Sounds like a good idea to me. Do you think the easten div. schools would go along with the name change. ;)

Here is a quick story from the Sioux Falls, SD newspaper on how Conference Realignment is effecting SDSU's hunt for a home as we move up to D-I.


http://www.argusleader.com/sports/Sundayarticle4.shtml

Big East shake-up affects SDSU

Chris Solari
Argus Leader

published: 11/23/2003

As does the cascade of conference raids taking place across the nation

Forget the usual suspects for a second. Some of the key players in South Dakota State University's search for a Division I conference have been Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College.

Don't roll your eyes yet.

Truth is, when those three schools agreed earlier this year to leave the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, they set in motion a domino effect that is causing major reverberations among even the smallest Division I conferences.

And that includes the leagues which have been mentioned as possible homes for the SDSU Jackrabbits - the Mid-Continent Conference, the Horizon League and the Big Sky - as they move their athletic programs to Division I.

"The conferences we've been talking to obviously are in a little bit of a wait-and-see mode," SDSU Athletic Director Fred Oien said. "It's simply to see what happens to their own membership, but also what might be left and how that might all be organized."

Consider the chain of events: After Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College bolted from the Big East, that conference moved quickly to find replacements, plundering Conference USA for Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and DePaul.

"Conference USA saw this as an opportunity to reconfigure itself as a pure (Division) I-A southern-based football-playing conference, and they were able to do that," Big East Commissioner Michael Tranghese said at a press conference. "So when we saw that we might be able to fill our needs, and they, at the same time, would do the same thing - we would not have to reach out to other conferences and be disruptive. To me, it was the best choice that we could possibly make."

Of course, it also was disruptive. Conference USA acted by swiping Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa from the Western Athletic Conference. The WAC is now looking at a few Sun Belt Conference schools. And so on, and so on ....

"This conference realignment thing continues to seem to bounce around," St. Louis University Athletic Director Doug Woolard told The Associated Press after moving his basketball-playing school from Conference USA to the Atlantic 10 earlier this week.

Many of those schools play Division I-A football, while SDSU will move into the second-highest classification of I-AA.

Attendance requirements at the I-A level also will affect some conferences after next football season.

Those regulations require football teams in that division to play five home games against other I-A opponents, and mandates that attendance at those games top 15,000 people. Previous rules were based on ticket sales. The attendance requirement could propel a bevy of teams entering I-AA to form new leagues or make other conferences decide to reorganize.

One conference which could be drastically affected is the Mid-American Conference, considered one of the best mid-major football leagues in I-A.

According to NCAA figures from this season, 10 schools nationwide have average attendance totals below 15,000. Half of those universities are in the MAC, which is also a prime target for a raid because of its basketball prowess. That could cause a major split in the 14-team conference, which will already lose Marshall and Central Florida to Conference USA.

SDSU has also discussed forming a I-AA football league with six other schools. A formal meeting to discuss that league is set for Dec. 8-9 in Las Vegas.

"It is an exciting time in intercollegiate athletics," Oien said. "Some people don't like it. But on the other hand, this realignment creates all kinds of new opportunities for everybody."

The most likely near-term change with the Mid-Con is that Denver will be added. Denver cannot be pleased with the direction of the SunBelt, so a change is conference affiliation is likely. The Mid-Con will not give serious consideration to any Div II schools reclassifying to Div I until the probation period for automatic qualification in basketball is nearly over.

You may be right about Denver, I have heard that before. As far as the Mid-Con not giving us a serious look, I think you may be mistaken. If they pick up Denver they very well may pick up UNC (another D-II from our Conf.) and also a team close to Centenary. This would give them 12 teams and allow them to split into two div. to help with travel costs. This IMHO is their goal (To have 2 Div.). There has also been talk that Chicago St. might be leaving and that opens the door for the Dakota schools.


If the Mid-Con wants these two well funded, Flag Ship Land Grant Universities (not your avg. D-II, enrolment of over 10,000 at both schools and Athletic budgets and attendence figures that are better then most if not all the Mid-Con schools) I don't think they will have the luxury of waiting. Their is still a chance that the Big Sky will get both schools before the Mid-Con even has a chance to look at them. That being said, who knows still a lot of change coming down the pike, you might be right. We will have to wait and see.

why is denver in the sunbelt anyways, i agree with yall that they should be in the mcc.

I don't think Denver gets in. I think it will be the 3 NCC schools joining at the same time (SDSU, UNC, NDSU). SDSU & NDSU as travel partner and UNC & Southern Utah. Dever could get in, but then I think UNC is left in the cold. I had heard they had a good shot at getting in. No way does SDSU, and NDSU get left behind. The only way they are not in the Mid-Con by '05 is if they get asked to join the Big Sky first.

This is ludicrous. New Div I schools will only be considered once ther provisional period in basketball is down to one or two years. With schools like Denver or IPFW now available, the choice is a no-brainer.

UC-Davis was also added to the Big West right away. More important then your playoff availability (which is in the process of changing) is your long tern viability. Both NDSU and SDSU have athletic budgets and attendence (followings) that meet or beat most if not all the Mid-Con. schools.

As long as a conference is not in danger of losing its Auto bid, due to lack of qualifying member, any potential members playoff status is really a moot point. I think it is very likely that NDSU, UNC, and SDSU will be in the Mid-Con within the next few years.

89rabbit:

Do most SDSU fans want to get into the MidCon? I think you guys would be a great addition. But from the NDSU message board, it seems they are not too fond of the idea: >:(

http://www.bisonville.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=smack;action=display;num=1071535037

UMKCer,

You must remember that NDSU is driven by football. They want in the Big Sky because it is a powerful I-AA football conf. I don't want to speak for all the Rabbits, but I think that most SDSU fans feel that either the Big Sky or Mid-Con with a GWC for football would be great. If NDSU and SDSU end up in the Mid-Con the Bison will change their minds, they will be ok.

I personally would rather be in the Mid-Con because we are a basketball school, and I think the Mid-Con is a better basketball Conf. I also live in KC and would love to see the Roos and Jacks play here every year. Have you heard anything about Mid-Con expansion from your school?

Lastly let me say that I agree with you that both SDSU and NDSU would be nice additions to the Conf. and that we could help the Mid-Con to even greater heights.

P.S. here is the SDSU board if you want to judge how we feel for yourself.

http://diaafootball.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Here is the SDSU web site if you want to know more about the University.

http://www3.sdstate.edu/

I would agree with this. But I also think there are other schools (including UMKC) that would like to get into the Missouri Valley or even the Horizon eventually. Possible competitors for a MVC slot (good basketball schools like SDSU) may get less consideration than otherwise believed - it is just the politics of the situation. Why else was Centenary chosen?

Schools outside the Midwest, like Denver or Northern Colorado that have few other conference options or ambitions, will probably be the next teams selected, IMHO. If a school really wants to be invited, it is probably best not to seem too ambitious!

Best of luck!

UMKCer,

maybe so, but I would rather be who we are and let the chips fall where they may. I find it hard to believe that a conf. will get better by picking up lesser teams (I am not saying that Denver or UNC are lesser teams). If that is what the Mid-Con wants to do then I would not want my University to be a part of it. I don't think that the Mid-Con wants that, and I think that if they expand they will pick the schools they feel give them the best chance to be more then they are today, IMHO.

I did a quick check, Centenary has the best record in the Mid-Con at 5-2, UMKC is 3-5. Maybe they were added because they are good.

Centenary was added to the Mid-Continent Conference because the former TAAC/Atlantic Sun member was an independent in need of conference affiliation and the Mid-Con needed to increase its membership to ensure future viability. Mid-Con membership has been in constant flux for over a decade; with membership down to eight prior to the addition of Centenary, the Mid-Con was one "defection" (i.e. Oral Roberts, Southern Utah, Valparaiso) from losing an automatic NCAA berth.