(06-28-2017 05:10 PM)Rube Dali Wrote:  

(06-28-2017 04:46 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Stugray--you're missing a big one and one I think the Summit will pursue--

Northern Colorado--much like EIU they'd bring a football program and they also would be a travel partner for Denver. They are a former conference mate of 5 Summit schools too.

I think there are some flaws with a few of those schools as candidates:

SIU-E and EIU have better travel situations in the OVC and I don't see the, wanting to trek up to the Dakotas. I think they are happy where they are.

I think option 1 is Northern Colorado
2nd pick is forgiving a silly UMKC. While there might be some hard feelings the Summit doesn't have a lot of top 35 tv markets so getting KC back would be a plus.
I don't think Chicago St is even an option since they are such a dumpster fire. The Summit is not in danger of falling below the minimum number of eligible schools so I think they would being in Minnesota D2s before taking the Chi St Cougars.

Again, someone with no knowledge of Minnesota politics. No one will be allowed to move up, even if they were to move as a group(which isn't allowed anymore, anyway). The opposition isn't going to come from the Dakota schools, it's coming from the legislature.

It is the same with Omaha. Nebraska politics would not allow a second school in D1. Guess what? Omaha got the call and the politics did not block them. Same thing will be the same with Minnesota. Not all politicians come from Minnesota. They come from other schools including the D2 schools. Enough of them could cause a hassle that any D2 Minnesota schools could move up. Many politicians in Arkansas are from schools that they did not came from Arkansas. Politicians these days are not from a P5, or FBS schools. They come from FCS, D2, D3 and NAIA schools. They really outnumbered the P5 schools these days.