Fighting Sioux Fan Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 I was at the USCHO.com forum and they were talking about a Big Ten conference in hockey. Does anybody here think that if one is created UND should join? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 I have no insight myself, but this keeps coming up and keeps getting buried as well. So hopefully it never happens. If it does, yes I think the Sioux should, if they can. I would doubt they could, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 The biggest rumor is that if a 6th Big Ten team starts D-I hockey that they will obligated to make a Big Ten conference. That's what usually starts up this discussion, when people speculate that if Penn State starts up hockey, the Big Ten schools will have to abandon their traditional conferences. Fortunately, it's not true. Though you can't form an auto-bid eligible conference with fewer than 6 teams, the Big Ten has no bylaws about its members having to play together in all sports (the usual rumor). It's certainly entirely speculative with only 5 Big Ten schools fielding D-I hockey teams. It won't even become a possibility until there's a sixth, and even then it would seem kind of silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 The Big Ten is more than an athletic conference. Big Ten schools are joined as research institututions - See note from the Big Ten website below. Athletics is just one component of the Big Ten, albiet a very large one. To play hockey in a the Big Ten* hockey conference would require full membership in the conference. This is not a knock against UND, but the Big Ten would be looking at many other schools (Notre Dame for example) long before UND was considered for membership. * I see very little chance of this happening and would not like to see it. Too much tradition in the WCHA IMO. From what I've read this seems to me the opinion of the other Big Ten hockey coaches. Edit - The Big Ten does (I believe) have a rule where participation by more than half the schools requires the conference to sponsor competition in the sport. So if another BT team starts a hockey program it would be more than a rumor. But given the relitivly small size of college hockey it may be overlooked. I don't know. ---------------------------------------------------- www.bigten.org The Big Ten Conference is an association of 11 world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Intercollegiate athletics has an important place within the mission. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes' lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $63 million in athletic scholarship aid to 7,000 men and women student-athletes to compete for 25 championships, 12 for men and 13 for women. Conference institutions sponsor more than 250 athletic programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 Greyeagle: Don't mess this up or it'll get Handy's panties in a twist. I believe he found and pointed out that the Big Ten bylaw says they CAN form Big Ten competition when six or more play, but they are not compelled to. (This has been beaten to death on USCHO.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 The Big Ten does (I believe) have a rule where participation by more than half the schools requires the conference to sponsor competition in the sport. So if another BT team starts a hockey program it would be more than a rumor. It's this very "rule" that I'm calling a rumor. It's hard to prove a negative, so I can't prove the rule doesn't exist. I've yet to see ANYONE in about 4 years of USCHO discussions prove that the rule does exist, though. Once someone does, I'll then accept it as truth. In the meantime, I can't imagine why 6 Big Ten schools would want to form their own conference (as already stated, the current 5 cannot). Clearly if there were enough Big Ten schools playing hockey, they would want to form their own conference. However, that won't be a concern for a long, long time. the Big Ten would be looking at many other schools (Notre Dame for example) long before UND was considered for membership. I just couldn't let this one slide by. The reason Notre Dame is not in the Big Ten is simply because Notre Dame says no every time the Big Ten comes begging (every couple years for as long as I've been following Big Ten football). I've actually heard the proposition that it would be easier to create a Big Ten hockey conference filled out by D-II or D-IAA institutions than to invite D-I institutions who are members of other D-I conferences for other sports. Wishful thinking by D-IAA/D-II institutions, most likely. I would expect the most likely situation to be that the Big Ten would just form it's 7-8 member conference when the time came and have a hefty non-conference schedule of traditional rivals (UND, etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted December 5, 2002 Share Posted December 5, 2002 Jim - I didn't realize what you meant by rumor. I concur though as I've never seen it in print. You're right about Notre Dame, but the it's only example I could think of at the time. I know there have been a lot of schools who have been mentioned for membership. Texas was thrown around after the SWC broke up. Rutgers, Pitt, U-MO, Iowa State are just some I've heard. None are very likely though, at least at this time. Notre Dame will never give up its football independence and have to share the $$$$ they bring in. But my main point is the Big Ten is more than an athletic conference and I'd doubt they would allow any non-Big Ten schools participate in a Big Ten hockey conference - if it were to happen. My feeling remain unchanged, I do not support a Big Ten hockey conference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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