If I'm the Summit I offer Chicago St., UTPA, NJIT spots now. Travel would be closer for all of those in the Summit(NJIT is Indy) than the WAC. Then offer UMKC what the WAC offered, 3 Conf tourney's on their home city.

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UNO would still be a great candidate to join the Big Sky if the school only still has its football program (unless otherwise re-instate or revive it). And for the rest of the schools, looks and sounds very fine and fair enough so far, according to this projection.

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Florida State Seminoles fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)! 2013 ACC football Atlantic Division champions; 2013 ACC football regular season champions; 2013 ACC football conference bowl tournament champions; 2014 NCAA D-I FBS BCS national champions!

If no one else can get themselves out of the Summit then hopefully they can convince UMKC to stay and add Chicago St to get to 10 again and the following pairs:

IPFW/IUPUI
WIU/Chicago St
UNO/UMKC
USD/SDSU
NDSU/Denver

These travel arrangements would be far better than what those two schools would experience in the WAC. As far as getting UMKC back in the fold all they really need is for Chicago St to say yes because their loss drops the WAC below the NCAA minimum of 8 schools; naturally UMKC will want to go with the league that is still recognized by the NCAA. Fresno St Alum's suggestion of adding UTPA and NJIT would only further strengthen the Summit's position.

However, I think the Summit is bound to lose members, whether its to the Horizon, OVC, or Big Sky.

Yes, timing is key, who strikes and where, on the WAC vs Summit it's who strikes 1st. I'm sure the Summit would strike now if they could but maybe Chi St. and whoever else are waiting to see what else the Horizon does before committing. If they got those 10, I'm sure they could get NMSU and UTPA or UVU.

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UMKC doesn't help the Summit-they don't play baseball. Adding Chicago State and NJIT would work as that gets Summit baseball to six (not counting transitional Omaha), but not Chicago State and UMKC.

Indeed. Interesting times with the Summit and WAC. Chicago St. would have preferred the Summit, but only got a WAC invite. UMKC left the Summit seeing the WAC as an opportunity to succeed...right after Denver left the WAC for what they thought we a better spot, the Summit.

I think the Summit needs to look around for D2 schools in the region first...feel out some MN schools for example. Chicago St. is there for the numbers...for #9 (#8 until UNO finishes the transition)...if the Summit invited them back. The WAC has only Summit schools they can do after. Meanwhile, the Big Sky is sitting there and could give the final blow if they took the Dakota schools.

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NJIT?

America East?

Article out of Sioux Falls with comments from Summit League Commish regarding league realignment and Oakland leaving at http://www.argusleader.com/article/2013 ... ng-members

At least according to the article, it appears baseball is the most pressing issue for the league. If/when the summit expands the school needs to have a baseball team.

That's IF the Summit finds an all-sports full member school with baseball in its athletic program. The contrary would be either dissolve the sport out of the conference or dissolve the conference as a whole by being absorbed with another conference from its nearby area or split some members to other closer area-like conferences (i.e.: Big Sky, in the Dakotas' case; Horizon or MVC).

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Florida State Seminoles fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)! 2013 ACC football Atlantic Division champions; 2013 ACC football regular season champions; 2013 ACC football conference bowl tournament champions; 2014 NCAA D-I FBS BCS national champions!

Probably if the Albany to CAA for all sports happens, AEC either takes NJIT or digs into the NEC, then the NEC takes NJIT.

I still think the AEC should invite CCSU, Bryant, Sacred Heart and tell Stony Brook, Maine, UNH, Albany they're starting football. URI would probably join as affiliate. If Albany leaves then bring up Robert Morris or Wagner. At that point NEC can't support fb and the rest of NEC fb could join or go to the Pioneer.

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the summit should invite university of north dakota as a baseball affiliate as they park their baseball in the great west, while the big sky doesnt sponsor baseball.

Not a bad idea. I think Northern Colorado plays baseball too. They could also be an affiliate. Heck, maybe the Big Sky would be willing to "lend" the Summit UND and UNC for everything but football--it would mean more basketball money for the Big Sky schools and also a better season at making NCAA post-seasons in sports across the board.

North Dakota and Northern Colorado along with Sac State are baseball affiliates in the WAC starting 2014.

2014 WAC Baseball - Seattle, Utah Valley, CSUB, GCU, NMSU, UTPA, Chicago St
Affiliates - Sac State, Northern Colorado, North Dakota

2014 Summit Baseball - NDSU, SDSU, UNOmaha, Western Illinois, IUPUFW and (need at least 1 more)

It makes sense for Chicago St, North Dakota, and UMKC to be in the Summit but that's way too logical...

Far too many factors/egos involved (UND getting shunned/ChiSt getting booted/UMKC leaving) for this to happen, seems obvious to us, but then again don't a lot of things...

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Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

Article out of Fargo with comments from NDSU AD regarding Summit League realignment situation at http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/68328