Teeder11

I'll be there tonight with my family!!!! Also, don't forget it is Youth Night tonight...all kids 8th grade and under get in for free. See details below. Youth Day Tuesday, Sept. 27 vs. South Dakota State (7 p.m.) - Fans 8th grade and under receive FREE admission. - 100 FREE youth t-shirts to be given away. - Postgame autograph session with the 2011 Fighting Sioux volleyball team.

That's my gut feeling, too (if he commits). Red shirt him and let him understudy Bradley, who could be a really solid QB with one year of D1 under his belt by that time, then in year 2, if Mollberg legitimately proves he is the No. 1 through spring and summer workouts, give him the keys to the offense. We might find ourselves with a very talented home-grown FBS-sought QB, protected by a massive O line, and a competent veteran to back him up for a year in case of injury. That'll be a nice position to be in early in our full implementation of D1.

In honor of Michelle Karvinen clearing herself for NCAA eligibility. Here is a video that is supposedly her making an absolutely "sick" move Pavel Bure-style on a Swedish goalie. I don't speak Finnish, so I don't know the exact details of the game. I hope to see Michelle and the Twins making a lot of magic this season and next! Sick move

That's funny stuff! I know Tu personally and sometimes he's got a tendency to write things as if he were telling you the story from the bar stool at The Hub or Judy's.

It's a fun thing to joke back and forth about, this arms race for students between the two big research universities in the state, but in the end, I think we should value quality over quantity. I think both schools are pretty good quality institutions, which is a testament ot the state of North Dakota. It will probably continue to go back and forth as far as who enrolls more students for a long time. But sure is fun to be on top for a while again.

UND just posted another all-time record enrollment at 14,697, up about 3.5 percent or 503 students from the same time last year, which also was a record. The University also is reporting that there is a record number of students living in residence halls on campus, indicating that "on campus" enrollment is strong, and that the numbers aren't just smoke and mirrors with online students. (though, I would imagine that online education still is a strong initiative at UND... and there is nothing wrong with that!).

Not that it matters. But it clearly irked Chapman to be little brother to UND to the degree that he made drastic changes that ultimately would come back to bite NDSU. I will take it point by point: 1) Point: You are aware that for an extremely long time, UND was clearly a bigger school.....so apparently....based on history... I should hope that UND has AT LEAST 20-40% more students than NDSU because for years UND had that kind of numbers advantage. Counterpoint: Yes, I am aware, and so was NDSU's former president. And he resented that fact. I used to joke with him about it when he would come up to our campus to visit Kupchella. I meant it as good natured ribbing and he took as well as he gave, but you could tell it was a sore spot. It was worse when I used to give Craig Schnell, the old provost, the same treatment. Wow! he was a nice guy but she sure wore green and gold colored glasses a little too tightly. Anywho, so the plan was launched to achieve higher awareness regionally for NDSU on the backs of athletics and at the expense of academics. More regional exposure in tangent with partial and full tuition waivers, which have been much publicized in the news and in the blogosphere of late, drove enrollment past UND's with a bullet. So, it really does not matter so much to UND as much as it did to NDSU's old boss and now the current school officials are left holding the bag that was caused by his empire building. 2) Point: Does that mean Nebraska-Omaha should be bigger than Nebraska. I mean...come on! Omaha is a bigger city! Counterpoint: Well, if you want to use a strawman to prove a point, so be it. All that aside, you do realize that the distance between Omaha and Lincoln is 59 miles.... a long commute in most cities. They are basically one combined statistical metropolitan area competing for the same students. 3) Point: NDSU has lower tuition but it is roughly the same amount to go to NDSU as it is to UND. The difference in tuition won't stop anyone from going to UND if they want to. Counterpoint: Hey genius, I wasn't comparing NDSU and UND's tuition at all (they are basically relatively the same, despite the NDSU's end-around to get it jacked up another 8 percent). I was comparing the tuitions of the three F-M metro colleges. I said that NDSU should have no problem capturing the vast majority of local students based on its lower tuition alone. 4) Point: If you want to be an online school, maybe you guys and University of Phoenix can have an annual online National Championship of some sorts. Counterpoint: I think UND just wants to deliver the best education that it can whether it's on campus or through online courses, and clearly, the school is doing both, as evidenced by the strong enrollment in both cases. 5) Point:Why you guys are so anal about student numbers is beyond me. Counterpoint: We are not. Chapman clearly was. 6) Point: It has very little to do with athletics. Counterpoint: It has everything to do with athletics as Chapman built his empire on the backs of athletics and the exposure it would provide him in the prime student recruiting grounds. This was all done at the expense of academics, which has suffered mightly since the Chapman initiative to take it to the "Next Level" was launched.

I should hope that NDSU has AT LEAST 1,500 more students actually on campus than a college town that has a population that is three times smaller and that is 80 miles farther northwest of the prime student recruiting ground that is the Twin Cities Metro area. Not to mention the fact that NDSU has lower tutition (not even counting NDSU's crapload of free tuition waivers) than Minnesota State Moorhead, and definitely, Concordia. With those advantages, you'd think that the on-campus enrollment disparity would be so much greater. It amazes me that UND has as the on-campus enrollment that it does given those odds and that kind of competition. It speaks well of the institution and the quality academics that it provides. And also, the fact that the number of online students from outside the tri-state area keeps growing speaks well to UND's reputation nationally, which is never a bad thing.

Evidently it mattered to Chapman.

'Cause Joe Chappy A$$ wasn't around yet to throw his egotistical weight around to take N.D. A.C. to the "next level" and make an "impact." You can build quite a progam when you funnel resources away from academics and into athletics and you can build quite an "on campus" student enrollment when you waive tuition 100 percent to the tune of $15 million a year. Problem is you eventually have to pay the piper as we are seeing after this past legislative session and all the problems bordering on scandals that have eminated from the ol' A.C.

Who in the hell is "thedy" ?

Or St. Francis. St. who?

You'll never understand until something like it happens to your favorite team. Just because the nickname goes does not mean the memories and pride we have for it will die with it. There will still be more Fighting Sioux apparrell being worn around this state and country than any other N.D. college team long after the nickname is changed. Fighting Sioux pride never dies... just like, I am sure, you would never quit wearing Bison gear if PETA somehow ruled the college sports world and deemed it hostile and abusive and made your school change it. I know it's a bit of a strawman argument, but, hey, it works on a certain level, and it's the closest analogy I could find, given the circumstances.

According to "live stats" on the FightingSioux.com, UND VB ladies just took down UC Santa Barbara in three straight (25-12, 25-12, 25-21)! Last year, UCSB was ranked 63rd in the country... while the Sioux were something like 89th, two ranks behind NDSU. I have not seen any real recent ranking. Another big win for Fighting Sioux VB in the Golden State! This team is something special! We still play San Jose State and Santa Clara before the tourney concludes. Those teams were ranked behind the Sioux last year, according to NCAA.com.

He's moving up in the world from his days at USCHO! Way to go Patrick!!!

Classy.

Oh, and one more thing, if in the end this 11th hour Hail Mary pass by Spirit Lake gains any credible traction in a positive direction (retaining the name) and avoids backlash from the NCAA, BSC and others, I will be the first one to say "you were right and I was wrong" while eating a big plate of Humble Pie, heavy on the crow. I really do want to be wrong.

I love your passion, but for as much as the "surrender the name" crowd gets bashed for "speculating" and "predicting" that UND would be irreparably harmed if we kept the nickname (by NCAA, BSC and other schools that would shun us), there sure seems to be a whole lot of "ifs" and "What ifs" and hoping and fantasizing about "what ifs" being espoused by the "nickname at all costs" crowd. Not calling you one of those per se. Just making a general observation. Neither side can tell the future, but the former is based on pragmatic thought and a desire not to cut off ones nose to spite its face, while the latter is based on wishes and hopes. Tell you what, crap in one hand and wish in the other and tell me which one fills up faster.

YOU took the words right out of my mouth. And they're not NDSU boosters, either, like Shallow Al.

The latter 90s and early 2000s were pretty good years for UND, especially, 2001. You know, not to put a kabosh on the pissing match, because I think it's a lot of fun, and proves (despite what is said down south) that the rivalry is alive and well, but there are alot of teams at all levels that don't even have one National Championship. The fact that were having a debate about who's got more, I think, speaks highly of both programs. And once we get the two programs relatively on par again and back to the arms race of old, it will be a great day for all of North Dakota, as the two will drive each other to be better. There, now we can get back to whose dad can be the other's dad up.

I don't know where this is going, but bear with me. Whenever I travel around the area, I tend to always wear "UND" and/ or "Fighting Sioux" apparel. And in addition I am always conducting a an informal unscientific mental survey as to what teams are being promoted by others. Last night I attended the Black Eyed Peas concert in Minot with about 16,000 other folks from all across the region. I swear on my Grandmother's grave (and I tried to be very objective and fair as I could be), it was 50 to 1 UND to NDSU. Honest! The whole night I only saw one 30-something woman wearing an NDSU Bison Jacket. On the flipside, UND and the Fighting Sioux logo abounded --hats, jackets, jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts, you name it! Like I said, I don't know what this means. Maybe Bison fans don't like the Black Eyes Peas or rock concerts in general. Or maybe there are more Sioux fans to Bison fans in the Minot area. Who knows? But, no matter how you slice it, it was a proud day to be representing UND.

I was there too!

Some false starts would be nice too!!!

Ditto! Let's make Drake not know what him 'em with crowd noise. I wanna see a whole lot of Delay of Game penalties or T.O.s by Drake tonight!

I for one don't mind WYOBISONMAN chiming in. He has proven over time that he brings valuable discussion points without flaming the majority of the board. There's an art to that, especially, when you come in fully acknowledging up front that you are a fan of the opposition. And in the spirit of full disclosure, my problem with Carlson is also personal, because he's effn' things up to the degree that it could have irreparable damages on UND and its athletic department, both of which I love.