One More time

[somebison]

Pros and Cons of Mid-Con vs Big Sky

Big Sky

Pros
1. All sports in one conference
2. Better "name recognition" of schools
3. Academic Standards of schools
4. Fan support (attendance) of schools

Cons
1. No Baseball/Softball

Mid-Con
Pros

1. Covers traditional recruiting area (in general NDSU recruits East of the RRV... sorry WYOBM )
2. Access to Bigger Markets (KC, Chicago etc... however this could be a wash as many of these teams receive little "pub" in their respective cities -see Sac St and Port St)
3.Baseball/Softball
4. *Allows us to play in GWC (i don't know about the rest of you... but the only teams BSC FB teams I would be "excited" to play are Mont and Montana St which we could still play NC as we can schedule 5 or 6 NC games a year) would allows us to play SDSU, SUU and possibly UNC in both FB and other sports

5. Basketball may be slightly better


Cons

1. Academics
2. FB and other sports in different confs
3. Lack of Fan support
4. Name recognition (IUPUI or is it IUPFW ?)

please feel free to add to the list

[89rabbit]

A big Con for the Big Sky is it looks like they don't want us. At the end of the day that is the "Mother of all Cons". Bring on the Mid-Con!

Go State!

[Bisonguy]

Pros for Mid-con:

1)Cheaper travel
2)More NDSU alumni in Chicago and KC than Missoula, Bozeman, Sacramento, etc.
3)They didn't have a secret unanimous vote that they didn't want to expand into the Dakotas.

Looking at men's BB attendance since 1997, the Big Sky and Mid-Con are fairly close. Last year the Big Sky averaged about 700 more, and in 1997 about 1,000. In most years inbetween, the difference was only a couple hundred.

[Bison_Kent]

I know that I have been pro-Big Sky as well but actually the Mid Con would be pretty good for me. I am about 2 1/2 hours from KC and about 2 1/2 from Tulsa (homes of Missouri-KC and Oral Roberts). There are two road games I could go to to see the Bison play basketball. I know that baseball is big at Oral Roberts, as well. Missouri-KC does not have baseball.

Maybe Northern Colorado, NDSU and SDSU could join and be part of the Western Division with Southern Utah. There are four schools to be rivals right now in all sports. I would guess Oral Roberts and Missouri-KC would be the other Western Division Teams.

With the Mid-Con, NDSU and SDSU will be right at the top of the conference as far as facilities go. If the Big Sky says no as it seems they are right now, the Mid Con might be a good second choice at ;east to begin the DI journey.

I will definitely would pick the Mid-Con over the Sun Belt or any other conference mentioned. I think we can all agree that the NDSU is not a southern university.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Like I said in another post, if only the Mid-Con will take us, then that is what we have to do. *The BSC winds up being the biggest looser in the deal because I think thier membership is not real stable and they are loosing the chance at some solid schools. *But, most of the schools in the Mid-Con do not excite me, nor are they institutions I would ever have attended or consider sending my kids to attend. *(Where as the BSC has better academics).

---The biggest drawback to the Mid-Con is that 1234 is the damn commish....

[Bisonfan1234]

The biggest thing for me is to have NDSU coming to play to the east where all the people (including the alumni) are. It will also help recruiting to have a presence there.

Face it guys..NDSU grads go to Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, etc. They don't go out to Dickinson.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Notwithstanding the border state of MN, let's just take a look at where the NDSU alumni are...

1234 mentions both Chicago and Milwalkee (remember Milwalkee is not in a Mid-Con state).

2 Mid-Con States with the most Alum:

Alumni in Illinois * 987
Alumni in Wisconsin *1235 (Not Really a Mid Con State, but I feel sorry for 1234 making such a stupid statement and I will include it)
Alumni in Missourri * * * 427
Total * * *Mid-Con * * * * * * * 2,649

3 Big Sky States with the most Alum:

Alumni in Washington * 1279
Alumni in Arizona * * * * * 1322
Alumni in Calif. * * * * * * * 2212

Total Big Sky * * * * * * * * 4,813

That is not to mention that there are also large numbers of alumni in Montana, Colorado and Oregon. *Maybe you should check out this map and really see where the aluni are before you make such an ignorant statement. *http://www.ndsualumni.com/maps/national/webmap.htm
From the map clearly our alumni are west when moving out of the core of North Dakota and Minnesota. *Outside of the ND/MN core the highest county concentration of alumni is in Maricopa County, Arizona. *Since 1234 has never ventured outside of MN......that is the Phoenix area (oh my, a Big Sky State).
Face it, you really know very little about NDSU. *I would suggest better research next time. *I find ignorance like this so pathetic.

[IowaBison]

I thought the end of the world was just west of Casselton? That's what Bison1234 has been telling me.

What the hell is Washington? DC? Never heard of it.

[Bisonguy]

WYOBISONMAN,

In defense of 1234, Milwaukee is a factor in the Chicago metro. It's less than 100 miles away, which is actually about 50 miles closer than Phoenix, AZ is to Flagstaff. Plus, it would take a Buick Park Avenue doing 40 mph on the interstate nearly 4 hours to get from Phoenix to Flagstaff, and Phoenix isn't much of a factor ;D.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Hell, that's why I was damn charitable and gave our resident goof ball credit for Wisconsin.

My major point is this, At this point in time the Mid-Con may be the only move NDSU can make, but we need to all recognize that NDSU needs a better conference home of peer institutions.