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AdaVandal: Isn't Idaho already interviewing three assistant coaches in the Div I ranks? Was interest in Lennon formally expressed by UI? As a former Idaho resident, Vandal athletics is of interest to me. If you guys can get in the WAC, great. But if you don't (i.e. TCU doesn't move), will you tough it out in the SunBelt?

From the AFCA site, UND's current open dates for 2004 are 9/4, 9/11, and 11/6. Even a night game in Kingsville must be brutal. If we ever schedule an away game in Kingsville, it would have to be in November.

This quote from the Fargo Forum verifies earlier information that the 2004 Sioux schedule may be the most difficult in years: Kolpack also puts his typical anti-UND/pro-NDSU slant into the schedule issue with this quote: If he would have included Mesa St.'s, the combined non-conference opponent's record is 15-17, just barely under .500.

The top DIAA team, Southern Illinois, just barely exceeds the rating for the top DII team, North Alabama. Massey's ratings show that that the top 10 in DII are approximately equal to the top 20 in DIAA. 1 61 S Illinois 10 1 1.53 2 67 Montana 9 2 1.484 3 74 N Iowa 9 2 1.433 4 80 N Arizona 8 3 1.384 5 85 Delaware 10 1 1.358 6 86 W Kentucky 8 3 1.341 7 88 McNeese St 9 1 1.331 8 90 W Illinois 8 3 1.314 9 95 Colgate 11 0 1.307 10 97 Massachusetts 9 2 1.303 11 99 Idaho St 7 4 1.26 12 101 Penn 9 0 1.235 13 103 Weber St 7 4 1.206 14 104 FL Atlantic 8 2 1.203 15 106 Wofford 10 1 1.179 16 110 E Washington 6 5 1.16 17 112 Cal Poly SLO 6 4 1.153 18 114 Montana St 6 5 1.15 19 116 Villanova 7 3 1.138 20 127 Maine 6 4 1.019

With the playoffs starting in just hours, it's interesting to review the Massey college football ratings, which had been discussed earlier this year on this board. Of the playoff teams, the ratings for North Alabama, Grand Valley, Saginaw Valley, and Valdosta State are head and shoulders above the rest of Div II. North Alabama's ratings make it competitive with Colorado and UCLA. S. Ark, Tx-AM-Kingsville, UND, and Winona State seem to form the second group, who would be competitive with Div IA's Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, and Temple, according to the power ratings. Pitt St., Tarleton, Edinboro, and Mesa St. form a third tier in the playoffs. The Massey ratings indicate Emporia, C. Oklahoma, Carson-Newman, and Bentley will not be competitive in the playoffs. Here's the top 20 in Div II: DII Overall Rank Rank School Record PowerRating 1 62 N Alabama 11 0 1.524 2 68 Saginaw Val 11 0 1.474 3 78 Grand Valley St 10 1 1.421 4 89 Valdosta St 10 1 1.315 5 105 N Colorado 8 2 1.196 6 119 N Dakota St 8 3 1.101 7 123 TX A&M K'ville 9 1 1.056 8 124 S Arkansas 9 2 1.053 9 125 North Dakota 9 1 1.052 10 126 UC Davis 6 3 1.039 11 140 Delta St 9 2 0.943 12 141 Winona St 10 1 0.922 13 146 NE Omaha 8 3 0.886 14 153 Mesa St 10 1 0.823 15 156 S Dakota St 7 4 0.815 16 157 St Cloud 7 4 0.807 17 160 Pittsburg St 9 2 0.802 18 161 Edinboro 9 2 0.795 19 164 Tarleton St 8 3 0.777 20 172 Indiana PA 10 1 0.747

Here's the Sioux highlights from the All-NCC team announced today: North Dakota’s Dale Lennon was honored as Coach of the Year by his peers. Most Valuable Offensive Lineman: Ben Olson, North Dakota Most Valuable Linebacker: Digger Anderson, North Dakota FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Line *Ben Olson North Dakota Sr. 6-5 320 Windom, Minn. FIRST TEAM DEFENSE Line Jeff Momerak North Dakota Sr. 6-2 275 Edinburg, N.D. Def. Back Dan Gagner North Dakota So. 6-1 190 Red Lake Falls, Minn. ILB Digger Anderson North Dakota So. 6-0 230 Coon Rapids, Minn. OLB Tyler Dahlen North Dakota So. 6-0 210 Fargo, N.D. FIRST TEAM SPECIALIST Kicker Jeff Glas North Dakota Jr. 5-10 185 Grand Forks, N.D. Utility Travis Lueck North Dakota Sr. 6-3 200 East Grand Forks, N.D. SECOND TEAM OFFENSE Line Brian Dokken North Dakota Sr. 6-6 310 Crosby, N.D. Line Ben Murphy North Dakota Sr. 6-4 285 Killdeer, N.D. Wide Receiver Willis Stattelman North Dakota Sr. 6-2 220 Clinton, Minn. Honorable Mention: North Dakota: WR Jesse Ahlers, WR Travis Lueck, QB John Bowenkamp, DL Shane Duchscher;

Almost any major arena or stadium has a policy of screening signs or banners. This is not unique to the REA. At an NFL game, a banner will be removed by stadium officials if it does not meet certain standards. BTW, the signs are awesome!! And this thread has been worth more than a few laughs!

Here's an unofficial Pittsburg State site, PSUgorillas.com, that has a lot of info from this season.

It probably didn't help attendance that the Dakota Bowl HS games were scheduled for the evening. This is what McFeely said about the Bison vs HS crowds: Even the NDSU Spectrum student newspaper's David Nilles has been commenting on the Fargodome atmosphere and what he learned from the Alerus:

It's probably common knowledge on this board that I share this perception. Just as there are cultural differences between companies, there are cultural differences between universities. To me, NDSU's culture has a certain swagger of aggressiveness and smugness that lends itself more easily to some of the behavior described by huskies679. Ironically, this aggressive behavior among a small fraction of Bison fans also results in the rest of the fans becoming more passive, because they don’t want to be associated with blatant aggressiveness. Any wonder NDSU fans in the Fargodome sit on their hands? It may surprise Bison fans who frequent this board that I have three brothers that graduated from NDSU (and we are not estranged ). The brother that is most passionate about NDSU wants nothing to do with Bison athletics because of what he calls the ‘jerk’ factor.

huskies679: If you get a chance, it would be interesting for you to give a report back about your next experience as an SCSU fan at the REA.

I've got to admit, the Bison landing a player or two on the NCC All-academic team is a big step up from last year when you had zip. Let's see a few more student-athletes come out of your football program when you are Div I (seriously).

One of the real ironies of the Bison's playoff situation is that it proves that Roger Thomas' stand on not playing Div I-AA teams (and the Bison) is legitimate. Exhibit A (if you will): The Bison might still have playoff hopes if they had not played UCDavis.

How about the Zap-ski line? Zach P provides the flash, Bo finishes it.

We probably need to be considerate of Bison fans, considering the torment that they are enduring: Two overtime losses took them out of the playoffs, The Fargodome has never hosted a playoff game, They haven’t even shared an NCC conference title since 1994, They can go 33-0 over the next three years and not make the I-AA playoffs, If they think Div II playoff selection is political, wait until I-AA back room maneuvers mess with them. They’ll be going through an identity crisis in I-AA, as they won’t have UND to blame for their problems Their “Sioux S**k” chant at non-UND games has really given the public an awareness of their need for anger counseling, The same chant next year at I-AA games will further unveil their lunacy, They are more angered than even Gopher fans that Gov. Pawlenty will be wearing a Fighting Sioux jersey. So we need to be considerate and hospitable to the Bison fans: Cordially invite them to the Alerus on November 22nd for a playoff game!

By the end of November, a number of Head Coaches will have lost their jobs. As was the case last year, Dale Lennon will probably be getting some inquiries. On the Idaho Vandal board, VandalVenue.com, a poll has been running to determine the most popular replacement option for Idaho Head Coach Tom Cable (who hasnt yet been fired, but probably will be.) Lennon came in third behind Bob Biggs of UCDavis and Jerome Sauers of Northern Arizona. Here's a couple of quotes from the board: And this: Now Idaho is not exactly a plum job at the moment (no AD, no president, budget problems, conference issues, facilities, etc), so I'm doubtful it would be in anyone's interest to take a position there. But the fact remains that Lennon will probably be getting phone calls again soon. All the more reason to relish the rest of the season.

Thanks, huskies679. It's good to have an outside non-biased opinion! Here's to SCSU football this weekend. Beat the Bison!

With this news release from USD on the hiring of Joel Nielsen as AD , are there still doubters that USD will be pursuing playing hockey in Sioux Falls? Nielsen is currently the AD at Colorado College. Notice who was quoted in press release: USD's startup expenses, even with a practice rink in Vermillion, should be less than what NDSU and/or SDSU need to improve their facilities. Furthermore, the CHA will probably embrace USD immediately (and also maybe Missouri-St. Louis), so a conference afiliation should not be a hurdle.

The first round of playoffs is Saturday , Nov 22nd. Mannheim Steamroller is scheduled for the Alerus on Nov 21st. Will this create a conflict? I seem to remember that the Fargodome/NDSU lost an opportunity to host a playoff game in the mid-90's when another event was scheduled for the previous day. The visiting team was supposed to get practice time in the Fargodome on the Friday before and couldn't, so the Fargodome did not host. Is this correct? Would the Alerus' commitment on Friday night cause a problem or is the field conversion so quick?

Pat Behrns would probably agree with the above statements, considering he has referred to the FargoDome as a 'quiet barn.' Here's what Pat said to the UNO student newspaper in an article about Omaha's support of UNO vs. UNL and Creighton:: But if the Saturday's game was dead except at the conclusion, Behrns may have been diappointed.

These quotes in today’s Forum from McFeely, and Kolpack, beg me to ask this question: Why is there such a difference in crowd’s behavior between the Alerus Center and the FargoDome and why is the Alerus considered the most difficult place to play in the NCC, while the FargoDome has a reputation bordering on a masoleum? With three last-second wins in the Alerus, it might a major reason for this years NCC championship. I recognize that sometimes that the Alerus is not booming with excitement throughout the games. Since I live out of the area, I generally only get to see any type of Sioux game once or twice a year. But last year, when the Sioux were losing the close games, the noise level and fan support against St. Cloud was still impressive at times. During last year’s final game with USD, there seemed to a lot of enthusiasm for the shutout in spite of a relatively small crowd. What are the reasons for the difference? Is it any or all of these: Fighting Sioux winning, the Alerus being ‘new’, UND fans less likely to be bandwagon fans, UND football success does ‘not’ define UND athletic success, a more college/less commercial atmosphere, student interaction, 3 wins in row against the Bison (and last 10 of 13), Alerus’ lighting and acoustics, tailgating and beer garden at Alerus, high respect for coaches running the program, number of local players and local coaches, the 2001 Championship, my imagination, or is it something else? Just curious what others think. More importantly, how can a FargoDome atmosphere be prevented at the Alerus and how can the Alerus atmosphere be made even better?

It never hurts to get some East Coast Publicity for the Ralph, even if it is only New Haven .

One of the most significant impediments to Div I reclassification is the 13-year ban on men’s basketball postseason play. Last week, the NCAADiv I Management Council agreed to consider reducing the 13 years to 5 years. If this decrease in classfication time occurs, a move to Div I, while still difficult, becomes much less onerous. This story story in the Fargo Forum affirms arguments against reclassfication, if the 13 year rule is in place, by the very people who are arguing for NDSU’s move. Strange world we live in. An issue that was previously publicly denied as critical by NDSU officials and fans, is now critical. If this rule is changed, there will be at least three ramifications: new DivI schools may find auto-bid conferences more receptive to invitations, newly formed Division I conferences will receive auto-bids within five years, and the number of schools declaring their intention to move up will increase. Preventing a flood of schools moving to Div I is the reason the 13-year rule was made. Very few schools are foolish enough to make to a move that places their athletic program in purgatory for 13 years. A much larger number of schools will make that commitment if the bar is lowered to 5 years. My bet is the NCAA Board of Governors does not change it, protecting DivI from being watered down.