bincitysioux

I'll bet the telephone in the athletic department at the University of San Diego has been ringing off the hook ever since the Big Sky A.D.'s approved this scheduling model......................

I like the idea of forgoing the FBS game that year. With 7 home games, and doubling up on FBS games in '10 & '11, hopefully they'll have built up enough coin that they won't feel they need the money game that year. With 2014 also being a 12 game season, I wouldn't be surprised to see them book two FBS opponents that year, and they'd still be able to do 6 home games. And it looks to me like Fightingsioux.com has the dates posted incorrectly in the schedule section of football page for the 2013 schedule. The official release from the Big Sky and the original release from UND shows us with no bye week once conference play begins, with Sac St. on October 26. Just a typo by whoever transferred the schedules into the schedule section of the football page, which shows us playing UC Davis on November 23. We actually play UC Davis on Nov 16. UC Davis and Sac St. will always be played on the final day of the regular season along with Weber vs. Idaho St., Eastern Washington vs. Portland St., and Montana vs. Montana St.

There were 20 FCS players taken in the NFL draft over the weekend. Villanova OL Ben Ijalana was the highest drafted FCS player when the Colts took him in the 2nd round with the 49th overall pick. The Big Sky Conference had 4 players drafted in all. Here's a breakdown of the draftees that came from FCS conferences: Southern Conference (5) Cortez Allen, The Citadel, 4th Round, #128 Daniel Kilgore, Appalachian St., 5th Round, #163 Mark Legree, Appalachian St., 5th Round, #156 Buster Skrine, Tennessee-Chatanooga, 5th Round, #137 D.J. Smith, Appalachian St., 6th Round, #186 Big Sky Conference (4) Tawain Jones, Eastern Washington, 4th Round, #125 * Michael Person, Montana St., 7th Round, #239 Julius Thomas, Portland St., 4th Round, #129 Jimmy Wilson, Montana, 7th Round, #235 *Junior, declared early Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (3) Johnny Culbreath, South Carolina St., 7th Round, #209 Kennrick Ellis, Hampton, 3rd Round, #94 Curtis Holcomb, Florida A&M, 7th Round, #250 Missouri Valley Football Conference (2) David Arkin, Missouri St., 4th Round, #110 Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois, 7th Round, #207 Colonial Athletic Association (2) Ben Ijalana, Villanova, 2nd Round, #49 Justin Rogers, Richmond, 7th Round, #206 Southland Conference (2) Markell Carter, Central Arkansas, 6th Round, #194 Jabara Williams, Stephen F. Austin, 7th Round, #228 Ivy League (1) Shane Bannon, Yale, 7th Round #223 Southwest Athletic Conference (1) Frank Kearse, Alabama A&M, 7th Round, #231

Well I admit that it hasn't been all roses, but................. My favorite big game win was rolling over #16 ranked Cal Poly..................... Moral victory's suck, but I was impressed with our showing against Texas Tech who was at one time ranked #1 in FBS the prior season. Would have liked to have pulled off the upset against NIU, but came up short. Some of the rest of the teams have struggled at times, but women's basketball won a conference title, men's basketball won a conference tourney title and moved on to a post season tournament, volleyball has won two conference titles............... We were able to get into the conference that basically every NCC school that moved up wanted to be in. Really, it seems like the only thing we're missing is a win over one of the 3 worst FBS programs in the nation. Who knows, maybe that'll happen before long too.

I just keep looking at the 2013 schedule and how insanely awesome it is. It will be an extremely difficult one as well. -7 home games -4 consecutive home games to open the season -3 extremely high interest home games with UM, MSU, & SDSU........2 more very intriguing home games with EWU & UNC -No back-to-back road trips -Regular season finale with a November road trip to sunny Davis, CA (I highly recommend anyone who could make this trip do so) With a good product on the field, attendance could push the Alerus Center's capacity in 2013. 2013 is a 12 game year. I wouldn't be surprised though if UND sticks with just the 11 games. You could potentially squeeze in an FBS game on Sept 21, but I doubt the staff would be much in favor of sandwiching that in between the Griz and Cats. Nice to have a bye week in between those two games. If they did want 12, I wonder if it would be at all feasible to get a cupcake in on the last day of the season. Assuming we'll have first round bye in the playoffs that season , I'd rather do that and have 8 home games than have 2 consecutive weeks off going into the post-season.

Understood. It's just that he's been pissing and moaning over just the thought of expansion since the subject has come up. I just find it odd that a head coach that's only been in the Big Sky for 3 years is so publicly vocal about the expansion process. It ain't like he's Eddie Robinson.....................

Good data! But I was always told that hockey was a niche sport that nobody followed? ? ? ? ?

No point in ever playing them again................. We set our attendance record with Texas A&M-Kingsville and Wisconsin-Lacrosse on the home schedule.................. The very last North Dakota-NDSU game didn't even sell out in the smaller of the two possible venues........................... They crave the exposure that would come from playing us, and we get enough the way it is, so why help them out? Let Gene Taylor come up with a new annual excuse as to why he's not allowed to let the game happen......................that's been hilarious every year for 7 years running!

This guy sounds like a real tool.................. He's been whining since last fall when the Big Sky was mulling over expansion at all. He acts like he was the founder of the Big Sky when in fact just 3 years ago he was coaching non-schollie ball in the Pioneer League. The only reason he has his current job is because Dale Lennon bowed out. I'm already starting to really dislike the Bob-kittens................

I agree 100%. Looking at these schedules for North Dakota, looking at the ones for NDSU, neither team needs the game at this point. I don't see much benefit for either school. Start playing every year in men's & women's basketball, and every other sport......................... On another note, I can't believe that anyone is up in arms about South Dakota not being on the schedule through 2015..........

I sent some emails to Wayne Nelson and Pat Sweeney asking about the 2013 UM game. They both replied that Sean Johnson confirmed that the Griz will be here in 2013 as a non-conference opponent. Edit: It's now on Fightingsioux.com too................

If it does, that would be 7 home games............

Hadn't noticed that yet.......... Most should be happy to see Valparaiso and Robert Morris. They are afterall DI programs not NAIA transitionals.......... I see Wyoming has been added for 2015. Hmmm..........funny they don't have the 2013 non-conference game with UM listed anymore........especially when it was specifically mentioned in the Big Sky press release.

Where is Ole in MSP to complain?

Don't forget South Dakota St.

Well, that looks pretty awesome! Getting the Griz in the Alerus for 3 straight years is fantastic. And since they're not one of our "rivals", the fact that we'll play them 4 straight years is major bonus............ One flaw that I see that I don't really like is that on all these schedule drafts, we play both of our rivals (Montana St. & Northern Colorado) at the same location each season meaning we travel to both one year, then host both the next year. So at some point in time after the 2015 season, we will probably not have any of MSU, UNC, or UM in the Alerus in a given season. Weber St., Northern Colorado, and Portland St. have the same scenarios. You'd think they could have done something to avoid that................

Sounds like there is not currently an agreement in place for North Dakota to play USD next season. They are still "working on it". IMO, it would be foolish not to get this game done, even if it means us travelling to Verm next season.

Here's a link to a video story about potential upgrades to athletic facilities at SDSU and USD. There are artist renderings for SDSU's hopes for a future football stadium. I thought it was kind of funny that the video story opens with the narrator saying that "you can always count on a packed house for SDSU Jackrabbit football..............". I think there was like 3,500 on hand when we played them last season.

The UND brass has definately been "wooing" Fennell..................... He was back in Grand Forks two seasons ago and was the honorary captain for one of the home games. He's long been the subject of speculation as a source for an upcoming sizable donation to North Dakota football. My take is that if it happens, it will be more along the lines of making a significant dent into the cost of the $30 Million practice facility rather than a significant dent into a $200 Million+ rectractable roof football stadium.

Obviously, the NDSU game will probably draw around 10,000 on its own. If they market the Montana game correctly and as heavily as they marketed the USD games the last few seasons, the Sioux Center should sell out for the Griz, or come real close...........

I think last season's game was the final installment of a 2-for-1. If I remember correctly, UNC played in GF during the 2009-10 season.

Don't have dates, just making a list.................... Coach Moody told me about Montana and Sac St. I believe Sweeney mentioned the La Tech game during the broadcast this season when they were in GF. NDSU, Kansas, and Longwood have been mentioned in the papers at one time or another. Before he left, Moody also mentioned that they were trying to work something out with South Dakota, and also were having talks with a Big Sky school about an in-season home-and-home. Never heard if anything got done on either front.

NDSU Montana @ Kansas @ Sacramento St. @ Longwood @ Louisiana Tech

If I know Grand Forks sports fans like I think I do, they will not take to well to the idea of going back to the great outdoors for Sioux Football after getting comfortable inside the Alerus.