New schools in NSIC

[RIPSCSUFOOTBALL]

With Upper Iowa possibly leaving is there any schools that anyone has heard of that had interest in joining the conference?

[SW_Mustang]

Nope.

We'd still be a 13 team football conference which is plenty.

[UMary1]

With Upper Iowa possibly leaving is there any schools that anyone has heard of that had interest in joining the conference?

I can see Jamestown or Dickinson State looking to join.

[tman28]

I can see Jamestown or Dickinson State looking to join.

Id rather Have Dakota State than those two imo. DSU definitely is trying to improve their facilities and also has financial backers that will give them a better shot to compete in the NSIC imo.

[NSU4LIFE]

Id rather Have Dakota State than those two imo. DSU definitely is trying to improve their facilities and also has financial backers that will give them a better shot to compete in the NSIC imo.

Their current football team would make Crookston (of old) look like Mankato. Their facilities will be very nice but competition-wise, they have a ways to go across the board.

[NSU4LIFE]

Nope.

We'd still be a 13 team football conference which is plenty.

Just need to lose one more

[Stanger86]

The trick is going to be getting enough schools to approve a lot of the ideas that have floated around. When Upper Iowa and UMary joined, I think a big reason that it went through was that the two schools were balanced out between east and west. I don't remember if it was actually a package deal, but in effect it was. Both programs were pretty competitive at their level as well, so it wasn't a total Rutgers situation. Everything changed though with the demise of the NCC a year later. The competition shot up as did the league profile. The 2010 league expansion leaned west, but USF was good enough to make it easy enough to approve.

Now we enter an interesting phase. Everyone is looking to add, but I think universities are going to be careful about the next landscape shift. Nobody wants to add a Rutgers. I actually wouldn't rule out an Augie move up in the future as a way to balance things out again. That would slide it down to a 12-team league, perfect for football scheduling. Another angle to consider would be if Wayne America would look at other options.

Right now, the most often discussed options that I see with a chance of acceptance are Morningside (if they're willing) and Jamestown. I think most other options would be shot down pretty quickly.

[tman28]

Their current football team would make Crookston (of old) look like Mankato. Their facilities will be very nice but competition-wise, they have a ways to go across the board.

And thats the problem. How much are the two bagillionaire donors going to keep giving to the school to not be very good. I will say the facilities might be good for recruiting like yours at Northern have been.

[wscsuperfan]

The trick is going to be getting enough schools to approve a lot of the ideas that have floated around. When Upper Iowa and UMary joined, I think a big reason that it went through was that the two schools were balanced out between east and west. I don't remember if it was actually a package deal, but in effect it was. Both programs were pretty competitive at their level as well, so it wasn't a total Rutgers situation. Everything changed though with the demise of the NCC a year later. The competition shot up as did the league profile. The 2010 league expansion leaned west, but USF was good enough to make it easy enough to approve.

Now we enter an interesting phase. Everyone is looking to add, but I think universities are going to be careful about the next landscape shift. Nobody wants to add a Rutgers. I actually wouldn't rule out an Augie move up in the future as a way to balance things out again. That would slide it down to a 12-team league, perfect for football scheduling. Another angle to consider would be if Wayne America would look at other options.

Right now, the most often discussed options that I see with a chance of acceptance are Morningside (if they're willing) and Jamestown. I think most other options would be shot down pretty quickly.

.

[Stanger86]

Just looking at the D2 schools in the greater area:

Duluth
Bemidji
Concordia
Winona
Southwest
Sioux Falls
Augustana
Moorhead
Mankato
Upper Iowa
-
Northern
UMary
Minot State
Black Hills
SD Mines
Kearney
Chadron
Wayne

That's 18 schools.....I know there's going to be disagreements about who goes where, but I still think the most logical idea is to split into two conferences. A 10/8 split would make a lot of sense geographically. I know it's still very widespread with closer pockets, but it allows for nonconference play and recreates old rivalries.

[tman28]

Just looking at the D2 schools in the greater area:

Duluth
Bemidji
Concordia
Winona
Southwest
Sioux Falls
Augustana
Moorhead
Mankato
Upper Iowa
-
Northern
UMary
Minot State
Black Hills
SD Mines
Kearney
Chadron
Wayne

That's 18 schools.....I know there's going to be disagreements about who goes where, but I still think the most logical idea is to split into two conferences. A 10/8 split would make a lot of sense geographically. I know it's still very widespread with closer pockets, but it allows for nonconference play and recreates old rivalries.

What would that split look like geographically in your opinion?

[vikingfaithful]

I'd say a 9/9 split. Because of location take SMSU into the Dakota/Nebraska schools. You agree with that?

[UMary1]

And thats the problem. How much are the two bagillionaire donors going to keep giving to the school to not be very good. I will say the facilities might be good for recruiting like yours at Northern have been.

Nail on the head here, there are deep pockets at these programs but whats the point when theyre giving money away to get stomped by 40 points a game. No state of the art facility can turn that into a great game day experience.

[Stanger86]

What would that split look like geographically in your opinion?

Essentially how I wrote it up...

[Millsy]

Dickinson would be a haul for the Minnesota schools, so I think they would be a very hard sell.