ORU press conference tomorrow

[Kermit]

Again people, NKU is tied-in with the OVC.

Is it a signed deal? Or is it more like how UND was tied in with the Summit? Or how USD was tied in with the Big Sky?

[Kermit]

Agreed but I don't want to add some far flung school or an academic/athletic joke like Chicago State. I'd only support one MN school though.

That said, Douple needs to go all in on NKU, I don't care if he has to guarantee a conference tournament is played in Cincinnati for two years to make it happen. Just get it done.

I totally agree with everything Student has posted in this thread.

[TheBisonator]

Further threats:

Oakland - Wants the Horizon, we all know that
IPFW - Same
IUPUI - Ditto

WIU and UMKC don't seem to give two shits about where they are in the grand scheme of things. If WIU truly cared about where they wanted to go in college athletics, they'd have tried to get into the MVC with UNI back in the late 80's.

USD is happy as hell just to be where they are.
UNO - Same.

XDSU's - Have been in DI longer than USD/UNO, are seeing what's going on, don't want to be stuck in a high-turnover conference (maybe?? I'm assuming.) Upgrading facilities like crazy. I can see USD joining the level of the XDSU's once they get a couple years seeing what a real DI conference tastes like, and is they get the ball rolling on their new BB arena.

ORU - Goneski.

So you have NDSU, SDSU, USD, UNO, WIU, UMKC left if the other threats come to fruition. Add Mankato, St. Cloud and some other losers, and you have something that I REALLY REALLY don't like.

Hell, let's just bring in UND, start a Summit Hockey Conference, then when the next divisional shift comes in the NCAA, we can get outvoted by UND, SCSU and MSU (and maybe also UNO, WIU, UMKC) to stay ahead again and be right back to where we were in 1990. YAY!!!!!!

[TheBisonator]

Is it a signed deal? Or is it more like how UND was tied in with the Summit? Or how USD was tied in with the Big Sky?

The OVC stated that they would extend an invite to NKU if they started transition. It was in the news about NKU not too long ago.

I would have been all for NKU. They would have the best arena in the Summit by far.

[Hambone]

Let me ask you guys this - serious question that I'm curious on some thoughts. Let's say that ORU, Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW all bail in the next couple years. St Cloud, Mankato, Chicago State and some other random school are tabbed as replacements. Let's say the Big Sky comes calling and says "We want you to be football school 14 and all conference member 12." What would you, as fans, like to happen? Again, just curious and I'd like non-smacky responses........

[NDSUstudent]

Let me ask you guys this - serious question that I'm curious on some thoughts. Let's say that ORU, Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW all bail in the next couple years. St Cloud, Mankato, Chicago State and some other random school are tabbed as replacements. Let's say the Big Sky comes calling and says "We want you to be football school 14 and all conference member 12." What would you, as fans, like to happen? Again, just curious and I'd like non-smacky responses........

I wouldn't even think twice about it....It would be Big Sky or bust.

[TheBisonator]

Let me ask you guys this - serious question that I'm curious on some thoughts. Let's say that ORU, Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW all bail in the next couple years. St Cloud, Mankato, Chicago State and some other random school are tabbed as replacements. Let's say the Big Sky comes calling and says "We want you to be football school 14 and all conference member 12." What would you, as fans, like to happen? Again, just curious and I'd like non-smacky responses........

Big Sky is > A Summit League in your scenario.

Hell, right now I think the Sky > A Summit League without ORU.

So, yes, I think it would be stupid for us to not take that.

At that point, I think IF UND is called the Roughriders or Rangers and no longer has the nickname thing threatening them from the Sky, it will be CRITICAL that UND STAYS in the Big Sky, because UND IS the other Dakota 3 school's means of getting into that conference.

Now that I think of it more, it's not Doug Elgin from the MVC I think Gene Taylor should be on the phone with, it's Doug Fullerton.

[EndZoneQB]

The OVC stated that they would extend an invite to NKU if they started transition. It was in the news about NKU not too long ago.

I would have been all for NKU. They would have the best arena in the Summit by far.

So, we go in and say, hey, NKU, you are invited to the Summit right meow. Welcome.

[zooropa]

ORU is going to a conference that is worse than the Summit in every sport except baseball.

Think about that. They are willingly taking a step down.

I think you have to ask yourself how long they would've been a valuable member of the Summit if this is the kind of competitive choice they're prepared to make.

As far as replacement schools go, there aren't any good ones in the geographic footprint. I'm not in favor of the NKU idea. UALR is interesting, but essentially as far away from Oakland as Fargo is.

AFA is also interesting, and they'd probably listen to a Summit pitch, once they were shown the Summit RPI. However, adding a program (no matter how prestigious) that is actively seeking a lower competitive profile just doesn't sound like a winning formula.

[TheBisonator]

So, we go in and say, hey, NKU, you are invited to the Summit right meow. Welcome.

If I was NKU and had a choice b/w a Summit League without ORU and the OVC as it currently is, I think I would think about 2 nanoseconds before deciding on the OVC.

The departure of ORU quite possibly has made the Summit a bottom-5 DI conference.