johnnyroyale

All I can say is "Wow". DaveK, my prayers are with you. Hate is a counterproductive pasttime. If the Sioux lost 10-9 to the Goofs in FB--when they should have won--you would probably be trumpeting in all 4 corners of the state. Open your eyes. Everybody knows that UM should have won that game by 50 pts. If you review your DVR or Tivo you will see that the Bison won that game. They left 13 pts on the field. Take an unbiased look at the tape. I guess it doesn't matter anyway since UM is "upgrading" their schedule to no longer include NDSU. At least we'll get another $350K to add to our athletic budget after this yr's game, which we will win. Next up: Iowa State in 2009.

The Bison actually changed the pants and jerseys for the away unis. The pants are green with the "modern" (yellow) stripe down the side and they also added the new Bison-Head logo to the pants. They used a slightly different shade of dark green for the pants that I think looks great. The jerseys had to be changed again after 2005 because announcers and spectators had trouble distinguishing the numbers when the players were down on the field. The yellow numbers on a white jersey looked blurry. They fixed that last year by outlining the yellow numbers with a green border so they stood out better. They also embroidered the numbers on as opposed to a standard silk-screening. I like the embroidered look much better. It gives the jersey a higher quality look. They also have a yellow stripe (well, kind of a stripe?) that runs down from the armpit to waist area that's pretty cool. I am looking fwd to attending the Spring Game (April 21st at The Dome) to see what kind of gear they'll be selling. They usually have a large selection of game-worn jerseys and other items that a person can purchase and you never know what you'll find digging through the racks. Every year is different and I enjoy that almost as much as watching the game itself. Does UND do something like this for your Spring Game?

With your impending move to FCS, do any of you know if UND plans on updating your uniforms? As you know, NDSU updated ours when we moved up. Kinda of a "fresh start" or "new era" sort of thinking, I guess. Would a (negative) NCAA nickname decision affect this? Another question would be how many of you would be in favor of updating your unis, regardless of the nickname issue. I am not talking wholesale changes, just some small updates, newer styles, etc while still reflecting the UND Fighting Sioux moniker. I for one was pleased when NDSU updated ours. I think the new ones look more "DI" and I like how most FCS teams sew their conference patch onto their jerseys. It also felt like NDSU was ushering a new era of Bison Football, which, in effect, we are. I am curious as to what you guys think. Not about our jerseys (no need for another smack fest) but about your own.

Curious. NDSU & SDSU formed a partnership in the transition to DI. Both schools said it was "both or neither" in gaining conference membership to the Mid-Con/Gateway. Do the UND fans feel the same way with USD? Will the UXD's partner-up during the transition? Serious question, not to be construed as smack.

I had to get that one in because nobody said we could do any of this. Today is a dream come true for me. In all sincerity, this is an exciting time for both NDSU and UND. It's great because now I can finally watch NDSU once again battle for conference and national titles and I can also watch UND's transition and see how they progress. These next 5 yrs are going to be very interesting for the entire state of ND. It's a good thing. I wish UND the best of luck because it's not going to be easy. It certainly wasn't easy (and in some cases still isn't easy) for NDSU so from that perspective, I certainly feel for what UND is up against. UND is a quality institution and I have no doubt that they're up to the task. Here's to a milestone for the entire state, and I think we can all collectively be proud of that.

Congratulations to the Rabbits & Bison! That means NDSU has 8 guaranteed conference games per year, combined with a scheduling agreement with Poly & Davis and last but not least, a BIG $$$$$$$$ game with an FBS school like Minnesota, Iowa State, etc. Does that mean UND won't be able to play NDSU until when????? Somebody call Ed Schultz. The Bison are runnin' scared, buuuoooooyyyyyyy! The circle is complete for the SU's so now we can watch in anticipation for UND and USD to accept membership into the Big Sky with Denver and UBC. Best of luck and you're welcome for the DI blueprint.

That right there says it all.

What is wrong with resuming the FB game in 2009? All this speculation is going to drive people on both sides insane and make this rivalry uglier than it already is, if that's possible. Let me give you my observations on some scenarios, if you will: 1) game is played in 2007 Why? Wouldn't it be preferable for UND to get their schollies & recruiting up so there can be no excuses from either side? I, as a Bison fan, would much rather see a fully-funded (63 or 57) UND team play The Herd. "Level the playing field". 2)game is played in 2008 No way NDSU agrees to this because of playoff implications and UND's "non-counter" status. Even a Bison victory counts against us and that is unacceptable. You guys, of all people, should be able to identify with that (ala 2004). That's a moot point and, for that matter, another reason not to play in 2007. 3)game is played in 2009. Bingo. Hopefully by now 2 criteria have been met. NDSU is in the Gateway and UND is now fully funded (hooray ) and is now a "counter". Bison have 8 conference games guaranteed per year and need only to fill 3 open OOC dates, one of which should by all means be UND. UND comes to the FFD for first game, then a yearly home & home rotation begins. Is that so disagreeable? Let's get it on in 2009. GO BISON!!!

If I am correct, I believe that UND stated that 2007 would be the exploratory year. This also means they are still playoff eligible for one final year before transition begins. How would they be able to fund 57 schollies in 2007 then? That wouldn't seem ethical of fair concerning the D2 teams they'd still be playing. Did I miss something during the NDSU transition? *EDIT: never mind--a little research cleared this up for me so, again, nevermind

Good info. Thanks. Now let the scheduling speculation begin.......

I am curious as to how UND decides to fund the FB team through the transition. I.E.--is a plan in place to fund schollies incrementally or is there funding available to get to 63 right away? I am mostly curious on this one as to how it might affect any future NDSU-UND scheduling. Most NDSU posters, myself included, would prefer to not play the Sioux until at least 2009 or whenever they qualify as a DI "counter" game, whichever comes first. If that's doable in 2008, so be it, but I have my reservations until I see differently. If anybody posting here has info as to what the scholarship ramp-up plan is for UND, it'd be nice to know. Or, at the least, make for good speculation. Does anybody know anything regarding this???

The pre-season 2006 Bison schedule looked tough. It was heralded as the toughest schedule that the Bison had ever faced, regular season. I still don't doubt that. Nobody expected the Ga So ass-kicking, and nobody, and I mean nobody, expected the Poly blowout. The Ball State win was a quality win and the Bison did, in fact, BEAT the Gophs in all categories until the ill-fated blocked kick. The UC-Davis comeback made school history and, looking at video, Stephen F Austin was the toughest game we had all year. That same SFA team played the Pac-10 Arizona Wildcats within a TD. Granted, UA is not the cream of the Pac-10 crop this year but any time you can do that and still (on paper) beat a Big 10 team, it says something. Be a realistic FB fan and don't let your Sioux pride cloud your judgement. NDSU had a fantastic year in '06. When UND can do likewise and prove it on the field, then you have something to talk about.

Especially having to wear a Sioux jersey. You have no idea what I went through that evening, ha ha! I almost got as much $hit from Jacks fans as I did from Bison fans. Oh well, it was fun and I'm still here. I don't regret it.

I would love to give you a photo, but that whole weekend was really screwy. Not alcohol screwy, just schedule screwy. I actually attended that game (NDSU/SDSU) with my Sioux friend and both my boys. The crowd was nuts and I was more concerned keeping track of my boys than posing for photo-ops. Don't worry--my friend and I have a running bet on the jersey thing (because last year was sooooooooo fun) so there will be more episodes to follow, both ways. I promise that next time I will bring a camera and submit proof. Ideally, I hoped to have a kid-less wknd and go tailgating, hit the game, and then hit some bars in dwntwn Fgo. That didn't happen last year but maybe in 2-3 yrs. It's good fun for everybody and I never had a shower that felt so good afterwords.....

Because I was kicked off this board last year for some hostile comments I made. I've intentionally kept it toned down under my alias and will keep my choice comments confined to bisonville, where it's (obviously) more accepted. Now that my cover's blown, let's see how long it takes Jimdahl to give ol'johnny the boot??