(08-26-2018 05:39 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  

(08-24-2018 08:18 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Only the WCHA has offered so far, but Ariz St rejected them as most of its schools are DII.

It's probably more because they think the WCHA just isn't that great of a conference. Schools are aware that Bowling Green St and Mankato want out of the WCHA.

(08-24-2018 08:18 PM)NoDak Wrote:  The problem is that the NCHC needs two schools, and UNLV could be the second.

Why would the NCHC want to invite an up-start Nevada-Las Vegas?

Ariz St needs an autobid conference but the WCHA isn’t even wanted for that.

Denver and Colo College want more western schools. Would argue that UND and Omaha would be for UNLV too if they were properly funded.

Ariz St has been attracting talent, and if UNLV gets funding they would soon be at a Penn St potential. California can easily staff two top line DI teams and most northern boys would like the idea of a warm hockey town.

(08-24-2018 08:18 PM)NoDak Wrote:  The problem is that the NCHC needs two schools, and UNLV could be the second. Miami-O and Western Mich will likely have major problems voting in those two.

Maybe. But considering we're talking about a once-a-year trip, it may actually be cost-neutral or cheaper to fly into Phoenix or Vegas as opposed to a flight/bus combo to the likes of Grand Forks, St. Cloud, or Colorado Springs.

(08-26-2018 11:38 PM)The Colonel Wrote:  

(08-24-2018 08:18 PM)NoDak Wrote:  The problem is that the NCHC needs two schools, and UNLV could be the second. Miami-O and Western Mich will likely have major problems voting in those two.

Maybe. But considering we're talking about a once-a-year trip, it may actually be cost-neutral or cheaper to fly into Phoenix or Vegas as opposed to a flight/bus combo to the likes of Grand Forks, St. Cloud, or Colorado Springs.

UND charters all their flights to places that need air travel. All those three cities have commercial airports. Allegiant has very cheap fares to Mesa and Vegas at nearly all Midwest locales. Ariz St and maybe UNLV would be closely watched by the PAC12 for possible future hockey teams.

(08-26-2018 05:39 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  

(08-24-2018 08:18 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Only the WCHA has offered so far, but Ariz St rejected them as most of its schools are DII.

It's probably more because they think the WCHA just isn't that great of a conference. Schools are aware that Bowling Green St and Mankato want out of the WCHA.

In Bowling Green's case, at least part of the issue is all the travel. Bowling Green's WCHA schedule for 2018-19 includes two trips to Alaska, one to Alabama, and one to Minnesota. If we could get to more of a Michigan-Ohio (and perhaps western New York) conference, that would be be a win, even if the strength of schedule did not improve.

Something interesting I discovered on the D2 message board. Reading on a thread about Augustana(SD) thinking of moving up, I read that there is no political will in the Minnesota State system to allow Mankato to move up to Division I, even if women's hockey is cut, and even there, should the women's program get cut, there will be pressure to eliminate the men's program due to Title IX requirements. If Mankato is being pressured, you can bet Bemidji, St. Cloud and, to a lesser extent, UMD(even in a different system) are facing these same pressures.

(08-27-2018 01:40 PM)Rube Dali Wrote:  Something interesting I discovered on the D2 message board. Reading on a thread about Augustana(SD) thinking of moving up, I read that there is no political will in the Minnesota State system to allow Mankato to move up to Division I, even if women's hockey is cut, and even there, should the women's program get cut, there will be pressure to eliminate the men's program due to Title IX requirements. If Mankato is being pressured, you can bet Bemidji, St. Cloud and, to a lesser extent, UMD(even in a different system) are facing these same pressures.

There is talk on the USD board that Kelby Klosterman got himself in a real pickle with ethics and moral violations that could derail any talk of Augustana going DI. Also, Denver’s blog scene seems to say the Summit would have a massive problem with DU threatening to leave if Augie comes aboard.

No Dak:

I help out with the LetsGODU blog. The owner of the blog wrote that DU "should" leave the Summit if Augie joined, not that DU "would" leave the Summit. Big difference.

95% of DU fans are unaware of Augie at all. Those few of us hard core DU fans are not excited about Augie and the Summit, and we're not speaking for DU, either. Just fans venting...

(08-27-2018 03:09 PM)puck swami Wrote:  No Dak:

I help out with the LetsGODU blog. The owner of the blog wrote that DU "should" leave the Summit if Augie joined, not that DU "would" leave the Summit. Big difference.

95% of DU fans are unaware of Augie at all. Those few of us hard core DU fans are not excited about Augie and the Summit, and we're not speaking for DU, either. Just fans venting...

A DU President would not vote for Augie unless they had no other conference choice. GCU and the WAC would be much better.

But IMHO, DU didn’t sign up to be conference partners with WIU, PUFW, IUPUI or ORU either. Research and flagship partners like Idaho and the Montanas are what would satisfy the DU president. After all, they asked to join the Big Sky, but were rejected from the smaller budget, lower research schools.

Still think a Great Northern conference was preordained when Denver left the WAC.

(08-27-2018 05:27 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 03:09 PM)puck swami Wrote:  No Dak:

I help out with the LetsGODU blog. The owner of the blog wrote that DU "should" leave the Summit if Augie joined, not that DU "would" leave the Summit. Big difference.

95% of DU fans are unaware of Augie at all. Those few of us hard core DU fans are not excited about Augie and the Summit, and we're not speaking for DU, either. Just fans venting...

A DU President would not vote for Augie unless they had no other conference choice. GCU and the WAC would be much better.

But IMHO, DU didn’t sign up to be conference partners with WIU, PUFW, IUPUI or ORU either. Research and flagship partners like Idaho and the Montanas are what would satisfy the DU president. After all, they asked to join the Big Sky, but were rejected from the smaller budget, lower research schools.

Still think a Great Northern conference was preordained when Denver left the WAC.

Any proof to that bold claim?

Quote:"Us joining the Summit really gives us an opportunity to achieve our core challenges. In conversations with multiple, multiple challenges, it became a significant challenge because it was the conversation of, 'Sure, we'd like to add Denver, but we'd like you to add two or three or four sports.' When you look at that combined with increased travel and membership costs, it became an issue where we were fortunate the Summit wanted DU."

As was the case when DU left the Sun Belt Conference, Denver did not have to pay an exit fee in order to sever ties from the WAC. Additionally, when the Pioneers moved from the SBC to the WAC, one of the attractions was decreasing DU's travel time while allowing the Pioneers' student-athletes to miss less class time.

That aspect should prove even more appealing in the Summit League. Although there still will be a few out-of-the-way locales, such as South Dakota (Vermillion, S.D.) and Western Illinois (Macomb, Ill.), DU will be able to avoid long bus rides with direct flights to Omaha (Nebraska-Omaha), Detroit (Oakland University), Kansas City (Missouri-Kansas City) and Indianapolis (IUPUI).

https://denverpioneers.com/news/2012/12/...neers.aspx

In other words, the Summit was the only league desperate enough to house DU's odd collection of sports.

Denver's long-term goal should probably be to build basketball up enough to eventually land in the WCC. They have an adequate facility, they could be an attractive option in the event BYU and/or Gonzaga left if they were a regular Summit contender.

(08-27-2018 05:34 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 05:27 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 03:09 PM)puck swami Wrote:  No Dak:

I help out with the LetsGODU blog. The owner of the blog wrote that DU "should" leave the Summit if Augie joined, not that DU "would" leave the Summit. Big difference.

95% of DU fans are unaware of Augie at all. Those few of us hard core DU fans are not excited about Augie and the Summit, and we're not speaking for DU, either. Just fans venting...

A DU President would not vote for Augie unless they had no other conference choice. GCU and the WAC would be much better.

But IMHO, DU didn’t sign up to be conference partners with WIU, PUFW, IUPUI or ORU either. Research and flagship partners like Idaho and the Montanas are what would satisfy the DU president. After all, they asked to join the Big Sky, but were rejected from the smaller budget, lower research schools.

Still think a Great Northern conference was preordained when Denver left the WAC.

Any proof to that bold claim?

A DU blogger claimed the the lower AD budget schools didn’t want any non-fb school unless they also sponsored FCS football. DU and Seattle both had extensive conversations for months trying to get in to the Big Sky. The lower budget schools blocked them because the fear was they would dominate mbb. Neither DU or Seattle has experienced success in mbb, even with them playing fb schools. The fb schools have dominated both the Summit and WAC in mbb.

(08-27-2018 05:46 PM)Bogg Wrote:  Denver's long-term goal should probably be to build basketball up enough to eventually land in the WCC. They have an adequate facility, they could be an attractive option in the event BYU and/or Gonzaga left if they were a regular Summit contender.

The WCC makes sense as a goal, but the Big East is a bolder goal. Longer term, single sport western men’s lacrosse and hockey leagues with PAC12 members is what I would want as a DU President.

So you’re basing your assertion on an unnamed DU blogger. Was his name DavidSt?

So in other words, you are making stuff up again

(08-27-2018 11:17 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  So you’re basing your assertion on an unnamed DU blogger. Was his name DavidSt?

So in other words, you are making stuff up again

There were journalists that followed the story too. But, as usual, you are too lazy to look up at their stories.

DavidSt had zero chance of gaining admittance to DU. NAU is more on par with his academic potential.

(08-27-2018 11:28 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 11:17 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  So you’re basing your assertion on an unnamed DU blogger. Was his name DavidSt?

So in other words, you are making stuff up again

There were journalists that followed the story too. But, as usual, you are too lazy to look up at their stories.

DavidSt had zero chance of gaining admittance to DU. NAU is more on par with his academic potential.

I did a google search. And what I quoted was the most found. As usual, you are full of crap.

DU is a bad fit for the Big Sky, since it's sports mix and the Big Sky sports have about 50% overlap.

And as for low budget schools not wanting DU, that makes NO sense. DU would help save travel costs, since schools could get two games (DU and UNC) for one flight, since they are flying into Denver anyways.

Oh and TICK TOCK

Denver and Colorado College are going to need more than just Arizona St and a rumored UNLV program if they are going to start a new western hockey league. They'd need Air Force on board and at least 3 more. Denver also has to be careful not to anger UND and Omaha since they are conference mates in the Summit.

(08-28-2018 11:03 AM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 11:28 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-27-2018 11:17 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  So you’re basing your assertion on an unnamed DU blogger. Was his name DavidSt?

So in other words, you are making stuff up again

There were journalists that followed the story too. But, as usual, you are too lazy to look up at their stories.

DavidSt had zero chance of gaining admittance to DU. NAU is more on par with his academic potential.

I did a google search. And what I quoted was the most found. As usual, you are full of crap.

DU is a bad fit for the Big Sky, since it's sports mix and the Big Sky sports have about 50% overlap.

And as for low budget schools not wanting DU, that makes NO sense. DU would help save travel costs, since schools could get two games (DU and UNC) for one flight, since they are flying into Denver anyways.

N Colo went to beg and borrow from the Big Sky years back when this was going on. The lowly schools in the Big Sky wanted and needed more FCS teams, which Seattle and Denver could have provided, but Seattle and DU said not just no, but $#&& No.

This is my last post until the Montanas and Idaho give public notice of leaving the Big Sky. It may not need to be until the actual conference season begins or they may have already given the conference notice, but just haven’t publicly announced.

NoDak is right that DU did explore the Big Sky back in 2012 as one of a number of potential landing spots when the Pios were left holding the WAC bag after the WAC basically imploded on them that year, leaving the WAC as mixed bag of misfit programs. DU also inquired with the MVC, the Big West, WCC and the Summit about its (few) options. At the end of the day, the only conference that would take DU without forcing the Pios to add more sports was the Summit, and that's where Denver chose to go. At first, Denver fans were not very enthused about the Summit, given that there are really no schools in the conference within a day's drive of Denver.

But given DU's hockey history with North Dakota and Omaha and the ability to begin to grow that hockey rivalry into Summit sports, I think the Summit league has proving to be a pretty solid place to be for the Pioneers. Maybe not ideal, but quite serviceable.

The WCC had long been a conference that Denver has wanted to be in, given the fellow small privates that make up that league. But I've noticed that DU brass is not as motivated to pursue the WCC as they once were. Getting rejected multiple times by the WCC has certainly fed that cooling feeling, but I also think that most of the WCC teams (save for BYU and Gonzaga) won't draw here anymore than the Summit teams do. Furthermore, the faculty here does not seem to really care that much about conference affiliation, as most of them don't really follow college sports. If the WCC came calling, DU might change their tune, but I don't see much more effort being made here in Denver anymore.

Also, DU is not driving toward a western hockey league. As one of the founding drivers behind the NCHC, Denver, as a top 5 NCAA hockey program, loves being in the best league it can play in, and the NCHC is the best league in the country. Hockey drives a million dollar annual profit to DU even with the jet travel to most all league opponents.

The same holds true for lacrosse - Denver is thrilled to be in the Big East as an affiliate member for men's lax and women's lax, and is content to fly two time zones for it's away opponents, because it needs good competition in what is basically an eastern-based sport. If Denver were to ever receive an all-sports invite to the Big East, it would jump at the chance to go. But DU would probably need a top 50-75 RPI in men's hoops to ever be taken seriously by the Big East, and that is the big battle DU is trying to fight right now. As a $3+ million hoops budget is tops in the Summit, but not yet at a Big East level. DU will need to probably prove it can win the Summit before they pump up the budget....