It occurred to me that we have had trivial discussions of SFU and UBC possibly playing in the NCAA, but we really have not discussed Canada's version of the NCAA, CIS. It occurred to me that this site should totally track CIS movement as well! To that end I am opening a CIS expansion and Realigment thread that I hope can be stickied up with the others.
Most posters on the thread are pretty US-centric, soI think the first post in this thread should explain the CIS.
There are 52 Canadian universities who play in the CIS, essentially the Canadian government run (or at least heavily sponsored) version of the NCAA.
CIS Membership
Acadia University Axemen / Axewomen -
http://www.acadiau.ca/sports University of Alberta Golden Bears / Pandas -
http://www.bears.ualberta.ca -
http://www.pandas.ualberta.ca Bishop's University Gaiters -
http://www.ubishops.ca/gaiters Brandon University Bobcats / Bobcats -
http://www.gobobcats.ca University of British Columbia Thunderbirds -
http://www.gothunderbirds.ca Brock University Badgers -
http://www.brocku.ca/athletics University of Calgary Dinos -
http://www.goDINOS.com Cape Breton University Capers - gocapersgo.ca
Carleton University Ravens / Ravens -
http://www.goravens.ca -
http://www.carleton.ca/athletics Concordia University Stingers -
http://www.stingers.ca - athletics.concordia.ca
Dalhousie University Tigers -
http://www.athletics.dal.ca University of the Fraser Valley Cascades -
http://www.ucfv.ca/athletics University of Guelph Gryphons -
http://www.gryphons.ca Lakehead University Thunderwolves -
http://www.thunderwolves.ca -
http://www.thunderwolveshockey.com Laurentian University Voyageurs / Lady Vees -
http://www.luvoyageurs.com Université Laval Rouge et Or -
http://www.rougeetor.ulaval.ca -
http://www.peps.ulaval.ca University of Lethbridge Pronghorns - horns.uleth.ca
University of Manitoba Bisons -
http://www.gobisons.ca McGill University Redmen / Martlets -
http://www.athletics.mcgill.ca McMaster University Marauders -
http://www.marauders.ca Memorial University of Newfoundland Sea-Hawks -
http://www.mun.ca/athletics Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus -
http://www.umoncton.ca/sports Université de Montréal Carabins -
http://www.carabins.umontreal.ca Mount Allison University Mounties - athletics.mta.ca/
University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds - vreds.unb.ca
Nipissing University Lakers -
http://www.nipissingu.ca/athletics University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks -
http://www.uoitridgebacks.com University of Ottawa/Université d'Ottawa Gee-Gees -
http://www.geegees.ca University of Prince Edward Island Panthers / Panthers -
http://www.upei.ca/athletics/ Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins -
http://www.sports.uqam.ca Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes -
http://www.uqtr.ca/Patriotes Queen's University Golden Gaels -
http://www.gogaelsgo.com University of Regina Cougars and Rams (Football only) -
http://www.uregina.ca/cougars Royal Military College of Canada Paladins -
http://www.rmc.ca/athletics/ Ryerson University Rams -
http://www.ryerson.ca/sportsandrec Saint Mary's University Huskies -
http://www.smuhuskies.ca University of Saskatchewan Huskies / Huskies -
http://www.huskies.usask.ca Université de Sherbrooke Vert & Or -
http://www.usherbrooke.ca/sport -
http://www.usherbrooke.ca/vertetor Simon Fraser University Clan -
http://www.sfu.ca/athletics -
http://www.sfu.ca/recreation St. Thomas University Tommies -
http://www.stthomasu.ca/athletics St. Francis Xavier University X-Men / X-Women -
http://www.goxgo.ca Thompson Rivers University WolfPack / WolfPack -
http://www.tru.ca/athletic/index.htm University of Toronto Varsity Blues -
http://www.varsityblues.ca Trent University Excalibur -
http://www.trentu.ca/athletics Trinity Western University Spartans -
http://www.gospartans.ca University of Victoria Vikes -
http://www.govikesgo.com University of Waterloo Warriors -
http://www.gowarriorsgo.ca The University of Western Ontario Mustangs / Mustangs -
http://www.westernmustangs.ca Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks -
http://www.laurierathletics.com University of Windsor Lancers -
http://www.golancers.ca University of Winnipeg Wesmen -
http://www.wesmen.ca York University Lions -
http://www.sport.yorku.ca The schools are divided into 4 regional associations (similar to what we would call conferences):
Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) - Canadian Universities West of Ontario
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) - Canadian Universities in Ontario
Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF) - Canadian Universities in Quebec
Atlantic University Sport (AUS) - Canadian Universities East of Quebec
In sports with heavy university participation, like basketball, some of the conferences have divisions. In basketball, CWUAA has 3 divisions: Pacific, Great Plains, and Central; OAU has two: West and East.
27 of those universities play the Canadian variety of Football under CIS organization.
Canada West Universities Athletic Association (under the name Canada West Football Conference)
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Manitoba
University of Regina
University of Saskatchewan
Simon Fraser University
ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
University of Guelph
McMaster University
University of Ottawa/Université d'Ottawa
Queen's University
University of Toronto
University of Waterloo
The University of Western Ontario
Wilfrid Laurier University
University of Windsor
York University
QUEBEC STUDENT SPORT FEDERATION (under the name Quebec University Football League)
Bishop's University
Concordia University
Université Laval
McGill University
Université de Montréal
ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SPORT (under the name Atlantic University Football Conference)
Acadia University
Mount Allison University
Saint Mary's University
St. Francis Xavier University
Here's a pretty dry history of CIS from the CIS site:
http://universitysport.ca/e/about/history.cfm Like in the NCAA, the CIS does mass realignments from time to time and universities move from time to time. "In 1971, intercollegiate sport in Central Canada completely re-organised with the division of athletic associations along provincial lines and the Quebec University Athletic Association (QUAA) was formed" (wikipedia). It failed during the 1973 season. Reorganizations occured again in 1974 and 1980.
In 1998 Carleton University suspended it's football program. In 2001, Queen's University and University of Ottawa left what was then known as the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference for affiliation with the other Ontario schools. (I hope someone might explain this. I have a a few possible thoughts about this, some of which are pretty ugly, but for now I am going with the PC idea that with the suspension of the program at Carleton, Queens and UO had only a single game in Ontario in football and 2 in other sports and felt if they were going to be total outliers, it made more sense to be an outlier in a conterence with Toronto schools.)
In 2005 Thompson Rivers University begain play in CWUAA. In 2006, the University College of the Fraser Valley (now University of the Fraser Valley) joined CWUAA. University of Northern British Columbia, University of British Columbia-Okanagan, Capilano University, & Vancouver Island University are scheduled to join CWUAA soon.
So there is conference movement, so lets start tracking this.