UMR left, Fort Hays State is in. Talk now is going to 12. Nebraska-Omaha and somebody else probally Nebraska-Kearney or Lincoln.

Heh. The way the Huskers are playing, they may just end up in this league...NOT. The problem in taking UNO is that it would leave just six teams in the North Central Conference. North Dakota could then be convinced to go D-I and what's left of the league (Augustana, UMD, MSU-Mankato, St. Cloud State, South Dakota) will be forced to go to the Northern Sun.

_________________
Do you ahhhhh......realign?

What if South Dakota enters DI as well as North Dakota while Augustana, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato and St. Cloud State head to the Northern Sun? However, it might be a problem. You see? The North Central Conference and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference had their tremendous histories as great competitive conferences in the Midwestern area of the U.S., respectively; but it might be a shame if one of those conferences would have to depart or withdraw to become Independents. And according to my opinion, if it's possible that Nebraska-Omaha and Nebraska-Kearney might be joining the MAIAA (my symbolized abbreviation for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association), the rest of the members of the North Central would "merged" with the members of the Northern Sun. Think about it.

John (a.k.a. NCAAnopaawaa2000)

P.S.: It might be called the Midwestern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MSIAC) or the Central Midwestern Athletic Association (CMAA).

_________________
Florida State Seminole fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)!

UNO and USD to the MIAA?

That is what alot people in this region think if UND goes D1, something that those two schools can't do.

NOT South Dakota! Nebraska-Kearney from the RMAC with Nebraska-Omaha. And if South Dakota stays in D2, I say that North Dakota has to stay as well and has to wait trying to uprgade to D1 until the Coyotes might have the same concepts as the Fighting Sioux.

_________________
Florida State Seminole fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)!

What does North Dakota moving up have anything to do with South Dakota. Seriousally, USD can't make the move. Ask anybody from this region.

My chips are on UNO and UNK. Kearney and Ft. Hays State are fairly close geographically and were big RMAC rivals. UNO wouldn't mind going south instead of north and also has a healthy rivalry with UNK.

UNO leaving the NCC might just kill off that conference. UND would probably go D-I in that instance, and the remaining five NCC schools would probably join the Northern Sun. As pointed out, USD is not likely to go to D-I any time soon, nor are the Minnesota NCC schools.

Some of the lower-level NSIC schools might then join up with the Dakota Athletic Conference, which is considering jumping from NAIA to D-II. You might see the NSIC up its football scholarship levels and take the upper-D-II tier position of the NCC and the DAC take the lower-D-II tier position now occupied by the Northern Sun.

Interesting sub-plot is that the U. of Sioux Falls is building a shiny new 6,500 seat football field. Augustana in Sioux Falls is the token private school in the current NCC. If the above scenario unfolds, it is not out of the question that Augie might wind up in the DAC, and USF (with a stronger football tradition in recent years) moving into the new NSIC.

Or, the NCC might be successful in poaching the stronger programs from the NSIC--Winona, Northern, possibly SW Minnesota.

What about Howard Wood field? That's a fairly nice 10k seater with field turf and a track around it. I would think that USF would use that, wouldn't you? Seems like a waste of money IMO.

Also of note is that USF isn't actually in the DAC, they're in the GPAC (the nearest NAIA conference to the DAC). I thought I read somewhere that the GPAC was considering moving to NCAA D3? Maybe not.


I think that UNK would have the same disadvantages that USD would have in the MIAA: too far away. UNO is probably about as far north as you could reasonably get in a bus ride (only 3 hours from UNO to NW MO St.) for most of the members. But USD is 2 hours north and UNK is 3 hours west. That's pretty far for a bus trip IMO.


I do think that eventually UND will go DI. However, I think the NCC will just pick up Bemidji State, Concordia St Paul, and Winona (and maybe Northern State) and leave the rest of the NSIC to combine with the DAC if they do actually go to NCAA D2.

For example: In last season, North Dakota State and South Dakota State (leaving the NCC).

_________________
Florida State Seminole fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)!