Should the Summit extend invites to E. Illinois and UND?

[lakesbison]

Zoo for your own sanity, stop. Yours and Ndsu's facts, aren't accepted up.there,.even though we're right.

[Bison Dan]

Fact is Fullerton got schooled by Douple. Fullerton is his rush to add teams for the maybe departing BSC schools didn't make UND/USD a package deal. Now und is on a island and everyone in the BSC wants them out. The Summit unloaded a school no one wanted to the BSC and got USD in the deal. WIN-WIN for the Summit and no so much for the BSC.

[tony]

Some interesting thoughts from Tom Douple:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/2...08/1002/SPORTS

Q. It seemed clear that you had a vision to add the four Dakota schools to serve as cornerstones of the league. That didn't happen because North Dakota went with the Big Sky, canceling your site visit. Any regrets about that?

A. I just wish we would have had the opportunity to work with UND and help solve their issues, but we didn't get that opportunity and it's their decision. We wish them all the best.

One thing I've never understood is that the spin on USD not joining the Big Sky is that somehow the Summit, USD, Tom Douple, Patty Viverito, and/or NDSU did something underhanded. It was the Big Sky that was trying to poach Summit League members (including USD) not the other way around.

As for inviting UND and EIU - it's not the time yet. UND will incur a $1 million penalty for leaving the Big Sky if the Sky disapproves. Give it a couple years and see if both UND and the Big Sky are satisfied with each other. Sure, I know UND folks are saying that the travel budget is no big deal but, in my opinion, that's ridiculous. It should be obvious to anybody who knows how to work a calculator that having travel expenses around $1 million more than any other Dakota university is not insignificant. Moreover, Big Sky members might find they can't afford the added expense of getting to Grand Forks, especially given that they have no real travel partner. If it works for both parties, bully for them. If not, then let the talks begin.

[rabidrabbit]

EIU may not be interested in leaving the OVC either. There needs to be mucho work by the Summit, especially on the MVFC and EIU to make this work.

UND did themselves no favor by cancelling the Summit visit. UND taking that unilateral move definitely created the opportunity for USD to go Summit, and get the MVFC to render the quick, single, invite to USD. UND allowed themselves to be well played by USD.

A final outcome, should MT leave, may be for UND to become a FB only member of the BSC, and Summit for the rest. Other than FB, Summit has all the sports that UND has in other leagues. In swimming, UND would REALLY push Oakland for the conference title.

Regarding baseball, watch SUmmit invite SUU, UND, UNC to play as associate members.