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Conference Realignments - Take 2


The Sicatoka

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Lets get crazy then...what if the WAC just took all those teams in? Moved to 16 teams and went to a pod system?

Great Plains Pod

NDSU-UND-SDSU-USD

Mountain Pod

Montana-Montana State-Air Force-Denver

Southwest Pod

NMSU-UTSA-Texas St-UT Arlington

Western Pod

Idaho-Seattle-SJSU-Utah State

I know it is still very off the wall, but it gives the WAC stability and it would give the conference some structure.

USD and SDSU wouldn't go for it: their budgets simply aren't high enough yet.

San Jose St and Utah St in all likelihood are both gone.

As a 12-team league with north / south divisions, that would be perfect - and actually has a slight chance of happening.

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West Virginia officially in the Big 12:

http://www.big12spor...DB_OEM_ID=10410

Although there simiply aren't that many Big 12 choices, this addition is a bigger cultural mismatch than TCU was in the Big East. Since part of WVa is in the Washington DC media region, and DC gets a lot of WVU games, that probably played a role.

WVU is reportedly paying a $21 million exit fee in order to start Big 12 play next fall. If it had stayed two more seasons, the exit fee would have been $10 mill (the league had just raised it from $5 million).

WVU also knew it had no hope to ever get in the ACC (UNC, Duke, UVa detest WVU's academics) or the SEC (which wants in the Virginia and NC markets)

Louisville and WVU battled big time with US Senators intervening behind the scenes to gain that invite:

http://content.usato...tside-big-12-/1

Looks like Boise St, Air Force, UCF, Houston, and SMU will get Big East invites next week.

The Big 12 is making a play for Notre Dame - again, and promising football independence.

BYU, Memphis, Navy and Temple are also possible.

Utah State and San Jose St may get MWC invites soon after Boise St and Air Force leave the MWC.

So Boise St and Air Force will officially be shopping for conferences out west for their other sports: the Big West hasn't yet indicated it is an option.

Boise St could transcend the laws of physics by being in the Big East and Big West simultaneously.

A Big East basketball split looks like it won't happen, so the Horizon and Atlantic 10 probably won't be part of the domino effect, which helps the Summit League keep its eastern members from being poached by the Horizon.

The CUSA / Sun Belt / CAA as well as WAC situation may become a total mess. Look for a lot of CAA teams as well as Appy St, Jax St, and Ga Southern to go FBS.

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Great minds think alike :)

Michigan is starting lax now. A new league could be:

Great West Lacrosse

Ohio State

Michigan

Bellarmine

Detroit Mercy

Denver

Air Force

North Dakota

Rumors remain that Southern Cal and Stanford will also start men's teams. Denver and Air Force are currently the only men's lax schools west of the Mississippi (in DI).

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Michigan is starting lax now. A new league could be:

Great West Lacrosse

Ohio State

Michigan

Bellarmine

Detroit Mercy

Denver

Air Force

North Dakota

Rumors remain that Southern Cal and Stanford will also start men's teams. Denver and Air Force are currently the only men's lax schools west of the Mississippi (in DI).

We should seriously consider doing away with baseball and starting a lacrosse team, I don't think it would be as popular as hockey but it could easily be in the top four. It would also be nice to be in a conference with the schools you just mentioned.

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We should seriously consider doing away with baseball and starting a lacrosse team, I don't think it would be as popular as hockey but it could easily be in the top four. It would also be nice to be in a conference with the schools you just mentioned.

Alerus is a perfect facility for it. Tailgating in April. Big name schools. All types of H.S. lax players in the Twin Cities and West Coast and in Canada that don't have many options.

With the Summit almost certain to poach Great West baseball teams - and with HBU likely going to the Southland - UND could very well be stuck as a baseball independent.

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Michigan is starting lax now. A new league could be:

Great West Lacrosse

Ohio State

Michigan

Bellarmine

Detroit Mercy

Denver

Air Force

North Dakota

Rumors remain that Southern Cal and Stanford will also start men's teams. Denver and Air Force are currently the only men's lax schools west of the Mississippi (in DI).

WHO???

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http://www.mshsl.org....asp?actnum=434

Huh, 54 high schools in Minnesota are Lacrosse participants.

Yes, and more are adding. I had a ND HSAA board member tell me that lax is the next most likely boys sport add.

And hockey and lax are the co-official sports of Canada.

With that, can we move the lax talk to the (resurrected) lacrosse thread and keep this on conference realignments? Thanks. :)

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Bellarmine - the next Summit League invitee. You mean you haven't heard of them? ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellarmine_University

The athletic teams of Bellarmine University are known as the Knights, the university competes at the NCAA Division II level as members of the in the Great Lakes Valley Conference for most sports. The men's lacrosse team, the only NCAA Division I lacrosse team in Kentucky, is a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League. On March 26, 2011, the Knights won the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship.[7]

Some the teams in the GLVC seem familiar but not this one.

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West Virginia is suing the Big East to leave this summer - sounds like the $21 million buyout was not accurate.

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/33054284

The Big Sky seems open to changing its rules and allowing non-football members Boise State and Air Force to join:

"We'd be happy to talk to them about that," Fullerton said. "If they needed a home, we'd be more than happy to talk to them."

The WAC has said "no" to Boise State and Air Force. Boise State has reportedly requested membership in the Big West, but it may be a hard sell to gain access to that California/Hawaii conference. Air Force is supposedly also in discussions with the WCC, but the WCC is currently all church-based schools.

Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/10/26/bmurphy/boise_state_has_not_contacted_wac_big_sky_or_big_west_about_hous#ixzz1cOWyCQZl

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Atlantic Sun conference adds Sand Volleyball as championship sport

http://www.gohatters...TCLID=205323401

The action to establish the A-Sun’s newest sport was taken Thursday, Oct. 27, at the annual Presidents Council meeting in Atlanta. Jacksonville University will host the first A-Sun Sand Volleyball Championship on April 20-22, 2012. Along with JU, Florida Gulf Coast University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, and Stetson University will compete in 2012.

In January 2010, through the legislative process, the NCAA Division I membership added sand volleyball to its list of emerging sports for women, effective for the 2011-12 school year. The sand volleyball season will be opposite the traditional court volleyball season with spring competition. Team competition will feature ten players teamed in five sets of pairs.

According to the most current list compiled by the Sand Committee of the AVCA D1 Head Coaches Committee, the A-Sun’s quintet comprise one-third of the teams committed to sponsoring a team for the 2012 season. That list also includes Cal State University at Long Beach, Pepperdine, the University of Southern California, the University of Hawaii, Florida State University, the College of Charleston, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tulane University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, and Webber International (NAIA). Georgia State University has also confirmed its intent to sponsor a team in 2013

.

Crank up Hyslop to 85 F and move in the sand. :)

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http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/33074577

Boise St, Houston, SMU, UCF "all in together" for the Big East, Navy "definitely in", Air Force in once Navy is in

Boise St has two hurdles:

- needs Idaho SBoHE approval

- needs a conference commitment for Olympic sports - Big West, or WCC or possibly WAC or Big Sky

Air Force also needs a non-football conference membership

So by Friday, more dominoes may start dropping:

With WVU leaving the Big East, the Big East will need to add one more school (possibly BYU, Temple, maybe Memphis)

MWC may need to replace two schools: Air Force and Boise St (watch out WAC, early favorites: Utah St, San Jose St, possibly UTEP from CUSA)

CUSA may need to replace three schools: UCF, SMU, Houston (early favorites are FIU, North Texas, as well an another eastern school like Charlotte or Ga State)

WAC and Sunbelt will then need to make moves to backfill

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The Big Sky seems open to changing its rules and allowing non-football members Boise State and Air Force to join:

The WAC has said "no" to Boise State and Air Force. Boise State has reportedly requested membership in the Big West, but it may be a hard sell to gain access to that California/Hawaii conference. Air Force is supposedly also in discussions with the WCC, but the WCC is currently all church-based schools.

Read more: http://voices.idahos...s#ixzz1cOWyCQZl

I'm not sure I see the value of allowing Boise State and Air Force into the Big Sky for non-football. I don't think their other sports will drive the needle for any expanded TV contract and they aren't good enough to make the Big Sky a two bid league in hoops. In reality you are allowing in two schools that will have BCS resources and likely take away tourney appearances for your core members. It's a totally different situation than BYU and the WCC, because that is a much stronger basketball league and BYU is a school that can get an at-large bid and help the conference coffers that way. I also think that you will see that Boise State is somewhat of a mirage if they go to the Big East. They have been able to beat up on very weak schedules with an occasional big name. In a tougher conference, the staying power just isn't there.

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I'm not sure I see the value of allowing in Boise State and Air Force into the Big Sky for non-football. I don't think their other sports will drive the needle for any expanded TV contract and they aren't good enough to make the Big Sky a two bid league in hoops. In reality you are allowing in two schools that will have BCS resources and likely take away tourney appearances for your core members. It's a totally different situation than BYU and the WCC, because that is a much stronger basketball league and BYU is a school that can get an at-large bid and help the conference coffers that way. I also think that you will see that Boise State is somewhat of a mirage if they go to the Big East. They have been able to beat up on very weak schedules with an occasional big name. In a tougher conference, the staying power just isn't there.

I think Fullerton and the Big Sky Presidents want to see the WAC collapse - or at least not based in the Mt / Pacific time zone anymore. By taking Boise St and Air Force, the MWC will poach more WAC teams, forcing the WAC to either collapse or reconfigure itself as a Texas-based conference.

Totally agree that adding Boise St and Air Force to the Big Sky would make it much more difficult for UND and other schools to make the Big Dance. Instead a 1 in 11 chance, it is not effectively 1 in 13, but more like 1 in 30 - at least in the near term. But adding those two schools also increases the probability that Idaho would rejoin, and maybe add Seattle and Denver, too.

Boise St probably won't have routine 12-0 seasons in the Big East, but will still win with 11-1, 10-2, or 9-3 records. The BCS would much prefer them than an 8-4 Connecticut or and 8-4 Cincinnati this year. For Boise, they would make a ton more money, and that's the bottom line.

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If Boise and Air Force do go Big East for football, I see them going (back to in Boise's case) the WAC for the rest of the sports. Idaho, Seattle, Denver, and Utah St. would all be in favor of that big time I'd think. The WAC is a decent basketball league. Air Force would make it better and both would probably appease the Northwest schools that have been standing by while Texas schools have been added.....................

As far as Boise in the Big East for football, I think they'd do well. Big East football sucks, especially without Pitt, and WVU...............

Have to think that AQ Big East football for Boise St. would be a dream come true. Could they compete in the Big 12 or Pac 12 week in and week out? No..............see Utah. But I bet they can in a revamped Big East...................

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If Boise and Air Force do go Big East for football, I see them going (back to in Boise's case) the WAC for the rest of the sports. Idaho, Seattle, Denver, and Utah St. would all be in favor of that big time I'd think. The WAC is a decent basketball league. Air Force would make it better and both would probably appease the Northwest schools that have been standing by while Texas schools have been added.....................

As far as Boise in the Big East for football, I think they'd do well. Big East football sucks, especially without Pitt, and WVU...............

Have to think that AQ Big East football for Boise St. would be a dream come true. Could they compete in the Big 12 or Pac 12 week in and week out? No..............see Utah. But I bet they can in a revamped Big East...................

They can't go to the WAC since that league sponsors FBS football. Air Force and Boise would have to put their other sports in a league that does not offer FBS football. Only real options are the WCC, Big Sky, and Big West.

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They can't go to the WAC since that league sponsors FBS football. Air Force and Boise would have to put their other sports in a league that does not offer FBS football. Only real options are the WCC, Big Sky, and Big West.

You may be right, but I don't think it's out of the realm of possiblities that the WAC would make an exception given their current status. They are in survival mode. The additions of non-football schools Seattle, Denver, and Texas-Arlington implies that the WAC is working more toward ensuring their viability as an NCAA conference in general rather than as an FBS football conference. And although Boise and Air Force wouldn't have their football teams in the WAC, having the rest of their sports programs could go a long way to retaining Idaho and Utah St. For precedence, the Big East currently has Villanova, Notre Dame, and Georgetown as all-sports members that do not place their football programs in the same conference.....................

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Video of UNO's new basketball arena.

medium_Render_03web.jpg

http://www.omavs.com...spx?path=mbball

This is what the betty should have been. Suites, video boards, and perfect size for womens hockey.

$32 mill for the Ralston arena vs $10 mill for the Betty.

And still only 3500 seats for basketball.

That facility is "two sheets or one sheet and one 3500 basketball arena".

UND has "two sheets and a 3500 basketball arena".

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They can't go to the WAC since that league sponsors FBS football. Air Force and Boise would have to put their other sports in a league that does not offer FBS football. Only real options are the WCC, Big Sky, and Big West.

Way back when when (like 16 months ago) wasn't the WAC going to let BYU play their other sports in that league while their football team went independent?

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