jimdahl Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 There's been a lot happening over at UNO lately. A commission studying UNO's financial situation recommended a move to the MIAA. UNO would be welcome in MIAA Last week, former U.S. Sen. David Karnes presented findings from a study of UNO's financial situation, and recommended, among other things, that the university pursue a move to the MIAA.The NCC insists an expansion or merger will save the conference, but UNO says they're not interested in merging with NSIC. NCC wants to keep UNO; committee targets MIAA Herbster said he spoke with the NCC's Thomas on Thursday about the future of UNO's current conference. ... "I'm not interested in merging with the Northern Sun." Meanwhile, the additional scrutiny of UNO's budget has revealed that the former Vice Chancellor and an aide of the Chancellor were taking lavish expenses and vacations for themselves and their families out of the athletic department budget. Regents criticize 'loose' UNO spending oversight Buck charged more than $140,000 in perks to Maverick athletics accounts in the past five years. He resigned last month.And (I suspect I'm going to regret including this one) the commission studying UNO's athletic shortfalls concluded that hockey was the solution. Interestingly, their conclusion is that the new arena being too large killed attendance. Group says UNO hockey needs arena To no surprise, the Karnes commission found the biggest cause of the budget problems related to UNO's move three years ago from the Civic to the Qwest Center Omaha. When UNO's 7,000-plus base of season-ticket holders realized they no longer had to buy season tickets to get good seats in the much larger arena, they made a business decision and dropped them. The base of season tickets fell by 4,000, which Karnes said translated into about $1 million a year in lost revenue. ... But he said the ultimate goal should be for the University of Nebraska at Omaha to build a privately funded, on-campus arena that is more intimately sized like the Mavs' former, 8,000-seat home at the Civic Auditorium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Given Herbster's job immediately prior to getting the UNO a.d. job (Concordia-St. Paul a.d.), I'm a little surprised he would make the statement that HE (as opposed to UNO) isn't interesting in merging with the NSIC. I understand why UNO would prefer the MIAA, but he probably could have been a bit more diplomatic in his comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MplsBison Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I don't see much choice for Agui, St Cloud, Mankato, Duluth if UND and USD move to DI and UNO moves to MIAA other than to merge with the NSIC. Agui would have a nice DII rivalry with Northern State. Unless, of course, the NCC is going to try and pull something like taking Winona, Concordia, Bemidji, and Northern to the NCC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PartTime Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Doesn't sound good right now for the NCC or Roger Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 UND goes DI; USD (assumably) goes DI; UNO goes to MIAA; there's no conference left there to "merge". I see the remnants (SCSU, MSU, UMD, Augie) going to the NSIC. "Number of FB scholarships" is an easier conversation than "we don't have a conference at all". Wasn't there talk a while back that the DAC was trying to lure in an NSIC school (UM-C)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansel Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 They need to blow up the NCC Southwest Conference Style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 UND goes DI; USD (assumably) goes DI; UNO goes to MIAA; there's no conference left there to "merge". I see the remnants (SCSU, MSU, UMD, Augie) going to the NSIC. "Number of FB scholarships" is an easier conversation than "we don't have a conference at all". Wasn't there talk a while back that the DAC was trying to lure in an NSIC school (UM-C)? I don't think Mary will be the last DAC school to go dII. I think Minot St., Jamestown College and Dickinson State, and possibly others, will eventually follow. As the NAIA continues along its path to possible extinction, I could see Morningside considering a move back to dII, along with Sioux Falls. Getting schools like NDSU, SDSU, UND, USD, UNC and UNO out of the picture would make such a move all the more attractive to the NAIA's. I can't really see there being just one dII conference in this region (unless the influx into dII by NAIA schools is actually over). One conference could have SCSU, MSU-Mankato, UMD, Augie, Winona State, Concordia-St. Paul, Northern St., Bemidji State, along with perhaps Mary and Wayne State. Everybody else would be in the other conference. I would probably just drop the names "NCC" and "NSIC" and re-name the new conferences, since neither would remotely resemble what the NCC and NSIC were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biff Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 What USD does regarding the DI decision is probably becomming more obvious for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 UND goes DI; USD (assumably) goes DI; UNO goes to MIAA; there's no conference left there to "merge". I see the remnants (SCSU, MSU, UMD, Augie) going to the NSIC. "Number of FB scholarships" is an easier conversation than "we don't have a conference at all". Wasn't there talk a while back that the DAC was trying to lure in an NSIC school (UM-C)? That's a 14 team leauge. That's 14 schools agreeing to fight for one autobid rather than the two autobids those 14 particular teams fight for now. It would be in the best interests for the NCC and NSIC to work something out in the way of dual expansion/swapping programs in order to maintain the two autobids in this region. Winona has been offered membership in the NCC in the past and declined. Perhaps they can now be convinced that with UND, USD, and UNO leaving (if that is the case) that they can be the premeire player in the new NCC. With the NCC now desperate for members, Minot St. could rethink their decision to stay in NAIA. Perhaps a new NCC member there? Then there is the University of Sioux Falls of the GPAC. Maybe an opening in the NCC with the lure of a cross-town rivalry with another private school in Augustana would entice them to make the move to DII. Northern St. would certainly like to be one of three South Dakota schools battling it out in this conference, the "New NCC". Finally, to offset the loss of two members, the NSIC adds St. Thomas (another reported past target of the NCC which declined). NCC: SCSU, Auggie, Mankato, UM-Duluth, Winona, Northern St., Minot St., U of Sioux Falls NSIC: Concordia-SP, Bemidji St., SW Mn St., Wayne St., Mary, Crookston, Moorhead, Upper Iowa, St. Thomas I know, I know, it is alot of speculation.......but that is what message boards are for! I'm just glad that UND isn't going to be a part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MplsBison Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Not that I don't think Minot and USF would be fine in DII, but I think the NCC, being the better of the 2 conferences, would go after the top teams in the NSIC and the NSIC would get the move ups. IE, switch Minot and USF with Bemidji and Concordia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodakvindy Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Minot would probably also want to rekindle their rivalry with Mary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 The NCC probably would prefer to pluck the top teams from the NSIC at will, but beggers can't be choosers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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