Conference Realignments - Take 2

[SiouxHawkGuy]

15 minutes ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

where tho????

did fenton even try to sell the league to abc tsu and ut-arligton instead of every west _____________ university in the uac that is somehow appealing to them.....

or get better leadership...has fenton even talked about denver going west....st thomas, oral , kc, and omaha are all on waiting lists of the uac, mvc, or beyond.....

 

CUSA with South Dakota when MW wants SDSU

[Hawkster]

1 hour ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

interesting writeup here....lose oral roberts but gain Lindenwood in oly and FOOTBALL.

brilliant!!!!!

(can't wait for football games against drake, valpo, portland state, murray state, lindenwood, and indiana state....can't wait!!!!)

where's fenton??????????????????????????????????????????

 

That's why I don't want to schedule non con games against Valpo and Drake.   Those teams are a joke even if some think they make excellent "tune up" games.   Yes, the Valley is going downhill fast.

[SIOUXFAN97]

25 minutes ago, SiouxHawkGuy said:

CUSA with South Dakota when MW wants SDSU

in the eyes of a fbs conference what exactly is the difference between sdac and usd...yes sdac has a little more success in FB but after that not much?  usd has better academics and whoever moves up first will pretty much own the state anyways...plus on the FB side if you get a late season game in brookings nad a blizzard hits your 16k stadium aint worth crap when 900 people show up...don't like domes but up here they make sense in some ways

[tjamz]

On 4/19/2026 at 2:32 PM, SIOUXFAN97 said:

time will tell i guess...just pointing out that their " jv nattys were the gold standard" ...just wondering if a poinsettia bowl banner will be hailed as the new gold standard by the midget and the madmen of cass county

Can only speak for myself here as an NDSU fan. I was proud of the FCS national championships, D2 national championships, and College Division championships. They were and are significant milestones for any institution and any school at any level that achieves a national championship amongst its peers should be proud. 

As a fan, I'm excited to play bigger and better (in theory at least) teams now that the Bison moved up. I'll be proud of any MWC championships (as I was with MVFC or NCC). Will I be as excited about lower tier bowl games? Not necessarily. But I will look forward to the opportunity to see them play teams they may not have otherwise been able to schedule. My hope is that, at some point in the not too distant future, they have an opportunity to make the CFP. I think that is somewhat realistic. Do I expect them to make it very far at first? Not necessarily. 

Green & Gold glasses wearing tjamz says "give us a few years and we'll be competing for a Natty against the Ohio, Indiana, Bama, Texas, etc... of the world". Realistic world tjamz knows that while it's technically possible, it remains highly unlikely in the immediate future.

I guess my question to you is this though: Without mentioning hockey*, if "JV Nattys" are so easy, why hasn't your team made it past the round of 16? I mean, it's JV ball afterall. Surely the mighty fighting hawks should make short work of such losers?

*Speaking of hockey, I'll give UND the credit they deserve for their 8 D1 hockey championships over the year. Your team has represented your school well amongst the 64 (I think... correct me if I am wrong) college hockey programs that play at the D1 level. I'll give you credit for your D2 natty in football as well.

Why? Because regardless of my love/hate of a school I'm not going to diminish their successes over things they couldn't control like some like to do (division they were in, the amount of schools playing at your level, etc.... ) Will I cheer for UND? MAYBE against SDSU/Minnesota.... maybe.

[SIOUXFAN97]

5 hours ago, tjamz said:

Can only speak for myself here as an NDSU fan. I was proud of the FCS national championships, D2 national championships, and College Division championships. They were and are significant milestones for any institution and any school at any level that achieves a national championship amongst its peers should be proud. 

As a fan, I'm excited to play bigger and better (in theory at least) teams now that the Bison moved up. I'll be proud of any MWC championships (as I was with MVFC or NCC). Will I be as excited about lower tier bowl games? Not necessarily. But I will look forward to the opportunity to see them play teams they may not have otherwise been able to schedule. My hope is that, at some point in the not too distant future, they have an opportunity to make the CFP. I think that is somewhat realistic. Do I expect them to make it very far at first? Not necessarily. 

Green & Gold glasses32 wearing tjamz says "give us a few years and we'll be competing for a Natty against the Ohio, Indiana, Bama, Texas, etc... of the world". Realistic world tjamz knows that while it's technically possible, it remains highly unlikely in the immediate future.

I guess my question to you is this though: Without mentioning hockey*, if "JV Nattys" are so easy, why hasn't your team made it past the round of 16? I mean, it's JV ball afterall. Surely the mighty fighting hawks should make short work of such losers?

*Speaking of hockey, I'll give UND the credit they deserve for their 8 D1 hockey championships over the year. Your team has represented your school well amongst the 64 (I think... correct me if I am wrong) college hockey programs that play at the D1 level. I'll give you credit for your D2 natty in football as well.

Why? Because regardless of my love/hate of a school I'm not going to diminish their successes over things they couldn't control like some like to do (division they were in, the amount of schools playing at your level, etc.... ) Will I cheer for UND? MAYBE against SDSU/Minnesota.... maybe.

1.  add women's hockey for 20 years and see what happens to your athletic department...it would take another 20 years to get it back.................................

2.  define "up"

[zonadub]

17 hours ago, tjamz said:

Can only speak for myself here as an NDSU fan. I was proud of the FCS national championships, D2 national championships, and College Division championships. They were and are significant milestones for any institution and any school at any level that achieves a national championship amongst its peers should be proud. 

As a fan, I'm excited to play bigger and better (in theory at least) teams now that the Bison moved up. I'll be proud of any MWC championships (as I was with MVFC or NCC). Will I be as excited about lower tier bowl games? Not necessarily. But I will look forward to the opportunity to see them play teams they may not have otherwise been able to schedule. My hope is that, at some point in the not too distant future, they have an opportunity to make the CFP. I think that is somewhat realistic. Do I expect them to make it very far at first? Not necessarily. 

Green & Gold glasses wearing tjamz says "give us a few years and we'll be competing for a Natty against the Ohio, Indiana, Bama, Texas, etc... of the world". Realistic world tjamz knows that while it's technically possible, it remains highly unlikely in the immediate future.

I guess my question to you is this though: Without mentioning hockey*, if "JV Nattys" are so easy, why hasn't your team made it past the round of 16? I mean, it's JV ball afterall. Surely the mighty fighting hawks should make short work of such losers?

*Speaking of hockey, I'll give UND the credit they deserve for their 8 D1 hockey championships over the year. Your team has represented your school well amongst the 64 (I think... correct me if I am wrong) college hockey programs that play at the D1 level. I'll give you credit for your D2 natty in football as well.

Why? Because regardless of my love/hate of a school I'm not going to diminish their successes over things they couldn't control like some like to do (division they were in, the amount of schools playing at your level, etc.... ) Will I cheer for UND? MAYBE against SDSU/Minnesota.... maybe.

This is a reasonable perspective. Celebrate national recognitions.

[Bison Dan]

11 hours ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

1.  add women's hockey for 20 years and see what happens to your athletic department...it would take another 20 years to get it back.................................

2.  define "up"

LOL  - So women's hockey is why your athletic dept is so poorly performing?

[Hawkster]

15 hours ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

1.  add women's hockey for 20 years and see what happens to your athletic department...it would take another 20 years to get it back.................................

2.  define "up"

I actually thought women's hockey was underfunded when we had it and was sad to see it go.

[SiouxHawkGuy]

Will the PAC-12 go after UNLV and Nevada?

[Kab]

16 minutes ago, SiouxHawkGuy said:

Will the PAC-12 go after UNLV and Nevada?

Would think New Mexico before Nevada and Hawaii possibly 

[The Sicatoka]

Here I thought thinking about FCS was beneath NDSU. 

[Hawkster]

4 hours ago, Kab said:

Would think New Mexico before Nevada and Hawaii possibly 

It appears they are all locked in by their GOR agreement for the next 5 years.   The other development is if congress gets around to passing the Save College Athletics or whatever it's called, the Power conferences will be capped at 19 members which won't leave much upward movement.   Without the G6 conferences getting poached I don't see movement anywhere for some time.

[Kab]

14 hours ago, Hawkster said:

It appears they are all locked in by their GOR agreement for the next 5 years.   The other development is if congress gets around to passing the Save College Athletics or whatever it's called, the Power conferences will be capped at 19 members which won't leave much upward movement.   Without the G6 conferences getting poached I don't see movement anywhere for some time.

Could g6 conferences have 19 members too, that’s where the move ups will occur 

[SIOUXFAN97]

where's fenton?

[AJS]

Let's pretend that this St. Thomas news has some truth around. Let's also pretend that NDSU will leave the minute they can, while also giving little to no warning. To me the issue isn't finding teams to replace, since you'll always be able to. The issue is those teams will bring nothing to the table as far as value (imo). Like a Lindenwood. 

It's becoming incredibly clear, that the status quo for a school like UND will ultimately mean leveling down the athletics department. 

 

 

[Kab]

What the hell is the summit commissioner doing

i dont see any news out of that office

unless there are some behind the scenes things going on the summit is doomed

big sky doesn’t look so bad right now, I thought then UND shouldn’t have left 

[gfhockey]

1 hour ago, AJS said:

Let's pretend that this St. Thomas news has some truth around. Let's also pretend that NDSU will leave the minute they can, while also giving little to no warning. To me the issue isn't finding teams to replace, since you'll always be able to. The issue is those teams will bring nothing to the table as far as value (imo). Like a Lindenwood. 

It's becoming incredibly clear, that the status quo for a school like UND will ultimately mean leveling down the athletics department. 

 

 

With Chavez at the helm it’s looking more and more likely

[gfhockey]

Also anyone been following the pac 12 fans v mwc fan/beat writer fights on twitter

 

its hilarious 

[SiouxHawkGuy]

16 minutes ago, Kab said:

What the hell is the summit commissioner doing

i dont see any news out of that office

unless there are some behind the scenes things going on the summit is doomed

big sky doesn’t look so bad right now, I thought then UND shouldn’t have left 

FCS: Big Sky with South Dakota

FBS: CUSA with South Dakota

[The Sicatoka]

Top of Summit/MVFC becomes North division of CUSA or West division of MAC. 

[jdub27]

More evidence articles are being pumped out with no real thought:
https://www.inforum.com/sports/bison-media-zone/mens-sports/mcfeely-protect-college-sports-act-could-be-boon-for-bison

Given that it is going to be a "boon", seems like there is some actual language in the Protect College Sports Act that isn't exactly friendly towards NDSU but was glossed over:

Quote

“(ii) each member institution receives more collective media rights revenue (excluding revenue from the College Football Playoff) during each academic year than the largest amount of collective media rights revenue (excluding revenue from the College Football Playoff) that the institution received in any single academic year during the period of academic year 2021–2022 through academic year 2024–2025;

“(B) distribute not less than 15 percent of the collective media rights revenue that remains after compliance with subparagraph (A) equally among all member institutions that received revenue from intercollegiate athletic competitions within intercollegiate football in the Football Bowl Subdivision during academic year 2024–2025; and

 

[AJS]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Top of Summit/MVFC becomes North division of CUSA or West division of MAC. 

I can repost my dream conference realignment scenario if anyone would like, but it was instead of just the top of the summit / MVFC becomes the North division of CUSA, it was the Top of the MVFC / Summit + top of Big Sky comes the North division of CUSA. 

[UNDfanguy]

12 minutes ago, AJS said:

I can repost my dream conference realignment scenario if anyone would like, but it was instead of just the top of the summit / MVFC becomes the North division of CUSA, it was the Top of the MVFC / Summit + top of Big Sky comes the North division of CUSA. 

Please repost... I would like to see who possibly we could be playing in future for CUSA.  Also, Fenton is asleep at the wheel for Summit, and I am less and less impressed with UND AD Chaves... not proactive at all unless cutting sports.  

[FSSD]

2 hours ago, gfhockey said:

Also anyone been following the pac 12 fans v mwc fan/beat writer fights on twitter

 

its hilarious 

Yes, they have a beef going on for sure.

[AJS]

35 minutes ago, UNDfanguy said:

Please repost... I would like to see who possibly we could be playing in future for CUSA.  Also, Fenton is asleep at the wheel for Summit, and I am less and less impressed with UND AD Chaves... not proactive at all unless cutting sports.  

Posted in February.

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Forming a new Division for Conference USA seems like the move. For FB you play your division (8 games) and have a title game with the winner of each division. Even for Olympic sports, is travel that much more of a concern? Home and Home in your division, then one game against the other division. This is a win for everyone.  

Division

Idaho

Idaho State or Weber State

Montana

Montana State

UND

USD

SDSU

St. Thomas 

Missouri State

Division

Delaware

FIU

Jacksonville State

Kennesaw State

Liberty

Middle Tennessee State

NM State

Sam Houston

Western Kentucky