DAC 2.0 - New D2 Conference..?

[Purple Mav Man]

Well, I did ACCIDENTALLY put two spoonfuls of NesQwik into my glass of milk but it usually doesn't heve thet mcuh fo na aufectt.

Yeah, I figured you could handle at least 20, maybe 25 grams of NesQwik. Not surprised two spoonfuls didn’t phase you.

[NSU4LIFE]

Hell No.

I just don’t want to go backwards by adding schools like Jamestown :)

Haha. I couldn't remember who it was. My apologies.

[laker]

Yeah, I figured you could handle at least 20, maybe 25 grams of NesQwik. Not surprised two spoonfuls didn’t phase you.

I stopped drinking Coke when I was a sophomore in college and my girlfriend broke up with me. I had two of them while we were out for pizza- stayed awake until 5 AM. Then when I started teaching at Nicollet I went to Hoosiers with some of my hometown BL football players who were going to MSU. Played cards afterwards at their place, had two Cokes. Again- still awake at 5 AM. 2008 went to a Mav win at Wayne on a really hot day. On the way home I stopped at the Dakota Dome- the 'yotes were playing Culver-Stockton, an NAIA team. They were handing out cans of Monster drink on the way out. Drank it as I drove home- got home after midnight, wide awake, ready to sandpaper my teeth. Is that what the Waffen SS used in WW2 to stay awake?

[canadarican]

Right. A team that plays their home games in this.......



....is not going to make a move that would be perceived as a step down.

/That is just gorgeous!

[EastStroud13]

BTW since 2020 the GLVC is 9-5 against GLIAC teams other than GVSU and FSU. Below GVSU and FSU, there isn't much competitive difference between the two leagues.

You can't remove the two dominant teams in one conference and not the other. Truman and UIndy are head and shoulders above the other teams in the GLVC and have the majority of those wins.

[Matt Witwicki]

BTW since 2020 the GLVC is 9-5 against GLIAC teams other than GVSU and FSU. Below GVSU and FSU, there isn't much competitive difference between the two leagues.

Not gonna lie....this made me laugh out loud when I read it. "If you remove the two fire-breathing dragons who beat almost everyone else nationally..the GLIAC is the GLVC" I mean....mmkay.

Those two are real real hard to ignore..and UIndy has done some good things for the GLVC..but....let's just leave this where we are at.

[Matt Witwicki]

Feels like it needs a D2 outside ND to be discontent with their current situation before it could really take off. They either need the RMAC schools to be on board or a few other NSIC teams (that fit geographically) to want something new. I don't know if some other NAIAs (Dakota Wesleyan, Northwestern, Morningside) could be brought along to get to 10, I'm not in touch with the politics of who will play with who up there.

What happens for these schools if this doesn't come about? Aren't they all looking at being homeless in a couple years as it stands?

There's going to be plenty of teams mentioned as "possible" teams of interest if this DAC 2.0 thing gets legs....and that'll include the Sioux Falls schools, NSU (no matter their interest level), some of the GPAC teams, Chadron, Rapid squads, etc.

Since you mentioned the GPAC teams in your post..I've always gotten the impression they really like their NAIA footprint on how competitive those schools (NW and MSide) are nationally and the local rivalries they have within an hour or so....as the GPAC is a big deal in the NW part of Iowa and such. I really don't see them having interest in leaving for something like this that's kinda North Dakota rooted.

At this point I do expect we will hear some talk of this..here and there (much more up North) as these NAIA schools like Mayville, VCSU, and Dakota State need to find an answer pretty quickly..but the issue for them is I don't think very many other schools are terribly motivated for that type of big change quite this fast..so they will need to make this DAC 2.0 thing real appealing, real fast..or they just hang out after next year as Independent at the NAIA level until something starts to really take shape for them.

[cardinalfan]

Not gonna lie....this made me laugh out loud when I read it. "If you remove the two fire-breathing dragons who beat almost everyone else nationally..the GLIAC is the GLVC" I mean....mmkay.

Those two are real real hard to ignore..and UIndy has done some good things for the GLVC..but....let's just leave this where we are at.

LOL yes there aren't many fire-breathing dragons in D2 but the GLIAC happens to have two of them. Fortunately we have a lot of parity and competitive OOC games among the rest of the GLIAC, the GLVC, and the GMAC (the NSIC's super-region mates in 2025 and beyond).

[MrMustang]

I think they are usually one or two in football attendance but I'm not entirely sure. Gypsy Days is usually the highest attended football game in the conference for the season, which helps the overall as the last two weeks are usually really low with farming/hunting

That was just kind of my point is that there is in developing conferences NSU has certainly met or exceeded what you would want out of a committed member. The issue has been in the wins and losses, especially as of late. On the womens side we are having one of the strongest years they have ever had. On the mens side it is absolutely and atrocious year.

Call me crazy, but I love games with lots of people and I'd love to see us roll back on what kids and fans can do and say at games. As recently as early 2000s fans yelled things, players interacted, as did coaches, refs weren't bothered by it or atleast it didn't effect them much. Environments were loud and fun. Now things are set up as a social gathering where it's more to hang out with others then being involved with the game. And for that reason, it's easy to say, I'll just stay home and watch the stream.

NSU men and women might still lead in attendance in hoops again, but it's going to be much, much lower than other years. They have had a few pretty good crowds but for the most part its just been pretty hard to see.

That is not unique to Northern. The number of hard core fans is half or one third it was 20 years ago. And for the most part they are not getting a lot of young fans. I will say in Marshall we seem to have a nice group of young fans, but not as many as 20 years ago. Still they do attend football pretty well. Basketball much more hit and miss because of youth sports.

It is also a social event in Marshall for football. Fans at least show up then and I give the athletic department credit for trying to get people to football whcih they have actually done pretty good at all things considered.

[Brandon]

That is not unique to Northern. The number of hard core fans is half or one third it was 20 years ago. And for the most part they are not getting a lot of young fans. I will say in Marshall we seem to have a nice group of young fans, but not as many as 20 years ago. Still they do attend football pretty well. Basketball much more hit and miss because of youth sports.

It is also a social event in Marshall for football. Fans at least show up then and I give the athletic department credit for trying to get people to football whcih they have actually done pretty good at all things considered.

What is the game presentation like?

[HardRockin'Nerd]

They are the kingpins in this whole deal. If they go for it, it might happen. Without them- no chance.

I’d be interested in what some of the BH folks think as I know there is a couple that hang out in the the RMAC thread. As for us, I know it’s a hard no. Moving to a DAC 2.0 would make recruiting so much harder for us. We’ve been living off the Colorado pipeline of kids who don’t have the trust fund required to go to Colorado Mines and want to play closer to home. Plus, there is also Arizona which doesn’t have any D2 schools making it a nice recruiting ground and Rapid has cheap flights to Phoenix (at least they did when I was there). Going to DAC 2.0 does not serve the program. I’d much rather pay for the extra travel than lose our entire recruiting base.

[Matt Witwicki]

I’d be interested in what some of the BH folks think as I know there is a couple that hang out in the the RMAC thread. As for us, I know it’s a hard no. Moving to a DAC 2.0 would make recruiting so much harder for us. We’ve been living off the Colorado pipeline of kids who don’t have the trust fund required to go to Colorado Mines and want to play closer to home. Plus, there is also Arizona which doesn’t have any D2 schools making it a nice recruiting ground and Rapid has cheap flights to Phoenix (at least they did when I was there). Going to DAC 2.0 does not serve the program. I’d much rather pay for the extra travel than lose our entire recruiting base.

If the DAC 2.0 is still a D2 conference (which is the idea, to my understanding)....why would SD Mines not be able to still recruit those areas? Maybe I'm not understanding how the cheap flights from Rapid to PHX would be impacted by D2 conference affiliation.

I'm assuming that since you do have a lot of rostered players from CO, that the thought would be they get to play plenty of away games in the state of Colorado..making it easier for friends and family to see them play....versus the DAC situation. If that's the angle....I can get onboard with that thinking, sure.

For those who are looking for a less expensive version of CO Mines....Rapid City is still just 6 hours away, which would stay the same..no matter the conference.

In theory, both BHSU and SD Mines would be front-runners in a DAC 2.0 and maybe see the playoffs, which they are not in the RMAC. Wouldn't that success in a D2 conference be a positive for the program and recruiting strength?

[MrMustang]

What is the game presentation like?

great question. For every home football game they have venders and an "event" like Ag Bowl, Homecoming, etc. There is also quite a few tailgaters with parents and fans. Those hard cores show up.

There is also things for kids before the football games like events and games. I think they actually do pretty well at that trying to get people to come

[MrMustang]

I’d be interested in what some of the BH folks think as I know there is a couple that hang out in the the RMAC thread. As for us, I know it’s a hard no. Moving to a DAC 2.0 would make recruiting so much harder for us. We’ve been living off the Colorado pipeline of kids who don’t have the trust fund required to go to Colorado Mines and want to play closer to home. Plus, there is also Arizona which doesn’t have any D2 schools making it a nice recruiting ground and Rapid has cheap flights to Phoenix (at least they did when I was there). Going to DAC 2.0 does not serve the program. I’d much rather pay for the extra travel than lose our entire recruiting base.

Interesting to know. It seems like Mines and BH are a good fit there

[HardRockin'Nerd]

If the DAC 2.0 is still a D2 conference (which is the idea, to my understanding)....why would SD Mines not be able to still recruit those areas? Maybe I'm not understanding how the cheap flights from Rapid to PHX would be impacted by D2 conference affiliation.

I'm assuming that since you do have a lot of rostered players from CO, that the thought would be they get to play plenty of away games in the state of Colorado..making it easier for friends and family to see them play....versus the DAC situation. If that's the angle....I can get onboard with that thinking, sure.

For those who are looking for a less expensive version of CO Mines....Rapid City is still just 6 hours away, which would stay the same..no matter the conference.

In theory, both BHSU and SD Mines would be front-runners in a DAC 2.0 and maybe see the playoffs, which they are not in the RMAC. Wouldn't that success in a D2 conference be a positive for the program and recruiting strength?

This is a very interesting topic to me, so this may be long haha. I don't believe we'd lose the recruiting base in Colorado or Arizona entirely, but I think it would be significantly reduced. There is a vast difference between Colorado families being able to see about half the games in a drive up to Rapid versus seeing every conference game in the RMAC. This is especially more true now that the artist formerly known as Dixie State has gone D1.

I do agree that us and BH would be perennial front runners in a new DAC, but I believe that any increase in recruiting due to that success would not match the downturn by leaving the geographic footprint of the RMAC. We have a unique challenge in recruiting as most players do have to play school (insert industrial engineering joke here). Recruiting engineers is difficult and would be even more so if we went to a conference that really didn't include large metro areas to pull from. Another issue with a new DAC footprint is the East River/West River divide. It has been getting better lately, but sometimes folks cast the same thinking about west river high school football to the collegiate level which would've been accurate pre-D2 transition but is not now. Culturally, Tech, BH, and Chadron all fit much better in the RMAC.

As for the playoffs, I don't think it's impossible for either SD Mines or BH to get a playoff bid out of the RMAC. With the RMAC, the SOS is good enough to where an at large bid is possible where it would not be in a DAC 2.0. I would agree that the conference auto bid would be more frequent in a DAC 2.0, but I wouldn't say it's impossible for either us or BH to get a bid out of the RMAC. Teams cycle at the top of the RMAC. Chadron was in the elite level, but much to my glee they have fallen back to the pack. Colorado Mines has been consistent, but Western's recent success shows that it can be done. As an additional caveat, the bar for success at Tech hinges more on how often you beat BH, Chadron, and Colorado Mines (in that order). The playoffs are not really as prevalent in the minds of our fanbase though I hope we get good enough to change that.

The biggest reason why I want to stay in the RMAC though is the stability. It is the oldest D2 conference and has a core of members that aren't going anywhere. I would not trust any of the former North Star schools not to bail if another NSIC shakeup happens leaving some opportunities or some of the smaller schools dropping football if their enrollment goes down. In the current shifting landscape of college football, stability is king. Bringing in my other fandom, I would almost compare this potential move to when Georgia Tech left the SEC back in the 60s. They left for valid reasons, but it really came back to bite them later which I think us leaving the RMAC would lead to a similar result