DAC 2.0 - New D2 Conference..?

[vikingfaithful]

HardRockin'Nerd makes perfect sense about staying in RMAC. The east river, west river thing gets old.

[Matt Witwicki]

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

Appreciate you taking the time and effort for these detailed thoughts. I can understand your angle with most of these things and I would agree that it's not impossible for the west river teams making the dance, but with with the strength of CO Mines and CSUP (more years than not)..it makes it tough for another team to find their way in..but like you mentioned, Western has proven it can be done.

I have a feeling this conversation (BSHU and SD Mines to the DAC 2.0) will arise with AD's and school presidents..but we might not hear anything further on the topic for a good while yet. Also, I feel like the viewpoint from supporters is often based upon what fellow schools would they like to rub shoulders or be associated with..and some of that can be wishful thinking and other times truly where they should be aligned.