Big Sky Conference Splitting?

[utcatfan]

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/sports ... /81167778/

Looks like with the recent decision by the Sun Belt Conference to cancel Idaho and NMSU's membership after the 2016 Football Season there is a good chance that the Vandals will be coming back to the Big Sky Conference. According to the article rather then splitting the Conference into an FBS/FCS Conference we would be splitting the Conference into two different FCS Conferences so we wouldnt have 14 teams fighitng over a single AQ Spot. I actually am a big fan of this decision as it would solve alot of scheduling issues and allow potentially more teams to get in to the playoffs. Personally I would love to go up to the FBS but this FCS split seems much more likely, could see the teams splitting into the following:

Big Sky Football Conference:
-Montana State
-Montana
-Idaho
-Idaho State
-North Dakota
-EWU
-Portland State

Great West Football Conference:
-Cal Poly
-UC Davis
-Sacramento State
-Northern Arizona
-SUU
-Weber State
-Northern Colorado

This would gives us 6 Conference games and we could play 2-3 teams from the other Conference every year leaving us with either 2-3 games to schedule FBS opponents, other Non-Conference games ect. All would still be part of the Big Sky Conference for every other sport but in the case of football we would have 1 or 2 Football only Conferences which I think would be a really smart idea. Still would love to move up to FBS with the Griz and the Dakota State schools but that is down the road, and I only see us taking NMSU if we were to go FBS rather then split into 2 FCS Conferences.

[LongTimeCatFan]

Swap Weber with PSU and we're good. Weebs is a charter member

[Caboose]

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/sports ... /81167778/

Looks like with the recent decision by the Sun Belt Conference to cancel Idaho and NMSU's membership after the 2016 Football Season there is a good chance that the Vandals will be coming back to the Big Sky Conference. According to the article rather then splitting the Conference into an FBS/FCS Conference we would be splitting the Conference into two different FCS Conferences so we wouldnt have 14 teams fighitng over a single AQ Spot. I actually am a big fan of this decision as it would solve alot of scheduling issues and allow potentially more teams to get in to the playoffs. Personally I would love to go up to the FBS but this FCS split seems much more likely, could see the teams splitting into the following:

Big Sky Football Conference:
-Montana State
-Montana
-Idaho
-Idaho State
-North Dakota
-EWU
-Portland State

Great West Football Conference:
-Cal Poly
-UC Davis
-Sacramento State
-Northern Arizona
-SUU
-Weber State
-Northern Colorado

This would gives us 6 Conference games and we could play 2-3 teams from the other Conference every year leaving us with either 2-3 games to schedule FBS opponents, other Non-Conference games ect. All would still be part of the Big Sky Conference for every other sport but in the case of football we would have 1 or 2 Football only Conferences which I think would be a really smart idea. Still would love to move up to FBS with the Griz and the Dakota State schools but that is down the road, and I only see us taking NMSU if we were to go FBS rather then split into 2 FCS Conferences.

I like idea but I think In this scenario the "Big Sky" conference would be much stronger than the other one with perennial powers MSU, um, EWU plus up and coming ND and then a drop down FBS school in Idaho ...

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[77matcat]

Does larger size buy anything re television ???? If so go two divisions.


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[Cledus]

The article mentions at the bottom potentially adding NMSU to the Big Sky. I just don't see adding them, but keeping PSU. Also, if geography, logistics, and ease of travel between schools is a significant issue then I also think you've got to get rid of North Dakota.

I know they have hockey and if they have wrestling or baseball then they're clearly not a great fit with most of the teams in the Big Sky.

I think an eight or nine team conference is great.

[Cledus]

I think if we keep the old conference line up, add Idaho, and boot PSU that would be as close to perfect as we can realistically get.

[BleedingBLue]

I think the most realistic scenario would be a reboot of the Great West or whatever Cal Poly and UC Davis were in prior to the move to the Big Sky and having and 8 team Big Sky. I don't see the Big Sky having less than 8 conference teams.
Here's how I see it.

Big Sky:
UND
UNC
MSU
UM
EWU
ID
PSU
NAU or Weber

Great West:
Weber or NAU
ISU
NMSU
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly
SUU

[Walk-on]

I think it bad business to have a charter member leave the conference and/or separate Weber from Southern Utah. I like the super conference as it is. Especially with the improving TV coverage. Would be cool to see Idaho return.

[Bobcat4Ever]

I'd like to see Idaho back in, since they would then be full members in the major sports, and say goodbye to Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis. I've never been comfortable with the football only members -- either participate in all sports or get out. That leaves a nice round dozen to play football, basketball, volleyball etc. -- same as it is now, but no football extras.

[3-7-77]

I think the most realistic scenario would be a reboot of the Great West or whatever Cal Poly and UC Davis were in prior to the move to the Big Sky and having and 8 team Big Sky. I don't see the Big Sky having less than 8 conference teams.
Here's how I see it.

Big Sky:
UND
UNC
MSU
UM
EWU
ID
PSU
NAU or Weber

Great West:
Weber or NAU
ISU
NMSU
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly
SUU

Interesting breakdown, but ISU and Weber are geographic mates(135 miles). PSU is an outlier.

[BleedingBLue]

I think it bad business to have a charter member leave the conference and/or separate Weber from Southern Utah. I like the super conference as it is. Especially with the improving TV coverage. Would be cool to see Idaho return.

Can you imagine the muddled mess of a 15 team super conference if NMSU joins as well? The top of the conference is already jumbled with 13 teams. The fact that SUU won the conference title outright this year was a miracle. If the FCS was allowed conference championships games with 2 divisions then this scenario would be great. But they don't. And there could be 7 or 8 teams in the conference deserving of a playoff spot and there is no way that many would ever get in. We could also keep Weber and NAU and I'll bet San Diego would be more than willing to join the new Great West still giving them 7 teams and the Big Sky 9. UNC could go into that conference too and we could keep ISU. Many scenarios are possible.

[BleedingBLue]

I think the most realistic scenario would be a reboot of the Great West or whatever Cal Poly and UC Davis were in prior to the move to the Big Sky and having and 8 team Big Sky. I don't see the Big Sky having less than 8 conference teams.
Here's how I see it.

Big Sky:
UND
UNC
MSU
UM
EWU
ID
PSU
NAU or Weber

Great West:
Weber or NAU
ISU
NMSU
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly
SUU

Interesting breakdown, but ISU and Weber are geographic mates(135 miles). PSU is an outlier.

Agreed. I was looking strictly at a competitive standpoint when it came to dropping the close geographic teams and keeping PSU. Ideally I wouldn't want UNC in the conference either.

[WalkOn79]

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/sports ... /81167778/

Looks like with the recent decision by the Sun Belt Conference to cancel Idaho and NMSU's membership after the 2016 Football Season there is a good chance that the Vandals will be coming back to the Big Sky Conference. According to the article rather then splitting the Conference into an FBS/FCS Conference we would be splitting the Conference into two different FCS Conferences so we wouldnt have 14 teams fighitng over a single AQ Spot. I actually am a big fan of this decision as it would solve alot of scheduling issues and allow potentially more teams to get in to the playoffs. Personally I would love to go up to the FBS but this FCS split seems much more likely, could see the teams splitting into the following:

Big Sky Football Conference:
-Montana State
-Montana
-Idaho
-Idaho State
-North Dakota
-EWU
-Portland State

Great West Football Conference:
-Cal Poly
-UC Davis
-Sacramento State
-Northern Arizona
-SUU
-Weber State
-Northern Colorado

This would gives us 6 Conference games and we could play 2-3 teams from the other Conference every year leaving us with either 2-3 games to schedule FBS opponents, other Non-Conference games ect. All would still be part of the Big Sky Conference for every other sport but in the case of football we would have 1 or 2 Football only Conferences which I think would be a really smart idea. Still would love to move up to FBS with the Griz and the Dakota State schools but that is down the road, and I only see us taking NMSU if we were to go FBS rather then split into 2 FCS Conferences.

I would actually flip Weber and Portland State to keep the BSC charter schools together.

[SonomaCat]

I think the most realistic scenario would be a reboot of the Great West or whatever Cal Poly and UC Davis were in prior to the move to the Big Sky and having and 8 team Big Sky. I don't see the Big Sky having less than 8 conference teams.
Here's how I see it.

Big Sky:
UND
UNC
MSU
UM
EWU
ID
PSU
NAU or Weber

Great West:
Weber or NAU
ISU
NMSU
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly
SUU

Interesting breakdown, but ISU and Weber are geographic mates(135 miles). PSU is an outlier.

Agreed. I was looking strictly at a competitive standpoint when it came to dropping the close geographic teams and keeping PSU. Ideally I wouldn't want UNC in the conference either.

Isn't UND far more of a geographic outlier than Portland State? Even Bozeman is closer to Portland than it is to UND. EWU is actually fairly close to Portland.

[BleedingBLue]

I think the most realistic scenario would be a reboot of the Great West or whatever Cal Poly and UC Davis were in prior to the move to the Big Sky and having and 8 team Big Sky. I don't see the Big Sky having less than 8 conference teams.
Here's how I see it.

Big Sky:
UND
UNC
MSU
UM
EWU
ID
PSU
NAU or Weber

Great West:
Weber or NAU
ISU
NMSU
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly
SUU

Interesting breakdown, but ISU and Weber are geographic mates(135 miles). PSU is an outlier.

Agreed. I was looking strictly at a competitive standpoint when it came to dropping the close geographic teams and keeping PSU. Ideally I wouldn't want UNC in the conference either.

Isn't UND far more of a geographic outlier than Portland State? Even Bozeman is closer to Portland than it is to UND. EWU is actually fairly close to Portland.

Yeah UND is an outlier, however geographically they are closer to almost all of the schools that I had in the Big Sky than the teams in the Big West. Every conference away game if they went back into the Great West would be further for them than all but an away game at PSU. SUU would be the only game closer for them than PSU.

[SonomaCat]

Ah, I see. In other words UND is a long ways from everyone.

[BleedingBLue]

Ah, I see. In other words UND is a long ways from everyone.

That's what you get for playing in North Dakota

[Anacomando]

13-15 schools is difficult without two confereces or divisions. I thought expansion was not in the best interest of the Big Sky.

[GoCats18]

We need to give Idaho a nice welcome back to the Big Sky when we go over there to play them this season.

[John K]

I think it bad business to have a charter member leave the conference and/or separate Weber from Southern Utah. I like the super conference as it is. Especially with the improving TV coverage. Would be cool to see Idaho return.

Can you imagine the muddled mess of a 15 team super conference if NMSU joins as well? The top of the conference is already jumbled with 13 teams. The fact that SUU won the conference title outright this year was a miracle. If the FCS was allowed conference championships games with 2 divisions then this scenario would be great. But they don't. And there could be 7 or 8 teams in the conference deserving of a playoff spot and there is no way that many would ever get in. We could also keep Weber and NAU and I'll bet San Diego would be more than willing to join the new Great West still giving them 7 teams and the Big Sky 9. UNC could go into that conference too and we could keep ISU. Many scenarios are possible.

I don't see any chance that San Diego will ever join the Big Sky, or Great West, or whatever a new conference might be called. Being a non-scholarship program, it would be very difficult for them to ever compete with scholarship programs.