Great way to make a 13 team Big Sky work

[slostang]

Got the idea from the Sioux board.

Give each team 4 rivals that they play every year and then play 4 of the other 8 teams every other year.

Possible rivals:

UM: MSU/EWU/UND/WSU
EWU: UM/PSU/CP/Sac
PSU: EWU/CP/Sac/UCD
ISU: UND/WSU/MSU/UNC
WSU: ISU/SUU/UM/NAU
SUU: WSU/NAU/UNC/UCD
NAU: SUU/UNC/WSU/MSU
UNC: NAU/UND/SUU/ISU
UND: UNC/MSU/UM/ISU
MSU: UND/UM/ISU/NAU
CP: UCD/Sac/EWU/PSU
UCD: CP/Sac/SUU/PSU
Sac: UCD/CP/PSU/EWU

I like it. I like it a lot.

[slostang]

nodakvindy spent some time on this and this is what he came up with:

UM: MSU/EWU/UND/WSU
Year 1 PSU CP ISU SUU
Year 2 NAU UCD Sac UNC

EWU: UM/PSU/CP/Sac
Year 1 UCD UNC WSU SUU
Year 2 MSU UND ISU NAU

PSU: EWU/CP/Sac/UCD
Year 1 UM UND ISU NAU
Year 2 MSU UNC WSU SUU

ISU: UND/WSU/MSU/UNC
Year 1 UM PSU UCD SUU
Year 2 EWU Sac CP NAU

WSU: ISU/SUU/UM/NAU
Year 1 MSU UND EWU CP
Year 2 PSU UCD Sac UNC

SUU: WSU/NAU/UNC/UCD
Year 1 UM EWU ISU Sac
Year 2 MSU UND PSU CP

NAU: SUU/UNC/WSU/MSU
Year 1 UND Sac PSU UCD
Year 2 UM EWU ISU CP

UNC: NAU/UND/SUU/ISU
Year 1 MSU Sac EWU CP
Year 2 UM PSU WSU UCD

UND: UNC/MSU/UM/ISU
Year 1 PSU CP WSU NAU
Year 2 EWU Sac SUU UCD

MSU: UND/UM/ISU/NAU
Year 1 Sac UCD UNC WSU
Year 2 CP PSU EWU SUU

CP: UCD/Sac/EWU/PSU
Year 1 UM UND WSU UNC
Year 2 MSU ISU SUU NAU

UCD: CP/Sac/SUU/PSU
Year 1 MSU EWU ISU NAU
Year 2 UM UND WSU UNC

SAC: UCD/CP/PSU/EWU
Year 1 MSU SUU NAU UNC
Year 2 UM UND ISU WSU

[Sec310]

Those maybe great, but the BEST way to make a 13 team Big Sky work, is drop/kick out one school and go down to 12 schools.

[SiouxMeNow]

Interesting....Thanks Stang! I think UND fans also understand they've put the Big Sky in a tough travel position but here's my crazy "thinking out of the box" idea that could help out our entire new conference. UND is home to one of the nations PREMIER aviation schools as well as being blessed with some of the most generous alums of any school in the nation. (SEE www.theralph.com if you have any doubts:-)

WHAT IF a UND alum (or the BigSky as a whole) could come up with some big cash that might help buy a correct size PRIVATE Plane (or given the size maybe 2?) that could serve as The BIG SKY Confererence AIRLINE! An entirely private athletic commuter airline service that ALL conference members could contribute too and have at their beck and call for ANY long travel of ANY conference member who was facing a high cost flight? Spreading the costs over 13 schools could bring down the bottom line for all as well as providing a valuable commercial training aspect for our aviation school or whoever else in the conference that could benefit from it.

[slostang]

Those maybe great, but the BEST way to make a 13 team Big Sky work, is drop/kick out one school and go down to 12 schools.

Why, the above scheduling arrangement works out well. Each team can really get a rivalry going with 4 of it's closest neighbors and see every other team in the Big Sky every other year.

If/when Montana bolts for the WAC we wont have to drop kick anyone.

[SiouxMeNow]

Just fyi....UND is 2/3rds on the way to a 300 MILLION DOLLAR Capital Campaign (http://spirit.und.edu/) We've got 200 MILLION dollars already committed in this effort that will benefit every aspect of UND - including generous alums that have already committed to a 20+ Million indoor practice facility to UND athletics that WILL be announced soon. It probably wouldn't take too much to raise another couple million to buy some DC10's (or comparible aircraft) that could become - SERIOUSLY - BigSky AIRLINES!

We've got the support and the pilots..what does the rest of the BigSky bring to this mix? (Checkbooks count!:-)

[darell1976]

I like the idea slostang!!

[slostang]

Any other thoughts on how a 13 team Big Sky could work?

[darell1976]

Any other thoughts on how a 13 team Big Sky could work?

Is it true that with 13 there is no divisions?

[slostang]

Is it true that with 13 there is no divisions?

One way is to assign each team 4 rivals they play each year and they then play 4 of the other 8 every other year. That would work, but I am sure there are other ways you can go. I do not know how two divisions would work with 13 teams. Does anyone else know how that would work or another way to make a 13 team football conference work?

[darell1976]

One way is to assign each team 4 rivals they play each year and they then play 4 of the other 8 every other year. That would work, but I am sure there are other ways you can go. I do not know how two divisions would work with 13 teams. Does anyone else know how that would work or another way to make a 13 team football conference work?


UND
UNC
UM
MSU
EW
NAU

WSU
ISU
CP
UCD
SUU
PSU
SSU

Its hard when the geography is very spread out. But 8 conference games 1 FBS and 2 OOC. I look at it and I would hate to have that job. The rivalry thing looks better on paper. UND has no history with 4 BSC teams (PSU, WSU, EW, and SSU).

[TokyoGriz]

The best way to make a 13 team Big Sky work is for Montana to say Adios Amigos! and then your back to 12. Just stuck wth ridiculous travel expenses.

[I Bleed Purple]

The best way to make a 13 team Big Sky work is for Montana to say Adios Amigos! and then your back to 12. Just stuck wth ridiculous travel expenses.

You say this going to the WAC with Hawaii and La. Tech? What the hell is wrong with you?

If UM was out of the picture, MSU and UND I'm sure would be the travel partners.

[MplsBison]

It's difficult for me to believe that Sac State won't join Poly and Davis in the Big West.

That would give you 13 football and 10 bball.

Travel partners for bball:

UND - UNC - 902 mi
MSU - UM - 202 mi
ISU - WSU - 129 mi
SUU - NAU - 282 mi
EWU - PSU - 338 mi

If UM and MSU leave that gives you 11 football and 8 bball, with same travel partners above minus UM/MSU.


For football, I still say that you've got to get every non-Califronia team a game in CA every season. I've outline how that can be accomplished in another thread.

[mksioux]

Is it true that with 13 there is no divisions?
While an uneven divisional system I suppose would be possible, Fullerton has been clear that there will be divisions. They are going to a rivals/rotations schedule modeled after what the Big Ten has been using. I personally love the 4-rival schedule in this thread. I like it because it evens out the non-rival games to 8 and you can go every other year. That way, you get to see every Big Sky team on your campus either every-other-year (rivals) or every fourth year (others). It seems like the best way to manage a 13-team conference.

[Green26]

While an uneven divisional system I suppose would be possible, Fullerton has been clear that there will be divisions. They are going to a rivals/rotations schedule modeled after what the Big Ten has been using. I personally love the 4-rival schedule in this thread. I like it because it evens out the non-rival games to 8 and you can go every other year. That way, you get to see every Big Sky team on your campus either every-other-year (rivals) or every fourth year (others). It seems like the best way to manage a 13-team conference.

Actually, earlier this week, Fullerton said there wouldn't be divisions, after it was known that USD wouldn't be joining.

"It means UND will become one of 11 full Big Sky members and 13 teams for football in 2012, which would mean, Fullerton said, that the league would not split up into divisions.

Instead, Fullerton said, the Big Sky will use a football scheduling model similar to the one that had previously been used by the Big Ten when the league had 11 members.

"They play rivals every year, plus they rotate the rest of the league through," he said."

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/bobcats/article_a76f88ac-e871-11df-b0ea-001cc4c002e0.html

[darell1976]

While an uneven divisional system I suppose would be possible, Fullerton has been clear that there will be divisions. They are going to a rivals/rotations schedule modeled after what the Big Ten has been using. I personally love the 4-rival schedule in this thread. I like it because it evens out the non-rival games to 8 and you can go every other year. That way, you get to see every Big Sky team on your campus either every-other-year (rivals) or every fourth year (others). It seems like the best way to manage a 13-team conference.

I like that too. I can't wait until 2012 when we get to see how this works out.

[TokyoGriz]

Theres a good chance Montana will be moving up, and if so it may occur in that 2012 timeframe.

Once Montana leaves then I see no reason to not go to divisions in the Big Sky. It would be much easier for scheduling and travel costs in general.

I doubt you will get to see the wonky scheduling you have all planned out come to fruition.

[slostang]

Theres a good chance Montana will be moving up, and if so it may occur in that 2012 timeframe.

Once Montana leaves then I see no reason to not go to divisions in the Big Sky. It would be much easier for scheduling and travel costs in general.

I doubt you will get to see the wonky scheduling you have all planned out come to fruition.

Wonky? You see the 4 closest teams to you every year and see the other 8 every other year. Sounds like the most logical plan to me.

Montana is not out the door yet. FBS conferences are still in flux and if the MWC losses TCU to the Big East the WAC will be raided by the MWC and most likely fold. If Montana was smart they would sit back a see what shakes out before they make a move that could bad quickly.

[darell1976]

Theres a good chance Montana will be moving up, and if so it may occur in that 2012 timeframe.

Once Montana leaves then I see no reason to not go to divisions in the Big Sky. It would be much easier for scheduling and travel costs in general.

I doubt you will get to see the wonky scheduling you have all planned out come to fruition.

Isn't Montana and Montana St a package deal? If so MSU said they are NOT moving up. So I don't see Montana going to the FBS alone.

[Walkon79]

Not necessarily. One of the conditions of the Griz moving may be that the WAC makes an exception in their conference bylaws, allowing the Griz to play on the road every other year at FCS Montana State. Right now the league prohibits road games at FCS level schools. If the rivalry stayed intact, the the regents may allow a move of one school but not the other.

[mksioux]

Actually, earlier this week, Fullerton said there wouldn't be divisions, after it was known that USD wouldn't be joining.

"It means UND will become one of 11 full Big Sky members and 13 teams for football in 2012, which would mean, Fullerton said, that the league would not split up into divisions.

Instead, Fullerton said, the Big Sky will use a football scheduling model similar to the one that had previously been used by the Big Ten when the league had 11 members.

"They play rivals every year, plus they rotate the rest of the league through," he said."

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/bobcats/article_a76f88ac-e871-11df-b0ea-001cc4c002e0.html
Forgot the "no" in the "no divisions." I was typing too fast I guess. Yes, Fullerton has been clear that there will be no divisions now.