Top Division II League Falls Victim to Division I Expansion; Will Fold After 2007

It's seen its share of Division II championship teams, and programs in it have produced a few NFL stars, including future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri (South Dakota State). Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser (North Dakota) and former Bills defensive lineman Phil Hansen (North Dakota State) also made their home there.

But it wasn't strong enough to withstand the storm of Division I expansion.

I'm speaking of a league many of you have never heard of, the North Central Conference. While not many high-profile talents have passed through, the NCC has been widely considered among the best Division II conferences in the country. North Dakota State won five Division II national championships over eight years. Northern Colorado and North Dakota have also won national titles while members of the NCC.

However, the big-money world of Division I sports was too tempting for many of the powerful schools in the NCC to resist. As a result, 2007-2008 will be the league's final year of competition. Only five schools will remain in Division II after this season, and that's not enough to hold on to an automatic Division II playoff bid. The five schools are moving to two other Division II leagues, while the other two remaining full-time members make the jump to Division I.

Northern Colorado started the exodus in 2003, moving to Division I-AA in football and Division I in all other sports. North Dakota State and South Dakota State followed. The NCC, once at ten teams, found itself down to six because another school (Morningside) left for a lower level, citing a lack of success and inability to keep up with the NCC schools. At the same time, the NCC added Minnesota-Duluth, who was a high-level team in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (they're Division I in hockey, but Division II in all other sports).

However, the seven-team NCC wouldn't last, as North Dakota and South Dakota have announced moves to Division I in all sports (North Dakota is Division I in hockey), joining their state rivals.

That left the NCC with five teams. UMD is moving back to the NSIC, joined by rivals St. Cloud (Minnesota) State, Minnesota State-Mankato, and Augustana (Sioux Falls, SD). Nebraska-Omaha joined the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, home to Division II stalwarts like Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg (Kansas) State, and Washburn (Kansas).

The NSIC and MIAA will be stronger as a result of the NCC's demise, but nothing will duplicate the competition that was had in the NCC in its heyday.

Certainly, arguments can be made that it's not wise to make the jump to Division I at the first available opportunity. Schools like North Dakota State have done well with it, and North Dakota is in a good position to do the same. But for every North Dakota, likely to do pretty well in Division I, there's a program like Savannah State, struggling to keep their head above water, and Birmingham Southern, who moved back to Division III despite some success in men's basketball. Budgets are much higher, and therefore the revenue needed to remain competitive can be more difficult to come by.

Luckily for North Dakota and South Dakota, they have high-quality facilities (take a look at where North Dakota plays football, basketball, and hockey). They are situated in cities that aren't the biggest, but who are committed to supporting their college teams.