Article on possible Summit expansion

[Leonardite]

I have a hard time believing Missouri State, Indiana State, etc. care at all about the football situation at UND or USD. If you're those schools, why in the world would you rock the MVFC boat? I just can't imagine that happening.

[zooropa]

why in the world would you rock the MVFC boat?

Because you understand that nothing, *nothing*, is permanent or stationary.

USD is in the Valley footprint. It would not inconvenience the conference, nor would it water down a conference that had ISU-Blue, NDSU (sorry, but it's true) and WIU in it last year.

Acting to protect your 'perimeter', as it were, is better than doing nothing and assuming the status quo will hold forever. Adding USD creates a MVC/MVFC/Summit bloc of stability. Leave USD out and both the MVFC and Summit are vulnerable to reduced roles in the future: The MVFC losing its status as an independent conference (which some MVFC members may not mind), the Summit being reduced to another sprawling assemblage of misfits.....

And yes, I do believe USD is that important. I am not sanguine about SDSU's future in the Summit without USD, and thus I am not sanguine about their future in the MVFC.

[Leonardite]

The Gateway has been stable for a long time. Especially in light of WKU's failures and UNI's financial woes, who is going anywhere? Youngstown? Doubt it. Indiana State dropping football? Certainly not. The Gateway schools aren't clamoring for dubious change in the name of "stability." They have methodically controlled that almost since the conference's inception. The "visionary" thoughts of a few Dakota newcomers aren't going to change that.

[zooropa]

The Gateway schools aren't clamoring for dubious change in the name of "stability."

But what happens if the Dakota schools find it untenable to stay in the Summit?

The MVFC as an independent entity is basically dead at that point.

Now some of the MVFC schools may be fine with that, but that is the most probable scenario. Far more probable than the MVC inviting the Dakotas.

----

In an almost completely unrelated matter, I was recently reading up on the Munich Olympics (hadn't ever read a detailed discussion of what happened there). A forensic psychologist predicted the exact hostage scenario that unfolded with only two differences: the time of the attach, and the method of entering the compound. His scenarios were judged extreme and ignored. http://www.time.com/time/europe/maga...ich/index.html

The Valley needs to table-top their responses to a number of scenarios, and one of them needs to be, 'what happens if the Summit collapses and NDSU and SDSU join the Big Sky for all sports? what could cause the Summit to collapse? how can we prevent the Summit from collapsing to protect OUR interests?'

[NDSUstudent]

Hopefully USD waits it out and gets into the MVFC eventually. I thought it was fun playing them in football this year and I've never had one issue with Yotes.

UND on the other hand can whither and die on their own Big Sky island for all I care.

[zooropa]

I'm just happy to see a victory for common sense.

And for organizations that do things the right way (Summit with Douple as commish, and USD).

[NDSUstudent]

Fulerton also looks like the same old used car salesman we always knew he was.

[JackJD]

Fulerton also looks like the same old used car salesman we always knew he was.

NDSUstudent -- I think you're right. You have to wonder about Fullerton. Here is a summary of the events of the past few days put together from a combination of sources without being personally on the inside. I posted essentially the same on USD's board. All things considered, USD's administration deserves a pat on the back for doing some due diligence and carefully considering what was best for USD.

By Monday, USD joining the Big Sky was a done deal. USD was planning a press conference for Thursday or Friday of this week. The paperwork hadn’t been signed but it was in Pres. Abbot’s office, ready to be signed.

There were still a couple of nagging issues. First was whether Montana and Montana State would stay in the Big Sky. That seemed to be put to bed last week when Big Sky Commissioner Fullerton basically told everyone that Montana and Montana State were staying. Turns out that was an overstatement. We know now that Fullerton was interviewed early this week and he said his statements were more "hopeful" than factual. Source: go to Terry Vandrovec's twitter page and see his link to the interview. Fullerton was back-tracking.

By Tuesday, the MVFC coaches went to bat for inclusion of USD...the MVFC Athletic Directors joined in.

By today, the MVFC Presidents agreed and the offer was made to USD to join the MVFC starting with the 2012 season. Also today USD's administration had information from Montana which indicated Montana staying in the Big Sky was not set in stone. So that uncertainty that Fullerton tried to spin away last week, remained.

I think it's accepted as fact that travel costs for USD will be less in a Summit / MVFC combination compared to the Big Sky. Throw into the mix the time zone issues etc. and I think the decision became an easy one: by late today the MVFC offer was accepted.

Perhaps more detail will be provided at tomorrow's press conference. I think this is a great decision by USD and obviously the coaches, athletic directors and Presidents of the MVFC institutions think it is good for the conference members.

Read more: http://usdcoyotesports.proboards.com...#ixzz14Hvdyg6O -- includes links to the Argus Leader and Yankton Press & Dakotan websites with the story.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Fulerton also looks like the same old used car salesman we always knew he was.

Yes, that idiot has egg all over his face......LMAO!

[JackJD]

It wouldn't surprise me if . . .

UND commits to the Big Sky with SUU, but USD waits
The day after the UND and SUU commit, USD is offered to the MVFC, as the presidents bend for 1.

Stranger things have happened!!

Herd: if I send you $100, you keep $99 and buy me one, $1.00 Powerball ticket. Deal?