bincitysioux

The Summit option would have been great 3 years ago. I personally don't see the geography advantage. As it stands now, we play most of the regional Summit teams in non-conference anyways. Played FU, SDSU, and UNO all on the road in basketball last year, so that should have satisfied one's desire to make a short road-trip to see the Sioux away from Grand Forks. As far as recruiting, Big Sky membership gives North Dakota access to fertile recruiting grounds in Arizona, Colorado, and California. I'll take that over rural Illinois and Indiana any day.................. You can still travel to away games. We played UNO, SDSU, and FU all on the road last year. My guess is that all those schools will be a staple of the non-conference schedule. In time USD probably will be as well.

Only way I see NDSU getting invited before any defections from the current Big Sky occur is if Denver also comes with them. Travel Partners would be: North Dakota-FU UM-MSU EWU-Idaho ISU-Weber UNC-Denver SUU-NAU PSU-SAC However, I'd prefer to see them stay in the Summit. They seem happy there.

Well, this should spark some intelligent discussion.......................... SCHLOSSMAN: Big Sky should look toward NDSU

It is quite obvious to anybody not wearing green & yellow or blue & yellow glasses, that Douple has an axe to grind against North Dakota, even if that means damaging his own conference. There is absolutely no excuse for the Summit not pursuing North Dakota for affiliate membership in baseball, when it has obviously been made public that UND had a desire to join. The Summit League's leadership is inept, there is no way around it. It is not surprising that even NDSU's president has questioned Douple's leadership....................

I think placing the blame upon farmers for flooding in a city that is built along the banks of a river is misguided at best.............................

I think Weber is a step above everyody else. Given North Dakota's senior-laden class this season, and Montana losing Cherry and Ward, I give UND the edge amongst those two. It'll be a dog-fight after the top 3. I like Montana St., EWU, UNC, and NAU in that order to make next year's conference tourney........................

Funny isn't it, how Douple only came out with the "nickname conspiracy" theory after his conference was in the hurt bag........................ Fact is, Douple blew it with North Dakota, and he knows it. NDSU's own president gave him a negative review. For those that think that newly hired UND president Robert Kelley has enough power to persuade an NCAA Conference Comissioner to insert his positions into a federal lawsuit for the better-ment of a University that is not even a member of said conference, well then I've got some nice ocean front property for sale in between Bismarck and Fargo that may interest you....................

With UMKC and Oakland leaving, and the possibility that the Horizon may take a couple more schools down the road, doesn't the Summit really need to reach out to Chicago St.? I know they are terrible, both athletically and academically, but they have baseball, they are full-fledged DI school, geographically they are about as close to the center of the footprint as a school can get, located at a major airport hub. I know they recently committed to the WAC, but surely CSU is not looking forward to the travel that will require. As of now, the Summit will be an 8 team league including Denver. DU will be joining its third conference in 3 years this season. I doubt that the conference brass is counting on them being a member for the long term. Of course hindsight is 20/20, but at this point, even the most ardent XDSU fan has to admit that Douple really screwed the pooch when he filed North Dakota's application in his desk drawer at the same time that he accepted USD's. Back then, UND would have been all over the Summit, even without the MVFC offer.

That Garnica kid was pretty rough on us in the first game.

I'm hopeful about making the playoffs, but it is hard for me to expect it coming into this year given what I saw from the defense last season and the fact that there will be a freshman QB at the steering wheel. If we make the playoffs in 2013, Mussman would be deserving of Coach of the Year honors in the Big Sky...........

I would consider a 7-4 season a tremendous success.

Barring injury, academic, or eligibility issues, I feel Golladay will get selected in the draft by the time he is done. Prior to this season, I felt Hardin had a chance to be a 6th or 7th round pick, but after seeing that Kaufman had to go the free-agent route, I'm not so sure. Depends on what he does this season I suppose. I felt that Dressler could have gotten drafted, but I was wrong about that. Hardin is a similar player, but much better IMO.......................

I think Belmont actually was a MVC target and they told them no thanks. Summit has been interested in Northern Kentucky in recent years. If they they make the move, and the Horizon can display some stability, NKU would take the Horizon over the Summit every day of the week and twice on Sunday.....................

FCS games count toward BOWL eligibility. We don't really know yet how teams will be selected toward the FBS playoff. FCS games will surely count, but what amount of weight will it carry? I agree completely with your sentiment. The point I am trying to make, is that the Big 10, and probably more BCS conferences to follow, are trying to put themselves in the best position possible to be included in the 4 team FBS playoff that is on the horizon, and that means bolstering their schedule. I'm very aware that there are many FCS teams that are stronger than a good portion of the bottom of the FBS. I admit I have no idea what the selection criteria will be for a team to make the 4 team playoff. But IMO, if it is some sort of a selection commitee, my guess is that a win in 2012 against Akron, which was the worst team in the MAC, would look better in the eyes of the committee than a win against an NDSU, Sam Houston St., or any other top 10 FCS team, simply due to the fact that a school from the MAC is considered to be at the same "level" as a team from the Big 10, ACC, C-USA, MWC, etc................ FBS and FCS are just different and that is all there is to it. The line may be blurred between the bottom of FBS and the top of FCS, but I truly feel that those at the BCS level see a distinct line there. And the presidents and A.D.'s at the BCS level are the ones who will decide who plays in the 4 team playoff.

So if the last of 4 playoff spots is between an 11-1 Big 10 team that has a win over a 63 scholarship FCS team, and an 11-1 PAC 12 team that has a win over a Mountain West or Sun Belt team, who gets that last spot? I understand that both FBS and FCS are DI, and that FCS counts toward bowl eligibility, but FCS is still a division below FBS. Games against Mountain West, Sun Belt, or MAC schools would be far less risky and look better on the resume.

How so? The Big 10 is trying to ensure stronger schedules because that will be a criteria for the selection to their playoff. This board goes crazy whenever a team from a lower division shows up on a North Dakota schedule. Why is it OK for a Big 10 school to schedule lower division schools and not us?

9 games cancelled this year now.............

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE DAKOTA SCHOOLS FROM THE GF HERALD!!!!!!!!! Dakota schools forming new athletic conference

Big Sky Attendance Leaders: Football Montana Montana St. North Dakota Women's Basketball Montana Montana St. North Dakota Men's Basketball Weber St. Montana Southern Utah Montana St. Idaho St. North Dakota

This fan’s take on North Dakota’s first season as a full DI institution and member of the Big Sky Conference…………………… Football Record: 5-6 (3-5) Conference Standing: T-8th The Good: The Sioux had one of the most prolific offenses in school history, only a year after it had one of it’s most inept offenses in recent memory. Arguably had the most talented wide receiving corps in FCS, and they all return. Of the 6 losses, 4 came against Top 25 teams, and one came against an FBS opponent. Continued the tradition of excellent Special Teams play. The Bad: A great offense was countered by perhaps the worst defense in North Dakota history. Traditionally a strong running team, UND was rarely able to establish the ground game. Suffered wildly embarrassing losses to the top two teams in the conference. Summary: While I was disappointed overall with the season, I don’t consider it a failure, like alot of fellow fans do. North Dakota was a middle-of-the-pack team in the best FCS conference. Despite embarrassing blowouts against MSU and EWU, the Sioux played well against Top 25 NAU, FBS SDSU, defeated decent Big Sky teams in UM and Sac St., and were a blown call away from beating UNC which would have given UND a winning record in their first season. I think the team will improve overall in 2013, but given the schedule, the record may not necessarily reflect it. Grade: C- Volleyball Record: 15-17 (10-10) Confernce Standing: 5th The Good: Qualified for Big Sky tournament in first year of membership. Went 9-1 against the teams that didn’t make the tournament, including 6-0 against traditional conference powers Sac St., EWU, and UM. Went 5-6 in non-conference play, but 4 of the losses came to teams from the “Power 6” conferences including Top 20 teams USC and Texas A&M The Bad: Went 1-10 against Big Sky teams that qualified for the Big Sky Tournament. Really were not even competitive in their lone tournament game. Summary: Seems like the volleyball team did fairly well in their first Big Sky season, although I admit heading into the season that I felt a top 3 finish was attainable. Seems there was a distinct line in the conference competition between the teams that finished above UND in the standings, and the teams that finished below. The Sioux need to narrow the gap and compete better on the road. I believe they lost no seniors, so there should be a quality chance to make a move up in the standings in 2013. Grade: C+ Women’s Basketball Record: 11-18 (6-14) Conference Standing: T-10th The Good: Wins against Utah of the Pac-12, Big Sky preseason favorite Idaho St., and rival NDSU were really the only highlights of an otherwise dismal season. The Bad: An injury to perhaps the best player, Alyssa Wall, and poor guard play that led to an embarrassing rate of turnovers all season. Players were defecting from the team before the season even concluded. For the most part, were not competitive against the teams that qualified for the Big Sky Tournament. Summary: This was perhaps the most disappointing team in the UND Athletic Department this season. Picked to finish as high as 5th in the conference in preseason polls, I felt the ladies could have done even better than that. Wall’s injury changed a lot, but there turned out to be other major glaring deficiencies thoughout. The Big Sky is a legitimate Mid-Major Conference in DI basketball, that actually had a bit of a down year this season as a league. North Dakota has a lot of ground to make up to be competitive on an annual basis in the Big Sky. Grade: F Soccer Record: 2-13-1 (0-9) Conference Standing: 10th The Good: Not much. A win against South Dakota St. and a tie against South Dakota. The Bad: Zero conference wins. Outscored on the season by a margin 45-15. Summary: This program has been bad for a number of years now. Hopefully the new coach can breathe a little life into this program, because there was nothing about the 2012 season that would suggest that improvement is on the horizon. Grade: F Women’s Tennis Record: 3-16 (0-10) Conference Standing: 11th The Good: Not much. Their lone win against a DI opponent came against South Dakota in a DII tournament. Their other two wins were against NSIC schools. To their credit, they suffered narrow 3-4 defeats to SDSU, UNO, and Drake, so they were competitive at times in the non-conference season. Fairly competitive in doubles competition. The Bad: No Big Sky wins. Were “out-scored” 62-8 in conference matches. Summary: North Dakota was quite competitive in NCC tennis. Unfortunately a significant investment into the recruiting budget will need to be made in the sport if it is to move up the food chain in the Big Sky which places a certain amount of emphasis on tennis. Grade: D- Men’s Tennis Record: 4-12 (2-8) Conference Standing: 9th The Good: Wins against UNO, Northern Arizona, and Southern Utah. The Bad: Non-competetive against everyone that finished higher in the standings. Summary: Given the fact that Coach Wynne basically assembled this team from the student body, I was actually impressed that UND managed to stay out of the Big Sky cellar. Like women’s tennis, funding is going to be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of North Dakota being competitive in Big Sky tennis. With a great new facility, the tennis programs could actually possibly become factors in the conference if the University offered more, or any, scholarships. Grade: D+ Men’s Basketball Record: 16-17 (12-8) Conference Standing: 3rd The Good: Qualified for Big Sky tournament. Received 3rd consecutive berth to CIT Postseason tournament. Advanced to Big Sky semifinals, suffering 2 point defeat to perennial power Weber St. One of just 3 teams to have a winning road record in Big Sky play. The Bad: Dismal 1-7 non-conference record against DI opponents that included very winnable games against SDSU, UMKC, and UNO. Embarrassing losses @ UNI, @ Weber St., @ UM, and @ rival NDSU. Summary: It was an injury plagued season for the Sioux. With a fully healthy roster, this team could have won 20 games this season. With the majority of the offensive ouput returning, the upcoming season holds much promise. Focus and consistency were problems at times, but under the circumstances, Coach Jones did a remarkable job this season. The team should be in the hunt for a Big Sky Championship next season. Grade: A Softball Season still in progress…………………..

My guess is that Midco would be interested in picking up the feed of another station for road games in the future, like they did with the outdoor hockey game in Omaha this past season. No way would Midco ever send a crew to Missoula, Bozeman, or Greeley. They have lots of cheaper programming options in Brookings, Fargo, Vermillion, etc............... I could see them sending Hammer to St. Cloud, Omaha, or Duluth, but not to a Big Sky venue.....................

Never happen...................

Track meet in California cancelled today due to a bomb threat accoding to a Hajdu tweet............

Well, Midco televised all our home games last year except the one that Root did, so hopefully they televise all 7 this year. Of course, I can actually get Root whereas Midco is not available to me, but that is another whole can of worms. Bummer we don't get any games on national TV, but given that we were 5-6 last year and way out of Root's footprint, I'm not surprised. Now, unlike the NCHC deal with CBSSN, the Root contract does not preclude teams from farming out games that they don't pick up to other national networks. Maybe we still have enough of a working relationship with Fox College Sports to persuade them to pick up one or two of Midco's broadcasts.

Just curious, what places in GF/EGF would be considered some of the fancier upscale places to eat? Need to take the wife out to a nice place for one last hurrah before spring planting starts.....................