Sounds like Wichita St to the AAC... Who gets an Invite?

[MOST]

How did Grand Forks get in the conversation? That's a hard pass!

U. North Dakota at Grand Forks fits in a new western conference in a N/S footprint from Grand Forks to Little Rock passing through Fargo (NDSU), Brookings (SDSU), Vermillion (SDU), Omaha (NEB Omaha), Kansas City (UMKC), Springfield (MO State). Cedar Falls (UNI) and Des Moines (Drake) are a couple of hundred mile east of the straight line N/S footprint.

NDakota U facts: 2016/17 RPI 146, Grand Forks, Public, Enroll: 14,906, Endow: $230.5 million, FCS FB

2016/17 BB won the BIG Sky Tournament (and I think the conference championship) and the NCAA tournament bid. Think they won--or tied---for the BIG SKY FB championship with 139 Power Ranking and 8-0 conference and 9-3 overall records.

Transferring to the Summit for BB in 2017/18.

Matches the other Dakota schools--also matches UNI, NEB Omaha, Drake ???, MO State and and ARK LR for size, enrollment. etc.

I think the BB arena is new but only seats 3500. Don't know how far off that is from the current MVC average BB attendance (no including WSU).

[Redhawk]

How did Grand Forks get in the conversation? That's a hard pass!

U. North Dakota at Grand Forks fits in a new western conference in a N/S footprint from Grand Forks to Little Rock passing through Fargo (NDSU), Brookings (SDSU), Vermillion (SDU), Omaha (NEB Omaha), Kansas City (UMKC), Springfield (MO State). Cedar Falls (UNI) and Des Moines (Drake) are a couple of hundred mile east of the straight line N/S footprint.

NDakota U facts: 2016/17 RPI 146, Grand Forks, Public, Enroll: 14,906, Endow: $230.5 million, FCS FB

2016/17 BB won the BIG Sky Tournament (and I think the conference championship) and the NCAA tournament bid. Think they won--or tied---for the BIG SKY FB championship with 139 Power Ranking and 8-0 conference and 9-3 overall records.

Transferring to the Summit for BB in 2017/18.

Matches the other Dakota schools--also matches UNI, NEB Omaha, Drake ???, MO State and and ARK LR for size, enrollment. etc.

I think the BB arena is new but only seats 3500. Don't know how far off that is from the current MVC average BB attendance (no including WSU).

Isn't North Dakota already joining that new Western conference with a N/S footprint that stretches from Grand Forks to Tulsa. It's called the Summit League!

[MOST]

Think I already said North Dakota U transferring from the Big Sky to the Summit in 17/18.

IMO NDSU, NDU, SDU, SDSU OMAHA, best served by leaving the Summit and joining with UNI, Drake, MO State, UMKC and U ARK LR in a new western MVC (conference to be named ???). Better BB, affiliate FCS FB with the old MVCFB! Not hot on ORU (a ptivate/parochal), and IPFW, IUPUI, Western ILL, and Denver are all out of the footprint.

Kansas City and Omaha centrally located and great cities to host the conference March Madness Tournament. Could even consider Des Moines as a host city---or Little rock.

[uniftw]

I'm almost thinking there is no real reason to add anybody, unless something really good just comes along at some point. The schools in the Valley have as much if not more potential than the schools we are talking about to have success in the future. I think the bottom feeders from this year will all be better next year. I am fine with getting a program or two that can add something to the conference, but there does not seem to be any reason to add for the sake of adding.

I'm torn on this as well.

I'm good with adding all three of Murray State, Valpo and Belmont. I think those three, plus the league putting an epmhasis on making the bad teams less bad, makes us a potential 2 bid league most years. Belmont and Valpo have "name" to it. UNI has a name. Illinois State and Murray State have about the same name. If SIU and Bradley make a come back they have a known name. We can make it a 2 bid league and maybe 3 occasionally. Going to 12 and creating an unbalanced schedule will allow the conference to play the RPI game as well to some extent.

However, if we can get the bottom of our league to find a way to not be so far down the RPI rung moving forward 9 isn't a bad option. We have a relatively solid base of teams that have names and relatively recent runs to get things.

Also, splitting shares 9 ways in stead of 12.

[Redhawk]

Think I already said North Dakota U transferring from the Big Sky to the Summit in 17/18.

IMO NDSU, NDU, SDU, SDSU OMAHA, best served by leaving the Summit and joining with UNI, Drake, MO State, UMKC and U ARK LR in a new western MVC (conference to be named ???). Better BB, affiliate FCS FB with the old MVCFB! Not hot on ORU (a ptivate/parochal), and IPFW, IUPUI, Western ILL, and Denver are all out of the footprint.

Kansas City and Omaha centrally located and great cities to host the conference March Madness Tournament. Could even consider Des Moines as a host city---or Little rock.

Yep...sounds feasible. Don't forget to add that Illinois State and Missouri State would be best served
by playing FBS football and filling out the BIG 12. Would fit right in with Iowa St, Kansas St & Oklahoma St!

[arkstfan]

Thanks for the insider info. Their arena looks really nice and the other facilities are on a par
with most of the Valley...(UTA's facilities are even better!)

Do you think the Trojans could compete in the Valley? How is the fan support?

While LR's current attendance isn't going to make the Valley warm and funny feeling I tend to think that being in a like-minded conference would help.

I think moving from the TAAC (now ASUN) hurt because they were now playing the same schedule as AState (literally the team they play one night travels to AState while AState's opponent then travels to LR). The only differentiation from AState is the campus, coach, and facilities. Players visiting for early signing at UALR don't have any sports to take in except women's soccer at AState they get a football game. Sort of locks them into a niche they weren't in before.

AD is young but seems to have his head on right and was a great fund-raiser in past academic positions around the state.

I think it helps them but I'm not sure they want to move. If UTA were on board I think they'd be much more interested.

[MOST]

[quote=

Yep...sounds feasible. Don't forget to add that Illinois State and Missouri State would be best served
by playing FBS football and filling out the BIG 12. Would fit right in with Iowa St, Kansas St & Oklahoma St!

[/quote]

[b]You must be a troll looking to argue! [/b]
FBS is a looser--a money pit--at any level: SUN BELT, MAC, CONF USA ??? 80 percent of the 100++ FBS programs are losing money. Have to be crazy to jump into that alligator pit!!! Big 12 may add 2 or 3 teams--but more than likely that will be Houston, BYU, Boise State, Memphis.---not an ILL or MO State. Get real!

And to think any one from the MVC, MAC or any other mid-majors is going to get into a P5 or G5 Conference is insane. Been reading similar crazy "WHEN" comments for years on the MO State BEAR Nation. It appears there are 2 or 3 FBS hard cores on every forum who just will not give it up. There are probably a dozen to two dozen bigger, richer schools lined up to enter a PG or G5. May get in the Sun Belt or Mountain West but those are not P% conferences. Membership shuffling among P5s and G5s may happen, but a cold day in hell before they start accepting midmajors into the fraternity. Not going to cut the pie---in fact will probably see some big conferences cut some of the low performers.

[Redhawk]

[quote=

Yep...sounds feasible. Don't forget to add that Illinois State and Missouri State would be best served
by playing FBS football and filling out the BIG 12. Would fit right in with Iowa St, Kansas St & Oklahoma St!

Wow...okay...that was sarcasm. I don't even think ISUr could get into the MAC at this point!

Why are you trolling here dreaming up this new "Western Conference" that half
of the Valley is supposed to want to join when in reality it is the Summit League?
Why don't you post on the Summit board about how you could improve that league.
You seem to have some big ideas they might want to hear!

[Lakesbison]

no one wants und. hell big sky WAIVED thier exit fee to get rid of them they lost $13 million in atheltics last year alone.

NDSU is the 1 getting MVC whispers.

hurry up mvc so we can end the rumors & speculation haha

[musiccitybulldog]

no one wants und. hell big sky WAIVED thier exit fee to get rid of them they lost $13 million in atheltics last year alone.

NDSU is the 1 getting MVC whispers.

hurry up mvc so we can end the rumors & speculation haha

Lake Bison, I'm not trying to be funny, but do they really get crowds in bitter weather?
Isn't the average low in February .Zero?