Summit Expansion?

[unbison]

Creighton got in at the very beginning as the conference was forming. The only add in the decade since is UConn, a perennial BB powerhouse. STM might leave the Summit but I don't see them in the BE.

Correct but they had 17 tourney appearances at that point and played in the MVC
Which is more well thought of then the summit now
And the gap may have narrowed. The gap narrowed mainly, due to the mvc losing Creighton and Wichita.

[NDSUstudent]

Creighton also played in a new 17k seat arena which they packed. They were top 10 in attendance for the country when they left for the Big East.

Like I said unless something dramatic happens, UST has a ways to go to match that level.

[nodak651]

Lot's of St. Thomas to Big East talk... but have they even stuck a local TV deal yet? Not sure they will be the ratings draw a lot of people think they will become. They will be great for the Summit Leage though, and if ORU basketball continues to do well, and if St. Thomas continues to improve, it will help a ton in making up ground with the MVC, which I think is going to regress. If NDSU finds itself in the FCS and nothing much significantly changes at the NCAA level, structurally, within the next 5 years or so, the Summit League legitimately could have the potential to poach a few of the MVC schools, IMO. Especially if they don't get lucky with their new conference members like they did with the Loyola addition.

It will be interesting to see what the Summit League's new TV deal looks like when it's finally announced in the next month or two. If the league remains stable, I could see Fenton pushing for Summit Football while trying to poach UNI, Illinois State, SIU, and potentially a school like Bradley when the league looks to renegotiate it's next TV contract. Guessing Missouri St will be gone. WIU would need to be politely shown the door and UMKC would need better investment, as well. There is legit potential with this league, though, if given the time.

Summit Football with 4 Dakotas, UNI, Ill St, SIU, and St. Thomas would be a hell of a lot better than the status quo. UNO recently had 200 FB alumni on campus as well, and there could be some potential for them to bring the program back, as well.

Smaller FB conf would also give NDSU an extra game to schedule more home and homes with schools like Deleware or the Montanas, Jackson State, etc. Could also allow NDSU the ability demand less money for FBS games, which could help them with getting those games scheduled.

[El_Chapo]

please get out of here and these sad discussions. ICK

[BigHorns]

Lot's of St. Thomas to Big East talk... but have they even stuck a local TV deal yet? Not sure they will be the ratings draw a lot of people think they will become. They will be great for the Summit Leage though, and if ORU basketball continues to do well, and if St. Thomas continues to improve, it will help a ton in making up ground with the MVC, which I think is going to regress. If NDSU finds itself in the FCS and nothing much significantly changes at the NCAA level, structurally, within the next 5 years or so, the Summit League legitimately could have the potential to poach a few of the MVC schools, IMO. Especially if they don't get lucky with their new conference members like they did with the Loyola addition.

It will be interesting to see what the Summit League's new TV deal looks like when it's finally announced in the next month or two. If the league remains stable, I could see Fenton pushing for Summit Football while trying to poach UNI, Illinois State, SIU, and potentially a school like Bradley when the league looks to renegotiate it's next TV contract. Guessing Missouri St will be gone. WIU would need to be politely shown the door and UMKC would need better investment, as well. There is legit potential with this league, though, if given the time.

Summit Football with 4 Dakotas, UNI, Ill St, SIU, and St. Thomas would be a hell of a lot better than the status quo. UNO recently had 200 FB alumni on campus as well, and there could be some potential for them to bring the program back, as well.

Smaller FB conf would also give NDSU an extra game to schedule more home and homes with schools like Deleware or the Montanas, Jackson State, etc. Could also allow NDSU the ability demand less money for FBS games, which could help them with getting those games scheduled.

Agree Summit has potential to leapfrog MVC down the road.

Guess you are saying we could schedule multiple FBS games? I could see that if we were able to add a G5 game or two. Multiple P5 games could be bad for playoff seeding. We need to try to remain a top 4 seed most years. Anything less could really make things go downhill.

[reformedUNDfan]

No way in hell is the Big East going after St Thomas. They don't have the money, facilities, name or track record.

[ByeSonBusiness]

No way in hell is the Big East going after St Thomas. They don't have the money, facilities, name or track record.

Their endowment is a few times larger than some of the Big East members. If they build a nice facility, I don't see what the problem would be.

[El_Chapo]

No way in hell is the Big East going after St Thomas. They don't have the money, facilities, name or track record.

from the UST donors I know. Big East is #1 priority 5-10 years down road. MVC Basketball would be welcomed as well if viewed as a stepping stone. Pretty sad when a D3 basketball program scoffs at the summit.

[bisonaudit]

Their endowment is a few times larger than some of the Big East members. If they build a nice facility, I don't see what the problem would be.

They’ve already announced a planned new arena.

[BigHorns]

Their endowment is a few times larger than some of the Big East members. If they build a nice facility, I don't see what the problem would be.

Don't think they can just buy their way into Big East. They'll need to do something notable in the postseason, and build a basketball brand like Gonzaga or Xavier. Not impossible, but will take work.