USD and Augustana to DI highly likely

[star2city]

Argus-Leader: USD ponders D-I move

USD's consulting firm, ICAC, has stated that USD should move up, and that USD should have a 90-95% assurance of getting into a conference. Those two statements taken together are totally illogical, unless the ICAC's Fellingham knows "something." Fellingham, who stated that he didn't have "inside" knowledge that USD has a bid from the MidCon, most assuredly has second-hand knowledge that they do, otherwise, he would never would have stated that USD should move up.

Fellingham said that of the past five institutions ICAC had consulted for, the firm had recommended that one, North Carolina Central, should move up to Division I. He said the firm recommended to three other schools, which he did not name, that they stay in their present divisions. ICAC recommended to another school that they move down a division.

North Carolina Central, which is in its exploratory year, does not yet have a formal conference membership, but most assuredly, they have informal assurances from the MEAC of conference membership.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize: USD already has strong informal membership assurances from the MidCon. The South Dakota Board of Regents paved a path for USD getting into the MidCOn when the Regents met with the MidCon reps in August.

[Bison Dan]

Argus-Leader: USD ponders D-I move

USD's consulting firm, ICAC, has stated that USD should move up, and that USD should have a 90-95% assurance of getting into a conference. The ICAC Fellingham, who stated that he didn't have "inside" knowledge that USD has a bid from the MidCon, most assuredly has second-hand knowledge that they do, otherwise, he would never would have stated that USD should move up.

North Carolina Central, which is in its exploratory year, does not yet have a formal conference membership, but most assuredly, they have informal assurances from the MEAC of conference membership.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize: USD already has strong informal membership assurances from the MidCon. The South Dakota Board of Regents paved a path for USD getting into the MidCOn when the Regents met with the MidCon reps in August.

I doubt it. The MidCon has 10 memebers why would they want anymore? It helps NDSU & SDSU in travel but adds nothing for the present members. Wishfull thinking.

[star2city]

I doubt it. The MidCon has 10 memebers why would they want anymore? It helps NDSU & SDSU in travel but adds nothing for the present members. Wishfull thinking.

Bison Dan:

You really can't accuse me of wishful thinking here. While I wish USD the best, in many respects, with UND moving to DI, I would rather USD stay DII so there is less recruiting competition locally.

[89rabbit]

The Mid-Con representatives met with the South Dakota Board of Regents because:

1. That was where President Miller was when they came to town, the meetings were previously scheduled.

2. President Miller is retiring at the end of this year and the Mid-Con wanted assurances that the next President of SDSU would also have a strong commitment to D-I athletics. From the Mid-Con's point of view this makes a ton of sense because the last thing they would want is to admit a new member and then the new President cuts the athletic budget in half. They received their assurances and the rest is history.

3.They spent just a few hours in Spearfish, hardly enough time to do what they came there to do let alone work the kind of behind the sense deal you envision, and from reliable sources USD was not discussed.

Why in your world are there sooooo many "secret" meetings?

[MplsBison]

You really can't accuse me of wishful thinking here. While I wish USD the best, in many respects, with UND moving to DI, I would rather USD stay DII so there is less recruiting competition locally.

That's not even really true.

The SD schools mostly recruit SD, NE, and IA.

The ND schools mostly recruit ND, MN, and WI.

[Yote 53]

Fellingham said that of the past five institutions ICAC had consulted for, the firm had recommended that one, North Carolina Central, should move up to Division I. He said the firm recommended to three other schools, which he did not name, that they stay in their present divisions. ICAC recommended to another school that they move down a division.

I guess that this statement could also silence the critics who say that Pres Abbot brought in this consulting firm to "rubber stamp" USD going D1. Heard this man speak on 590 AM out of Omaha yesterday, his firm is stocked with academic types and are not in the business of advising every school to move up.

[star2city]

2. President Miller is retiring at the end of this year and the Mid-Con wanted assurances that the next President of SDSU would also have a strong commitment to D-I athletics. From the Mid-Con's point of view this makes a ton of sense because the last thing they would want is to admit a new member and then the new President cuts the athletic budget in half. They received their assurances and the rest is history.

So apparently, by your logic, SDSU athletics is so weak financially speaking or has such a tenuous commitment to DI that the MidCon needed assurances from the Regents that the money would be there? I actually give your school more credit than that, 89rabbit.

The truth of the matter is: if SDSU drops out of DI, the MidCon will receive a $500,000 exit fee. That is all the assurance that the MidCon needs.

Why in your world are there sooooo many "secret" meetings?

Tthese schools recently gained conference memberships through closed meetings:

The University of Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, Marquette, DePaul, St. Louis, Charlotte, UTEP, Central Florida, Marshall, New Mexico State, Utah State, Idaho, Valparaiso

Central Arkansas, Albany, Binghampton, Kennesaw St, Florida Gulf Coast, SC-Upstate, UC-Davis, Winston-Salem St, Seattle

How many times do these names need to be repeated to sink into thick skulls?

[89rabbit]

So apparently, by your logic, SDSU athletics is so weak financially speaking or has such a tenuous commitment to DI that the MidCon needed assurances from the Regents that the money would be there? I actually give your school more credit than that, 89rabbit.

The truth of the matter is: if SDSU drops out of DI, the MidCon will receive a $500,000 exit fee. That is all the assurance that the MidCon needs.

Tthese schools recently gained conference memberships through closed meetings:

The University of Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, Marquette, DePaul, St. Louis, Charlotte, UTEP, Central Florida, Marshall, New Mexico State, Utah State, Idaho, Valparaiso

Central Arkansas, Albany, Binghampton, Kennesaw St, Florida Gulf Coast, SC-Upstate, UC-Davis, Winston-Salem St, Seattle

How many times do these names need to be repeated to sink into thick skulls?

I can now see how your fantasies come about. I explain why the Mid-Con site visit team makes a trip to Spearfish to meet with SDSU's current President and talk to the Board of Regents in an effort to make sure that the person that the BOR hire to replace President Miller is also committed to D-I athletics and in your mind you think I am making a point about SDSU's financial well being.

To "back up" your point you site a contract stipulation that now exists because we have been offered and did accept an invitation to join the Mid-Con but did not exist at the time of the meeting. Perhaps the very contract stipulation, that you site, was part of the very short meeting that took place in the Black Hills.

Not only did all this happen but it is logical that the Mid-Con site visit team would like to talk with the current President of the University they are thinking about offering an invitation to and that they wanted reassurance that the next President would also be committed. I mean come on organizations never change after they get a new leader (that is sarcasm in case you are wondering).

Instead you want us to believe that the South Dakota Board of Regents held the Mid-Con hostage and said we will only let you have SDSU if you agree to take USD in.

I'll ask the board, which one seems more likely?

Then you go off on a tirade and list almost every school that has received a conference invite in the past few years. Problem is most of us knew well in advance of the invite that the schools and conferences were talking about. You know why? . . . Because it was public knowledge, because there were no secret meetings. That is not to say that every contact made between the schools and the conferences was of public record but the overwhelming majority of the work was above board.

You do have one on your list that I too believe happened due to "secret" meetings, I will give you Valpo moving to the Horizon League. Of all the schools you listed 1 had "secret" meetings all the others were discussed openly and above board.

I have no doubt that UND and USD will find conference homes. You both are too good not to. I also have no doubt that when your invitations come it will be because of the hard work and open discussions that your administrations have with whatever conference you end up in. It maybe the Mid-Con, it maybe the Big Sky, it could be another conference yet to be determined.

It is fun to speculate where your school my go, but do yourself a favor quite watching so may James Bond movies, and accept the reality of your situation no matter if you like it our not. UND's future is bright you just need to be patient.

Remember, must things in life are what they appear to be . . . if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck.

[sultan]

Everybody needs to relax. It took NDSU into the fifth year of the six year process to find homes for all their teams. A lot of things can happen in the next 4 or 5 years. We will end up just fine. This is no time to get all excited. It took NDSU a long time too. Go Sioux.

[star2city]

I'll ask the board, which one seems more likely?

So your long winded response in essence is: the MidCon was concerned about the finanical stability of the SDSU athletic program.

Problem is most of us knew well in advance of the invite that the schools and conferences were talking about. You know why? . . . Because it waspublic knowledge, because there were no secret meetings. That is not to say that every contact made between the schools and the conferences was of public record but the overwhelming majority of the work was above board.

So now you are changing history to fit your view of the world? State this same garbage on a Big East, CUSA, or WAC board, and you would be laughed off it. There was never public knowledge of these changes - schools and conferences didn't issue press releases - unlike the NDSU/SDSU situation with the MidCon. There was message board chatter, speculation, and rumors by sports columnists, exactly what you are criticizing here.

[89rabbit]

So your long winded response in essence is: the MidCon was concerned about the finanical stability of the SDSU athletic program.

So now you are changing history to fit your view of the world? State this same garbage on a Big East, CUSA, or WAC board, and you would be laughed off it. There was never public knowledge of these changes - schools and conferences didn't issue press releases - unlike the NDSU/SDSU situation with the MidCon. There was message board chatter, speculation, and rumors by sports columnists, exactly what you are criticizing here.

You got me James, I give up. Can I have a ride in your car that turns into a submarine?

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are it is a duck.

Have a nice weekend.

[Cratter]

With technology these days.....that duck probably isn't really a duck but a highly developed decoy made to simulate a duck.

[bincitysioux]

USD's task force has recommended that the University move to Division I. Their President will make a final decision before the end of December.

Link

[MplsBison]

Basically what everyone has known since UND moved up. UND and USD will partner up like NDSU and SDSU did and will be in the Mid Con for basketball and Great West for football to start out.

Possibly the Gateway for football in the future.

[aff]

Basically what everyone has known since UND moved up. UND and USD will partner up like NDSU and SDSU did and will be in the Mid Con for basketball and Great West for football to start out.

Possibly the Gateway for football in the future.

You know that no matter how many places you post that, its not going to make it true, right? Did UND or USD hire you on as part of their advertising budget or something? I have read three different boards now where you talk about UND and USD being reunited with NDSU and SDSU. Almost every place you post, even here, everything you say is discredited, and yet you keep posting like you think that if you can convince the fans of these boards that UND and USD will be added to the same conference as the SU's, that it will become true. Just relax about it. If you're so sure about it happening, then you probably don't need to continually post that its going to happen.

[UND92,96]

Augie is staying dII, and apparently is headed for the NSIC. link.

[Vegas_Sioux]

Augie is staying dII, and apparently is headed for the NSIC. link.

So Augie joins NSIC and why not have the rest of the NCC go D1 and invite back UNC and NDSU and the South dakota step kid

[NDSU grad]

So Augie joins NSIC and why not have the rest of the NCC go D1 and invite back UNC and NDSU and the South dakota step kid

Good luck with that.

[WYOBISONMAN]

So Augie joins NSIC and why not have the rest of the NCC go D1 and invite back UNC and NDSU and the South dakota step kid

The problem gets to be the autobids. I suspect that very soon NDSU and SDSU will be in a conference that will have a football autobid (Gateway) and we are going into the MidCon that has autobids in all other sports. If the old NCC members were to reunite it would be a long road to gaining autobids........if they ever could.

[The Sicatoka]

So Augie joins NSIC and why not have the rest of the NCC go D1 and invite back UNC and NDSU and the South dakota step kid

Not. Gonna. Happen.

If Augie is staying DII and looking at the NSIC, and given that SCSU, MSU-Mankato, and UMD are staying DII, I see the NSIC getting bigger and maybe splitting into two divisions very soon.

Or, maybe Winona State, Bemidji State, C-SP, one other NSIC join the core NCC of SCSU, MSU-M, UMD, and Augie.

You'll see one of those two scenarios long before the one you posed.

[The Sicatoka]

If the old NCC members were to reunite it would be a long road to gaining autobids........if they ever could.

Oh, they could, if they started today, in roughly the year 2020.

Again:

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Goodness, did UND and NDSU fans just agree on something?

[Vegas_Sioux]

Oh, they could, if they started today, in roughly the year 2020.

Again:

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Goodness, did UND and NDSU fans just agree on something?

Thanks for the info I've also heard that UNO is looking into the MIAA is there any truth to that?

[SiouxMD]

Goodness, did UND and NDSU fans just agree on something?

Even Nostradamus didn't see that one coming...

[star2city]

Thanks for the info I've also heard that UNO is looking into the MIAA is there any truth to that?

There was this story last week in the Omaha paper: UNO official: MIAA meeting positive (reg. required)

Interim Chancellor John Christensen met with presidents of the 10 institutions of the MIAA in the Kansas City area on Thursday and expects to hear soon whether the conference believes UNO should seek membership in a more formal way.

UNO to the MIAA is now a mere formality.

[star2city]

Augie is staying dII, and apparently is headed for the NSIC. link.

Augie could not get any type of assurance that they would get a conference invite within the next decade, even with a possibility of a new arena. The MidCon does not want three teams from South Dakota, as USD already has a firm gentleman's agreement from the MidCon, IMHO. (USD & SIUE are MidCon bound, UND is Big Sky bound.)

If Augie really wants a taste of DI, they should consider hockey in the CHA. With SDSU and USD needing major facility upgrades, Augie is the only SD school now that even conceivably could start a hockey program. Doubt that will happen though.