Fullerton Still Talking Big Sky Expansion

[Riverman]

because the naming issue is not what’s important in this thread, but it is a factor. I think you’re fooling yourselves if you don’t think so. Belligerence isn’t going to carry the day.

Then why do you insist on bringing it up?

[Holdem]

Its a factor.

[Riverman]

So either you are a Bison fan with too much vested interest in the Sioux or you are full of !@$!. Which is it?

Would this be a good start to a poll question?

[star2city]

USA Today: NCAA weighing membership expansion to Canadian schools

Belmont University President Robert Fisher, who heads the NCAA panel, is open to the move, saying it could cut travel costs and missed class time for nearby U.S. schools. He insists Canadian exceptions would be modest.

"I can envision a situation where it would make sense," he says. "But I don't envision that we would become the governing body for student-athletes in Canada and Mexico or anywhere else. ... It would take another kind of decision other than the one we're headed for for it to become really prevalent."

Fisher, a member of the NCAA's highest-ranking board, the Executive Committee, will brief that group when it meets in Indianapolis today.

Accepting Canadian schools would require a change in NCAA rules that limit membership to those in "in the United States, its territories or possessions." Unless expedited,final approval couldn't come before April 2008.

Looks like 2008-9 is the earliest UBC would be a provisional member of the NCAA.

[UND92,96]

Interesting column in the Billings paper: link

Other I-AA football conferences around the country have caught up to the Big Sky.

When Boise State, Idaho and Nevada were all making the move to I-A, the Big Sky should have been in heavy discussions with North Dakota and North Dakota State as they began planning the transition out of Division II.

The two schools are a perfect fit, geographically and philosophically.

The Big Sky could have waited for UND and NDSU.

Instead, Big Sky leaders opted for Portland State, Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge.

Was somebody running scared?

[star2city]

In a Bozeman podcast last week, there was an extensive interview with Fullerton on past and future Big Sky expansions. From Fullerton himself, UND was included within the Big Sky expansion discussions when NDSU and SDSU were being considered.

Big Sky Expansion with Doug Fullerton

Bobcatnation thread

Highlights:

Still interested in expansion, but can't find a right fit right now.

"If I haven't heard from some one and we're interested, I will give them a call."

Main reasons for Northern Colorado expansion:

Montana, Montana State and N Arizona have high number of alumni in Colorado, contains potential student base for those same schools, and media market - especially Altitude Sports - all came from interest in Northern Colorado's expansion. The Big Sky is getting tremendous exposure from the UNC expansion. Altitude Sports was huge in Northern Colorado's addition.

Academic fit is very important - certain schools academic missions can not get beyond first hurdle (Southern Utah?). Second thing is geography.

Minimum number for men's basketball is seven, eight is a little short, most conferences are moving to nine and ten.

Past expansions:

Took a look at the North Dakota(s), and South Dakota State and cursory glances at UC-Davis and Cal Poly.

Geography scared some of the Presidents

Q: Has there been any talk of North Dakota and South Dakota coming in?

It is a very good question . It is really a complicated answer. ... Here's the deal. ... I (Fullerton) was a proponent of taking a hard look at NDSU, SDSU, when they were available, and UND -even though they hadn't declared yet, but I thought I could have convinced them with the offer to join the BSC to move quickly - I'm sure I could have - having said that I wanted two divisions -it would have solved a lot of our problems - getting home games for basketball and keeping travel costs down for football.

I think what hurt that proposal was fear politically of such a big league. There were people out there who knew of the great relationship between the Dakotas and Montanas over the years. The presidents may have looked at it like the WAC situation where the Big Sky might break up along some difference lines(with ND, SD and Montana schools?) and they would be left out and -that may have been some of the thinking that kept the Big Sky Presidents from looking at those proposals.

In football, with a divisional schedule, schools didn'tlike that either Montana or Montana State would not be an annual game.

They (Big Sky Presidents) still are interested in expansion. Nine is an ugly number as far as basketball.

Ten or twelve would be better. Ten you would stay in one division. Twelve you would get two divisions.

[MplsBison]

Academic fit is very important - certain schools academic missions can not get beyond first hurdle (Southern Utah?).

Southern Utah has the exact same academic mission in the Utah university system as Weber State.

[GeauxSioux]

In a Bozeman podcast last week, there was an extensive interview with Fullerton on past and future Big Sky expansions. From Fullerton himself, UND was included within the Big Sky expansion discussions when NDSU and SDSU were being considered.

Big Sky Expansion with Doug Fullerton

Bobcatnation thread

Highlights:

Still interested in expansion, but can't find a right fit right now.

"If I haven't heard from some one and we're interested, I will give them a call."

Main reasons for Northern Colorado expansion:

Academic fit is very important - certain schools academic missions can not get beyond first hurdle (Southern Utah?). Second thing is geography.

Minimum number for men's basketball is seven, eight is a little short, most conferences are moving to nine and ten.

Past expansions:

Q: Has there been any talk of North Dakota and South Dakota coming in?

They (Big Sky Presidents) still are interested in expansion. Nine is an ugly number as far as basketball.

Ten or twelve would be better. Ten you would stay in one division. Twelve you would get two divisions.

I finally got a chance to listen to this podcast interview with Fullerton. Pretty good interview and the guys doing the interview were having a ball with it.

It would be great if he could talk some of these presidents into a 10-12 team conference. Evidently there was an FCS conference that got 5 teams into the playoffs. One of the reasons was because they have a 14 team conference. Fullerton needs to keep talking to these presidents.

If they were to add SUU, UND and USD I wonder what would happen insofar as exit fees for the Great West?

[MplsBison]

I could see Sac State or Portland State moving up to FBS eventually.

If the Big Sky added SUU then the Summit could add Chicago State/UND/USD.

[mksioux]

Some interesting discussion. Nobody really knows where UND will end up, but I'm pretty sure it won't come until the transitional period is over, the reclassification moratorium is lifted, and movement resumes.