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Augustana to the Summit?


91jack

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Have not posted in awhile but enjoyed reading the speculation of conference realignment.  

Athletics are important to ORU and considered to be part of the enrichment of the whole body.  But not to the point where athletics would put a financial strain on the University requiring every single team has to fly for conference games.  

If Idaho and Montana's join the summit the choices for ORU are WAC and Southland.  I don't see ORU going to WAC.  Would Southland be an option?  

Drake, Loyola, Valpo, Bradley, Evansville, ORU, Dallas Baptist, Houston Baptist, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word.  Private school conference, same sports, small enrollment.  Would be a step down for Drake, Loyola, Bradley, Valpo, Evansville though...And the southern schools would need to increase the academic reputation/rankings closer to the MVC privates.  

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
12 hours ago, UNDfan said:

UMKC is making significant noise that changes are in store in 100 days.  That’s when ORU will go to the WAC and Summit and Big Sky conference changes will come.

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I'm not having this conversation anymore with anyone who doesn't understand (or simply refuses to consider) the myriad of mitigating circumstances for ORU in this process, such as Title IX, baseball, the athletic budget, travel, facilities, competitive balance, and presidents' roles in the decision-making process.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Now THIS is an announcement that means something:

Can't WAIT to hear how this new alliance fits into the whole "Summit-League-and-Big-Sky" Bizarro World scenario:

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On 12/31/2018 at 8:27 PM, UNDfan said:

Dixie St and Metro St will announce for DI shortly and they will go to the Big Sky, not the WAC.

Blazing a New Trail: Dixie State Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Western Athletic Conference

https://kutv.com/sports/college/blazing-a-new-trail-dixie-state-athletics-accepts-invitation-to-join-western-athletic-con

 

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https://kwsn.com/podcasts/sports-talk-with-kwsn/5093/tom-douple-on-summit-tourneys-decade-in-sioux-falls-augustana-possibility/#

Douple talks about PUFW and WIU wanting to leave, Augustana joining and the need for more men’s soccer schools.

The Dakotas are not adding men’s soccer.  Omaha, Denver and ORU will need to look elsewhere for that ( as an MVC affiliate).

The Summit will fall below the minimum number of men team sports required.  The loss of an autobid would result.   But if the Dakotas add football, a loss of a dance bid would be averted.

As said many times before, adding the Montanas, Idaho, EWU, and Weber St would make the Summit extremely solid.  This is why UND joined in the first place as they knew reinforcement were coming.  Dixie St , Metro St of Denver, and CWU will join the Big Sky to replace them.

Good luck to ORU.

I’ll Let Old Titan have another stroke on this board.

Some people are not smart enough to realize that the WAC “add”is just a planned deception.  The Big Sky is already too big.  The WAC, Big Sky and Summit are coordinating some major changes soon, and the Big Sky adding teams would reveal that some schools are leaving, which Presidents don’t want to do yet.  The Big Sky will be a one a beginners league of schools with lower budgets and attendance.  The WAC and Summit will be elevated leagues.

 

 

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I listened briefly to Douple's interview posted above.  He talked more about financial constraints WIU was facing due to funding by the State of Illinois.  From the sound of things, Purdue Fort Wayne is doing better.  However, he did emphasize two key points.  The first was that ANY university wishing to leave the Summit was going to have to pay a $1,000,000 exit fee.  Secondly, at the end of the day it is the collective University Presidents who make the final decision on who can come into the Summit.  He also was high on UMKC coming back into the League and says they basically have an open door invitation.  As for Augustana he said he had been contacted by both Augustana's AD and Pres about an interest in possibly joining the league but again emphasized that the collective University Presidents of the Summit League schools would make that decision if and/or when they ever thought that necessary.  On a personal note, if looking to expand I would look to both New Mexico State and Grand Canyon University.  FWIW, that is not going to happen either.

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ORU was a key player that kept the Summit League alive with its baseball and men’s soccer programs so the Summit saved its dance bigpd.  It will be rewarded by not charging exit fee or entrance fees and will be a travel partner with UMKC in the WAC when Southland schools slide over.  Southland fb schools that want FBS  will be a key part of the new WAC.

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Another shoe is dropping, this time Metro St of Denver, just as I said would happen.

https://msudenver.edu/early-bird/2019/03/14-trustee-update.shtml

By summer, the WAC, Summit and Big Sky will be effectively swapping teams.

 

Just trying to get you fair warning, but all I get is grief.  The Old Testament prophets has similar problems from the Sanhedrin and other “religious”Jews.

 

 

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george.gif.37bcc9f34f43a5113acba2692d24703f.gif

 

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This is my all time favorite discussion thread.  Credit to UNDfan, he's sticking to his guns on the big shakeup he sees coming.

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  • 2 months later...

A huge long shot situation is developing in Minnesota. A Division III private school(University of St Thomas) is getting kicked out of its conference because they've gotten too good. A conference they've been in for literally 100 years(founding member), and whose membership hasn't changed at all in about 35 years. It's actually getting some national(even international) attention.

Anyway, they'll be looking for a new home and there's a lot of debate about where they're going to end up. The safe bet is a neighboring Wisconsin DIII conference, but all the full members of that group are public WI schools. The other DIII local conference(UMAC) fits them even less than the one they're getting kicked out of.

Many think that UST will use this opportunity to move up a division. There's a local DII conference that's a decent possibility(NSIC - which is where Augustana is now). There are a couple more conferences in Great Lakes country, but a Minneapolis college would be a bit of a stretch to their footprints.

The final possibility is that they might try to springboard directly to DI. Minnesota only has the one DI school at the moment, so there is a gap waiting to be filled. And the MSP market would be nice for the Summit or MVC. The big problem, of course, is that the NCAA rules don't allow for a direct move from DIII to DI. As the current rules stand, it would take something like 13 or 15 years for UST to be DI eligible. And that's an eternity. The only thing people are wondering about is if the fact they were forced out of their current conference would make a difference. That maybe if they went to the NCAA with a DI conference invite in hand, they could maybe swing a waiver due to their unusual circumstance. It's pretty doubtful, but there was that situation with Liberty a few years back that shows waivers are possible for stuff even if they aren't likely.

 

Anyway, I expect UST will end up in the WIAC(DIII) or NSIC(DII), but it's worth keeping an eye on just in case.

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Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the huge distinction between D-2 and D-3 is that D-3 schools do not have athletic scholarships?

Seems like that might present a slight challenge to the ol’ athletic budget if they made any move up...

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