Summit Expansion?

[Yote 53]

The Stampede is basically high school kids looking for a college team. They can't really compete with D1 Hockey. If they can average over 6K for a bunch of 16-20 year olds, college hockey would kill it. If you look at USHL markets, I don't think any or many of them have D1 hockey teams, but I could be wrong. I don't think they would lose basketball revenue. We're talking D2 vs D1 basketball which is a whole different world and level of excitement. They would certainly schedule around it and hockey is kind of a different crowd altogether.

Madison, WI - Madison Capitols & Wisconsin Badgers
Omaha, NE - Omaha Lancers & UNO

[NDSUstudent]

If Augie was non-scholarship they could just whore themselves out to be a punching bag for NDSU, UNI, USD and SDSU...it would be humiliating for their fans but it would sustain their program.

I do agree about the SF media not really presenting that reality to their fanbase. Kelby clearly knows what is going to happen to football, he is polished enough to gloss over it when the media tosses him softballs with no follow up questions.

[Honeybooboo]

It is crazy comical. I can't figure out why Kelby has hitched himself to this train; hell, he's clearly driving it. He certainly has an ego (have to to make it in that job), but folks are naive if they think he doesn't have an angle, and I can't figure out what it is.

Meanwhile, you have Augie alumni who appear to be taking this all at face value (not asking hard questions of the clearly biased media) and not grasping the gulf between a college with enrollment <2000 compared to state funded, land grants like NDSU/SDSU and why we'd be skeptical about funding. It is nuttier than us joining the B1G!

I still dont see why or how anyone thinks this is a Lock? USD and SDSU have ZERO reason to vote them in, neither does NDSU for that matter...its more Competition for Recruits and fans in an already small pool in SD, and just another "home" team in the SLT for NDSU.

The negatives far out weight the positives for the State Schools. Unless the Summit wants to follow the Private/State model the MVC has....I hope to hell that's not it, im sorry to any Augie fans lurking but I could give a shit about your proximity for "regional" game, Them coming to town will not be exciting.

[Honeybooboo]

If Augie was non-scholarship they could just whore themselves out to be a punching bag for NDSU, UNI, USD and SDSU...it would be humiliating for their fans but it would sustain their program.

I do agree about the SF media not really presenting that reality to their fanbase. Kelby clearly knows what is going to happen to football, he is polished enough to gloss over it when the media tosses him softballs with no follow up questions.

SF Media want a DI team they don't have to ravel to report on, they will pimp this any way they can, oh and you know they have Suck Sanford's you know what.

[THEsocalledfan]

I still dont see why or how anyone thinks this is a Lock? USD and SDSU have ZERO reason to vote them in, neither does NDSU for that matter...its more Competition for Recruits and fans in an already small pool in SD, and just another "home" team in the SLT for NDSU.

The negatives far out weight the positives for the State Schools. Unless the Summit wants to follow the Private/State model the MVC has....I hope to hell that's not it, im sorry to any Augie fans lurking but I could give a shit about your proximity for "regional" game, Them coming to town will not be exciting.

I 100% agree, but Kelby also is a big supporter of those teams too; I think that may be part of the problem. Yes, he very well may be that powerful. And if you think Kelby has zero influence on Matt Larson.......

I just want to know his angle. No way it is just ego, doing good for the community, etc.

[jrd]

I still dont see why or how anyone thinks this is a Lock? USD and SDSU have ZERO reason to vote them in, neither does NDSU for that matter...its more Competition for Recruits and fans in an already small pool in SD, and just another "home" team in the SLT for NDSU.

The negatives far out weight the positives for the State Schools. Unless the Summit wants to follow the Private/State model the MVC has....I hope to hell that's not it, im sorry to any Augie fans lurking but I could give a shit about your proximity for "regional" game, Them coming to town will not be exciting.

SDSU and USD, specifically SDSU will be flat out crucified by the SF media if they put up any road blocks for Augies path to D I. You might not have been around during the transition but it was so bad KWSN ( SF sports talk radio) was so opposed to SDSU going D I they flat out refused to cover SDSU, report scores, or anything. It wasn't until the Argus leader hired Terry Vandrovec, and he started covering SDSU in a positive light, making the other news outlets look foolish, did things change with the SF media. Remember the SF media is all about SF. Augie going DI is Sioux Fall's ticket to a legitimate sports league which it desperately wants, which is why the power players in SF are pushing this.

[MrAugustana]

I still dont see why or how anyone thinks this is a Lock? USD and SDSU have ZERO reason to vote them in, neither does NDSU for that matter...its more Competition for Recruits and fans in an already small pool in SD, and just another "home" team in the SLT for NDSU.

The negatives far out weight the positives for the State Schools. Unless the Summit wants to follow the Private/State model the MVC has....I hope to hell that's not it, im sorry to any Augie fans lurking but I could give a shit about your proximity for "regional" game, Them coming to town will not be exciting.

Based on everything that has been posted/debated for the past year or so, it seems one of the primary reasons to vote them in is security for postseason auto-qualifiers, particularly if IPFW or Western Illinois bolts in the near future.

Yes, I know, everyone would rather add UMKC, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, or even one of the D2 Minnesota schools, but, like I said a couple of posts ago, there seems to be zero indication that any of those schools want to jump into the Summit League. So saying what you (the general "you" meaning NDSU/USD/SDSU fans, etc., not you specifically, Honeybooboo) would prefer doesn't bring it to reality or make it suddenly more likely to happen. Augie appears to be the only realistic short-term option.

As others have said, if that's the only reason Augie is being added, that's not necessarily a great reason. But I doubt that's the only reason those schools would allow Augie in.

Assuming Augie can raise the funds necessary to compete, you are adding a high-academic institution in a hub city for this region (with major predicted growth), and, since they have finally started to genuinely invest in athletics over the past 10-15 years, an athletics program that has consistently seen high-level success across all sports at their current level. Yes, there is a major, major jump between D2 and D1, but my point is that, if Augustana continues to invest in athletics to the same degree (or a greater degree) at the D1 level as they have been at the D2 level, there's clearly an indication they have a chance to be competitive at a high level across several sports. So adding another successful program--if Augie can get to the point where they are consistently competitive--helps the Summit League beyond just keeping the Summit post-season eligible if someone leaves. They bring some other benefits to the table that could make the conference stronger, not weaker.

Yes, they'll most likely have to go Pioneer League for football. My guess is it's hard for multi-National Champion football fans to envision playing at such an embarrassingly "low" level (and I mean that as a compliment, sincerely). At the same time, Augie in future seasons could theoretically end up having a home schedule of Minnesota Crookston, the Univeristy of Mary, Minot State, Upper Iowa, and probably 1-2 good teams like USF or Mankato in any given season. If you want to tell me that fans would be any less excited to see Pioneer League games than a schedule of that nature, I don't know that I'd agree with you. Especially if Augie were to be competitive in the Pioneer League within a few years. It's not like we pack the stands for Minnesota Crookston but would have a half-empty stadium for Drake or Valparaiso. So while the Pioneer League would be an embarrassing step down to you guys, there's a chance Augie fans would engage just as much as they do any other NSIC season, other than the loss of 2-3 marquee matchups like USF, Mankato, and Northern State. Or maybe they'd hate it. I don't know. I'm not a huge football guy, so maybe the hardcore Augie football fans would disagree with me.

im sorry to any Augie fans lurking but I could give a shit about your proximity for "regional" game, Them coming to town will not be exciting.

Augie fans (plural)? I'm like 99% certain I'm the only one on here. And lurking? Come on now. I rarely lurk.

As far as what you do or don't care about, I know a lot of you guys probably won't believe this, but some of us Augie fans don't really care a ton about "reuniting with the old NCC," whether it's for football or other sports. In my case, more than anything I'm just tired of seeing SDSU and USD get all of the attention in Sioux Falls when neither school is even located in the city. It really bugs me that Augie lost its beat writer at the Argus two seasons ago and basically just gets leftover table scraps for news coverage in the local media. If going D1 makes us more relevant overall, that's more important to me than getting to play the old NCC schools a few times a year.

So while us coming to town probably won't be all that exciting for you guys, I'm sort of in the same boat. If it picks up Augie's attendance thanks to drawing back in the "glory days of the NCC" diehards at Augie, then that's a bonus. But ultimately my hope is that, if it happens, making the jump keeps Augie relevant. For good reasons. Not for Centenary reasons.

[THEsocalledfan]

Based on everything that has been posted/debated for the past year or so, it seems one of the primary reasons to vote them in is security for postseason auto-qualifiers, particularly if IPFW or Western Illinois bolts in the near future.

Yes, I know, everyone would rather add UMKC, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, or even one of the D2 Minnesota schools, but, like I said a couple of posts ago, there seems to be zero indication that any of those schools want to jump into the Summit League. So saying what you (the general "you" meaning NDSU/USD/SDSU fans, etc., not you specifically, Honeybooboo) would prefer doesn't bring it to reality or make it suddenly more likely to happen. Augie appears to be the only realistic short-term option.

As others have said, if that's the only reason Augie is being added, that's not necessarily a great reason. But I doubt that's the only reason those schools would allow Augie in.

Assuming Augie can raise the funds necessary to compete, you are adding a high-academic institution in a hub city for this region (with major predicted growth), and, since they have finally started to genuinely invest in athletics over the past 10-15 years, an athletics program that has consistently seen high-level success across all sports at their current level. Yes, there is a major, major jump between D2 and D1, but my point is that, if Augustana continues to invest in athletics to the same degree (or a greater degree) at the D1 level as they have been at the D2 level, there's clearly an indication they have a chance to be competitive at a high level across several sports. So adding another successful program--if Augie can get to the point where they are consistently competitive--helps the Summit League beyond just keeping the Summit post-season eligible if someone leaves. They bring some other benefits to the table that could make the conference stronger, not weaker.

Yes, they'll most likely have to go Pioneer League for football. My guess is it's hard for multi-National Champion football fans to envision playing at such an embarrassingly "low" level (and I mean that as a compliment, sincerely). At the same time, Augie in future seasons could theoretically end up having a home schedule of Minnesota Crookston, the Univeristy of Mary, Minot State, Upper Iowa, and probably 1-2 good teams like USF or Mankato in any given season. If you want to tell me that fans would be any less excited to see Pioneer League games than a schedule of that nature, I don't know that I'd agree with you. Especially if Augie were to be competitive in the Pioneer League within a few years. It's not like we pack the stands for Minnesota Crookston but would have a half-empty stadium for Drake or Valparaiso. So while the Pioneer League would be an embarrassing step down to you guys, there's a chance Augie fans would engage just as much as they do any other NSIC season, other than the loss of 2-3 marquee matchups like USF, Mankato, and Northern State. Or maybe they'd hate it. I don't know. I'm not a huge football guy, so maybe the hardcore Augie football fans would disagree with me.



Augie fans (plural)? I'm like 99% certain I'm the only one on here. And lurking? Come on now. I rarely lurk.

As far as what you do or don't care about, I know a lot of you guys probably won't believe this, but some of us Augie fans don't really care a ton about "reuniting with the old NCC," whether it's for football or other sports. In my case, more than anything I'm just tired of seeing SDSU and USD get all of the attention in Sioux Falls when neither school is even located in the city. It really bugs me that Augie lost its beat writer at the Argus two seasons ago and basically just gets leftover table scraps for news coverage in the local media. If going D1 makes us more relevant overall, that's more important to me than getting to play the old NCC schools a few times a year.

So while us coming to town probably won't be all that exciting for you guys, I'm sort of in the same boat. If it picks up Augie's attendance thanks to drawing back in the "glory days of the NCC" diehards at Augie, then that's a bonus. But ultimately my hope is that, if it happens, making the jump keeps Augie relevant. For good reasons. Not for Centenary reasons.

Great post. Couple points, though:

1. You will be lower level football than USF. Are your alumni willing to play at a lower level than your next door neighbor who used to play lower level than you?
2. Augustana and USF get way too much coverage. I live in Sioux Falls. The lack of USD and SDSU coverage is embarrassing and they should do less on Augie and USF if not willing to hire more folks. They get more coverage than Concordia or Moorhead get in Fargo; you are lucky.

[MrAugustana]

Great post. Couple points, though:

1. You will be lower level football than USF. Are your alumni willing to play at a lower level than your next door neighbor who used to play lower level than you?
2. Augustana and USF get way too much coverage. I live in Sioux Falls. The lack of USD and SDSU coverage is embarrassing and they should do less on Augie and USF if not willing to hire more folks. They get more coverage than Concordia or Moorhead get in Fargo; you are lucky.

1) I don't know. But most Augie alums tend to look down their noses at USF under most/all circumstances, so my guess is it won't change much.

2) We disagree on this. It makes sense that NDSU would get more coverage than Concordia and MSUM, as it's located in Fargo. And the local media basically runs 24-7 news coverage about the football program (saying that as an outsider looking in).

You may feel like the Argus runs too much coverage of Augie, but it's undeniable that Augie gets substantially less now than they did even 5-6 years ago. Any of the Argus writers would confirm that statistically if asked (the question has come up in Zimmer's live chats in the past), and I'm willing to bet the TV sports reporters would say the same. If going D1 brings us back to a higher level of relevance, I would consider that a major benefit of going D1.

[THEsocalledfan]

1) I don't know. But most Augie alums tend to look down their noses at USF under most/all circumstances, so my guess is it won't change much.

2) We disagree on this. It makes sense that NDSU would get more coverage than Concordia and MSUM, as it's located in Fargo. And the local media basically runs 24-7 news coverage about the football program (saying that as an outsider looking in).

You may feel like the Argus runs too much coverage of Augie, but it's undeniable that Augie gets substantially less now than they did even 5-6 years ago. Any of the Argus writers would confirm that statistically if asked (the question has come up in Zimmer's live chats in the past), and I'm willing to bet the TV sports reporters would say the same. If going D1 brings us back to a higher level of relevance, I would consider that a major benefit of going D1.

Head to Omaha......Huskers get nearly all the coverage. When Omaha still had football, many didn't even know they had a team.

When SDSU beat NDSU, no stories on the TV about tailgating, no post game interviews, did not lead the news, etc. Then, Augie got the same amount of highlights. Not sure how you can possibly defend that. Even if you go D1 and play in the Pioneer League, you cannot even defend it then.

I was seriously embarrassed for Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Media and called them out on Twitter.