Big Sky to have 8 conference games with 2012 expansion

[darell1976]

According to UND's AD Brian Faison he said UND will have 8 conference games in 2012 when they join the Big Sky with Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Southern Utah. Also Montana St, and Northern Colorado are UND's rival games.

UND's 2012 schedule would look like this

8 Big Sky "conference" games
1 FBS game ( San Diego State)
2 OOC games (Central Arkansas, 1 TBA although South Dakota was on the schedule prior to their commitment to the MVFC)

So the question of 8 conference games or 9 has been answered.

[NoCoDanny]

So the cat's out of the bag, huh?

[Umpire]

Here's some other tidbits.

-20 game basketball schedule (playing everyone twice)
-Every team will have two opponents they play every year. The other six games rotate every year.
-UND has NorCol and MSU. Obviously that would mean MSU's are Montana and UND.
-The schedule is set through 2015.

[ATX_EWUGrad]

I don't like having a conference schedule for football every year and not having to play everyone in your conference. I don't know if a 12 team conference works under the FCS model we're currently working under. What's a fair way to handle things? Split the 12 teams up into two 6 team divisions, and then the 2 division winners squaring off for the Automatic BSC bid? For that to happen, all the BSC schools would have to schedule a bye for the last week of the regular season so they could potentially play in the BSC conference championship. I don't see anyone wanting to schedule 11 straight without a bye in their schedule. And if you are in the conference championship game, and subsequently the playoffs, then what? I'm curious to get others opinion on how this should be handled fairly, and how you would split the teams up into two, 6 team divisions.

[darell1976]

I don't like having a conference schedule for football every year and not having to play everyone in your conference. I don't know if a 12 team conference works under the FCS model we're currently working under. What's a fair way to handle things? Split the 12 teams up into two 6 team divisions, and then the 2 division winners squaring off for the Automatic BSC bid? For that to happen, all the BSC schools would have to schedule a bye for the last week of the regular season so they could potentially play in the BSC conference championship. I don't see anyone wanting to schedule 11 straight without a bye in their schedule. And if you are in the conference championship game, and subsequently the playoffs, then what? I'm curious to get others opinion on how this should be handled fairly, and how you would split the teams up into two, 6 team divisions.

No matter how you look at it you aren't going to play everyone every year. I am sure there is going to be a rotation so every team eventually plays everyone just not every year. As far as we know there will be 8 conference games with 2 rival games so that leaves just 3 teams you don't play in 1 year. For UND if we don't play Cal Poly, UC Davis, and SUU I am sure they will be on the schedule the next. IMO its no big deal, I know for EWU it would be a bigger deal since Montana, MSU, and Weber St would be replaced with UND, Cal Poly, and SUU. But I don't think a 2 division conference is the answer. What if the 2 division winners are already in the playoffs do they just square off for a higher seed? Would they risk injury and bench their star players? As the newbie in the BSC I say leave it the way it is now and see how it goes.

[I Bleed Purple]

I'm going to assume Weber's two yearly matchups will be ISU and UNC.

It'll be weird to not play Montana every year.

However, with 8 conference games, I'm sure Weber is going to try and schedule the conference teams not on the conference schedule as OOC games.

[darell1976]

I'm going to assume Weber's two yearly matchups will be ISU and UNC.

It'll be weird to not play Montana every year.

However, with 8 conference games, I'm sure Weber is going to try and schedule the conference teams not on the conference schedule as OOC games.

I think most BSC teams will do that I know UND fans would like to see Montana every year too.

[Twentysix]

I'm going to assume Weber's two yearly matchups will be ISU and UNC.

It'll be weird to not play Montana every year.

However, with 8 conference games, I'm sure Weber is going to try and schedule the conference teams not on the conference schedule as OOC games.

Can you do that? You would have more games played[that figure in standings]than other BS schools that dont do this. LOL if you can do this there could be years BSC plays 11 conference games and no one knows how strong they are until playoffs lol.

[I Bleed Purple]

Can you do that? You would have more games played[that figure in standings]than other BS schools that dont do this. LOL if you can do this there could be years BSC plays 11 conference games and no one knows how strong they are until playoffs lol.

I imagine Weber's desired formula will be two OOC games with Big Sky opponents every year, one home and one away as well as one FBS game every year.

[darell1976]

Can you do that? You would have more games played[that figure in standings]than other BS schools that dont do this. LOL if you can do this there could be years BSC plays 11 conference games and no one knows how strong they are until playoffs lol.

This season in college hockey UND played Minnesota-Duluth to open their new arena and the game even though they are in the same conference was a non-conference game. So I could see maybe the BSC could do this.

[nwFL Griz]

Can you do that? You would have more games played[that figure in standings]than other BS schools that dont do this. LOL if you can do this there could be years BSC plays 11 conference games and no one knows how strong they are until playoffs lol.

The games played against conference foes that were not scheduled by the league office would not count in the league standings. So even though you played 10 conference opponents, you would still only have 8 conference games.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

No matter how you look at it you aren't going to play everyone every year. I am sure there is going to be a rotation so every team eventually plays everyone just not every year. As far as we know there will be 8 conference games with 2 rival games so that leaves just 3 teams you don't play in 1 year. For UND if we don't play Cal Poly, UC Davis, and SUU I am sure they will be on the schedule the next. IMO its no big deal, I know for EWU it would be a bigger deal since Montana, MSU, and Weber St would be replaced with UND, Cal Poly, and SUU. But I don't think a 2 division conference is the answer. What if the 2 division winners are already in the playoffs do they just square off for a higher seed? Would they risk injury and bench their star players? As the newbie in the BSC I say leave it the way it is now and see how it goes.

Little bit off on your math there bud. The two designated rivals would be part of the 8 conference games, otherwise everyone would be playing 10 conference games. If a school doesn't schedule other BSC schools for OOC, then there will be 4 teams you don't play per year.

[darell1976]

Little bit off on your math there bud. The two designated rivals would be part of the 8 conference games, otherwise everyone would be playing 10 conference games. If a school doesn't schedule other BSC schools for OOC, then there will be 4 teams you don't play per year.

My bad. I thought for some reason there are 12 BSC teams not 13.xdohx

[EdubAlum]

any word on whom EWU's "play every year" teams might be, You have to figure Portland State, and I'm hoping Montana.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

any word on whom EWU's "play every year" teams might be, You have to figure Portland State, and I'm hoping Montana.

I can't imagine us playing anyone else. We're only a couple miles further from Missoula than Bozeman is, and everyone knows we give UM more of a fight than the cats usually do. ;)

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Based on two rivalry games a team plays every year, these are the matchups I predict we'll see:

EWU: UM & PSU
UM: MSU & EWU
MSU: UM & UND
PSU: EWU & SAC
ISU: WSU & UNC
NAU: SUU & CP
UNC: UND & ISU
UND: MSU & UNC
WSU: SUU & ISU
SUU: NAU & WSU
SAC: UCD & PSU
UCD: SAC & CP
CP: UCD & NAU

[Walkon79]

I can't imagine us playing anyone else. We're only a couple miles further from Missoula than Bozeman is, and everyone knows we give UM more of a fight than the cats usually do. ;)

Really: How many times have you beaten the Griz since 2002?

Pretty comparable I would think.

[Poly's Brutality]

Based on two rivalry games a team plays every year, these are the matchups I predict we'll see:

EWU: UM & PSU
UM: MSU & EWU
MSU: UM & UND
PSU: EWU & SAC
ISU: WSU & UNC
NAU: SUU & CP
UNC: UND & ISU
UND: MSU & UNC
WSU: SUU & ISU
SUU: NAU & WSU
SAC: UCD & PSU
UCD: SAC & CP
CP: UCD & NAU

Question for new members (help?): What are the stadiums like at each place. Turf? Indoors? Ave. home attendance? Looking forward....xeyebrowxxsmileyclapx

[Twentysix]

EWU has an ugly field. MSU had a nice field with an awesome mountain backdrop. And Wa-Griz speaks for itself.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2010/Internet/attendance/FCS_AVGATTENDANCE.pdf

BSC National Team Avg Games
1 2 Montana 25488 6
2 17 Montana st 14298 7
3 40 Cal Poly 8760 5
4 (49) North Dakota 8154 5
5 50 UC Davis 8115 5
6 56 Sacramento St 7576 5
7 57 Northern Arizona 7398 5
8 61 Southern Utah 7077 5
9 63 Weber St 6913 5
10 69 Eastern Washington 6473 8
11 81 Idaho St 5388 5
12 83 Northern Colorado 5023 5
13 85 Portland St 4895 4

*UND not actually ranked, but if ranked would be 49th thus knocking everyone below that down a spot.

[tribe_pride]

I don't like having a conference schedule for football every year and not having to play everyone in your conference. I don't know if a 12 team conference works under the FCS model we're currently working under. What's a fair way to handle things? Split the 12 teams up into two 6 team divisions, and then the 2 division winners squaring off for the Automatic BSC bid? For that to happen, all the BSC schools would have to schedule a bye for the last week of the regular season so they could potentially play in the BSC conference championship. I don't see anyone wanting to schedule 11 straight without a bye in their schedule. And if you are in the conference championship game, and subsequently the playoffs, then what? I'm curious to get others opinion on how this should be handled fairly, and how you would split the teams up into two, 6 team divisions.

The other problem with this is that I am pretty sure that you cannot schedule a conference championship game and be eligible for the playoffs per NCAA rules.

[darell1976]

EWU has an ugly field. MSU had a nice field with an awesome mountain backdrop. And Wa-Griz speaks for itself.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2010/Internet/attendance/FCS_AVGATTENDANCE.pdf

BSC National Team Avg Games
1 2 Montana 25488 6
2 17 Montana st 14298 7
3 40 Cal Poly 8760 5
4 (49) North Dakota 8154 5
5 50 UC Davis 8115 5
6 56 Sacramento St 7576 5
7 57 Northern Arizona 7398 5
8 61 Southern Utah 7077 5
9 63 Weber St 6913 5
10 69 Eastern Washington 6473 8
11 81 Idaho St 5388 5
12 83 Northern Colorado 5023 5
13 85 Portland St 4895 4

*UND not actually ranked, but if ranked would be 49th thus knocking everyone below that down a spot.

Pretty good attendance for 3 wins and playing a D2 team.

[Poly's Brutality]

Pretty good attendance for 3 wins and playing a D2 team.
Thanks also to Twentysix for attendance. Looking forward to ND this year! Which of the Big Sky fields are turf (besides the redweird)?

[SDFS]

Thanks also to Twentysix for attendance. Looking forward to ND this year! Which of the Big Sky fields are turf (besides the redweird)?

UND indoor with new turf this year. I think we are going with our school colors - green field with white markings...

[NDB]

*UND not actually ranked, but if ranked would be 49th thus knocking everyone below that down a spot.

you need to add the other reclassifying teams which would bump them down to 54.

[NDB]

UND indoor with new turf this year. I think we are going with our school colors - green field with white markings...

UND's school colors are pink and green.

For a school that is so big on tradition, you'd think their fans would know stuff like this.

[darell1976]

UND's school colors are pink and green.

For a school that is so big on tradition, you'd think their fans would know stuff like this.




The official colors of the University are green and pink. However, this color combination is rarely employed outside of official or “ceremonial” applications. In most contemporary applications, green, white, and black (depending on budget and design) are used as the UND colors.
http://web.archive.org/web/20031204174127/http://www.und.edu/dept/our/html/graphicstandards.html

Athletic teams use green, white, and black...but thanks for your input Bison fan.

[I Bleed Purple]

Thanks also to Twentysix for attendance. Looking forward to ND this year! Which of the Big Sky fields are turf (besides the redweird)?

Most of the teams are moving to a field turf. Weber will be in the next year or two. Cheaper to maintain, I suppose. Not as easy to maintain as concrete, though, so Idaho State really saves money there.

[NDB]

Athletic teams use green, white, and black...but thanks for your input Bison fan.

UND can use whatever colors it wants. The official colors are pink and green.

[slostang]

UND can use whatever colors it wants. The official colors are pink and green.

What is NDSU's record in football against the team in green and pink?

[darell1976]

What is NDSU's record in football against the team in green and pink?

NDSU has won 45 LOST 62 and tied 3.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Thanks also to Twentysix for attendance. Looking forward to ND this year! Which of the Big Sky fields are turf (besides the redweird)?

I think UNC, Weber, and SUU are the only schools that have grass, and WSU is getting turf in the next year or so.

[Walkon79]

I think UNC, Weber, and SUU are the only schools that have grass, and WSU is getting turf in the next year or so.

I thought PG&E Park in Portland was grass as well?

[Walkon79]

And ISU is getting new turf this summer, so maybe it won't be like concrete.

[EdubAlum]

I thought PG&E Park in Portland was grass as well?

I was turf, as it's being remodeled for MLS, i'm not sure if they're switching to natural grass or not. The grass at Pizza Hut park was as flat and perfect as turf.

[darell1976]

I was turf, as it's being remodeled for MLS, i'm not sure if they're switching to natural grass or not. The grass at Pizza Hut park was as flat and perfect as turf.

http://www.pgepark.com/stadium-renovation


The playing surface will shift to the West and the North making for a more intimate and closer-to-the-action feel. It also affords more space on the East and South sides of the stadium to create new seating areas described below. New Field Turf will be installed as part of the renovation in advance of the 2011 MLS season.

[GrizBowl]

Question for new members (help?): What are the stadiums like at each place. Turf? Indoors? Ave. home attendance? Looking forward....xeyebrowxxsmileyclapx

WA Griz has sprin turf and sells out to record FCS attendence year in, year out

[Screamin_Eagle174]

WA Griz has sprin turf and sells out to record FCS attendence year in, year out

Tell us more, I don't think we've heard much about WGS. xcoffeex :D