(04-05-2017 03:14 PM)jacksfan29 Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 01:21 PM)geef Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 11:37 AM)esayem Wrote:  When will Denver finally settle on a conference? It they had a consistent basketball team they would be a great Olympic addition to the MWC.

I can speak to this with a bit of knowledge. DU's situation isn't one of not being able to settle on a conference - it's really an issue of being a geographic oddity in nearly every sense. They're elite-level in a handful of sports - soccer (men in the Final 4 this year), lacrosse (nat'l champs 2 years ago), hockey, skiing, and gymnastics. They're very good in others, like golf and tennis, in particular. The issue is that their profile looks much more like that of a Big East or ACC school, with the exception of sub-par basketball (and no football, in the case of ACC). They jumped from the Sun Belt to the Summit primarily because it was a somewhat better fit. They have history with North Dakota St and Omaha in hockey, and the Summit has far more alumni living in metro Denver than the SBC schools did. It's still not a good fit. The administration would love to be in West Coast Conference for a number of reasons, but the WCC hasn't bitten, despite taking BYU a few years back. The best regional(ish) and cultural fit (more private schools than the Summit) may actually end up being the Missouri Valley. The problem with the MVC is that the losses of Creighton and likely Wichita State remove the two western most members of the conference, leaving DU on an island......

I would agree that DU have an issue with their sports offerings. The MVC talked to them once before but DU refused to add sports. LAX and Hockey rule at DU, soccer is strong, skiing is a niche sport offered by only a few western and eastern schools.

Not sure about the rest of your post. They left the SBC to go to the WAC. When the WAC collapsed they wanted out because they did not want to be associated with some of the schools which made up the new WAC. They moved to the Summit because it was a better fit academically and provided a good home for many of their sports. There are actually far more SBC alumni in the Denver metro then Summit alumni just by factoring in the Texas schools, and their relationship in hockey is with UND (and Omaha) not NDSU. UND will join the Summit in 2018 while Omaha have been members the past several years.

I don't see DU going to the Horizon and really can't see the MVC going to DU. My guess is that DU still want the WCC, the WCC does not seem to want them, at least they don't right now. If the WCC lose GU and or BYU they may have an outside shot. Seattle would likely be choice #1, but DU could get a peek if the WCC if it comes down to replacing two. I would venture to guess that the WCC is the only conference DU would agree to add baseball for.

I left out the WAC because that never materialized, but DU jumped out of that quickly, especially once Grand Canyon - a for-profit - came in. And, yikes, a huge faux pas on my part by confusing NDSU and UND. That's grounds for being booted from that state.

On the Sun Belt vs. Summit alums, my numbers actually come from an article in The Denver Post when the change went down. North Texas had far and away the most alums, and they've obviously gone now, but the next few schools (this is from memory) were Omaha, ORU, one of the South Dakota schools (I don't recall which), and NDSU. You're right on the academics as well. The Summit schools on balance are considered stronger, and that was part of the discussion.

At one point DU offered money to the WCC, but was rebuffed. They also considered baseball, but decided not to go that route. CU and CSU don't field teams, and DU could have competed well for in-state talent. If they did indeed get an offer from the WCC contingent on this, Denver South High School is a short walk from DU and has a considerable amount of land. DU had, when they were looking at baseball, considered renovating the South baseball field and sharing the facility. I'm not sure if that is still a feasible option. And, yeah, the Horizon (with Oakland and NKU coming in) and MVC (as I mentioned earlier) have shifted far enough eastward for that kind of move to not make sense.

(04-05-2017 01:21 PM)geef Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 11:37 AM)esayem Wrote:  When will Denver finally settle on a conference? It they had a consistent basketball team they would be a great Olympic addition to the MWC.

I can speak to this with a bit of knowledge. DU's situation isn't one of not being able to settle on a conference - it's really an issue of being a geographic oddity in nearly every sense. They're elite-level in a handful of sports - soccer (men in the Final 4 this year), lacrosse (nat'l champs 2 years ago), hockey, skiing, and gymnastics. They're very good in others, like golf and tennis, in particular. The issue is that their profile looks much more like that of a Big East or ACC school, with the exception of sub-par basketball (and no football, in the case of ACC). They jumped from the Sun Belt to the Summit primarily because it was a somewhat better fit. They have history with North Dakota St and Omaha in hockey, and the Summit has far more alumni living in metro Denver than the SBC schools did. It's still not a good fit. The administration would love to be in West Coast Conference for a number of reasons, but the WCC hasn't bitten, despite taking BYU a few years back. The best regional(ish) and cultural fit (more private schools than the Summit) may actually end up being the Missouri Valley. The problem with the MVC is that the losses of Creighton and likely Wichita State remove the two western most members of the conference, leaving DU on an island......

Denver left the Sun Belt because the Sun Belt had adopted new membership standards requiring members to play 15 sports in the conference.

That's why they jumped so fast for the WAC. They were one year away from their grace period expiring and being forced into independence with New Orleans.

(04-05-2017 04:04 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 01:21 PM)geef Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 11:37 AM)esayem Wrote:  When will Denver finally settle on a conference? It they had a consistent basketball team they would be a great Olympic addition to the MWC.

I can speak to this with a bit of knowledge. DU's situation isn't one of not being able to settle on a conference - it's really an issue of being a geographic oddity in nearly every sense. They're elite-level in a handful of sports - soccer (men in the Final 4 this year), lacrosse (nat'l champs 2 years ago), hockey, skiing, and gymnastics. They're very good in others, like golf and tennis, in particular. The issue is that their profile looks much more like that of a Big East or ACC school, with the exception of sub-par basketball (and no football, in the case of ACC). They jumped from the Sun Belt to the Summit primarily because it was a somewhat better fit. They have history with North Dakota St and Omaha in hockey, and the Summit has far more alumni living in metro Denver than the SBC schools did. It's still not a good fit. The administration would love to be in West Coast Conference for a number of reasons, but the WCC hasn't bitten, despite taking BYU a few years back. The best regional(ish) and cultural fit (more private schools than the Summit) may actually end up being the Missouri Valley. The problem with the MVC is that the losses of Creighton and likely Wichita State remove the two western most members of the conference, leaving DU on an island......

Denver left the Sun Belt because the Sun Belt had adopted new membership standards requiring members to play 15 sports in the conference.

That's why they jumped so fast for the WAC. They were one year away from their grace period expiring and being forced into independence with New Orleans.

I knew there was another reason, I just couldn't remember. I was thinking no FB but UALR also don't offer FB.

That is a big problem that DU have. They have an oddball mix of sports and refuse to add any that make them attractive.

(04-04-2017 12:26 PM)bluesox Wrote:  MVC- Valpo for 10 members
Horizon- IUPU, IUFW, Western ILL for 12 members
Summit- UMKC, UND for 8 members

Though in fairness, I wouldn't really care if WIU stayed.

(04-05-2017 05:59 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 12:26 PM)bluesox Wrote:  MVC- Valpo for 10 members
Horizon- IUPU, IUFW, Western ILL for 12 members
Summit- UMKC, UND for 8 members

Though in fairness, I wouldn't really care if WIU stayed.

If it's one team, then it's UIC, but I actually think The Valley is going to bring in 3 teams. In that case it's UIC, Belmont and Valpo. Belmont will have a change of heart this time around. That also balances out the publics vs privates.

One school, UIC or Valpo. UIC evals better for me, but who knows for the MVC. Dennis Dodd says Valpo has been mentioned.

I see Dennis Dodd says "The Horizon League is reportedly looking at schools in large cities to improve its profile. The University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Denver have been mentioned."

UNO has horrible metrics. Denver has good numbers. Both fit my hunch that any school that has a major airport that is less than a 3 hour hop from Chicago could work as a travel partner for UIC or Valpo, whichever is left behind. Denver is much cheaper ($100 or less for many flights) and has more direct flights, but 2hr 40min, while Omaha is only 1hr 30min, but pricier (>$200 is what I come up with). I think Omaha will fall off the list after evaluation, but the question is would Denver be willing to move? Denver and Belmont were the only schools that made sense and fit the large Metro emphasis of the Horizon, and supported their programs financially at the higher level of the Horizon schools (Denver and Belmont would actually be at or near the top). IUPUI has similar poor athletic support as UNO.

At this level, who knows. Such information may not be critical. Sometimes it seems they pick like DavidSt, throwing darts at names.

(04-05-2017 07:01 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  One school, UIC or Valpo. UIC evals better for me, but who knows for the MVC. Dennis Dodd says Valpo has been mentioned.

I see Dennis Dodd says "The Horizon League is reportedly looking at schools in large cities to improve its profile. The University of Nebraska-Omaha and the University of Denver have been mentioned."

UNO has horrible metrics. Denver has good numbers. Both fit my hunch that any school that has a major airport that is less than a 3 hour hop from Chicago could work as a travel partner for UIC or Valpo, whichever is left behind. Denver is much cheaper ($100 or less for many flights) and has more direct flights, but 2hr 40min, while Omaha is only 1hr 30min, but pricier (>$200 is what I come up with). I think Omaha will fall off the list after evaluation, but the question is would Denver be willing to move? Denver and Belmont were the only schools that made sense and fit the large Metro emphasis of the Horizon, and supported their programs financially at the higher level of the Horizon schools (Denver and Belmont would actually be at or near the top). IUPUI has similar poor athletic support as UNO.

At this level, who knows. Such information may not be critical. Sometimes it seems they pick like DavidSt, throwing darts at names.

The interests of the fb schools vs non fb are a real issue and potentially a very divisive one within the MVC. It might be forced to add three to get all the schools to agree. Secondly, they will only invite schools that are within bussing distance. Thats even more true for the Horizon. That takes out Denver and even Omaha for some schools. Both DU and Omaha have hockey fans, but their bball's are overwhelmed by others locally.

Wouldn't be surprised if the verdict is Valpo ( a win for the privates), Murray St (a win for the fb publics), and UIC (a compromise pick, a public sans-FB). Those three get reduced dance payments for five years, unless they win dance credits themselves.

(04-05-2017 06:05 PM)Chuck_A Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 05:59 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 12:26 PM)bluesox Wrote:  MVC- Valpo for 10 members
Horizon- IUPU, IUFW, Western ILL for 12 members
Summit- UMKC, UND for 8 members

Though in fairness, I wouldn't really care if WIU stayed.

If it's one team, then it's UIC, but I actually think The Valley is going to bring in 3 teams. In that case it's UIC, Belmont and Valpo. Belmont will have a change of heart this time around. That also balances out the publics vs privates.

Didn't read your post until after I posted. Agree with your premise of three, but the fb schools need to be thrown a bone. If the MVC can get Belmont, no reason to take Valpo. Also, Murray St would be a good travel partner for Belmont.

The report out of the Chattanooga paper of Belmont wanting the SoCon may have been just a ploy to get better terms out of the MVC.

The football schools might get some benefit from divisional scheduling, not that travel was a huge issue anyway:

West - UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UNI, Missouri St
East - Murray St, Indiana St, Illinois St, SIU, WIU, YSU

I could see Missouri State and WIU being flipped to do a North/South alignment as well.

(04-05-2017 07:29 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  The football schools might get some benefit from divisional scheduling, not that travel was a huge issue anyway:

West - UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UNI, Missouri St
East - Murray St, Indiana St, Illinois St, SIU, WIU, YSU

I could see Missouri State and WIU being flipped to do a North/South alignment as well.

Its reasonable to assume that the MVC part of the MVFC should be working to get their own FCS autobid without other teams needed.

A wholesale MVC / Slummit realignment could be in the offing down the road along fb / non fb lines when and if the dance credits equalize.

NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

(04-05-2017 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

Dennis Dodd reads the Omaha paper, which has a garbage opinion. Denver needs a travel partner, like NMSU but not another hop, for it to make any sense.

But the Omaha opinion passes for news nowadays. See CNN.

(04-05-2017 01:21 PM)geef Wrote:  

(04-04-2017 11:37 AM)esayem Wrote:  When will Denver finally settle on a conference? It they had a consistent basketball team they would be a great Olympic addition to the MWC.

I can speak to this with a bit of knowledge. DU's situation isn't one of not being able to settle on a conference - it's really an issue of being a geographic oddity in nearly every sense. They're elite-level in a handful of sports - soccer (men in the Final 4 this year), lacrosse (nat'l champs 2 years ago), hockey, skiing, and gymnastics. They're very good in others, like golf and tennis, in particular. The issue is that their profile looks much more like that of a Big East or ACC school, with the exception of sub-par basketball (and no football, in the case of ACC). They jumped from the Sun Belt to the Summit primarily because it was a somewhat better fit. They have history with North Dakota St and Omaha in hockey, and the Summit has far more alumni living in metro Denver than the SBC schools did. It's still not a good fit. The administration would love to be in West Coast Conference for a number of reasons, but the WCC hasn't bitten, despite taking BYU a few years back. The best regional(ish) and cultural fit (more private schools than the Summit) may actually end up being the Missouri Valley. The problem with the MVC is that the losses of Creighton and likely Wichita State remove the two western most members of the conference, leaving DU on an island......

Here is just another thought after reading this is that if the WCC is committed to having 10 members now with BYU.....if they were ever to leave Denver could be their replacement.

OR

If Air Force decided to go FB only to the AAC and put basketball into the WCC that Denver could be the 12th for the WCC to bring both the Denver and Colorado Springs market. Logical travel partners.

(04-05-2017 07:43 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

Dennis Dodd reads the Omaha paper, which has a garbage opinion. Denver needs a travel partner, like NMSU but not another hop, for it to make any sense.

But the Omaha opinion passes for news nowadays. See CNN.

MVC I think most agree today is the choice non-FBS conference in the Midwest. Horizon was comparable in the early 90's but lost most of the traditionally prestigious programs. Notre Dame, Butler, Xavier, Loyola, Detroit all in an 8 team conference and it was better than the MVC.

One of the nice things about the Horizon is that it's only 10 members compared with the bulk of the Southland or OVC. Then its a metro conference where its membership takes basketball seriously.

UMKC made a decision to leave the Summit and its rural composition for the WAC. It was a surprise move. It continues to be a very desperate conference, full of schools with different agendas that could do better. If they can't get into the MVC, Horizon would be a very acceptable alternative than sharing a conference with Chicago State which was a former Summit member.

Belmont should consider making a move too. I know its more travel costs to play in the Horizon but its worth it. Program have made it to the Final Four out of the Horizon. They would have Valpo and Detroit a couple of private schools to play in conference. OVC seems like a borderline D2 conference with tiny state schools populating it.

The MVC I feel can go to 12 with their brand strong enough but Horizon I feel needs to stay at 10 if raided and continue to promote smaller membership as an advantage.

Scenario:

MVC (UMKC, Belmont, UIC)
Horizon (UNO)
Summit (New Mexico St)

If UNO gets left out of the MVC party, I'd say the Horizon is a logical fallback.

Its exciting to see the upgrades, MVC, Horizon even the Summit are solid D1 leagues the WAC I feel is junk. Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon, NMSU and Chicago State don't belong in the same conference together.

(04-05-2017 08:17 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  MVC I think most agree today is the choice non-FBS conference in the Midwest. Horizon was comparable in the early 90's but lost most of the traditionally prestigious programs. Notre Dame, Butler, Xavier, Loyola, Detroit all in an 8 team conference and it was better than the MVC.

One of the nice things about the Horizon is that it's only 10 members compared with the bulk of the Southland or OVC. Then its a metro conference where its membership takes basketball seriously.

UMKC made a decision to leave the Summit and its rural composition for the WAC. It was a surprise move. It continues to be a very desperate conference, full of schools with different agendas that could do better. If they can't get into the MVC, Horizon would be a very acceptable alternative than sharing a conference with Chicago State which was a former Summit member.

Belmont should consider making a move too. I know its more travel costs to play in the Horizon but its worth it. Program have made it to the Final Four out of the Horizon. They would have Valpo and Detroit a couple of private schools to play in conference. OVC seems like a borderline D2 conference with tiny state schools populating it.

The MVC I feel can go to 12 with their brand strong enough but Horizon I feel needs to stay at 10 if raided and continue to promote smaller membership as an advantage.

Scenario:

MVC (UMKC, Belmont, UIC)
Horizon (UNO)
Summit (New Mexico St)

If UNO gets left out of the MVC party, I'd say the Horizon is a logical fallback.

Its exciting to see the upgrades, MVC, Horizon even the Summit are solid D1 leagues the WAC I feel is junk. Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon, NMSU and Chicago State don't belong in the same conference together.

If the WAC gets pushed down to six (five if you presume Chicago State is dead), you'd wonder if the Southland would take the chance to slim down and build a Texas quad in the WAC:

WAC:
UTRGV, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word
Cal Baptist, CSU Bakersfield, Utah Valley, Grand Canyon, Seattle

Southland:
SE LA, Nicholls St, McNeese St, Northwestern St, New Orleans
Houston Baptist, Lamar, Sam Houston St, Stephen F. Austin, Central Arkansas

I suppose you could alternatively send New Orleans instead of Abilene Christian to the WAC if you want to keep the league airport-friendly, but I'm not sure New Orleans would accept that arrangement, and Abilene Christian is a fair distance from southeast Texas.

(04-04-2017 10:00 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Any chance the Horizon would look at Eastern Kentucky? Football may be an issue, but the MVFC could be a viable option for them. EKU pales in comparison to UK, but it would generate some interest in all three "golden triangle" markets in Kentucky.

I think they would make great travel partners with Northern Kentucky whenever Wright State finally goes bankrupt.

The way I see it, the Horizon League currently has six stable members (Valparaiso, UIC, Detroit, Oakland, Cleveland State, and Northern Kentucky) and four members that will have problems staying around (Wright State due to budget issues, Youngstown State due to a possible invitation to move their football team to an all-sports conference, and the Wisconsin schools due to the pressure that's being put on them to move down to Division II). If the MVC takes one of the stable members, the Horizon League probably needs to look at adding two or three members just to get to 8 by 2019, but given that there isn't really anyone out there who actually wants to join the league that would improve the number of bids in the NCAA tournament, it may be better to just wait to add the extra members when they're actually needed.

(04-05-2017 08:17 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:43 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

Dennis Dodd reads the Omaha paper, which has a garbage opinion. Denver needs a travel partner, like NMSU but not another hop, for it to make any sense.

But the Omaha opinion passes for news nowadays. See CNN.

MVC I think most agree today is the choice non-FBS conference in the Midwest. Horizon was comparable in the early 90's but lost most of the traditionally prestigious programs. Notre Dame, Butler, Xavier, Loyola, Detroit all in an 8 team conference and it was better than the MVC.

One of the nice things about the Horizon is that it's only 10 members compared with the bulk of the Southland or OVC. Then its a metro conference where its membership takes basketball seriously.

UMKC made a decision to leave the Summit and its rural composition for the WAC. It was a surprise move. It continues to be a very desperate conference, full of schools with different agendas that could do better. If they can't get into the MVC, Horizon would be a very acceptable alternative than sharing a conference with Chicago State which was a former Summit member.

Belmont should consider making a move too. I know its more travel costs to play in the Horizon but its worth it. Program have made it to the Final Four out of the Horizon. They would have Valpo and Detroit a couple of private schools to play in conference. OVC seems like a borderline D2 conference with tiny state schools populating it.

The MVC I feel can go to 12 with their brand strong enough but Horizon I feel needs to stay at 10 if raided and continue to promote smaller membership as an advantage.

Scenario:

MVC (UMKC, Belmont, UIC)
Horizon (UNO)
Summit (New Mexico St)

If UNO gets left out of the MVC party, I'd say the Horizon is a logical fallback.

Its exciting to see the upgrades, MVC, Horizon even the Summit are solid D1 leagues the WAC I feel is junk. Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon, NMSU and Chicago State don't belong in the same conference together.

Omaha and the U of Nebraska system won't spend money for extras because the state is reducing their actual appropriations during the next biennial. Any talk of Omaha moving is just not grounded in reality. The Slummit's exit fee is $1 mill and presume the Horizon and even MVC have entrance fees.

Plus Omaha is too far away for the Horizon. Really too far away for the MVC, except perhaps MO St and the Iowa schools.

(04-05-2017 07:43 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

Dennis Dodd reads the Omaha paper, which has a garbage opinion. Denver needs a travel partner, like NMSU but not another hop, for it to make any sense.

But the Omaha opinion passes for news nowadays. See CNN.

NoDak and I agree 100%. No way DU to the Horizon happens.

Omaha? They have major financial problems. They can't afford the increased funding in either the MVC or Horizon plus they can't afford the $1 million exit fee to the Summit. Omaha may be in a more dire financial situation then UND were, before Women's Hockey was axed.

(04-06-2017 11:56 AM)jacksfan29 Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:43 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(04-05-2017 07:40 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  NoDak,

I'll take Dennis Dodd's opinion over yours.

The Horizon is commuter hops between big cities and bus trips form there. You fly to Cincy (or Dayton) and bus to NKU or Wright; You fly to Detroit and bus to UDM or Oakland. You fly to Cleveland and bus to CSU and YSU; You fly to Milwaukee and bus to UWM and UWGB. UIC to Denver is no different in time than a bus trip from Wright State to Northern Kentucky.

Denver or Belmont make sense. If they both say no, then I think the Horizon stands at 9. I don't think they are desperate enough to lower their standards forthe like of Omaha or IUPUI

Dennis Dodd reads the Omaha paper, which has a garbage opinion. Denver needs a travel partner, like NMSU but not another hop, for it to make any sense.

But the Omaha opinion passes for news nowadays. See CNN.

NoDak and I agree 100%. No way DU to the Horizon happens.

Omaha? They have major financial problems. They can't afford the increased funding in either the MVC or Horizon plus they can't afford the $1 million exit fee to the Summit. Omaha may be in a more dire financial situation then UND were, before Women's Hockey was axed.

Then who, pray tell, has the financial wherewithal, inclination and athletics to help the Horizon when one of our teams is poached?