Augustana SD discussing moving to D1, possibly joining Pioneer

Been seeing discussion about this on both SDSUFans and the USD board. Augustana in Sioux Falls reportedly will recieve a 150 million dollar donation from Sanford, not sure if Denny or the company, and will move all sports to D1. I've put this on the FCS discussion board as they'd be going non-scholly for football and joining the Pioneer.
link to the SDSU forum http://sdsufans.com/board/showthread...-to-the-Summit
Link to USD forum http://usdcoyotesports.proboards.com...gustana-summit
This is probably just Sioux Falls reporters making this rumor up, they'd love to have a D1 school down there.

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Originally Posted by JacksFan40

Been seeing discussion about this on both SDSUFans and the USD board. Augustana in Sioux Falls reportedly will recieve a 150 million dollar donation from Sanford, not sure if Denny or the company, and will move all sports to D1. I've put this on the FCS discussion board as they'd be going non-scholly for football and joining the Pioneer.
link to the SDSU forum http://sdsufans.com/board/showthread...-to-the-Summit
Link to USD forum http://usdcoyotesports.proboards.com...gustana-summit
This is probably just Sioux Falls reporters making this rumor up, they'd love to have a D1 school down there.

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Gross. Don't see how this would benefit any of the Dakotas.

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Originally Posted by nodak651

Gross. Don't see how this would benefit any of the Dakotas.

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It's just for the Sioux Falls people who want a D1 team in Sioux Falls.

.........no.

NCC 2.0....time for NDSU to go if this happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXkT107x2E&

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Originally Posted by BisonFan02

.........no.

NCC 2.0....time for NDSU to go if this happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXkT107x2E&

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SDSU better be right by your side. No interest in this happening.

As for the Sanford rumor, so far, it seems to be just a message board rumor which started at 100 million and has now been raised to 150 million.

I laid my thoughts out in another thread but I’ll sum it up here.

The last thing SD, ND, MN, IA, WI, MO, IL and KS need is another D1 school. Football status doesn’t matter. This population base is already vastly over saturated


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I think it would be a huge mistake for Augie to go D1. But suddenly there sure is a lot of talk about it.

SDSU fans seem to think that by denying Augustana an invitation to the Summit, they can keep them out of D-I altogether.

I would say that if Augustana wants to move up, the Summit won't be their only choice. The WAC would take them in a Fargo minute.

There is no talk of Augustana moving to D1 on the D2 board. Which would seem to be a more likely place to find information about a possible move by them than on SDSU or USD messageboards.

I think the other Dakota schools would have about as much say as SLC schools did with HBU and other schools moving up...amiright?

If Augie has a baseball team I'd be all for them moving up and joining the Summit League.

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Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

If Augie has a baseball team I'd be all for them moving up and joining the Summit League.

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Augie does have a baseball team, and a pretty good one, they're currently 24-1 so not bad.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this the same school that could not manage to keep afloat in their DII days and dropped down. Now they want to go DI??????

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Originally Posted by TennBison

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this the same school that could not manage to keep afloat in their DII days and dropped down. Now they want to go DI??????

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You're thinking of Morningside in Sioux City. They dropped from D2 down to the NAIA.

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Originally Posted by JacksFan40

Augie does have a baseball team, and a pretty good one, they're currently 24-1 so not bad.

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It would stabilize the conference in that case adding a baseball program so the SL wouldn't have to worry about losing the auto in all sports if they drop below the 6 baseball programs they have currently. Augie also fits right into the geographic footprint of the SL. Considering that I don't think Fort Wayne (and their baseball program) will be around much longer it would also ensure that the SL maintains at least a 16 game conference basketball schedule (or the ideal 18 games for as long as Fort Wayne would be around).

I wouldn't be thrilled about the NCC 2.0 part of it either but it would further stabilize the Summit League. I'm sure the SD schools would be staunchly opposed to it given their ties to the Sioux Falls market but almost everyone else in the conference would benefit.

Of course that's all from the non-football POV. Football I don't think it does much of anything except give the northern/western MVFC schools a cupcake OOC game if they want it.

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Originally Posted by Model Citizen

SDSU fans seem to think that by denying Augustana an invitation to the Summit, they can keep them out of D-I altogether.

I would say that if Augustana wants to move up, the Summit won't be their only choice. The WAC would take them in a Fargo minute.

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And they are welcome to go to the WAC. Of course, a school with 2,000 students, private (no state funding), who studied the issue before and found they could not afford the move, can now afford to fly to LasCruces, Phoenix, Seattle, Salt Lake City... The only shot that school has in surviving is in the Summit League and PFL. And they can't afford that. This is a really bad idea, driven by the egos of some Sioux Falls businessmen with money who see the success of the SLT and SDSU and want a piece of the pie. South Dakota cannot support 3 D1 schools and have them all succeed. It is a crazy, idiotic, stupid idea.

Barf. That is all. SDSU better be ACTIVE about looking for a new home if this were to happen.


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Originally Posted by jacksfan29

And they are welcome to go to the WAC. Of course, a school with 2,000 students, private (no state funding), who studied the issue before and found they could not afford the move, can now afford to fly to LasCruces, Phoenix, Seattle, Salt Lake City... The only shot that school has in surviving is in the Summit League and PFL. And they can't afford that. This is a really bad idea, driven by the egos of some Sioux Falls businessmen with money who see the success of the SLT and SDSU and want a piece of the pie. South Dakota cannot support 3 D1 schools and have them all succeed. It is a crazy, idiotic, stupid idea.

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So let them dig their own grave then. Like you said they're a private university so it's not like they're raiding the state's coffers if they fail.

Just be honest... you don't care about how well or poorly positioned they are to succeed in D1, you just don't want that extra competition in SDSU's #1 market for fans/alumni. I don't blame you. I'd have similar feelings if Minnesota State-Moorhead would announce intentions to move D1 and try to join the Summit League.

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Originally Posted by doolittledog

You're thinking of Morningside in Sioux City. They dropped from D2 down to the NAIA.

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Thanks for the info, that is a bit before my time as a NDSU fan.

What they are raiding is corporate dollars. I have no fear of fans, SDSU has 40,000 alumni in the state, Augustana 7,000. SDSU has long had a strong following, the SLT, with 11,000 in the stands is 70% blue for a reason. That isn't going to change. We had Augustana in the NCC for decades and they were nobody. That really won't change much if they move up. What will change, corporate dollars will be more difficult to come by for SDSU, more importantly for USD. That hurts the Summit. We need the two large state schools in South Dakota to be healthy.

SDSU's athletic budget is now over $20 million. It is expected to be $25 million within the next two years. USD have grown more slowly. It is growing, but it topped out at $15 million last year. Augustana will need major corporate money to go D1. Where does it come from?

My other issue. I don't want to go back to the old NCC. I'm fine with the big schools in SD and ND, plus Omaha is a great market. Augustana feels like we are going to soon bring back Morningside, St. Cloud and Mankato. Heck, if we are going to consider Augustana why not Northern State?

SDSU and NDSU have moved on. We are both much bigger, much more successful and both worked our asses off to get where we are this early in our D1 days. We built the Summit up. The last addition was UND, before that DU. Those are D1 schools and both are great additions. If the Summit is now going to return to being a D2 call up league, for schools with 2,000 students who will struggle to survive? I'd rather move on again.

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Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

So let them dig their own grave then. Like you said they're a private university so it's not like they're raiding the state's coffers if they fail.

Just be honest... you don't care about how well or poorly positioned they are to succeed in D1, you just don't want that extra competition in SDSU's #1 market for fans/alumni. I don't blame you. I'd have similar feelings if Minnesota State-Moorhead would announce intentions to move D1 and try to join the Summit League.

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Time to figure out how to make FBS work.

SDSU, you guys are forward thinkers, ready to dump the UxD's again?

No fbs league wants you.

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Originally Posted by IBleedYellow

Time to figure out how to make FBS work.

SDSU, you guys are forward thinkers, ready to dump the UxD's again?

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The MWC truly isn’t a bad conference if an FBS move happened, though I doubt NDSU would go it solo, they’d move if SDSU tags along.

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Originally Posted by JacksFan40

The MWC truly isn’t a bad conference if an FBS move happened, though I doubt NDSU would go it solo, they’d move if SDSU tags along.

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I can get behind no more GFCC but everyone knows that the State of North Dakota would prevent that from happening again.

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Get another cupcake regional team for football if they go Pioneer.

Why not just go D1 hockey for them? NSIC teams are already D1 hockey. Neither USD or SDSU have it.

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Originally Posted by nodak651

No fbs league wants you.

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The MAC???

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Originally Posted by BisonFan02

.........no.

NCC 2.0....time for NDSU to go if this happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXkT107x2E&

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I was at that game; it was cold.


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Originally Posted by nodak651

No fbs league wants you.

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We’d make our own.

Go FBS independent with NDSU, MSU, UM, Idaho, UNI, EWU, NMSU, Missouri State and work out a scheduling alliance.

Denny Sanford will fund it all.

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Originally Posted by mmiller_34

We’d make our own.

Go FBS independent with NDSU, MSU, UM, Idaho, UNI, EWU, NMSU, Missouri State and work out a scheduling alliance.

Denny Sanford will fund it all.

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Don't forget Augustana.

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Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

If Augie has a baseball team I'd be all for them moving up and joining the Summit League.

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Originally Posted by JacksFan40

Augie does have a baseball team, and a pretty good one, they're currently 24-1 so not bad.

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Time to add the University of Jamestown. Better baseball.

The FBS thing is moot. UND and USD will never be left behind again.

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Originally Posted by BisonFan02

The FBS thing is moot. UND and USD will never be left behind again.

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Not by their choice. Their incompetent leadership can't fail them again.

Tell them to drop FB and put their resources into BB and I'd consider it. Would be a good fit for the Summit. They wouldn't be any worse then a UMKC, plus they have baseball.

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Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

If Augie has a baseball team I'd be all for them moving up and joining the Summit League.

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I get that having six puts you in a precarious situation, but I’d rather have six than seven.

Six teams means you don’t have to find a non-conference series for someone every week. Plus you can play a full home/home round robin schedule in ten weeks.


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Originally Posted by dgtw

I get that having six puts you in a precarious situation, but I’d rather have six than seven.

Six teams means you don’t have to find a non-conference series for someone every week. Plus you can play a full home/home round robin schedule in ten weeks.


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True, it would be even better if they could get another baseball program to get to 8 but if/when Fort Wayne leaves the Summit League they'd be down a baseball program again. Adding one more school to the Summit League would also get them back to an even number (10) for basketball to make basketball scheduling much better and easier (that is until Fort Wayne leaves).

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Originally Posted by IBleedYellow

Time to figure out how to make FBS work.

SDSU, you guys are forward thinkers, ready to dump the UxD's again?

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No thanks. I’m all in on anywhere other than the Summit though.


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On the surface and remembering how the NCC days went, I would strenuously object to adding the Augie Doggies.

Once we dip down to the Augie/Cloud/Kato world we might as well start openly questioning why the hell we left the NCC.

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Originally Posted by F'N Hawks

On the surface and remembering how the NCC days went, I would strenuously object to adding the Augie Doggies.

Once we dip down to the Augie/Cloud/Kato world we might as well start openly questioning why the hell we left the NCC.

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At that point, we didn't leave the NCC, minus the name.

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Originally Posted by IBleedYellow

At that point, we didn't leave the NCC, minus the name.

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Wut?

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Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

True, it would be even better if they could get another baseball program to get to 8 but if/when Fort Wayne leaves the Summit League they'd be down a baseball program again. Adding one more school to the Summit League would also get them back to an even number (10) for basketball to make basketball scheduling much better and easier (that is until Fort Wayne leaves).

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Where is Ft. Wayne going?


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