sky Conference willingly. 

[jdub27]

32 minutes ago, darell1976 said:

Schools can have more than one medical sponsor. 

https://gocreighton.com/news/2012/1/4/sponsors.aspx?path=marketing

Creighton did

How many of those sponsors do you think are giving in the 8 figure range? Safe bet is the overwhelming majority is in the 5 figure range at best. Being a "sponsor" like the ones you linked to is a significantly different category than what is being talked about with Altru/Sanford.

[zonadub]

Will start with a disclaimer... Would have preferred UND stay in the Big Sky

disclaimer #2... Would prefer Mankato to Augustana, but this can apply in either case, or Northern Colorado

 

it seems that the solution to the Augie football problem is actually not that difficult. Adding Augie, MSU Mankato or UNC would give the Summit 6 football schools. Then the Summit starts a football conference (for Yote, the real power of the MVFC lies in the Dakota schools, with a nod to No Iowa, Ill St and occasionally YSU). Then set up a scheduling alliance with each other. Play 5 games in your own conference, 3 games against half of the other conference on a rotating basis, and viola! An 8 game schedule with 2 auto bids.

 

Ready... Aim... Fire.   Put all the holes in this idea you want.

[SWSiouxMN]

27 minutes ago, zonadub said:

Will start with a disclaimer... Would have preferred UND stay in the Big Sky

disclaimer #2... Would prefer Mankato to Augustana, but this can apply in either case, or Northern Colorado

 

it seems that the solution to the Augie football problem is actually not that difficult. Adding Augie, MSU Mankato or UNC would give the Summit 6 football schools. Then the Summit starts a football conference (for Yote, the real power of the MVFC lies in the Dakota schools, with a nod to No Iowa, Ill St and occasionally YSU). Then set up a scheduling alliance with each other. Play 5 games in your own conference, 3 games against half of the other conference on a rotating basis, and viola! An 8 game schedule with 2 auto bids.

 

Ready... Aim... Fire.   Put all the holes in this idea you want.

Your main idea is intriguing.  3 comments

1) I still wonder if there were other reasons why the move to the Summit was made (i.e: Did it open the door to cut a certain sport)

2) Mankato has another issue in the fact that their stadium will need quite a bit of work to be viable.  (SMSU has a better stadium that MSU, let that sink in)

3) If it was these three schools: Its UNC and not even close, you don't have that 5 year window to wait. 

Another overarching thought: I think all of us are missing this idea, we are only focusing on the Summit adding 1 school.  Well if and when IPFW leaves it is right back at 9... then what?

[SiouxVolley]

4 hours ago, Yote 53 said:

None of us are going to give up the MVFC and games against UNI, Illinois State, etc.  The MVFC is the premier FCS conference in the country.  No way we leave it willingly.

The MVFC provides:

A big TV contract?  No

Great academics which Presidents love?  No

Overflowing crowds?  No

Just vainful pride on the part of the XDSU’s and USD with no consideration of all athletics from the MVC.  The definition of a plantation slave.

Protecting the Summit bid is the overarching consideration.  To hell with the MVFC if it means the Summit loses its autobid.

[SiouxVolley]

1 hour ago, SWSiouxMN said:

Your main idea is intriguing.  3 comments

1) I still wonder if there were other reasons why the move to the Summit was made (i.e: Did it open the door to cut a certain sport)

2) Mankato has another issue in the fact that their stadium will need quite a bit of work to be viable.  (SMSU has a better stadium that MSU, let that sink in)

3) If it was these three schools: Its UNC and not even close, you don't have that 5 year window to wait. 

Another overarching thought: I think all of us are missing this idea, we are only focusing on the Summit adding 1 school.  Well if and when IPFW leaves it is right back at 9... then what?

I still maintain that the Montanas, Idaho and Weber St will be coming over.  Was just too early on that projection.

IPFW leaving in one or two years with Augustana replacing them would be a disaster.  If all there is to join the Summit is Augustana, that would almost be as bad.  Augustana needed to join at the same time or before UND.  Don’t think at all that’s what Kennedy anticipated.

[Goon]

On 10/12/2018 at 9:25 AM, Gothmog said:

What are you talking about? McFeely's article is about Elon's history of success, or lack of it, on the football field. He doesn't say a thing about Elon's academic standing in North Carolina, or its reasons for moving to FCS twenty years ago. 

All McFeely is saying is that Elon hasn't been particularly successful in D1 FCS football since moving up, and that their win over JMU is a breakthrough for them. Do you dispute that?

 

 

1

You have to remember @SiouxVolley has the ability to see things that aren't written in the article. He pulls the unprinted facts out of his...

[SiouxVolley]

2 minutes ago, Goon said:

You have to remember @SiouxVolley has the ability to see things that aren't written in the article. He pulls the unprinted facts out of his...

Since I was mentioned, Goon as a writer is one of the boringest bloggers ever that won’t ever inject his personal thoughts into a sports commentary unless it’s about keeping things the same, like losing and tieing Bemidji St.

That’s needed for reporting news, not giving sports commentary.  It’s like getting black and white only as a sports color commentator.