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WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

So if Arizona State joins the fold and Oakland is serious about adding the sport, is the league looking at quasi-divisions?

West:
UAA
ASU
BSU
MSU
MTU
NMU

East:
UAF
UAH
BGSU
FSU
LSSU
OU

Each division gets two of the four tough trips. Each division gets two of the new programs. There's no clean way to keep the three UP schools together and try to minimize travel woes.

I welcome the assault on this prototype. :)

GFM
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

gfmorris said:
So if Arizona State joins the fold and Oakland is serious about adding the sport, is the league looking at quasi-divisions?

West:
UAA
ASU
BSU
MSU
MTU
NMU

East:
UAF
UAH
BGSU
FSU
LSSU
OU

Each division gets two of the four tough trips. Each division gets two of the new programs. There's no clean way to keep the three UP schools together and try to minimize travel woes.

I welcome the assault on this prototype. :)

GFM
Click to expand...

Bill Robertson said that if the WCHA does expand to 12 there will be divisions.

If the WCHA gets Oakland and not Arizona State but a nearby team (Robert Morris, for example), then you can keep the three UP teams together.

SO MANY IFS, THOUGH. :p
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

giwan said:
Oakland is a pipe dream
Click to expand...
That "study" would be similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs spending $1.4M to determine what it will take for them to win the cup. Everyone knows the answer before the study begins. I think it is just the NHL's way of making people think they care a little about US college hockey.

"Hey US colleges, here's is some money so you can create a study to determine if you have money to start a D-I hockey program..."

Hint: If the school had the money to start a D-I hockey team, they wouldn't need the NHL's money to fund a study to make that determination. If you couldn't fund your own study, then you're not going to end up with a team unless the NHL ends up being the $100M donor as well to set up your endowment.

Ryan
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

To be honest, if Oakland added D1 hockey there probably wouldn’t be a WCHA anymore. All the Michigan schools, BG, and maybe UAH could just go back to a CCHA-type conference to help reel back travel costs.

I never understood why the WCHA kept the league office in Minnesota when most of the programs are east of the Mississippi River.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

BGDrew said:
To be honest, if Oakland added D1 hockey there probably wouldn’t be a WCHA anymore. All the Michigan schools, BG, and maybe UAH could just go back to a CCHA-type conference to help reel back travel costs.

I never understood why the WCHA kept the league office in Minnesota when most of the programs are east of the Mississippi River.
Click to expand...

In this scenario, do you think the NCHC would dissolve, and the old WCHA would reform with the Alaska & Minnesota schools?
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

BGDrew said:
To be honest, if Oakland added D1 hockey there probably wouldn’t be a WCHA anymore. All the Michigan schools, BG, and maybe UAH could just go back to a CCHA-type conference to help reel back travel costs.

I never understood why the WCHA kept the league office in Minnesota when most of the programs are east of the Mississippi River.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that they still operate the Women's league as well...and Minnesota is relatively central for all teams in both leagues. On the women's side, there are no teams in Michigan...
 
Deman said:
In this scenario, do you think the NCHC would dissolve, and the old WCHA would reform with the Alaska & Minnesota schools?
Click to expand...

It’s a matter of when, not if, Minnesota State bolts for the NCHC. I’m assuming Bemidji wouldn’t be far behind thanks to their budget and arena setup (that’s a compliment).

I don’t know the situation in Alaska, especially looking forward 5-10 years. There are always grumblings about how the travel subsidies were decreased after realignment, and I think universities are going to start looking at decreasing athletic budgets.
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

BGDrew said:
All the Michigan schools, BG, and maybe UAH could just go back to a CCHA-type conference to help reel back travel costs.
Click to expand...
That scenario won't happen simply because two of the teams are in the Bi6(7). The Big Ten will run that conference into the ground and the member schools will drop hockey before they dissolve that conference. They've already shown that even if their own schools won't add hockey, they are going to keep the conference. They would rather grab teams from other conference than admit that they can't grow their conference from within their own ranks. Example #1 is Notre Dame and I would bet $1 that the next new Bi6(7) hockey conference member will be from outside the BigTen ranks as well. I like having BGSU in the WCHA, but honestly they are as good of a poach as any other team for the Big(6)7. They are a D-I school and they fit the geography pretty well also.
Ryan
 
Re: WCHA Season Thread 2017-18: In Which We Try For Two Bids

JohnsonsJerseys said:
That scenario won't happen simply because two of the teams are in the Bi6(7). The Big Ten will run that conference into the ground and the member schools will drop hockey before they dissolve that conference. They've already shown that even if their own schools won't add hockey, they are going to keep the conference. They would rather grab teams from other conference than admit that they can't grow their conference from within their own ranks. Example #1 is Notre Dame and I would bet $1 that the next new Bi6(7) hockey conference member will be from outside the BigTen ranks as well. I like having BGSU in the WCHA, but honestly they are as good of a poach as any other team for the Big(6)7. They are a D-I school and they fit the geography pretty well also.
Ryan
Click to expand...

If they're poaching anyone I would think it'd be UND or Miami State long before they get to BG.
 
BGDrew said:
It’s a matter of when, not if, Minnesota State bolts for the NCHC. I’m assuming Bemidji wouldn’t be far behind thanks to their budget and arena setup (that’s a compliment).

I don’t know the situation in Alaska, especially looking forward 5-10 years. There are always grumblings about how the travel subsidies were decreased after realignment, and I think universities are going to start looking at decreasing athletic budgets.
Click to expand...

We’ve had decreasing athletic budgets for years now. Just wait until UAA is forced to halve their budget to match UAF...there will be some major howling.
 
JohnsonsJerseys said:
That scenario won't happen simply because two of the teams are in the Bi6(7). The Big Ten will run that conference into the ground and the member schools will drop hockey before they dissolve that conference. They've already shown that even if their own schools won't add hockey, they are going to keep the conference. They would rather grab teams from other conference than admit that they can't grow their conference from within their own ranks. Example #1 is Notre Dame and I would bet $1 that the next new Bi6(7) hockey conference member will be from outside the BigTen ranks as well. I like having BGSU in the WCHA, but honestly they are as good of a poach as any other team for the Big(6)7. They are a D-I school and they fit the geography pretty well also.
Ryan
Click to expand...

Apologies for not being clearer, I meant the non-Big 10 Michigan programs.
 
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