<p>Other published reports have said that if Penn State takes the plunge, the Big Ten will likely form its own 6-team hockey conference, with Penn State joining Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. This would force realignment of both the CCHA (which loses Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State) and the WCHA (Wisconsin and Minnesota). But I think it would be good for the Big Ten and elevate the profile of the college game, with the Big Ten Network likely to offer live coverage of at least some games. Lots of high profile match-ups and highly competitive hockey in that league.</p>
<p>ucb only has a club team in hockey. michigan’s 9 titles in hockey is a ncaa record, and they are the all-time winningest football team. thats pretty impressive. people are crazy about michigan football too. i’m not saying that they’re crazier than everyone else, but they are one of the best</p>
<p>One notable loss for the WCHA, if Minnesota and Wisconsin defect, would be the revenue those programs provide during the league playoffs. Money from playoff games, starting with first-round campus series, is shared by all members and has been between $90,000 and $100,000 per school in recent years. If home during the first round, Wisconsin’s Kohl Center seats 15,237 and Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena 10,000. Both schools are also big draws when advancing to the WCHA Final Five at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.</p>
<p>It’s believed the Big Ten Conference discussed a hockey conference at league meetings in August in Chicago. WCHA athletic directors are expected to address the subject in a phone conference later this month.</p>
<p>Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan rank #1, #3, and #5 in the country, respectively, in average home hockey attendance. Michigan State is not far behind at #11, and Ohio State is a respectable #17.</p>
<p>Between them, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State have won 23 NCAA hockey championships, and these four schools have made a total of 63 Frozen Four appearances. What a blockbuster conference! Tough competition for a newbie Penn State squad, though.</p>
<p>Penn State took the plunge, as expected, announcing today the launch of an NCAA Div 1 hockey program, with the aid of an $88 million alumni gift which will help build a 5,000-6,000 seat arena and pay for hockey scholarships. Apparently they’ll play at least one year as an independent. Sources say the Big Ten hockey conference could launch by 2014-15.</p>
<p>A future without hockey games with East Gopherhole Tech. Oh no. ;-)<br>
I hope a few more B10 teams take the plunge and/or ND becomes a B10 team for hockey only.</p>
<p>Watching the Duke game right now, and Duke’s stadium is 80% filled with Alabama fans. It is absolutely ridiculous, like a home game for Alabama.</p>
Perhaps many dookies sold their tickets to the 'bama fans to get more booze for their tailgate parties. What’s more important … the tailgate or the game?</p>
<p>The student turnout was decent. We just don’t have that much outside support for Duke Football since we’re a selective private school that only enrolls 1,600 students a year so there are not nearly enough students/alumni in existence to compete with the endless hordes of Alabama fans, which exist nearly everywhere in the South.</p>
<p>Still, though, you should at least be able to ensure that your own stadium isn’t dominated by opposing fans. Wake is also small and private but they were able to fill up once they got good.</p>
<p>“Perhaps many dookies sold their tickets to the 'bama fans to get more booze for their tailgate parties. What’s more important … the tailgate or the game?”</p>
<p>the game, without the game there is no tailgate</p>
<p>Really? With a student body of 13,600 (6400UG+7200G), you have problem filling a stadium with a capacity of only 34,000? when you are playing against the national champ? </p>
<p>I wonder how Notre Dame does it with its 80K+ stadium; BC with its 45K stadium; USC with its 92K stadium?</p>
<p>
Less than 7000 Duke students and alum showed up for the game. Shows how much the Dookies support their football team.</p>
I dunno, I thought our student/alumni attendance was pretty solid for this game. This was the first time I’ve ever had to wait in line for 20 minutes to actually get into Wallace Wade.</p>
<p>The Alabama fans are kind of like the armies of Xerxes though, overtaking anything and everything in sight. Why these Crimson Tide fanatics would be willing to travel 8 hours by road to see their national championship football team trample a below average ACC team is beyond me.</p>
<p>When basketball season comes around, you certainly won’t find Duke students traveling to Maui or Jersey or wherever those early season tournaments take place to see Duke absolutely demolish St. Johns or Presbyterian. We have better things to do with our lives.</p>
<p>
Wrong, tailgate is basically a social institution at Duke. In my mind, it takes precedence over the performance of the football team. It’s one of the hallmarks of the undergraduate experience here for me and countless of my classmates. </p>
<p>In fact, a vast majority of students attend tailgate and don’t even bother going to the game. It’s essentially a giant, organized, university-sponsored rager in the morning/afternoon. Pure awesomeness.</p>
<p>
Who cares? We’re just not a big football school. Why is that hard to understand? And as seniors, most Duke seniors are busy with applications/cover letters/schoolwork/enjoying my last year of college to watch my football team get destroyed by Bama.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would be more concerned with whether Michigan can make its first bowl game in three years.</p>