Since this has become an issue again (go back a couple months to find all of
the postings about UAF in the WCHA or the CCHA or in Siberia), I started
thinking about what a 12-team CCHA would look like (plus, I really don't want
to talk about Maine anymore).
 
IMO, we're going to have to go to two divisions.  The first problem becomes
where to split (this is all contingent, of course, on 9 of the 11 current
members).  It would be real tough to put UM and MSU in different divisions
(esp. if number of division games is different from that of non-division
games, which it almost has to be) as with a number of other rivalries in the
conference.  So, my suggestion (and if there are any CCHA AD's, officils
[sorry] officials, what have you, out there, please remember this does not
reflect the opinion of anybody at MSU but me).
 
        Western (or Northern) Division          Eastern (or Southern) Division
        ______________________________          ______________________________
        Lake Superior                           Miami
        Ferris St.                              Michigan
        Western Michigan                        Michigan State
        Notre Dame                              Ohio State
        Illinois-Chicago                        Bowling Green
        Alaska-Fairbanks                        Kent
 
In order to avoid a large amount of travel problems, scheduling could be done
thus:
                In division: 4 games- 2 home, 2 away
                Outside division: 2 games- either both home or both away
 
This means teams wouldn't have to travel to Alaska for one game only nor would
they have to stop at one city one night and pick up and move on to another city
the next night (the exception, of course, would be UM and MSU, who always
schedule some of the games between them at JLA).  This also gives you 32 conf.
games (a bit hefty, but with a 12-team league with only NC$$ game restrictions,
unlike the Ivies and some others in the ECAC, achievable).  Travel partners
wouldn't work as well as in this league as in the ECAC, since the schools are
much further apart.
 
Please remember that this is just a suggestion.  As I stated before, IMO, I
think it's going to be tough to convince 9 CCHA schools that adding UAF would
help them out.  So, try to keep the flames at ember level.
 
And, by the way, Happy Birthday, Mike.
 
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?
TA UNIONS STILL SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
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