FargoBison

I agree when I read that I thought it was a weird thing to say but this was a very memorable win in NDSU history, especially for a coach like Miles to have. I don't really know why Bohl is seen as a bad coach here, the guy is solid and has done a great job at coaching NDSU over the past few years. He's turned NDSU into one of the best defensive teams in IAA football and has lead NDSU on to some impressive victories. Bohl has worked with some of best minds that football has ever had and from what I have seen I don't know how you could say isn't knowledgable about the game.

I don't think it was stupid at all, NDSU football is the sport for Bison fans and it has been one of the most successful athletic programs this state has ever had. You guys are acting like it is in insult that I even called the two equals but really it isn't to far from the truth. Both teams play in fantastic facilities that are at the top of their respective sports, both programs have had tons of success, and both teams have tons of supporters. NDSU can't even make the playoffs and the school is 8th in attendance, attendance has actually gone up over the past two seasons. Both NDSU and UND are the state flagships schools and I don't see how it is stupid at all to think the main sport at each school are equally as popular, especially considering the have both been about equally as successful. I don't really agree with Bohl on his thinking that NDSU will become more popular because most of ND sports fan are pretty much on one side of the fence and perhaps the only thing that could push NDSU over the top is if they went IA in football but that is at least 10 to 15 years away. Maybe even longer since IAA is likely going to be renamed PCS(alternate to BCS) and the division should get some increased exposure with the name change.

I never said that it did but a lot of the old DII football powers have left DII and most of the schools that are left are pretty unattractive to play against and really nothing like NDSU. IAA is much better fit since NDSU is with most of the old powers of DII and NDSU fits in with IAA alot more then it does with DII. From the schedules to the competition IAA is much better and it is probably a much better fit for UND as well.

I am not manipulating anything, my arguement was IAA footbal vs hockey and which is bigger(somone said nobody cares about IAA football). I know UND will always have a higher total attendance number but the people attending the games are pretty much the same 10 thousand people so I wouldn't say that is great arguement as to why UND hockey is more popular then NDSU football. I am not wearing rose colored glasses the two are pretty much equals in the state and I don't see one surpassing the other.

NDSU moving up had a lot to do with the state of DII football and make-up of the division as whole. Plus NDSU had outgrown DII and it was time to move on, NDSU had been talking about DI since 1980 it was bound to happen eventually.

Well there were 349 more hockey games then football games so that should be taken into consideration and most of the football stadiums seat 12k and under so it's not like we are talking huge stadiums. Bison football is getting bigger, attendance has gone up every year which good since NDSU is playing just for pride(no playoffs unitl 08). How many fans would UND football bring in if you couldn't make the playoffs and were playing pretty much for pride? And NDSU does have the biggest football program in the state(being IAA is only making the gap bigger), NDSU averaged about 14,200 fans and UND averaged about 10,000 fans.

Every game the Gophers played last year was on tv, the games were either on ABC, ESPN, or FSN. The Gophers averaged 50,000 fans last year so I think it is safe to say Gopher football is bigger then Gopher hockey and if the Gophers ever get their new stadium then football may really start to take off at Minnesota.

IAA football=NCAA Hockey. Total Attendance IAA football- 5,436,122, average per game 8,521(2005) NCAA hockey-3,617,107, average per game 3,655(03-04) As for TV coverage IAA football had 126 games on tv networks(Fox Sports, ESPNU, CSTV, ESPN2, NBC). I have no clue how many hockey games were on tv but I doubt it would be much more if not less. I don't know which is team bigger in the state but I would say it is pretty close. I don't think I would say NDSU football is going to pass UND hockey but the two will pretty much always be equal unless NDSU goes IA then all bets are off.

Star2city here is what the Butler AD said in an interview from a CollegeHoopsNet.com People occasionally approach me at Butler and say,

The Horizon schools seem happy where they are, they like the exposure they get from being in a conference full of schools in large media markets. Butler recently said that they have no interest in the MVC because they like being in a conference with schools in big markets and the MVC doesn't have that. That could all change but that is what I have heard.

Things could change if/when the Big East implodes or if any MVC teams have any desire to play IA football. There aren't many schools that fit your criteria that the MVC could add now so who knows what would happen if they needed to replace schools. Right now and for the time being they are happy with 10 schools and I doubt they will ever find the school that would make them want to go to 12. The only possiblity is Memphis and since the MVC has not IA football that is unlikely to happen.

This is not really a reason to go DI but it is definately a perk and provides NDSU with great exposure to millions of sports fans.

Basketball has a lot of popularity and I don't even need to watch ESPN to figure that out, traveling teams and AAU ball are big all across the country. Of course hockey has it's strongholds but basketball is big even in Minnesota. I am not saying that hockey isn't as popular but I do think it is crazy to think that basketball loses it's following and is taken over by hockey in places that can make outdoor ice. Both sports are quite popular in this region and I really don't know how you could say one dominates the other.

A lot of kids make friends with kids they play sports with so really I am not suprised that most of your kids friends play hockey and not basketballl. From what I read it is obivious you love hockey and well since the two sports go on at the same time I am pretty sure your blind to most youth basketball programs and basketball in general in this great city, I'll educate you bit on it. Most kids start out playing basketball in the YMCA youth leagues and for the most part these leagues are made up of kids with varying level skills and it isn't too competitve since it is based on everybody having fun. By the time kids start hitting grades 6 and 7 traveling teams become the norm and there are hundreds of traveling tournies throughtout the region. By 8th grade kids are playing for both school teams and traveling teams(not at the same time). Traveling leagues are quite popular, at least they were when my brother was in them(he is 17) and I think there were at least 5 teams in the town that his team usually competed against. I highly doubt I was a rare exception to the rule regarding me playing basketball instead of hockey becuase in my class and in my brothers class some of the best athletes played basketball and not hockey, many kids played basketball. Maybe things are changeing maybe they are not but from what I can see Fargo is definately not a hockey town and South high is not a hockey school but as I said before I wouldn't call it a basketball school either. And Dave basketball is the most popular winter sport in pretty much ever place in America, even if they can make outdoor ice.

bincity, I think your right in saying that a successful mid-major basketball program at NDSU probably won't draw that many fans away from UND hockey but I do think UND hockey would take hit in the media. Just imagine for a second if NDSU made a run in the big dance like Bradley or Wichita State has made this year and just imagine all of the media attention NDSU would be getting both nationally and regionally. You are right in saying NDSU will never be a Gonzaga but I don't see why NDSU couldn't be a Creighton or Northen Iowa. What Miles has done so far is amazing and I really can't wait to see what happens when he is given a better facitlity and more funding.

UND hockey has always had the niche in the local sports market as being the only DI team and I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if NDSU was to become a mid-major basketball power and if it would impact UND hockey in anyway. Basketball is quite popular in this area and I think it would draw alot of media exposure and fans.

Well, Dave I have lived in Fargo my entire life and I graduated from South High just a few years ago and I never once dreamed of playing hockey for Fargo South High but I did dream of playing basketball and football. Fargo South is not a hockey school but hockey is popular. I went there and I still attend a few games every now and I have never seen a packed colusium but I have seen a packed Fargo Civic to watch Norh and South play in hoops. I also wouldn't call South a basketball school either but I think basketball popularity is bigger then hockey, the gap is closing though. Dave you may claim to know first hand but I actually do and unlike you I have no bias on this topic.

Fargo is not a hockey town all but one of the high schools favors basketball over hockey. North is a basketball school so are Shanely and West Fargo. Oak Grove has no hockey and I doubt it will ever have a team. That leaves just South and hockey is popular there but it is at the very most level with basketball. The only schools that is purely a hockey school is Moorhead.

I have watched both Digger and Mays play and I have seen both dominate games. Digger has a legit NFL shot and Joe will have a legit shot in a few years as well. I don't know if I could call one better then the other or how anyone possibly could.

I don't see how Ralph loses all credibility, he is probably one the biggest supporters of IAA in the nation and is pretty unbiased. If you didn't know Ralph runs Anygivensaturday.com(IAA messageboard) and IAA.org.

I will admit that NDSU has some blame in causing the "unhealthy relationship" but UND has just as much blame. Do you remember UND Fargo, UND trying taking over NDSU Pharmacy Project, fight over whether NDSU should add more grad programs, UND Admins making NDSU's move to DI as hard as they could, and even back in the day UND fought NDSU over whether NDSU had the right to call themselves NDSU and not NDAC. As for the flagship sport at NDSU it is still football and even though basketball is doing good NDSU hoops still has away to go until reaches football status among the Bison fathful. I also put NDSU football and UND hockey as being the flagships sports of ND both have similar status and popularity.

Dave do you really believe in what you are posting? I mean come on you may hate basketball but to say the sport has no following around here is just absurd. I suppose when you said "most of us" you were refering to Sioux fans and not the rest of people in this great state, if that is what you meant then your post makes alot more sense.

I don't think UW overlooked NDSU at all, just look at some of these quotes. from the Forum- "Krabbenhoft, Taylor, Tucker and head coach Bo Ryan all said the Badgers didn

I don't know. What rating did the DII title game get this year?