Is there any conference out there willing to take Denver?

National champs in hockey.
Decent and improving basketball.

Awesome market.

ON the Sunbelt board, there is speculation that the Big Sky Conference will add both Northern Colorado and Denver, so there will be ten basketball and nine football members. Apparently, the promise of these Colorado teams in the Big Sky has been instrumental in getting the Big Sky Conference a TV deal with a new sports network in Colorado.

But there has been absolutely no mention of Denver in any published report on the Big Sky expansion. Not good.

Denver belongs in the MCC no doubt about it. There days in the Sunbelt are numbered.

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The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Denver won't be there. The Sunbelt, despite their welcoming words, does not want them their either. They want a regional conference that can build on itself with an identity and rivalries. Denver does not fit into that. I would look to the Big West.

That is the same reason Temple football will not be part of the Sunbelt as well.

In my opinion they made a mistake of adding Florida teams. Yes they will be dropping Idaho, Utah State, and Denver, but they stretched their regionalization east instead of west. Sunbelt should of stuck to Texas, Louisana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

According to one guy on the Sun Belt board. ::) Even the guys on his board think he is a little off on this issue.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/cgi-bin/sunbelt/viewpost.cgi?thread_id=38874& amp; amp;message_id=38874

The Big Sky signed an agreement with Altitude on June the 3rd. Here is the press release form the Big Sky web site:

http://www.bigskyconf.com/article.asp?articleid=57957

June 3, 2004

Altitude Sports & Entertainment and Big Sky Conference Reach Multi-Year Telecast Agreement

Related Material

Altitude-Big Sky Sign Telecast Agreement

Altitude Sports & Entertainment (Altitude) -- Kroenke Sports Enterprises; regional sports network -- and the Big Sky Conference, today announced a multi-year telecast agreement to present live Big Sky Conference athletic events on Altitude. Jim Martin, CEO of Altitude, and Douglas Fullerton, Big Sky Conference Commissioner, made the announcement.

Under the agreement, Altitude will televise annually up to 12 Big Sky events beginning in the 2004-05 academic year, including men's football and basketball matchups, as well as the women's basketball tournament final and other men's and women's contests.



I am not sure that 12 TV games is enough to sway who the next member of the Big Sky is going to be.

I have heard a lot of talk about how adding the University of Denver will "capture" the Denver market. Not sure how a team that drew 1,569 (avg.) fans, last year, for Men's Basketball "captures" the Denver Market. That number of fans wouldn't even put them in the top 30 of D-II. It would however make the a strong #5 in D-III.

http://www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/attendance/2004_basketball_attend .pdf?session=bereycdefiRgTWqSkyRJqTTTJE

Lets face it, this is a pretty far fetched rumor started by one guy on the Sun Belt board. Denver doesnt have a football team, doesn't have track, doesn't have Cross Country (all offered and played by Big Sky Members). They do have Hockey, Lacrosse, Skiing, and Men's soccer (none of which the Big Sky offers). I don't see it, I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

The Big Sky gets somewhat adamant about conference members playing in a minimum number of conference sports, and only Gonzaga has been a member without football IIRC, many moons ago.

I guess bottom line here is that yes, Denver will not be in the Sunbelt much longer.

Maybe the original poster is just fishing for possibilities. They are slim. Maybe Midcontinent. I was mispoken about the Big West, I neglected to remember they are pushing toward all California membership.

I can see many scenarios where the University of Denver end up in the Mid-Con. Say like the Big Sky takes Southern Utah and the Mid-Con adds UD, UNC, NDSU, and SDSU as an example. Or the Big Sky takes SDSU and NDSU, and the Mid-Con adds UD, UNC, and Utah Valley State.

WAC is looking to add a non-football full member.

Source is posted in other forums on this board I believe.