UND had no choice an article from the GF Herald

[kchats]

Today there were a couple of new articles on UND making the move to division I. The first from Kevin Fee where he says UND couldn't stay division II because of the diluted state the classification is in. He also takes the time to rip on the Mid Con as a division I conference even though he knows nothing about the conference or division I. Statements like his have a way of coming up from UND fans, administration and media. NDSU fans have gotten ahead of themselves as well when they state the Mid Con is a bad conference. NDSU needs to actually be a member of the conference before fans, coaches or administrators can judge the quality of the universities that are members of the conference. Mr. fee actually states that a group of NCC schools grouped together in division I would be a better conference than the Mid Con. He is way off base with that statement, especially since the Mid Con schools have been division I for many years and most of the current NCC schools have not made the decision to move and aren't sure if they can fund the move. Division I is a big step up from division II and that in itself should tell fans for current and transitioning schools that division I schools should be a step up from their level. I don't want to eat humble pie if NDSU gets invited to join the Mid Con and doesn't immediately become competitive and I will reserve my judgement on the quality of the athletic programs until NDSU is a member for a full season.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandf...s/14950135.htm

The Mid-Continent Conference, which is taking a look at UND rival NDSU, is disintegrating.

The Mid-Con lost two members in recent months: Chicago State and its flagship school, Valparaiso of Indiana.

Not only does the league have little status, it also is a geographical nightmare. Schools stretch from Southern Utah to Centenary (Shreveport, La.) to Oakland, Mich. (a Detroit suburb).

The other schools are Oral Roberts, Western Illinois, Missouri-Kansas City and Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis.

Now, the Mid-Con might add IUPU-Fort Wayne, NDSU and South Dakota State, where it will make campus visits later this summer.

If all the Sioux are hoping for is any conference when the school plays its first season of Division I in 2008-09, they shouldn't have any worries.

The Mid-Con likely will have a few spots.

Many of the current Mid-Con teams are looking elsewhere. At best, the conference would be a place for NDSU and UND to use their Division I training wheels.

When they want to hop on the Harley, they will join the Big Sky, which I think could be a savior for both, or form a conference with those from the North Central Conference who have left, such as NDSU and SDSU, or might leave in the next couple of years.

The latter scenario would be ideal, with lower travel costs and known rivalries. They also could play football in the same conference as their other athletic teams. The Mid-Con doesn't even have football (NDSU and SDSU play in the Great West Football Conference).

The key would be to find enough teams to form a conference of former NCC schools and others. Another problem with this scenario is a waiting period for the new conference to receive automatic berths into NCAA championships.

Or we just shoot for the Big Sky. Let's bring back the games against the Montana schools



NDSU and SDSU athletes were also interviewed and stated that they are enjoying competing in division I in this article.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandf...s/14950109.htm

[broke_back_mnt]

AFter reading that first article you have to wonder why they think they would be welcome anyplace. *The Big Sky would be perfect for them, as long as we arent there. *

Its worthwhile to read. *It reminds me why any association with them is undesirable. *At least if they got into the BSC we would only have to play them in the playoffs. *I hope they get in. *But first they have to move up and thats no given if they dont clear up their issues with the NCAA.

[bincitysioux]

AFter reading that first article you have to wonder why they think they would be welcome anyplace. *The Big Sky would be perfect for them, as long as we arent there. *

Its worthwhile to read. *It reminds me why any association with them is undesirable. *At least if they got into the BSC we would only have to play them in the playoffs. *I hope they get in. *But first they have to move up and thats no given if they dont clear up their issues with the NCAA.

FYI: That wasn't a press release from the University. It was an opinion, by a columnist. And it was a stupid column that was a waste of space in today's paper, IMO. Not unlike 90% of the columns that McFeely puts out in the Forum.

[BisonMav]

FYI: That wasn't a press release from the University. *It was an opinion, by a columnist. *And it was a stupid column that was a waste of space in today's paper, IMO. *Not unlike 90% of the columns that McFeely puts out in the Forum. *

Nice job Kevin McFee : :-[ :-/

[broke_back_mnt]

Im sorry bincity, I didnt want to imply it was Unds official position, only its official attitude. Besides my point was about your chances of having your D1 application approved.

[TheBisonator]

[quote author=bincitysioux link=1151861965/0#2 date=1151871847]FYI: That wasn't a press release from the University. *It was an opinion, by a columnist. *And it was a stupid column that was a waste of space in today's paper, IMO. *Not unlike 90% of the columns that McFeely puts out in the Forum. *

Nice job Kevin McFee *: :-[ :-/[/quote]

Kevin McFeeley???

[RodentiaX]

The Mid-Con is not disintegrating. Adding NDSU and SDSU will stableize it for several years. Yes, teams to eventually tend to move out of the Mid-Con. But as long as there are teams moving up to D-I, the Mid-Con will not be disintegrating. What it does is change. It reminds me of a problem in robotics. People have been working for years on making robots that can walk. They have tried to keep the robot stable while walking, but the problem is that humans aren't stable when we walk. We're only stable standing still, when we take a step, we are off-balance. Walking is controlled unstability. And that's what the Mid-Con is, controlled unstability. Teams come, teams go, but it's like walking, just staying upright until the next step. And you get where you are going.

[89rabbit]

The folks up in Grand Forks crack me up. *Their hatred of NDSU knows no bounds. *For the past three years all they have done is take pot shots at the Bison (and occasionally the Jacks) about our move to D-I and how stupid it was. *When NDSU and SDSU tried to get the NCC to move up as a group, who led the charge about staying in D-II . *. *. you got it, UND. *Any one remember their President's letter to the NCAA about letting schools pick which programs would compete at what level (ala carte NCAA), or their old AD's letter on how D-II and I-AA football were really the same thing, from a compitition stand point?

Now D-I is the place to be and it is time to eat a little crow, although the author of this story isn't ready to pull up a chair to the dinner tabel just yet. *Still they must dog on NDSU, after all that is what folks up in Grand Forks do, and now that it looks like that the Bison are getting into the Mid-Con it is time to write about what a lousey conference the Mid-Con is.

Funny thing, what the writer is doing is setting himself up for a double helping of crow, because unless the membership of the Big Sky changes they have made it abundantly clear that they have no intention of expanding to the east for any Dakota school. *UND's best (and probably only) hope for a conference home will more then likely be the Mid-Con.



UND supporters biggest fear is that they will spend an inordinate amount of time as an independent. *Before they decided to go to D-I, and after NDSU had shown signs of having success at the D-I level, their favorite dig was that NDSU was stupid for moving up to D-I without a conference invite in hand. *They claimed that because of their facilities (they are very proud of their hockey arena, and rightly so, but have never really grasped that to confences who don't play hockey it doesn't matter)they would have an invite before they made the move. *Now it looks like they are ready to move without a conference home so here comes crow #3.



Worse yet, UND may have waited too long and could be an idependent for an extended amount of time. *Earlier this year their were talks of "secret meetings" with the Big Sky and how they were going to take NDSU and SDSU and UND to form a 12 team league. *Oh the UND supporters were smug, they talked about how they let the State Universities do all the hard work and now they were going to waltz in and join us. *They were doing it the "right way" and wouldn't have to even be an independent, move from D-II right into the Big Sky. *When that proved to be just so much talk, they switched to talking about "partnering with NDSU", trouble is NDSU has had a partner all along and that is my school SDSU and it looks like we are heading to the Mid-Con.

How scary for the Sioux. *They are going to move to D-I, they will have to be an independent, NDSU is not there to be their partner, the Big Sky is not going to expand by 1 to the Dakotas, the Mid-Con might already be full (once it adds IPFW, NDSU, and SDSU), and they may have to join a reconstituted D-I NCC (without UNC, NDSU, and SDSU). *Talk about a D-I training wheel conference, a D-I NCC wouldn't be eligible to even petition the NCAA for a Basketball Auto Bid for 13 years. *Classic whistling past the grave yard. *

Don't get me wrong, I am good with UND moving up as it will add to the GWFC which needs members. *I also think that they will be asked to join the Mid-Con once they get closer to the end of the transition to D-I (remember they don't even begin the process until '07-'08). *It just cracks me up the lengths that some people will go to rather then just say, "We were wrong, please show us the way".


Go State! *

[BisonMav]

But aren't UNO and USD going to be forced to make a decision now? :-?

[kchats]

Well said 89Rabbit. Couldn't agree more and as a Bison fan I am happy we have had such a great partner in the transition in SDSU. There was an article a couple of days ago that talked about how NDSU, SDSU and IPFW worked together to achieve the site visits from the Mid Con. They all said in division I athletic directors need to work more closely with each other and almost partner to do so. UND's behavior during the past 3 or 4 years puts them behind the 8 ball in finding institutions that would partner with them. It wasn't a good move to rip on their closest division I universities and to do it very publicly.

Even if USD and UNO join UND in moving to division I it won't change anything for NDSU and SDSU. NDSU and SDSU should be in the Mid Con by then and it would be foolish to leave that conference to join schools that only moved to division I to follow everyone else. The other NCC schools aren't thinking of moving to division I because that is the direction they want their school to go in they are doing it because they "had no choice". As diluted as division II is if NDSU and SDSU were still in it none of the other schools would be considering division I. Not really the best way to approach such an important decision or move. If things get tough they will all have the excuse we didn't want to do this it's the other schools fault that we aren't any good anymore.