Conference Expansion?

[MrMustang]

pretty interesting stuff. I don't see much happening in the next couple years. mnSCU is broke despite a $18 Billion dollar Minnesota surplus and even with that Surplus, none of it is going to D2 atheltics. And the MnSCU schools are the core of the NSIC as they are all together . so the same money problems will be here in 5 years, frankly maybe worse as enrollments continue to drop.

MnSCU has done a poor job marketing and providing value to young people.

[zimmy21]

I think the NSIC would split into two completely different conferences before it has an East/West division split.

We should have split long ago imo. Now the collective schools are being reactive instead of proactive.

[zimmy21]

The most obvious choice after Morningside is not on your list - St. Johns. 5 years ago that would have never been possible, but with St. Thomas leaving I feel there is maybe a slight chance they make the jump some day. who knows.

If St. Johns goes D2 I would assume it would be to fulfill the requirement to jump to D1 asap. However, I'm not sure they have the desire to do that at this moment. Crazier things have happened though!

[Thunder]

I think the answer is obvious, at least for football. With Lincoln leaving the MIAA, the MIAA has a rotating open date. Do a silo busting schedule alliance and every week there can be an interconference game

This could have been an option, and still is for some, but some MIAA schools are still playing Lincoln and some NSIC schools have already found dancing partners somewhere else. My guess is the rest may still be fighting over who gets the home game.

[SW_Mustang]

Pretty sure there's zero appetite in the MNSCU system to add athletics for a school, especially when statewide post-secondary enrollment is down dramatically in the last decade. Rochester is definitely a good town for a college, that, for whatever reason, never got one.

Northwestern of Iowa has better facilities and more programs than Upper Iowa does, but I doubt they'd leave their private school friends.

As for the Wisconsin schools, never say never. I never imagined when I was a kid that the NCC would just go poof and disappear.

UMR isn't under MNSCU, but I'm sure the logic still holds. In their current state, they are too small. Maybe after they build a proper campus we'll see some movement. It was just a thought experiment more than anything. Odds are by the time UMR does add sports, if they ever do, the NSIC will look completely different at that time.

There is Metro State too, but that's not really a candidate for sports IMO. Those are the only two public universities that don't sponsor anything as far as I'm aware.

[Dan Brookens]

Pretty sure there's zero appetite in the MNSCU system to add athletics for a school, especially when statewide post-secondary enrollment is down dramatically in the last decade. Rochester is definitely a good town for a college, that, for whatever reason, never got one.

Northwestern of Iowa has better facilities and more programs than Upper Iowa does, but I doubt they'd leave their private school friends.

As for the Wisconsin schools, never say never. I never imagined when I was a kid that the NCC would just go poof and disappear.

[GoneBlastin]

I think the answer is obvious, at least for football. With Lincoln leaving the MIAA, the MIAA has a rotating open date. Do a silo busting schedule alliance and every week there can be an interconference game

[SW_Mustang]

It won't happen during my lifetime, but UMR should step-up and add athletics. That would solve the problem. RCTC's stadium is more than capable.

Though I suppose they need to get their campus built first.

[Stanger86]

Hot take: The NSIC will be better when it's able to have an East and West division instead of a North and South

I think the NSIC would split into two completely different conferences before it has an East/West division split.

[MrMustang]

Tiers for possible NSIC expansion:


S (Super) Morningside

A - Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines; Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wisconsin-Eau Claire

B - Dakota State and Jamestown, Wisconsin-River Falls, Northwestern Iowa, Grand View University

C - Dakota Wesleyan, Midland Lutheran

D - Dordt, Dickinson State

F - Any UMAC, North Star or GPAC school not mentioned above


Hot take: The NSIC will be better when it's able to have an East and West division instead of a North and South

Interesting list. I presume the Wisconsin schools are alwaya non starter as I don't think the UW system has any interest in not keeping them all together.

The most obvious choice after Morningside is not on your list - St. Johns. 5 years ago that would have never been possible, but with St. Thomas leaving I feel there is maybe a slight chance they make the jump some day. who knows.

Hills and Mines make sense because you have built in travel partners. Whether the NSIC is a better fit than the RMAC, I don't know. I presume it might be.

Dickinson could make some sense as it is a big town and there is some money and decent facilites there. But they are out on an island

I don't see how Northwestern, Dordt, Midland, Jamestown, and Wesleyan are any different than Upper Iowa as they have very small enrollments. Not saying they can't make the jump, but do they really want to.

interesting topic and post though.

[vikingfaithful]

[QUOTE=Umdfan35;n741285]

The UW schools will never go d2 or leave the WIAC

If the WIAC schools went D2 it would really hurt the NSIC recruiting.

[Umdfan35]

[QUOTE=Umdfan35;n741284]

Tiers for possible NSIC expansion:


S (Super) Morningside

A - Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines; Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wisconsin-Eau Claire

B - Dakota State and Jamestown, Wisconsin-River Falls, Northwestern Iowa, Grand View University

C - Dakota Wesleyan, Midland Lutheran

D - Dordt, Dickinson State

F - Any UMAC, North Star or GPAC school not mentioned above


Hot take: The NSIC will be better when it's able to have an East and West division instead of a North and South[/US

The UW schools will never go d2 or leave the WIAC

[Dan Brookens]

Tiers for possible NSIC expansion:


S (Super) Morningside

A - Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines; Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wisconsin-Eau Claire

B - Dakota State and Jamestown, Wisconsin-River Falls, Northwestern Iowa, Grand View University

C - Dakota Wesleyan, Midland Lutheran

D - Dordt, Dickinson State

F - Any UMAC, North Star or GPAC school not mentioned above


Hot take: The NSIC will be better when it's able to have an East and West division instead of a North and South

[vikingfaithful]

It feels like Wayne should be closer to MIAA country, but it's not.

Wayne would be replacing trips to Minot (615 miles), Bismarck (479 miles), Duluth (473), Bemidji (469) and Crookston (434) with trips to Tahlequah (543), Claremore (509), Edmond (501 miles), Jefferson City (449) and Joplin (441).

On the shorter end, Sioux Falls (116), Sioux Falls (116), Marshall (205), and Mankato (240) would be replaced with Kearney (178), Maryville (221), St. Joseph (240), Topeka (268).

Some of those trips down south take longer than the mileage would suggest. They lack interstate travel at 80mph.

[SW_Mustang]

It feels like Wayne should be closer to MIAA country, but it's not.

Wayne would be replacing trips to Minot (615 miles), Bismarck (479 miles), Duluth (473), Bemidji (469) and Crookston (434) with trips to Tahlequah (543), Claremore (509), Edmond (501 miles), Jefferson City (449) and Joplin (441).

On the shorter end, Sioux Falls (116), Sioux Falls (116), Marshall (205), and Mankato (240) would be replaced with Kearney (178), Maryville (221), St. Joseph (240), Topeka (268).

This probably goes without saying but Wayne isn't also making trips to Minot/Mary/Duluth/Bemidji every season collectively. That would also be a completely different story.