mksioux

Fans are not supposed to voice opinions on the decisions of a coach of a Division I football program? I must have missed the memo on that one...as did the rest of the college football fans in the country. For the record, I didn

All I can do is wince.

That exactly is that supposed to mean? I pointed out something abundantly obvious. He is the head coach and can make the decision on whether he wants one or two defensive coordinators. He does not need to maintain two defensive coordinators just because Lennon did it that way. I have no idea how you interpreted that as me being a tough guy.

Apparently there are two football-hockey combos next year too. Supposedly the AD is going to do something about the hockey seating situation next year so they don't have to stand in line for hours. Unfortunately, even if they don't have to stand in line, I still don't think the students will show up for 1:00 football games on combo weekends.

Mussman is not stuck with anything. He is the HEAD COACH for crying out loud. If he didn't want co-defensive coordinators, there wouldn't be co-defensive coordinators.

Don't count on it. No way the 2011 game happens.

I posted this in another thread, but since the sub-heading of this thread mentions SDSU's loss to LaCrosse, I'll say again that I don't think they are comparable. By moving up first, SDSU had signficant advantages in recruiting after their loss to LaCrosse. UND has no advantages after this loss.

The biggest problem with this game was that it was played in the first place. There is simply no reason to play any NAIA team, but especially the best one. There was absolutely nothing for UND to gain and everything to lose. Yesterday, everything was lost. And if you have to schedule NAIA teams, make sure they are the type of team that has no chance of winning. You simply cannot afford to gamble with losing to an NAIA team. The fact that they may be as good as a good DII team means nothing to the casual fan and, more importantly, to recruits. All they will see is that UND got dominated by an NAIA team. You can't put the program in jeopardy like that during a delicate transition. I believed that before yesterday and I still believe that. If there was absolutely no other options for a 5th home game other than Sioux Falls, it would have been better to go with a 4 home game schedule. I know ticket revenue is important, but the loss yesterday will cost the athletic department much more dearly than the money they made from yesterday's game. This is the type of loss that can lead to a decade of apathy, especially since UND is not in a real conference and doesn't have any heated rivalries. Scheduling this game was the worst decision Faison has made since he's been here. I think the SDSU-LaCrosse comparison is not on point at all. After that game, they were still Division I and UND and USD were still Division II. They had a built in advantage over two of the four Dakota schools going forward after that loss. UND has no advantages right now and this loss will be much more difficult to overcome.

This. While obviously not the only factor, who a school associates itself with athletically is a factor in defining it as an institution.

I didn't suggest that. But if the games are of equal magnitude (i.e. both regular season or both post-season), then yes, playing Minnesota enhances the program and the entire University more than playing Colorado College.

Which is one of the reasons why I was against expansion, which wasn't a popular position on this board. I'm not saying UW and UM should be able to call all of the shots in the WCHA, but I think when you're talking about something as major as expansion, the league needed to think really hard about going forward without support from both of those schools. Those schools are unique and situated differently than the rest of the schools in WCHA. Like it or not, they just are. They have options UND just doesn't have. I think it's now pretty obvious that Wisconsin did not agree with this expansion. Nothing is guaranteed and things change. It would not be prudent to assume that, no matter what, UND is going to be at the top of the college hockey world, sell out most of its games, and make a lot money. It hasn't been all that long since the early 90s when UND was playing in front of 3,000 fans. If there is a perception that UND hockey is no longer big-time and plays in a second-rate league, that will negatively impact interest and attendance. IMO, you're probably right that the Big Ten Hockey Conference would not be a fatal blow. UND could still schedule non-conference games against other big-time programs to keep interest relatively high. But losing two Division I Big Ten teams from your own conference, including your undisputed biggest rival, would be a significant and noticeable blow.

Will you also not care when interest starts to drop and UND is playing in a half-empty arena? One of the biggest reasons Fighting Sioux hockey grew in popularity compared to the other sports at UND was because it was the only Division I sport and played against the "big boys" on a regular basis. If you take away the "big time" element and play more no-name and DII schools, interest in the program will wane over time. The reality is that if the UM and UW leave the WCHA, UND would jump at any chance it has to play Big Ten schools. All of the WCHA schools would.

That's what you call a no-win situation and why these type of games should be avoided if at all possible. I am concerned about this game not because I'm trying to generate interest, but because UND has more holes and deficiencies this year than it has in a long time. Combine that with the fact that I know nothing about Sioux Falls except that they basically win every game they play, and it's logical to think this is going to be a tough game.

Let's face it, "regionalization" has nothing to do with Alvarez wanting to leave the WCHA. They are the top attendance team in the country, very wealthy, and would still likely fly to all their conference trips even in the new Big 10. The real reason Wisconsin wants to leave the WCHA is because it

My bet is that gate revenues would trump any other considerations. For example, there is zero chance the Mankatos and St. Clouds of the world would turn down a home-and-home contract with the Gophers out of principle. Absolutely no chance of that happening. Heck, no way UND would turn it down.

That's a valid point to raise. I'm pretty sure the WCHA schedules conference games, but I wonder what kind of input a particular AD can have in requesting adjustments? I don't think anyone thinks it is ideal to have the Gophers in town the second weekend of the season. Having it on a football weekend makes it even worse. It may be that the Gopher game was scheduled before the Sioux Falls game was scheduled and that football scheduling is so difficult, this combo weekend couldn't be avoided.

Yep, I missed the Winona State playoff game. I only can make about two games per year given where I live. This was the worst game I've personally attended.

I've been to about 15-20 games at the Alerus Center and yesterday was BY FAR the worst I've seen for attendance and atmosphere. The student section was 2/3 empty at the beginning of the game, and what was even stranger is that it was about 90% empty by the end of the game. It was literally about the first three rows and the band. Even though it was a close game, many of the students that bothere to come left at halftime. And the fans on our side of the field were the quietest I've ever heard. You could hear a pindrop in there for most the game. I've never been more disappointed in Sioux fans in my life and it changed my opinion on some things. 1) I'm a traditionlist and was a big supporter of outdoor football, but looking around yesterday, I couldn't help but think the attendance would have been much worse if the game were played at Memorial Stadium. Many of the fans around me were really old and I can't see them bundling up and sitting outside for three hours to watch a game. There were some families with young kids there too and I doubt they would have gone if they game had been played outside in 30-degree weather. I think for cold weather games against no-name opponents, there is a real potential that attendance could drop to the abysmal range 2) Hockey-Football combos should try to be avoided. Yes, it makes it easier for someone like me traveling from MSP to help justify a trip, but I think it hurts football attendance overall. Attending three sporting events in one weekend is a bit much for the casual fan with kids and responsibilities. And I think the 4:00 starting time is vastly superior to the 1:00 starting time. I think a 4:00 game time fits into the modern student's schedule much better than a 1:00 game. You can condemn the alcohol/partying factor if you want, but it's undeniable. I also think that the 4:00 start time works better for the adult fan too. 3) Conference affiliation is even more critical than I thought. Until UND gets into a real football conference and starts establishing familiar opponents and rivalries, attendance is going to be volatile. The hard core fans recognized that Stony Brook was a fully funded FCS opponent and would provide a really tough game. But the casual fan has no idea what Stony Brook is and has no interest in watching the Sioux play them. Ultimately, there is no sugarcoating the fact that it was a pathetic display by Sioux fans this weekend.

They still have a superior football conference situation. There

I saw three DI-FCS games on Fox College Sports yesterday. Sacred Heart vs Central Connecticut State, Dartmouth vs. Penn, and UND vs. USD. I will say as an unbiased observer that the Sioux game was a much better product than the other two. Better production quality, MUCH better atmosphere, bigger crowd, louder fans, better venue, better game. It just seemed like more of an event.

Replay telecast on FCS-Atlantic this morning.

Drive stalls out on intentional grounding. Ball on 47. Hallevang to punt.

Not that I'm aware of. I think you have to pay a little bit of money for it.

The earely difficulties running seem to have been corrected. Sutton running mad on this drive.

Attendance 12,431