FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[jamtod]

All chest-thumping aside, I have pondered whether the presence of a second D-I in the Twin Cities market pulls some Strib coverage away from the MIAC. It'll be interesting to see how they staff that, if/when the time comes.

The only decent MIAC coverage provided by the "Strib" is from Reusse. I have a lot to complain about with Reusse, but he's very good with baseball and small college; and by small college, I don't mean just UST.

If you're talking about other media like the WCCO 50,000 watt radio juggernaut, that only served to suck PR away from competing schools. UST has been very smart to use them for game broadcasts.

My prediction: Reusse will be retired before UST hits .500 in its new football league. Hockey, though, will be a whipping boy for years IMO ... that might be the toughest move.

If UST doesn't do this right, it will become a cold Creighton.

I'm trying to understand what is bad with Creighton's athletic department. I don't follow closely but they seem to have a solid soccer program and basketball has tougher competition in the Big East but is still doing ok overall. Those are the flagship sports and neither are embarrassments.

[Pat Coleman]

It actually won't be hard for St. Thomas to get to .500 in the Pioneer Football League. A ranked D-III team could probably do it without a single "D-I" recruiting class.

I would agree with that.  Also, only occasionally i.e. every few years is there a Pioneer League team that is talented enough to compete with some of the scholarship FCS teams.

I don't have much context but San Diego won a first round game in both 2016 and 2017 before getting stomped by NDSU both times.

FCS has a 24-team bracket now, so "4 and 5 seeds" play first-round games, as do "3 and 6 seeds." The Pioneer League got an automatic bid when the field expanded from 20 to 24, I believe.

Last year, Davidson was in the middle of the pack, 6-5 overall, 3-5 in the league, and two of the non-conference wins were against middling-to-lower D-III schools Brevard and Guilford.

[jamtod]

It actually won't be hard for St. Thomas to get to .500 in the Pioneer Football League. A ranked D-III team could probably do it without a single "D-I" recruiting class.

I would agree with that.  Also, only occasionally i.e. every few years is there a Pioneer League team that is talented enough to compete with some of the scholarship FCS teams.

I don't have much context but San Diego won a first round game in both 2016 and 2017 before getting stomped by NDSU both times.

FCS has a 24-team bracket now, so "4 and 5 seeds" play first-round games, as do "3 and 6 seeds." The Pioneer League got an automatic bid when the field expanded from 20 to 24, I believe.

Last year, Davidson was in the middle of the pack, 6-5 overall, 3-5 in the league, and two of the non-conference wins were against middling-to-lower D-III schools Brevard and Guilford.

Davidson crushed those D3 teams though, right? Or at least put up a ton of points against Guilford.

(I looked it up and see the wins were not by as much or as dominating as I thought. Interesting)

[faunch]

All chest-thumping aside, I have pondered whether the presence of a second D-I in the Twin Cities market pulls some Strib coverage away from the MIAC. It'll be interesting to see how they staff that, if/when the time comes.

Minnesotans have wanted another D1 school for decades. MIAC coverage will decrease with the departure of UST. However, UST coverage is about to explode.

Yes because the big ten team regularly sells out??? I'm sure the startrib and PioneerDepress are anxious to cover another less than average d1 program!

[Pat Coleman]

Better, thanks.

[OzJohnnie]

So does U$T going D1 actually mean that O-Shag-Hennessy stadium will get a second bathroom built?
I was there tonight for Cretin-Derham Hall's homecoming game with less than half the stadium
filled and there simply are not enough toilets.

You probably should have laid off the chilli. 

[faunch]

So does U$T going D1 actually mean that O-Shag-Hennessy stadium will get a second bathroom built?
I was there tonight for Cretin-Derham Hall's homecoming game with less than half the stadium
filled and there simply are not enough toilets.

You probably should have laid off the chilli. 

Nope...just a couple beers 🍻 at TIFF's (mafioso HQ of St Paul)

[jamtod]

So does U$T going D1 actually mean that O-Shag-Hennessy stadium will get a second bathroom built?
I was there tonight for Cretin-Derham Hall's homecoming game with less than half the stadium
filled and there simply are not enough toilets.

You probably should have laid off the chilli. 

Nope...just a couple beers 🍻 at TIFF's (mafioso HQ of St Paul)

Just a couple?

[repete]

It actually won't be hard for St. Thomas to get to .500 in the Pioneer Football League. A ranked D-III team could probably do it without a single "D-I" recruiting class.

But the other part of that equation is how long Patrick will stay at the Strib. He's not Sid .

[faunch]

So does U$T going D1 actually mean that O-Shag-Hennessy stadium will get a second bathroom built?
I was there tonight for Cretin-Derham Hall's homecoming game with less than half the stadium
filled and there simply are not enough toilets.

You probably should have laid off the chilli. 

Nope...just a couple beers 🍻 at TIFF's (mafioso HQ of St Paul)

Just a couple?

Yes just two and maybe one or two at home before!

[jamtod]

It actually won't be hard for St. Thomas to get to .500 in the Pioneer Football League. A ranked D-III team could probably do it without a single "D-I" recruiting class.

But the other part of that equation is how long Patrick will stay at the Strib. He's not Sid .

I would have been quite happy for Reusse to retire some time ago before I became more invested in MIAC athletics and appreciated his coverage.

[repete]

All chest-thumping aside, I have pondered whether the presence of a second D-I in the Twin Cities market pulls some Strib coverage away from the MIAC. It'll be interesting to see how they staff that, if/when the time comes.

The only decent MIAC coverage provided by the "Strib" is from Reusse. I have a lot to complain about with Reusse, but he's very good with baseball and small college; and by small college, I don't mean just UST.

If you're talking about other media like the WCCO 50,000 watt radio juggernaut, that only served to suck PR away from competing schools. UST has been very smart to use them for game broadcasts.

My prediction: Reusse will be retired before UST hits .500 in its new football league. Hockey, though, will be a whipping boy for years IMO ... that might be the toughest move.

If UST doesn't do this right, it will become a cold Creighton.

I'm trying to understand what is bad with Creighton's athletic department. I don't follow closely but they seem to have a solid soccer program and basketball has tougher competition in the Big East but is still doing ok overall. Those are the flagship sports and neither are embarrassments.

When you lead with "they seem to have a solid soccer program" ...

[jamtod]

All chest-thumping aside, I have pondered whether the presence of a second D-I in the Twin Cities market pulls some Strib coverage away from the MIAC. It'll be interesting to see how they staff that, if/when the time comes.

The only decent MIAC coverage provided by the "Strib" is from Reusse. I have a lot to complain about with Reusse, but he's very good with baseball and small college; and by small college, I don't mean just UST.

If you're talking about other media like the WCCO 50,000 watt radio juggernaut, that only served to suck PR away from competing schools. UST has been very smart to use them for game broadcasts.

My prediction: Reusse will be retired before UST hits .500 in its new football league. Hockey, though, will be a whipping boy for years IMO ... that might be the toughest move.

If UST doesn't do this right, it will become a cold Creighton.

I'm trying to understand what is bad with Creighton's athletic department. I don't follow closely but they seem to have a solid soccer program and basketball has tougher competition in the Big East but is still doing ok overall. Those are the flagship sports and neither are embarrassments.

When you lead with "they seem to have a solid soccer program" ...

They've never had football or hockey. I assume those are institutional decisions, not worst case scenarios for UST

[jamtod]

All chest-thumping aside, I have pondered whether the presence of a second D-I in the Twin Cities market pulls some Strib coverage away from the MIAC. It'll be interesting to see how they staff that, if/when the time comes.

The only decent MIAC coverage provided by the "Strib" is from Reusse. I have a lot to complain about with Reusse, but he's very good with baseball and small college; and by small college, I don't mean just UST.

If you're talking about other media like the WCCO 50,000 watt radio juggernaut, that only served to suck PR away from competing schools. UST has been very smart to use them for game broadcasts.

My prediction: Reusse will be retired before UST hits .500 in its new football league. Hockey, though, will be a whipping boy for years IMO ... that might be the toughest move.

If UST doesn't do this right, it will become a cold Creighton.

I'm trying to understand what is bad with Creighton's athletic department. I don't follow closely but they seem to have a solid soccer program and basketball has tougher competition in the Big East but is still doing ok overall. Those are the flagship sports and neither are embarrassments.

When you lead with "they seem to have a solid soccer program" ...

They've never had football or hockey. I assume those are institutional decisions, not worst case scenarios for UST

Also, my coworker played soccer there for a year before transferring to Wheaton and we were just discussing the program today at some length, so it was pretty fresh in my mind.

[repete]

It actually won't be hard for St. Thomas to get to .500 in the Pioneer Football League. A ranked D-III team could probably do it without a single "D-I" recruiting class.

But the other part of that equation is how long Patrick will stay at the Strib. He's not Sid .

I would have been quite happy for Reusse to retire some time ago before I became more invested in MIAC athletics and appreciated his coverage.

Glad he is still writing, but yeah I actually think he was better in his younger, wilder days at Pioneer Press. He got more travel and bigger stories at the Strib, but was better as a feisty underdog.

But even Soucheray was readable back then, before he turned into everyone's grumpy uncle.