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WYOBISONMAN
03-17-2003, 04:23 PM
I am still amazed by the cold shoulder NDSU got from the Big Sky members. I think that NDSU and SDSU are a great fit for the conference and I still believe that the Big Sky is a great fit for NDSU. However, there seems to be a huge amount of arrogance on the part of some of the members of the Big Sky over expanding east at all. They are all excited over a possibility of UNC or UCD (which is now out given the UCD invitation to the Big West) joining. Hell, NDSU can offer more prestige to the BSC than can UCD or UNC in that NDSU is THE land grant institution for North Dakota. Go figure thier mentality...

I think it is an unfortunate action on the part of the BSC and it is an action that they (the BSC) will regret. NDSU will develop into a D1AA powerhouse. On the horizon, I see not another option as appealing as the Big Skyfor both NDSU and the BSC. Some how I hope this thing is salvaged.

NDSU_grad
03-17-2003, 04:30 PM
I agree. For some reason, they seem to have an infatuation with Northern Colorado, even though UNC isn't even entertaining a notion of joining. Also, there is no way UNC could ever offer the media exposure of NDSU, what with CSU, UC, and UW all very close to Greeley.

Bison_Kent
03-18-2003, 03:11 AM
I am not sure the Big Sky is completely out of the question yet. We have a year to convince 2/3 of the members we should be included. Having a good crowd at Montana of NDSU fans would go a long way to showing the Big Sky that we will have fans at any game, any where and in a good number. We should try to get a group together to have a section of the Washington-Grizzly Stadium. You that they will have a crowd at the FargoDome. We need to get as many fans as possible to show what NDSU is all about.

NDSU_grad
03-18-2003, 09:23 PM
If the Big Sky does not work out, I hope Taylor pushes real hard for the Horizon. I think for non-football sports this is definitely the best fit for the Bison. I think it's a drastically better basketball conference than the Mid-Con (they got an at-large bid to the tournament this year). I still think the Big Sky is the best fit because they sponsor football and new rivalries would develop very quickly with the Montana schools.

Bison_Kent
03-19-2003, 02:51 AM
The Horizon does make sense. The Mid-Cont. has teams stread all over mid-section of the country from Utah to Indiana. The Horizon has teams just in the midwest in Wisconson, Illinios, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Also, this league is in major cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Since most of these teams don't have football, it would be hard to build football rivaliries. Since this is the case, I am in favor of a more western conference with such teams as the new I-AA teams of Cal-Davis, N. Colorado, SDSU, NDSU, and some current independants of S. Utah and Cal-Poly and St. Mary's of California.

The Big Sky would be the best but this would be a good alternative.

Bisonguy
03-19-2003, 04:30 AM
BisonKent,

I like the idea of a new conference with the possible teams you mentioned, but time zones could be a problem. There would be teams in three different time zones. On the west coast, they seem to run a little later(i.e. 11 'clock news) and many DIA teams schedule games at 8 o'clock. At an away game on the west coast, the Bison could be at kickoff at 10 o'clock CST. That just seems a little too late for student-athletes.

NDSU_grad
03-19-2003, 02:57 PM
I don't think the time zone difference if the conference was football only. All games would be played on Saturday, so the players would have Sunday to recuperate.

Bisonguy
03-20-2003, 12:37 AM
New News on the Big Sky-

As reported by WDAY, 3 members of the Big Sky support NDSU and SDSU becoming members of the Big Sky, two members are against it, and three are open to the idea and sitting on the fence. NDSU and SDSU need six of eight votes to be allowed into the conference. The AD's are more against the idea, but the Presidents(the guys that vote) are more for allowing the Dakotas in. Looks like the Big Sky door is still open, albeit only slightly.

WYOBISONMAN
03-20-2003, 02:51 PM
I hope that Dr. Chapman is in high political gear to try and get this done with the BSC. I am convinced that it is the right thing for all parties involved. I think the guesses as to what schools support the move and what ones are against it is correct. It is unfortunate that Wanless has taken the anti-NDSU bias from UND to Sac. State. That guy has no credibility. He is not thinking of the future of the BSC.

SDSUFAN
03-22-2003, 04:18 AM
From what I have read from other posters and other boards, Sac State is about to get a new president and the current one has or will soon retire. I suppose that kind of gives Wanless some power that he might not otherwise have when there is a lame duck President *on board.

Portland State, Cal-State-Northridge being in suburban LA and Sacremento State were admitted to the BSC for their media market exposure. How laughable this assumption has turned out to be. Portland State took their basketball team to the Rose Garden Arena to play their home games and it was a complete disaster. Now they are playing in a tiny facility on campus. Some high schools have a better facility. *Sac State was doing okay in football as long as the CFL franchise was there to subsidize but the CFL left and Sac State program is going South. *Northridge was suppose to improve their facilities so as to draw big in LA and that never happened plus they had a corrupt football coach that drove their program further in the ground than a missle that landed in Iraq that missed its target. These big cities media markets are a joke and no guarentee whatsoever that they provide schools in Montana and Idaho greater exposure. *What they forget is that most of these larger cities have a ton of events going on and D1AA football becomes a minor attraction. The same is true of basketball.

Lets not give up on the Big Sky. I think there is some lobbying going on at this very minute. No details, but a hunch on my part.

Bison_Kent
03-23-2003, 12:31 AM
SDSU Fan,

I agree. *I think the Big Sky should look for medium sized markets like Fargo and the Sioux Falls/Brookings areas. *Portland and Sacramento have pro basketball teams along with DI-A colleges close-by. *Both of those schools play in Division III sized basketball arenas (around 1500 capacities). *Portland State's football stadium is nice from what I have seen but is rarely filled. *It is the same stadium as the Portland AAA baseball team. *Sacramento State's football stadium is nice too but no one attends. *Cal-Northridge is now out of the conference after not meeting Big Sky facilitity measures. *It sounds like Sac. St. and Portland St. might not meet the requirements in basketball. *

There was talk earlier of those two schools being let go from the conference since the BIG city experiment didn't work. *If these two teams were eliminated the travel issue would be less of a concern. *

I have received an e-mail from Gene Taylor on the issue of the Big Sky and there is lobbying going on. *When there are three schools in favor of NDSU & SDSU coming in and those three are three charter members of the conference (Montana, Montana St., & Idaho St. presuming), it is very much still a reality. *

JBB
03-29-2003, 02:57 PM
I don't think NDSU will have too much trouble as an independent. There are a lot of scheduling opportunities. 2 automatic games are SDSU and UND in all sports.

NDSU could probably lock up 4 games in the BSC, in all sports, for at least 10 years.
It might be possible to do that in the Gateway too. Your going to get some games out of those leagues every year. If you can get only get 8 games from that bunch you only need 2 or 3 more football games and your other sports would have a bunch of games too.

We would probably want a DI game. We would have to look to the Mid Continent, There's future opportunity in the Big-10 too, but we are really out of our league there right now.Teams that used to be in D2 like Troy State would be possible.

I don't think we would have too much trouble finding a couple of other DI-AA schools for football, and maybe a football connection would help other sports connect?

A 10 or 11 game football schedule doesn't seem that hard, especially if we play home/home. We wouldn't do that in D2 often and it made games hard to find.

Bison_Kent
05-22-2003, 02:31 PM
Just thought I would pass this along. *It looks like the Big Sky won't be expanding until the aftermath of the I-A situation is up. *I believe this would be after the 2004-2005 seasons. *


May 21, 2003

Big Sky Holds Annual Spring Meeting

Related Material

Big Sky Spring Meetings

The Big Sky Conference concluded its annual spring meetings Tuesday in Ogden where athletic administrators from each Big Sky institution and university presidents discussed a variety of issues concerning the league.

A review of the criteria used when discussing expansion was a main topic at the meetings. The criteria to be used by the league will ensure that prospective members are an academic and geographical fit along with strengthening the league rather than simply making it larger.


"We are in a strong position in that we are stable with eight full-time members"; said Doug Fullerton, Big Sky Commissioner. "There is reason to believe that we may very well have the opportunity to expand in the near future. There are many changes beginning to occur and with the new I-A criteria set to take effect in 2004, this could be a watershed time of realignment."


Big Sky academic standards were also examined at the meetings. The academic standards in the Big Sky have been and will remain more stringent than NCAA standards. Administrators also reviewed rights fees and television schedules on local, regional and national networks.

BisonMav
05-22-2003, 03:39 PM
Big Sky Holds Annual Spring Meeting

There are many changes beginning to occur and with the new I-A criteria set to take effect in 2004, this could be a watershed time of realignment.

I don't think there will be as much change as expected. The current IA teams on the bubble will fight hard to stay IA. On the Griz board they talked about Idaho playing a game to a Neutral site with more seating, and calling it a home game, just to raise their average attendance. An Idaho official even said they would rather be DII that go back to I-AA.

Sac_State
05-22-2003, 04:22 PM
Who is this Idaho official? Moe Howard? That is ludricous to say they would rather be DII than IAA. Are they that prideful that they would abandon all DI classification because their football team plays in a sub-standard DI facility, among other short fallings? Idaho belongs in the Big Sky at IAA football, along with Cow Poly SLOW. Pride comes before a fall.

JBB
05-22-2003, 04:27 PM
I tend to agree with you BisonMav. Idaho is not going back to the BSC. I dont know how many other changes will occure, but I think we should follow Fullertons advice from a while back. He supports and encourages the move to DI by the NCC shcools and has assured us that the BSC will do all they can to help out including scheduling. I think an affiliation with the BSC would help fill out our independent schedule in a lot of sports. It would also give us some great competition so we would be prepared to compete at the end of our 5 year period. At that time, if we are competitive finding a home is going to be a lot easier.

Even the Mid Con is dubious about us because we are still viewed as a DII school. This wont change until we are fully geared up.

Bison_Kent
07-17-2003, 03:03 AM
Here is an article from the San Luis Obispo newspaper on the WAC and its possible expansion. One thing that I say was the following quote:

"If we can solidify ourselves in the Central time zone and create a 12-team league," Benson said, "that makes us more powerful....

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/sports/colleges/cal_poly_san_luis_obispo/6299698.htm

BisonInTexas
07-17-2003, 04:08 AM
Here is an article from the San Luis Obispo newspaper on the WAC and its possible expansion. *One thing that I say was the following quote:

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/sports/colleges/cal_poly_san_luis_obispo/6299698.htm

Care to speculate how this will trickle down to affect NDSU? With the WAC being a full, all-sports DI conference - I don't see the connection.

This is off-topic, but speculation in Dallas has Louisville and Cincinnati going to a new all-sports conference consisting of them and the remaining FB-playing Big East schools (the Dallas Morning News reported the following last week)

New York Post and the Daily Mail of Charleston, W. Va., cited anonymous sources saying that the six remaining Big East all-sports members are close to finalizing a move to break away from the basketball-based schools and form a new league.

That new Division I-A conference, created by West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Rutgers and Connecticut, would then invite Louisville and Cincinnati from Conference USA. That would create an eight-team conference for football, and sources indicated that Notre Dame would join that group for all sports except football.

Those moves would be made for the 2005-06 school year, leaving St. John's, Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall and Providence to find other members for a basketball league.


The Domino Theory would then lead to CUSA poaching SMU and Rice from the WAC (SMU desperately wants to be back in the same league as TCU). What affects NDSU is possibly the remaining Big East BB schools looking to another BB conference to grab other schools from (probably A10), which eventually trickles down to the Mid-Con or Horizon, opening up a spot for NDSU.

It would be fun to play fantasy conference commissioner and come up with a scenario, but I am too tired to tackle that one tonight... :)

Craig

WYOBISONMAN
07-22-2003, 10:23 PM
I have noticed an interesting change in attitude on the E-Griz board. Most seem much more willing to look at NDSU as a potential member of the BSC. I think that the news coming out of Portland State is making some of the fans rethink whether or not it is a benifit having a team like PSU that offers access to a large media market, but has no loyal fan support. Hopefully the presidents of the BSC schools are also looking at that as well.