Summit Conference Future

[NDSUstudent]

SDSU is really the only one with a shot and their resume is looking a lot like ours a few years ago...kind of thin in big non-conference accomplishments. ORU had a shot but they've really cooled off.

I think a lot of people put far too much on what the conference does in earning at-large bids. Conferences do not earn them, teams do. You need to pick up some big non-conference wins.

[Twentysix]

I think if you are playing in conference only; the RPI of the conference shouldn't change- just teams in the conference will change but add up to the total conf #.

That isn't how RPI works.

[Twentysix]

That isn't how RPI works.

Actually, I think I'm wrong. That might be how RPI works.

[bisonfan08]

Summit got a nice win last night with Omaha beating Southern but also took a bit of a hit with SDSU losing to Weber St, a team they'd beaten by 17 earlier in the season. Got a few more chances to boost the conference RPI before conference play begins and we have a big opportunity tonight against a very good Utah St. team.

[Professor Chaos]

I think if you are playing in conference only; the RPI of the conference shouldn't change- just teams in the conference will change but add up to the total conf #.

That isn't how RPI works.

Actually, I think I'm wrong. That might be how RPI works.

The conference RPI can change once we get into conference only play but it shouldn't be too drastic. The RPI is calculated with 25% on winning percentage (weighting road wins highest), 50% on strength of schedule (basically averaging out your opponents' RPI ratings), and 25% on opponents SOS (averaging out your opponents' SOS). The conference win percentage and SOS, which make up 75% of the RPI, shouldn't change much in relation to the other conferences out there. However, mid-major conferences that played a lot of high majors out of conference (like the A-10, MWC, MVC. etc) will work their way up slightly because their opponents' SOS will get better since the high major conferences will have all sorts of teams in the RPI top 50 that they'll have to play during the conference season. Conversely, the low majors that a lot of Summit League teams played (like all the Big Sky teams NDSU played) will drag down the conference opponents' SOS as the season goes on as those low major teams play all the sub-200 RPI teams in their own conference.

Since the Summit, as a whole, didn't play a lot of high major teams (probably 1-3 per team) the conference won't get as big of a bump from the opponents' SOS figures that other conferences whose teams on average played 3-5 games against high major teams.

[bruinbison]

Over at ESPN - #12 seed for the Summit League (SDSU)
in the bracketology fun & games

http://m.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketolog...on=3&year=2016

[silkamilkamonico]

So the Summit Conference finished the season RPI ranked 11th out of 32 conferences. Really solid - finished ahead of Mountain West, Missouri Valley, West Coast, and COnference USA. In comparison, the Big Sky for example was ranked 27th.

I honestly never thought I'd see the conference ranked this high. I believe it was probably a 18-23 ranked type of conference when we joined and has slowly and steadily improved.

[tjbison]

So the Summit Conference finished the season RPI ranked 11th out of 32 conferences. Really solid - finished ahead of Mountain West, Missouri Valley, West Coast, and COnference USA. In comparison, the Big Sky for example was ranked 27th.

I honestly never thought I'd see the conference ranked this high. I believe it was probably a 18-23 ranked type of conference when we joined and has slowly and steadily improved.

need to maintain, its a solid conference and keeping ORU, Denver, Omaha is critical IMO. I really think going after NMSU would be a good idea

[SC_TX]

Need to go after New Mexico State. No way they are happy in the WAC

[wcb_sas]

need to maintain, its a solid conference and keeping ORU, Denver, Omaha is critical IMO. I really think going after NMSU would be a good idea

Why not go after Rutgers or UConn? Goodness gracious any more long distance travel wanted?

NDSU should petition to join the Missouri Valley with maybe UNO or SDSU.