FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[USTBench]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

I'd take a look at the play-by-play of the fourth quarter of that game if I were you. 1 pass thrown, then 19 rushes utilizing wide receivers, fullbacks, 3rd and 4th string RBs and an offensive lineman.

UST went as deep as it possibly could pursuant to MIAC travel rules. If a back-up senior offensive lineman scoring a TD when STO is already down 91 is REALLY the salt in the wound, i'll concede that. But at some point, it's also up to grown men to try.

[miac952]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

[USTBench]

As frustrated as I am with the Coalition of Losers (trademark pending), I think the writing is on the wall and it's probably not much of a surprise to anyone. UST doesn't bring in an associate AD from a Big 10 school if it plans on staying (alum or not). I think when this is all said and done UST will probably announce a plan of action that will allow it to stay in the MIAC for the next year or two while it finds a home, possibly outside of Division III.

I know from watching NDSU/SDSU's then UND/USD's transitions that this sort of move works so much better with a partner, and unfortunately, I don't know that SJU (UST's rival and a natural travel partner) are ready or willing to make that leap. Of course, if what I've gleaned is true, SJU may not have a choice but to find a new home should the Coalition of Losers have their way.

If the UMAC and MIAC could get together and have a meeting of the minds, it might make sense to have a few members switch places, but from the outside looking in, it seems only Northwestern (possibly St. Scholastica, but it appears they'd have to make an investment in athletics) might be okay fits for the MIAC. But switching 2 schools for 4 schools would leave the MIAC only 7 for football, so that wouldn't work, and it looks like the Coalition of Losers is more interested in forcing UST out than changing conference affiliations.

The other Division III option is for UST (and, who are we kidding, SJU eventually) to play an independent schedule in football, and see if the Coalition of Losers will let UST remain an affiliate member for other sports, but this sounds like it's probably not a viable option long-term either.

I think with UST's new AD, who has experience bringing D1 hockey to Penn State, UST might explore leaving for the NSIC/WCHA. Unfortunately, the NSIC is already at 16 member institutions split into two divisions, and I highly doubt SJU would be willing to make that jump with UST. In my dream scenario, UST and SJU wouldn't have to go DII,  and could join the Pioneer League in football (non-scholarship with Drake, Butler, Valpo, etc.), WCHA in hockey and Summit League for all other sports because, believe it or not, their facilities are just fine for the Summit, and geographically it makes the most sense.

What I think is likely to happen, is UST is going to double down on its athletic investment, raise a ton of money for hockey and try to find a home in the NSIC in the next few years. Whatever happens, UST is going to have a VERY painful transition unless it can get someone to make the jump with them.

So NSIC is 16 teams as of now, but Augustana (Sioux Falls) has announced they will be making a jump to D1, so they will need a new member to maintain their current layout, with a north and south division, each consisting of 8 teams. They could move around travel partners and make it work so UST and CSP travel together instead of matching CSP up with Winona State (maybe it is MSU-Mankato, don't want to look it up now).

And  in terms of making that transition to D1, unless I was interpreting posts incorrectly, posters on here have noted that it is a long haul, with necessary stops at D2 before the final destination of Division One athletics is reached.

Something to remember is that for a D3 or non-NCAA team to join D1, they first have to go through the three-year D2 membership process and then be an active D2 member for five years. Only then can they start the four-year D1 membership process. So it would take 12 years for St. Thomas to reach D1.

I am completely aware of that, which is why it's my "dream scenario."

UST's only option for hockey would be to go D1, so maybe there'd be a way to petition the NCAA to bring the rest of its athletic department along for the ride, because I know the Summit is desperate for members and the Pioneer League, at least on paper, looks to be a perfect match for football. But I think the NSIC would be an okay landing spot.

Ideally, the Coalition of Losers decides to stop blaming everyone else for sucking, but it looks like that is not going to be the case, so for now, I am mentally preparing for #tomtoss #glenngutting #USTexit

If I am betting money, my guess is, UST takes Augustana's spot in the NSIC when the Vikings go D1, baseball gets the ax or shares a field with Concordia St. Paul, and a hockey arena gets built where the baseball field is currently situated and UST plays WCHA hockey.

[Miacman4040]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

Im not an Ole fan.
The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007. Again, I support schools putting money into athletics to get better, but there is nothing that will make me feel sorry for St Thomas. If 9 schools vote them out it is more than sour grapes. Again, no one hates St Johns to this level. Maybe St Thomas isn't the innocent catholic school boys you Tommie supporters make them out to be.

[wm4]

You never responded to my point other than to shift blame to someone else. Are you okay with beating a team 97-0? Do you think this is good for the student athletes on the other side?

I don't think really anyone connected w/ UST was particular proud of that score.  On the field, it was a severe mismatch and probably should have ended in the 64-0 range (the score at half).  An extra 33 points proved nothing.  You have to also factor in the backstory of Caruso vs. Killian and several others who were on UST's staff but switched (many were on the evil empire's staff for the famous behind the back pass).  I'm not saying it was right or wrong, but it was a factor.  The outcome of that game was *all* on Caruso.  Trust me, Coach Killian knew what he was in for that day. 

Also, UST could only dress 55 or 58 or a road game, so they really didn't go any deeper than second team.  UST's second team is still way better than SO's first or second team.  Traveling roster size has been discussed before as a way to limit blowouts by road teams.  It's why the average margin of victory by UST and SJU over the Coalition of Losers (USTBench) has grown so wide in recent years. 

And you know what?  St Olaf got better as a team, overall.  2-8 in 2016, 4-6 in 2017 and 5-5 last year.  That's pretty damn respectable.  Killian is an excellent coach and the program is headed in the right direction.  If the SO President is still salty over a game from 2 seasons ago, he needs to get over it.

[OzJohnnie]

It seems this whole situation could be resolved if UST said something like, "We're sorry we have been kicking sand in your faces the last few years. We're not sorry that we have pursued an agenda of national competitiveness across the sporting calendar (and we're extremely grateful that the MIAC has afforded our students this choice. The wide variety of opportunities in the MIAC is one if it's most distinctive features) and we are proud to lift the miac's sports profile while also lifting our own.

We will be a good neighbor to our friends and apologise for temporarily losing sight of that important principle. Please forgive us and let us join you in making the MIAC an even more dynamic and successful conference."

Two drops of self-awareness and humility could be just the leadership the rest of the conference is looking for from UST. M

[Miacman4040]

You never responded to my point other than to shift blame to someone else. Are you okay with beating a team 97-0? Do you think this is good for the student athletes on the other side?

I don't think really anyone connected w/ UST was particular proud of that score.  On the field, it was a severe mismatch and probably should have ended in the 64-0 range (the score at half).  An extra 33 points proved nothing.  You have to also factor in the backstory of Caruso vs. Killian and several others who were on UST's staff but switched (many were on the evil empire's staff for the famous behind the back pass).  I'm not saying it was right or wrong, but it was a factor.  The outcome of that game was *all* on Caruso.  Trust me, Coach Killian knew what he was in for that day. 

Also, UST could only dress 55 or 58 or a road game, so they really didn't go any deeper than second team.  UST's second team is still way better than SO's first or second team.  Traveling roster size has been discussed before as a way to limit blowouts by road teams.  It's why the average margin of victory by UST and SJU over the Coalition of Losers (USTBench) has grown so wide in recent years. 

And you know what?  St Olaf got better as a team, overall.  2-8 in 2016, 4-6 in 2017 and 5-5 last year.  That's pretty damn respectable.  Killian is an excellent coach and the program is headed in the right direction.  If the SO President is still salty over a game from 2 seasons ago, he needs to get over it.

I agree, these are some very good points. I for one was not aware of the travel size limitations. Clearly it had the reverse impact that was hoped for. I agree that the STO president needs to suck it up and realize his athletic programs are not all that bad. I think he is a bit of a stooge but I think something else has to have happened that set him off. You would think no rational president would hold a petty grudge from years ago and then oust a school from their league, but then again who knows

[USTBench]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

Im not an Ole fan.
The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007. Again, I support schools putting money into athletics to get better, but there is nothing that will make me feel sorry for St Thomas. If 9 schools vote them out it is more than sour grapes. Again, no one hates St Johns to this level. Maybe St Thomas isn't the innocent catholic school boys you Tommie supporters make them out to be.

I think UST has been fine with being labeled the bad guys for quite some time, don't think we're exactly shocked people dislike us. Perhaps the SJU spin department has done a good job of fashioning them as the Red Sox to our Evil Empire/Yankees, but make no mistake, the outcomes against the Coalition of Losers are more-or-less the same. SJU took a little reprieve during Gags' final years, so maybe it's not quite as fresh in people's minds, but SJU would absolutely DESTROY teams. Fast forward through SJU's "down years" and SJU hanged 98 on CSS at home just two years ago and only had 8 players that did not receive playing time. Think of the result if that game had been played in Duluth utilizing MiAC travel rules?

Anyway, here's the by-the-numbers look at UST/SJU against the Coalition of Losers since 2014:

UST's Record:                                      SJU's Record:     

20 - 0                                                 20 - 0

Average Score:                                    Average Score:

66.05 - 8.2                                          48.35 - 5.75

Shutouts:                                            Shutouts:

7                                                         8

Times COL teams scored 20+ pts:         Times COL teams scored 20+ pts:

4                                                          2

So I guess the unwritten rule for the Coalition of Losers, for now, is don't score 50, but feel free to shut us out.

[miac952]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

Im not an Ole fan.
The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007. Again, I support schools putting money into athletics to get better, but there is nothing that will make me feel sorry for St Thomas. If 9 schools vote them out it is more than sour grapes. Again, no one hates St Johns to this level. Maybe St Thomas isn't the innocent catholic school boys you Tommie supporters make them out to be.

True colors are starting to reveal themselves here.

How did Carleton go from this https://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/varsity_sports/football/schedule_and_results/?season=2008, to where they are now? Caruso was with the Tommies then. The rest of the conference hasnt changed that much. I recognize it's hard to do, but Carleton's administration made poor decisions and provided little support since that 2008 season. They CAN compete (see above), they have chosen NOT TO. They have themselves to blame.

[wm4]

The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007.

That tends to happen when as a Coalition you've been asleep at the switch for several years.  Here are the UST MIAC blowouts by year (blowout being a win by 50 or more):

2007 - 0
2008 - 0
2009 - 1
2010 - 0
2011 - 2
2012 - 0
2013 - 1
2014 - 2
2015 - 4
2016 - 3
2017 - 4
2018 - 4

[hazzben]

It sounds like the MIAC as we know it is done one way or the other. Either UST is voted out or several schools are taking their balls and going home. (we've got posters with sources from schools on both side of the aisle that agree the stage is set for some sort of shake up).

If UST is out, this seems like a pretty clean process for the MIAC (UST options are more complicated). MAC returns as a FB participant, the league continues forward.

The bigger question ... if UST survives the vote, now what happens with the disgruntled MIAC schools??

People have thrown out the MWC as this panacea landing spot for all these schools. They would be a fit for Carleton, MAC (already playing football here), and St. Olaf. But do we know the MWC is looking to add two more schools for football and 3 more schools for all sports?

I think that you're asking the wrong question. The proper question is: Do Carleton, Macalester, and St. Olaf each honestly contemplate a move to the MWC?

It's not the wrong question, because there are more schools involved than just the top notch academic schools. Your question highlights my point. People are ignoring where Augsburg and Hamline end up in all of this. Where do they land?? Anyone??

The issue I raise is that the MWC and Carleton, Macalester, and St. Olaf all view themselves through the same academic lense. With MAC already there for football, and numerous posters already raising the MWC as a possible landing spot, the questions are centered around this conference. A) Does the MWC actually want to add two more football schools, and three more schools in all sports. I haven't seen anything that definitely says they do. It'd be pretty funny if UST won the vote, and Olaf, MAC, and Carleton leave. And the MWC turns around and says, actually, we are only interested in MAC and Carleton.

I agree, I think they'd be insane to go to the MWC because of the travel issues, and I've gone on record with this before. IMO, if the MIAC had any guts, they'd have told MAC that if they were leaving for FB then they can go for all sports. But they didn't, and here we sit. My gut is the schools calling for the vote are fairly confident they are going to win and aren't sweating these options.

More importantly, at first glance, Hamline and Augsburg don't appear to be nearly the fit the other schools would be.

I'm not sure I've heard any evidence that suggests all these schools actually have a landing spot.

On the flip side, MAC, Olaf, Hamline, Carleton, Augsburg opt out. Who does the MIAC (UST, Bethel, SJU, GAC, Concordia football-wise) go after?

Option 1: Super Conference - MIAC dogs go after ARC dogs Wartburg, Central, Dubuque, Simpson, and Coe. The best FB schools in the ARC have long hated their inability to get a Pool C bid and the lowish standing they hold nationally. The MIAC teams that love competition go after the best ARC teams. This would be a ridiculously competitive conference, and expand the recruiting footprint for all schools involved. Travel wouldn't be insane, though tough for the Cobbers. Hard to imagine the ARC schools being willing to blow up their conference. But look what's happening in the MIAC! Brave new world y'all

You're guilty of football-only thinking here, hazzbeen. First of all, nobody's going to form a football super-conference unless it's absolutely necessary. The first and best option, the option that any responsible school president will pursue, is an all-sports conference. Second, what looks like a top-dog situation in the ARC vis-a-vis football isn't a top-dog situation for other sports. Nebraska Wesleyan won the national title in men's basketball in 2018 and has a long history of national excellence on this level in that sport. NWU also dominates the ARC in the women's running sports. Loras has been a D3 national power in men's soccer for two decades now and is getting to that point in men's basketball as well. Dubuque dominates the men's running sports and is the defending conference champ in baseball.

If push came to shove and the three academic powerhouses of the MIAC poisoned the well in terms of their relationships with their MIAC brethren, the ARC would be a much more logical landing spot for them than the MWC. After all, there's at least one peer institution there already (Luther), and travel wouldn't be terrible. The question then becomes whether the nine-member ARC would want to become a 12-member league.

Not football-only thinking, but football is at the core of this, yes. That's what is driving this in the MIAC. Carleton has a competitive athletics department outside of football. Olaf as well.

I never proposed a football only conference, but on the football board, I did concentrate the conversation in that direction. The schools I proposed have strong athletic departments in general, not just a cherry picked competitive one here and there. NWU is out on an island, hence why I didn't include them. 430 miles & 6.5 hours from the Twin Cities isn't attractive, just like the MWC travel schedule isn't.

I don't think it's likely UST wins the vote. I don't think it's likely the MIAC could cherry pick the ARC for a new all sports conference. But it'd be a drastically more attractive conference than cherry picking the UMAC, academically and athletically.

The issue remains the last bolded portion. You and everyone else is obsessed with where the StoCarlMAc land. But where do Augsburg and Hamline end up?! The dirty secret in all of this is that the MIAC has never been the B1G in terms of institutional alignment. You see that when you try to find a logical landing spot for the football "bottom feeders." There's not much that ties these five schools together other than the fact they get rolled by UST in football.

Which leads me to believe that they're very confident they've got the votes to kick UST to the curb. If not, my guess is there are going to be some schools that either get their bluff called and stay, or some that follow through while a few others realize they never had the ammunition to follow through to begin with.

Imagine MAC & Carleton go MWC (embracing the stupid travel situation, and making a mockery of their commitment to "student-athlete" priorities) while some combination of St. Olaf, Hamline, and Augsburg are stuck in the MIAC because they couldn't find a landing spot. How's that for wonderfully awkward, and poetic justice.

[miac952]

It seems this whole situation could be resolved if UST said something like, "We're sorry we have been kicking sand in your faces the last few years. We're not sorry that we have pursued an agenda of national competitiveness across the sporting calendar (and we're extremely grateful that the MIAC has afforded our students this choice. The wide variety of opportunities in the MIAC is one if it's most distinctive features) and we are proud to lift the miac's sports profile while also lifting our own.

We will be a good neighbor to our friends and apologise for temporarily losing sight of that important principle. Please forgive us and let us join you in making the MIAC an even more dynamic and successful conference."

Two drops of self-awareness and humility could be just the leadership the rest of the conference is looking for from UST. M

Oz - Time to put you on retainer. Maybe UST, and by default SJU too, can go in on paying for an international flight and some local fares to bring you in for the meeting. You've got the PR / Lobbyist touch

[jamtod]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

Im not an Ole fan.
The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007. Again, I support schools putting money into athletics to get better, but there is nothing that will make me feel sorry for St Thomas. If 9 schools vote them out it is more than sour grapes. Again, no one hates St Johns to this level. Maybe St Thomas isn't the innocent catholic school boys you Tommie supporters make them out to be.

On the contrary, my friend...

My hate for SJU is good and clean. I want them around and I want to stick in the MIAC.
At the same time, I am ok with UST raising it's national (sports and otherwise) and academic profile and if that ultimately means saying bye bye to D3 sports, I guess I'll have to deal. I much prefer the purity of D3 and the local competition, being able to take my kids to games at Bethel and down to Northfield occasionally.

[hazzben]

It seems this whole situation could be resolved if UST said something like, "We're sorry we have been kicking sand in your faces the last few years. We're not sorry that we have pursued an agenda of national competitiveness across the sporting calendar (and we're extremely grateful that the MIAC has afforded our students this choice. The wide variety of opportunities in the MIAC is one if it's most distinctive features) and we are proud to lift the miac's sports profile while also lifting our own.

We will be a good neighbor to our friends and apologise for temporarily losing sight of that important principle. Please forgive us and let us join you in making the MIAC an even more dynamic and successful conference."

Two drops of self-awareness and humility could be just the leadership the rest of the conference is looking for from UST. M

I don't disagree with this Oz, but I think it's too little too late at this point.

Also, there needs to be a requisite amount of humility to not just to offer an apology, but also accept one. The sense I get is that the schools pushing for the vote are calcified in their position. You don't throw out ultimatums to other schools who aren't part of the problem (Bethel, Concordia, & GAC) if you aren't already willing to go nuclear.

[USTBench]

Well it seems as if our disagreement is the crux of the split in the conference. This debate appears to be about whether schools should emphasize athletics or academics. By the way, I can't imagine there being enough votes to kick St Thomas out, and i do hope they stay. I am just surprised by the number of people who see no issue in a school winning 97-0 while blitzing and running deep routes up 90 on a school's homecoming. I agree that schools should want to be competitive and not run from a challenge, but I also feel absolutely no empathy for the evil empire on Summit Ave, especially their classless football staff. There is a reason the Tommies might get voted out and not the Johnnies, even though St Johns has historically been the powerhouse. I am fine letting St Thomas reap what they've apparently sown.

Was this the same classless staff that is at St Olaf now? Killian had full reign calling plays and personnel for UST in many of the games you are complaining about. I guess he's ok now though, because he's on your side.

Im not an Ole fan.
The difference in the St Olaf-Carleton blowout and the St Thomas blowout is that the Tommie blowouts have happened for years now, as opposed to that Olaf example which was one occurrence in 2007. Again, I support schools putting money into athletics to get better, but there is nothing that will make me feel sorry for St Thomas. If 9 schools vote them out it is more than sour grapes. Again, no one hates St Johns to this level. Maybe St Thomas isn't the innocent catholic school boys you Tommie supporters make them out to be.

On the contrary, my friend...

My hate for SJU is good and clean. I want them around and I want to stick in the MIAC.
At the same time, I am ok with UST raising it's national (sports and otherwise) and academic profile and if that ultimately means saying bye bye to D3 sports, I guess I'll have to deal. I much prefer the purity of D3 and the local competition, being able to take my kids to games at Bethel and down to Northfield occasionally.

I have resigned myself to the fact that things will change. If UST finds itself in the NSIC, I will miss the rivalries with SJU and Bethel, but would be curious as to how they would stack up against Minnesota State - Mankato, UM-Duluth and other Division 2 powerhouses over time.

If UST plays an independent schedule, I would also be curious to see how that plays out.

Either way, things are going to change and it looks like UST is well aware of it if you just look at who they brought in at AD and the mere fact that they've been pretty tight-lipped about their position outside of "We remain committed to Division III and hope to remain in the MIAC." I'm sure hoping they've got something up their sleeve.