UND08

No...it was not the priority back then that it should have been. It was for NDSU and SDSU. Seems to have worked out for them...

Again...speaks to "Vision"...or more accurately the lack thereof...

Lack of vision includes not having the foresight to manage your finances in such a way to make the move possible. And before anyone says there was no possible way to do that...NDSU found a way...

You're correct...and that was a playoff team. This year we were not...and you know why? We weren't good enough. It was plainly evident watching the games...too slow...not strong enough up front on D. A noodle arm QB. A spade is a spade at some point... I mean...we are at that point now...to the point that something is going to happen that will make it less obvious...i.e. there are no other options that make sense or the conference needs teams. If NDSU is willing to take a reduced share to facilitate an FBS move up (which my guess is they would do)...they'll get a shot in my opinion. And on another level...FCS as it stands now is 5-6 teams and a whole lot of "meh"...unfortunately I think we are squarely in the "meh" column. We need to do everything possible to elevate. Let's face it...last time we screwed this up it was our arrogance and lack of vision that attributed to the mistake. Next time...we won't have the opportunity to make the mistake in the first place (because we won't get invited). And if nothing ever comes of it and we are all truly stuck in FCS...and we do all of this and all of a sudden we aren't a mediocre program anymore...then I guess I'll live with it...

3 million people watched the game Monday night. How many will watch a Wyo/NIU PAC-12 (or whatever they call it) game now? Football only mitigates the travel costs. There will come a time when either the MW or the PAC throw NDSU a bone in the name of stability. Now that the MW stretches to Illinois it might make sense to backfill in the central time zone. NIU might have been first...but I doubt they are last...

I think it's safe to assume that NDSU will reload where they have to in order to be the odds-on favorite for next year. If Lance leaves...it'll be because the money is stupid. The G&G collective will do 400% more than any other FCS collective can do in order to keep him around another year. Polacek will likely be targeted for FBS jobs (and deservedly so). If that happens who's the heir apparent? If it were based on performance this year I'd argue it would be Landry...which would be awfully tough to swallow as a UND guy! The portal departures for us are now with schools like Mayville State and SJU. Not that there's anything wrong with that...but that's indicative of the talent disparity between us and the powers that be. It appears that Coach Schmidt recognizes this through his portal work...if he can coach them up we can close that gap quicker than you used to be able to (think USD the last couple years). We have a lot of work to do...and not a lot of time to do it. There will likely be another window of FBS re-alignment in a year or two...and NDSU absolutely should get a shot to go. They've won 10 of the last 14 titles. That's actually bad for the division...a rising tide should lift all ships but it hasn't, because the best ships have moved on. We need to position ourselves accordingly to be at the table of a western re-alignment. We've done great work on the facilities aspect... We've invested in the program. We have a collective... Now we need to win...and win at a high level! No excuses anymore...

Using the word "slowly" is being quite generous...

What Dustin said...his last 3 years at UND the defense was very "mid" at best. Somehow it got worse after he left... And to add to that...I was in the camp that an outside hire would be a nice breath of fresh air into the program. There were a couple of regional candidates that I liked better that I feel like are on an upward trajectory and would have had an opportunity to be great. I think a lot of people connotate Eric Schmidt the legendary player with an assumption that he'll automatically succeed as head coach at UND...and I've seen that not be the case quite often. It seems to me that the top decision he's made as a coach was hitching his wagon to Kalen DeBoer...which was a great decision! I think he's been a helluva position coach...but the jury is still out in my mind on his ability as a head coach given his history as a coordinator. That said...I'm glad he recognizes that the talent level has been deficient roster-wide (with obvious bright spots). It gives me hope that he can get the job done. Next will be his external staffing hires...

I'm not saying he'll walk on water...but he is likely one of the most physically gifted QB's to ever step foot on campus. Does that translate into All American accolades...of course not! But, for an obviously talent deficient roster an influx of athletes that can potentially help right away either on the field or pushing others will be much appreciated. Just because you are on the roster doesn't mean you have a divine right to a spot. Playing time is earned...and coaching seats warm up too quickly to not put the best players on the field (or find better players if the ones you have aren't good enough to win at a high level). I wasn't a huge fan of the Schmidt hire...but he's doing what needs to be done with the roster IMO and I'm coming around on things...

How many times were we actually in a base 3-4 defense with most teams in the spread before the coaching change? Whether we were in a nickel 3-3-5 or 3-4, or some other exotic alignment...we failed to get enough size, speed and technique on the field, and it's been woefully apparent for awhile now! IMO changing to a 4-2-5 alone will not fix that issue...but it will buy Coach Schmidt some time in the court of public opinion based on fan reaction I see... Alabama ran a 3-4 defense under Nick Saban...technically Georgia is too...but what a 3-4 was 20 years ago isn't the same as it is now. Any scheme can be successful if you have the right players to run it.

And that right there is why our defense has performed like it has... "It's not the X's and O's...it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's..."

We’ll find out soon enough… San Diego St. gave up just under 30 points per game this year…

2019 - 28.50 points allowed per game 2018 - 23.50 points per game 2017 - 34.64 points per game Color me skeptical…but I have to admire our ability to “keep it all in the family!”

At the risk of sounding heartless...if the players had played better we wouldn't be in this position...so while it's cool that they are behind the guy, I'm not sure their voice matters much. As I've said before it was apparent to me and others on the defensive side of the ball (and at key positions on offense) that we didn't have enough talent. It's not a democracy and I'm sure plenty of them will portal out anyway so not sure their opinions mean as much as they think anymore. NDSU didn't listen to their players...and the wheels didn't exactly fall off the wagon down there... Add him to the list...similar track to Bolte...more national championships but at a lower level. And no NCAA coaching experience is a detractor...

Yes...and it's why MSU is where it's at...winning football from the trenches out.

Man…we’ve agreed on so much on this board over the last couple years…but I have to respectfully disagree on Baldwin here…

My favorite thing I saw all weekend was the twitter post by GVSU of their linemen walking into the stadium shirtless in the snow...and then Harding shoving their "crap" in with 475 rushing yards and winning by 22 with a passing stat line of 0-1.

They won't do that...but Paul Simmons at Harding is a complete bad @$$!!! Probably not a good cultural fit in the upper midwest at a public school but the guy gets it done!

I mean...that's too low for expectations going forward...but what if you had a guy apply with the following 5 year records: 1-10 3-8 7-4 11-2 15-0 That's a 60.66% win percentage... Just sayin...

I'm a huge Bolte fan...If you can win in Bemidji you can win anywhere! Also...if we value big game performance on the road his Beavers team has won 2 straight playoff games on the road, and 4 since 2021. That said...his loyalty to Bemidji will likely hurt him...which sucks but that's how the world spins these days. His OC Karson Pike is a dude too...there's a lot of talent on that staff!

All Bemidji does is quietly win games and factor into the D2 playoffs. Bemidji does not spend the money or have the resources relative to the rest of the conference that UND has in the MVFC. Their budget is about 75% (or less) of the top NSIC programs (according to a quick google search). The coaches don't seem to care...they just do their jobs and win football games consistently. If I lived in Grand Forks next fall I'd probably make a few trips east. It's a cool experience watching games on the shore of the lake (even if the stadium isn't very nice).

You know what's tough about this...UND falling behind our peers in football has disinterested me as a fan. Because of that...I've learned that there's a world outside of UND football in the fall (not just on Saturdays as I'm not in Grand Forks). Turns out...I much enjoy that world! It's easy to watch the games that are interesting on ESPN+...I'm not sure if I'll ever come back...and I'm definitely sure of it if we don't change course! And before any of the old timers come at me as not being loyal...save it! I've invested thousands into this program through either donations or traveling to games/having season tickets and what not. Someday it could have been millions...thankfully my views on college sports have evolved! My UND degree taught me not to throw money at a bad investment...

I think surrounding himself with guys like Lance Leipold during his run in Omaha helped with this greatly...

Counterpoint - The right coach raid's his current program's signing class and we grab 15 guys from the portal and infuse an immediate talent boost while building a recruiting base that brings us better all-around talent. And also...you're only talking offense with player retention...because chances are Fruechte would entirely re-boot the defense so those players will likely be evaluating their futures regardless.