bincitysioux

So you and I are basically in the same boat. We pretty much have all the access we want/need. My point is, that it seems we both go out of our way to make sure that we can see what we want to. Most people probably don't do that. We'll just have to agree to disagree on the value of online television content for now, and that is fine. I'll ask you this though, since you watch most of your sports online, can you tell me a decent site to watch hockey on the internet? Because I have never come across an online hockey broadcast worth watching....................

My guess is because Midco would frown upon the University advertising that the games could be viewed for free rather than through Midco's paid service. Since sprig said that Midco has offered the feed to all the regional cable companies that have carried in the past, that must mean that the games will still go up on satellite (rather than fiber). The question is, will the feed be scrambled now?

I don't care for this "breaking news"....................

They could only for an away non-conference game........

I don't understand why the members of the conference agreed to the CBS deal given the exclusivity clause in it. It makes no sense for all the member schools to agree to televise fewer games than they have in the past.

I think at this point you put too much stock into the value of watching television online. And this is coming from a true techno-nerd that has the internet piped to every TV in my house, along with over-the-air, free-to-air satellite, and DirecTV. My point is that geeks like me are the exception rather than the rule. With UND Insider, Big Sky TV, random satellite feeds shooting through space, and season tickets for football and hockey, I'm all set. But my grandma in Arizona, and my aunts and uncles in Alaska are now out of luck along with tens of thousands of others. I also trust the people who make these decisions. I may have mis-spoke when I said UND voluntarily went away from Fox. The NCHC made that decision for them. The HD that CBS will provide for hockey will be great. But I'd gladly take 20 UND hockey games in standard definition versus 4 or 5 games in high definition. And actually, all of the members of the NCHC would have been on TV more if Denver and UND would have stayed with Fox rather than going with CBS.

I don't know a ton about Portland St., except that they have been improving. They were 5-3 in the Big Sky last year and missed the playoffs because they one of their 7 wins was against a DII school. They are a solid program right now. If the game were in Portland I'd probably give them the edge. In the Alerus, I like North Dakota by 10............... San Diego St. is a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West team. They should be heavy favorites at home against us. They could be a beatable FBS opponent for us, but every bounce will have to go our way.

The games on FCS didn't cost UND money. The prior affiliations were revenue neutral. My issue is the availability of games. It is not so convenient for older alumni to figure out how to hook their computer (if they have one) to their plasma TV (if they have one) so they can watch poor video of a hockey game. For the last two years, all they had to do was flip on their TV, and the game was there if they wanted to watch it.

I was going off of the schedule that FCS posts on their website. Last season, you could find any UND games scheduled there about 6 weeks in advance. That would be great, but I don't think it will be so. CBS-SN, like NBC-SN is a national channel. FSN, like the rest of the Fox sports channels are regional. The Big Ten Network is really the only "national" channel that has "regional" alternates................

I've always considered a punt the first defensive play of a series.

Sounds like a gimmick to me. They may do it against and FCS program, but I doubt they commit to it when MWC play starts...................

I understand why they did it, I just don't agree with it. The deal between CBS and the NCHC and exclusivity of it is what killed the deal with FCS. FCS wanted hockey, and to get that UND required many other sports to be televised. The deal with FCS was revenue neutral. Now, the university will get $250,000 a year and more televised games, but they will only be available to about 200,000 homes, rather than than the 50 million+ homes that FCS provided. It is an unfortunate move.

I think it would look silly if North Dakota's home field were outlined in red. UND's school colors are green and white, same as the new turf......................

Yeah it does. Especially since UND apparently voluntarily ended the relationship with Fox College Sports.

I'd be mildly shocked if North Dakota doesn't finish at least as high as 2nd place in the regular season standings..........................

But they do provide revenue for Alerus Financial which is a big contributor to North Dakota athletics.

I hope so. I'd like to see Idaho added to round out the Big Sky for even numbers. I like that every Big Sky football opponent (except CP and Davis) will also be an opponent for basketball, softball, volleyball, etc........................ With hockey in a separate conference, we get enough mix-and-match league opponents going on. I like the continuity that the Big Sky can provide. When you read the WAC forums, most posters mention North Dakota, Northern Colorado, and Sac St. as the most logical WAC "move-overs" because they are the 3 Big Sky schools that have baseball. All the more reason to drop baseball IMO.........................

I just checked Fox College Sports schedule on their website, and they don't have either of the first two football games scheduled. Doesn't necessarily mean they won't have Hockey, but over the past two seasons, anything that was on FSSN, was also on FCS. So I don't take it as a good sign...........................

Well, here's a chance to let it play out.................... http://undnews.areavoices.com/2012/08/13/vote-for-your-favorite-college-team-at-espn-website/

Are they kind of like Coach's Polls?

Without getting too specific, I think North Dakota will be 2-1 after the first 3 games...................................... I wouldn't be shocked to lose to Portland St., and I wouldn't be shocked to beat San Diego St............................. I honestly think both games could go either way.....................

Got an email last week saying it would be mid-August, so I'd guess any time now.......................

Actually, Alerus Financial's contribution to obtain naming rights to the arena basically provides a huge subsidy to offset the cost of North Dakota's athletic facilities. The university pays the city to rent the facility. Without Alerus Financial's generous contribution, the rent charged to UND would be much higher. Personally, I could care less what logos are on this new state of the art field. It is a small price to pay for having one of the finest venues in FCS.........................

Give the history of the WAC, I'd prefer that the Big Sky just stay out of it. Fullerton has been sandbagging the WAC in the press for the last two years, and now he wants to merge with it?

Fixed your post. And to answer your question, yes.