The Sicatoka

Dear NDSU fans (and we all know you're reading this): If UND at #21 hurts you so deeply, don't think of it as the pollsters appreciating UND; instead, think of it as pollsters appreciating Fresno State (and UND playing them to 5 points in Fresno).

Playing "Bye" isn't normally cause to slide in the polls (other than maybe a slot or two) unless those that moved past really proved something over the weekend. But for the most part that movement is pretty surprising. Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week 1. Georgia Southern (25) 2-0 697 1 2. Northern Iowa (3) 1-1 666 2 3. Appalachian State 2-1 642 3 4. Montana State 2-1 615 4 5. William & Mary 2-1 568 5 6. Delaware 2-1 515 7 7. Richmond 3-0 514 9 8. Wofford 1-1 488 8 9. Montana 2-1 462 11 10. James Madison 2-1 383 14 11. New Hampshire 1-1 369 12 12. North Dakota State 2-0 359 6

Could this be UND's highest ever ranking in Massey? http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cvol

Monthly add-on, but I've left it in place since I started it. It's worth it.

My preferences in order: 1. Notre Dame, seven team conference 2. Notre Dame plus (WMU or BGSU), eight teams 3. WMU and BGSU, eight teams

Not when a block of schools (the future WCHA) was not voting for leadership change.

It's on ESPN3.com.

On Midcontinent it's part of the sports package. It's like $4 a month and you get a ton of channels. Well worth it for UND Athletics and college hockey watching.

If you have Midcontinent for your internet you now have ESPN3. How to access ESPN3 on Midco: http://www.midcocomm.com/resourcecenter/index.cfm/534/MidcoNet-Xstream/How-do-I-access-ESPN3 9/17 10:00 PM EDT NCAAF - North Dakota vs. Fresno State (Exclusive to ESPN3)

Q: What's stopping NDSU from playing hockey (and selling beer) at Scheel's Arena. A: The fear amongst Bison Football supporters that some of their own would migrate from football to hockey.

Wow. Just .. wow. You seem to think enrollment and athletics make an institution. In that case Stanford and Duke are lessers of UND and NDSU (check undergraduate enrollments). And MIT, Johns Hopkins, Emory, and the University of Chicago would be lessers because they play in DIII.

The topic clearly stated "all sports" at FCS schools. It's thread-starters choice of topic.

So some are upset that someone looked at "all sports attendance" by the subcategory "FCS schools". How would that be different than looking at "all sports attendance" by the subcategory "Big 10 schools"? Would they not be allowed to count baseball attendance because Wisconsin doesn't play baseball?

ESPN is maybe, maybe, 20% of the sports programming on my television these days. Not a great benchmark. You missed one. Fixed it for you.

... because NDSU has not hopped into a hockey rivalry. Imagine two to four games per year between those two.

Here's what's interesting: NDSU fans are debating with UND about who's better and how close the football programs are. Clearly, because NDSU fans are here and discussing it, it must be close enough to warrant the conversation. Could the conversation continue to other areas? Volleyball? The vaunted NDSU program just lost to UND. MBB or WBB? Sure NDSU holds the recent win in MBB, but none of these programs has much to crow about (spotlighted by the departure of the Woodside class from NDSU). But then the conversation turns ugly when UND fans point out their hockey program that has alumni with gold and silver medals, mens and womens, from the Vancouver Olympics and a recent captain of a Stanley Cup winner. NDSU has no answer to, nothing to match to, UND's premier program. So the conversation has to return to football. But by NDSU fans returning to football they are admitting the programs are close enough to have the conversation.

Hey! Right now: Back on topic! UND at Fresno State. What's new with Fresno State's FB program? Fraud investigations. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6949074/fresno-state-bulldogs-football-players-tied-welfare-fraud I think Fresno State should play it safe and suspend those guys for Saturday's game just in case there's some remote possibility of an NCAA violation associated with this.

Sorry ladies. The story on the "inter-webs" is that Zach Parise proposed last month. July 2012 wedding. One more off the market. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acIJ46ojkmI/Tm-5pZyMNEI/AAAAAAAAIVs/rG8yAZKZyvI/s200/x610.jpg

Blasphemy!

Birds fly. Fish swim. Sun rises in the east. Figured we needed some more obvious truisms.

If I heard correctly, I do believe today is a great day. I believe today is the first day Coach Hakstol and staff can be on the ice with the team.

Dearest Johnnyboy, You're feelin' your NDSU football-rah-rah oats right now. Good for you. Will you be like the EWU fan you complain about when times aren't so grand? Will you too become invisible when times get tough? PS - Johnboy ... as in that former illustrious poster here who lived in Johnson Hall at NDSU and is an Irish (<-- race-based hostile and abusive moniker alert) fan that "graced" us with their presence a while back?

Again with the eleventy-billion to two prediction?

It would help two ways: - more points - more rest for a defense that seems to fade late

The defense's job is to get the ball back to the offense and to not allow the opponent to be productive. The offense's job is to hang onto the ball and be productive with it. If either fails, both suffer.