Big Sky Expansion

[bincitysioux]

Somebody asked in the Great West Predictions thread if there has been anymore rumblings about the remaining GWC schools and the Big Sky. Here are a few links to some Grand Forks media this week on the subject.........

UND remains on Big Sky radar

Big Sky athletic directors and administrators will meet next week with league commissioner Doug Fullerton to discuss the future of the conference.......

On Wednesday, Fullerton said not much has changed regarding UND’s possible membership. UND is still on the Big Sky radar.

“There is a lot of support for UND,” Fullerton said.

The information gathered from next week’s meeting with league athletic officials, Fullerton said, will help him “set the table” for the upcoming presidents’ meeting.

UND isn’t the only school under consideration for possible Big Sky membership. Southern Utah also is under consideration. And Fullerton said South Dakota has been discussed as well.

Big Sky vs. Summit/MVC

Can UND afford to pass on a Big Sky invite for the uncertainty of the Summit’s football future?
Imagine UND passing on the Big Sky and the Summit failing to solve UND’s football dilemma.
And if a Big Sky invite is to come about, it will likely come before a Summit football feasibility study is completed. The Big Sky’s timeline is moving much quicker than the Summit’s.

Will Montana go or stay

The Big Sky already is considering UND since it knows the WAC likely will extend an invitation to Montana.

Montana faces a huge decision. Does it leave the comfort of the Big Sky and FCS competition for the WAC, a Football Bowl Subdivision league?

If it moves up, UND becomes an even more attractive member for the Big Sky.

UND is a good fit for the Big Sky academically and athletically. The big question is geography. Adding UND would stretch the Big Sky across three time zones, something that is not appealing to some in the league.

[JBB]

There is little or no support for the Summit Football option. Nothing has been done and the time frame is indefinite at best. BSC for UND. Of course many fans want UND to go directly to the WAC. Good idea. I say go.

[Herky]

Bring in SUU before UND.

[weberwildcat]

I was too lazy to find UND but from Cal Poly to NDSU it is 1,914 miles.

[bpcats]

I think that most Cat and Griz fans agree that given a choice we would love to add the Dakota Schools (any and all) to the Big Sky. Very similar in their support of their sports and field quality teams. It would also heighten the annual Badlands Bowl (High School players from states of Montana and I think just North Dakota) play each other each year.

Travel costs seems to be the big factor, however if the Big Sky goes from round robin format in football to two divisions then I don't see why a Dakota school wouldn't be added.

All that said though, I could see SUU being added first.

[catbooster]

Given that our schools seldom are close enough to bus between games, is it really that much more expensive to fly farther? SUU makes some sense as it is probably close enough for several schools to bus. But I've always wondered about the travel costs when most of the games are flying regardless - it's just a matter of how far the flight is.

[BlackFalkin]

SUU, how hard is it to throw up another 5-10k in bleachers u bastards. Fix up that stadium u filthy hampsters!

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

I was too lazy to find UND but from Cal Poly to NDSU it is 1,914 miles.

It would be broken into two divisions and those two would be in separate divisions so the trips would be infrequent. Cal Poly and UCD are staying out of the BSC for the other sports so that isn't an issue either. Sac is a different story though as is NAU...who knows but it seems less formidable if you look at it in two divisions than it appears on the face of it all.

[Wildcat Ryan]

There are 3 GW teams that need a home, adding all 3 of them would give the Sky an un-even count in both football and basketball, right now the sky has 9 soon to be 11 football teams and 9 b-ball teams. If we add 1 team as a full member that would give us 12 football teams and 10 basketball teams which is what Fullerton said he wanted. that leaves 2 GW teams homeless, then if Montana leaves you can add one more of those schools to re-even the numbers, but that leaves one out.

Im in favor of adding all 3, it wouldnt really hurt football, one division would just have one more team than the other, but i dont like the lone-wolf scenario in basketball that Sac had to deal with last year.

We'll just have to wait and see, Fullertons probably just waiting to see if Montana leaves or not.

[SJHornet]

There are 3 GW teams that need a home, adding all 3 of them would give the Sky an un-even count in both football and basketball, right now the sky has 9 soon to be 11 football teams and 9 b-ball teams. If we add 1 team as a full member that would give us 12 football teams and 10 basketball teams which is what Fullerton said he wanted. that leaves 2 GW teams homeless, then if Montana leaves you can add one more of those schools to re-even the numbers, but that leaves one out.

Im in favor of adding all 3, it wouldnt really hurt football, one division would just have one more team than the other, but i dont like the lone-wolf scenario in basketball that Sac had to deal with last year.

We'll just have to wait and see, Fullertons probably just waiting to see if Montana leaves or not.

Southern Utah could potentially go Southland if they strike first. Then, if Montana leaves, add the two Dakota schools. UND as a full member and SDU as football only. I think that would help to allow Sac State to move to the Big West for all other sports and become a football only member. In this scenario Big Sky football is at 12, basketball at 10. The Big West thing is starting to be discussed in the Sac State board, but there is no official stance by the school to attempt Big West membership (nor can it be agreed upon whether it would be a good idea). I'd personally like to see it.

Too much instability in the FBS and FCS right now to determine who and what moves are going to be made. I agree with you though, I think Fullerton doesn't make a move until Montana makes a decision.

[Big McLargehuge]

I'd prefer SUU for logistical reasons, but wouldn't be against North Dakota either.

[TBirdz]

Crazy idea for expansion...will never happen but fun to think about. Bring on the CAA jokes.

Currently the Big Sky is at 9 all-sports members (including Montana) and soon-to-be 11 football-playing members. If Montana leaves, that gives the league an 8-10 arrangement. Why not then add San Diego, all 4 Dakota schools, and SUU.

For football, Big Sky North: NDSU, UND, SDSU, USD, Montana State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington, UNC.
Big Sky South: SUU, NAU, Weber, Portland St., Sac St., UC-Davis, Cal Poly, San Diego.

For all other sports, allow Sac St. to join the Big West along with Cal Poly and UC-D and allow San Diego to remain in the WCC. Your all sports members would be: NDSU, UND, SDSU, USD, MSU, ISU, EWU, UNC, SUU, WSU, NAU, Porland St.

A lot of conferences seem to enjoy many benefits from a 12 team all-sports league in terms of scheduling. Even though Big Sky football would be at 16 teams, you could have two even 8-team divisions that make sense geographically, culturally, etc. IMO. You could play each team in your division (7 games) and then play 2 cross-over games a year, leaving you with only 2 OOC games to fill a schedule each year whether they be FBS, FCS, D2.

As crazy as it seems, Fullerton did say the Sky might get to 16. I assumed he meant the leftovers of the WAC; maybe this could be what he meant instead.

[SuperHornet]

While I remain adamantly opposed to SUU in the Big Sky, that actually isn't my main beef with your arrangement, TBirdz. It's kinda difficult to wrap my brain around the idea of PSU in a division called South. Given the teams you cite, I'd much rather go with a E-W breakdown. That might kill the budding rivalry between Sac and Weber, but geographically, it makes a whole lot more sense.

[JBB]

Hey TBirdz, NDSU and SDSU are going nowhere near that idea. We like it the way it is.

The Big Sky is going to need 2 or 3 new members with 2 in football and 1 or 2 all sports. I think UND is being kept on the sidelines to be one of the all sports schools. USD is going to get a football and SUU maybe all sports. The MVFC and Summit are going to enter into scheduling arraignments with the "New" Big Sky.

I think the conferences have already divided up the spoils so to speak when they met about the future of FCS football west of the Mississippi.

[SUUTbird]

I dont really see why the Big Sky does not want us. We are decently competitive in all sports and would be a perfect geographical fit for the Sky (already have somewhat of a rivalry going with NAU). The only other hope i can see for the remaining Great West Conference teams is if the Summit League gets football. The league as a whole would be a pretty good one (more in terms of competitiveness then travel).

[bincitysioux]

Just a quick update on this subject...........

The Summit League is accelerating their timeline on North Dakota's potential membership in that conference. Due to the Big Sky's apparent recent interest in UND, the Summit has moved up their site visit my a month.

Summit League to visit UND

The Summit League will conduct a site visit at UND on Nov. 1-2, the league announced Monday. The Summit will visit the campus to gather information regarding UND’s application to join the conference.

The league was expected to visit UND in late November but apparently moved up the visit in response to speculation that the Big Sky Conference also is interested in UND.

Big Sky athletic directors and other athletic administration officials are meeting this week. The agenda likely includes UND’s possible membership in the league, which stretches from Montana to California.

The Big Sky presidents will meet Oct. 19, according to league commissioner Doug Fullerton. At that session, the presidents are expected to consider the findings from this weeks meeting of athletic directors..

[JBB]

I cant imagine a worse mistake. These people from UND are detached from reality and certainly will add little to the Summit except discord and contempt. Here is some recent UND conversation on this:

Rick:
I really hope the Big Sky Conference steps up and offers UND full membership and USD football membership in the next few weeks before the Summit makes their visit. I have absolutely no interesting the Summit League and even if Montana leaves the BSC I'd rather be in that league with Montana State and South Dakota.

I've always felt the Summit League was a big joke and now these clowns say they're going to make a trip to Grand Forks to gather up as much information about UND as possible. Dimple now says there's a lot of interest in UND. After that idiot makes his visit here, I think UND should make a trip to the Summit League offices and a few sites visits (at the Summit League's expense) to see if the league is up to UND standards.

Star2city:
Yet, there has been absolute silence from the Summit. Nothing is happening. Faison and Kelley were duped by Douple into thinking the nickname was the holdup. The holdup is and has been the fear of Summit football by three schools. A 75% majority, or 7 votes, is needed to add UND. Those three schools have enough power to block UND's admittance by a vote of 6-3 (USD can't vote yet and Centenary isn't eligible to vote), which is one vote short of admittance. It's possible other geo-politics are going on, but it is clear that once SUU is gone and the threat of Summit football is gone (only 5 fb teams), the Summit would add UND.

This is a comment from one of their more level headed morons. This guy was in the front when UND quit playing NDSU and SDSU and was also one of the big mouthpieces running down NDSU and its move to D1 (its very likely this person will post here soon calling for the mods to ban me. He does that all the time):

disiouxfan:
If NDSU were to ever vote against Summit Football or against conference expansion to UND then they should be punished severely. If Bresciani and Taylor were ever stupid enough to make such a decision they should lose their jobs immediately and the legislature should slash NDSU's funding as punishment for the economic hardship they're inflicting on the system. NDSU has a duty to act in the best interest of the system in such a situation and they're own concerns go out the window.

Here is from bincity himself. My how times change. It was only 7 yrs ago UND quit playing NDSU with an announcement at a state wide press conference. Now they all want to play NDSU? Please stop indulging yourselves.

Everyone wants to play NDSU, USD, and SDSU in everything, and so do I that's fine and dandy.

[Theee Catrabbit]

Hey TBirdz, NDSU and SDSU are going nowhere near that idea. We like it the way it is.

The Big Sky is going to need 2 or 3 new members with 2 in football and 1 or 2 all sports. I think UND is being kept on the sidelines to be one of the all sports schools. USD is going to get a football and SUU maybe all sports. The MVFC and Summit are going to enter into scheduling arraignments with the "New" Big Sky.

I think the conferences have already divided up the spoils so to speak when they met about the future of FCS football west of the Mississippi.

Without Montana(and I assume Cal Poly & Mont. State will move on rather quickly, too)the Big Sky would be a dead end for most of the Dakota schools. The BSC would be significantly weakened as well. Travel would be a beast.

My wishful thinking is SDSU and NDSU are let into the Missouri Valley as full members in all sports, it fits us.
But, by all means BSC, please take USD and UND.

[Theee Catrabbit]

For football, Big Sky North: NDSU, UND, SDSU, USD, Montana State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington, UNC.
Big Sky South: SUU, NAU, Weber, Portland St., Sac St., UC-Davis, Cal Poly, San Diego.

I mean you could make your half of the conference a little easier for SUU. Still not sure it would help them.

[bincitysioux]

Here is from bincity himself. My how times change. It was only 7 yrs ago UND quit playing NDSU with an announcement at a state wide press conference. Now they all want to play NDSU? Please stop indulging yourselves.

Everyone wants to play NDSU, USD, and SDSU in everything, and so do I that's fine and dandy.

Gee, a little out of context there don't ya think?


Anyways......................

Here's a couple "tweets" from North Dakota's beat writer...........

UND getting interest from both Summit and Big Sky. Big Sky persuing UND as all-sports member. Football-only doesn't appear to be an option.

Faison also says Big Sky is still viable for UND even if Montana bolts for the WAC

[SloStang]

I really think Montana is gone. I think that we will see both SUU and UND in the Big Sky.

[JBB]

hey bin, without explaining what you believe the context is you simply continue to wiggle and squirm with the truth. But truth or facts or even context arent in you repertoire. Seems like a lot of folks "take things out of context":

UND’s desire for the Summit surrounds its ability to reunite the Sioux with former conference rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota State. South Dakota is also scheduled to become a Summit member in July of next year.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id ... up/Sports/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Boy the worm has turned. From hateful resentment at every level directed toward The Mighty Land Grants by UND when they decided to move followed by quitting competition to this? Myopic at best.

Please BSC come through and take this school off of our hands. We want our conference to be tight knit. loyal competititve group. UND and its past history make that very unlikely if they are admitted.

Just for fun here is a look at Tom Millers main theme which further displays UNDs institution lack of character:

The Big Sky provides the safe haven for Sioux football, the No. 1 mission at this point in UND’s transition to Division I athletics. It would also sever UND’s one-time hope of reuniting with North Dakota State, South Dakota State and South Dakota in the Summit League.

http://gfsports.areavoices.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tom, UND quit playing NDSU and SDSU 7 years ago and the UND base was as ugly and as mean spirited as could be while doing it! That's not the kind of associations we want in the Summit.

[GeauxSioux]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/178185

However, the Summit does not sponsor football. Finding a conference home for football is one of UND’s primary concerns as it transitions into Division I athletics.

That’s the appeal of the Big Sky, a conference that does sponsor football. Faison said he had spoken to Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton within the past week.

“They have their process they’re working to, and we’re trying to address any information and questions they have along the way.

“We’re clearly in the mix. We’re definitely on the table. Whether other schools are on the table . . .?”

Although current fellow Great West Conference members Cal Poly and Cal Davis were invited to the Big Sky as football-only affiliates, Faison said no such offer has been extended to UND.

“Football-only has not been afforded us from the Big Sky. The discussion has been strictly as a full member. We’ve certainly asked the question about affiliated membership, but they’re really only considering us as a full member.”

With football-only membership to the Big Sky apparently not in the picture, what does that mean for football should the Summit League come calling?

“There is conversation with the Missouri Valley and the Summit making some sort of alliance for football. Nothing firm on that, but that’s something floating out there.”

The concern, though, is the uncertainty of a timeline regarding such collaboration.

What I and a lot of other Sioux fans have been saying, if UND has an option between the Big Sky and Summit, Big Sky is the clear choice due to football. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[bincitysioux]

I really think Montana is gone. I think that we will see both SUU and UND in the Big Sky.

I think you're probably right, and Montana St. may not be far behind them.............

MSU is going to ask their Board of Regents today to reconsider approving a stadium expansion that would bring the capacity of Bobcat Stadium up over 15,000.........

Missoulian

[CPAlum]

I really think Montana is gone. I think that we will see both SUU and UND in the Big Sky.

that would suck....I still say Hawaii is on their way out of the WAC and the BSC will be the better place to be for the foreseeable future. I would be bummed to see Montana leave just as we show up.