oyerbonde

Is UND building a retractable stadium?

We're 10-0 with wins against two FBS teams and still have only one of the #1 rankings. Both schools should have done this about fifteen years ago. Here is a suggestion. Everyone start using the proper names for each university. Show a little respect for each other. Comparing the two schools in the past was always stupid and it's even more stupid now. There is life after all of this. We're all North Dakotans.

So you would cheer for a terrorist organization rather than the Bison. I know that you were trying to pull a funny, but really. The lesson here is that when both schools are from a small state that most people in the country can't find on the map, beat each other up. Even though I'm a Bison football fan I'll be cheering for the Sioux in their pursuit of another national championship in hockey. Might even cheer for the football team in the playoffs. I'm from North Dakota.

Two games a year plus a potential playoff matchup. hmmm Overkill

I'm a Bison Football fan. I understand your frustration with a media person saying what they did on KBRR. That was a stupid thing to say. The two programs can't be compared. Here's my opinion: As North Dakotans, we only have so many people & only so much revenue to support big-time programs. I think that all North Dakotans should support Sioux Hockey. There's a long tradition of excellence, with the expected cycle of peaks and valleys, in any quality program. It is UND's flagship program. UND has other quality programs too, like women's basketball and football. The men's basketball team has had periods of dominance. NDSU's flagship program has been its football program. Other sports that have had long-term success are wrestling, women's basketball, cross country, & track. SU men's basketball has been surging. It's going to be fun to see them compete in the Summit league. By 'flagship program,' I mean that it's the sport that each university chooses to promote the most. It is 'chosen' by each university and its fans. I am REALLY tired of the debates, the arguments, and the fighting. I'm even more tired of the hatred that has grown over the past 5 or 6 years. Nationwide, football is bigger in terms of the number of fans that watch football...but that doesn't make hockey any less important. Hockey has a smaller following nationwide, but it's still a great sport, and its followers are very, very dedicated. Neither is better. I grew up in a small town between Grand Forks and Fargo. Basketball was the big sport. As a kid, I was vaguely aware of hockey in Grand Forks. But I listened to Phil Jackson and that great team play on the radio many times, and cheered for them many times. They were my university basketball team. On the same token, I became aware of something special happening in football at NDSU in the mid 60s because my sister went there. Went to a few games, and I was hooked. When the great UND men's basketball team in the 90s (Guldseth, etc) was rolling, I attended many of those games. I went to several NDSU women's basketball games when they were at their peak. I like watching 'quality' sports. I have supported both universities. I've never been able to warm up to hockey, especially at the Frozen Four. (joke) I don't want NDSU to have a DI hockey program. I think that the state should support UND hockey. UND's tradition in hockey deserves as much recognition as Bison Football. The Sagarin rankings list 242 football teams in the FBS and FCS. Not sure how many D2, NAIA, or DIII teams there are. There have to be hundreds. Not sure how many DI hockey programs there have been in the past...or now. There would be a big difference. But that doesn't make football more important. But there has, and remains to be, been more schools to compete against in football. UND got into hockey from the ground level, and found its way into DI hockey through hard work. But it also got there because there weren't many programs. It formed a conference with teams like Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, etc. out of necessity. It's still a great thing though. Getting to a true DI (FBS) level in football is a completely different thing. That's why the comparison is irrelevant. I'm willing to give UND great credit for its achievements in all sports...including your current high caliber football team. How many Sioux fans are willing to give NDSU some credit? Seriously Yes...we beat a weak Big Ten football team last Saturday...but in the eyes of Bison fans, it was still huge, and a lot of fun. 30,000 NDSU fans at the baggie was a 'big' deal. Frankly, the wins over Central Michigan and Ball State were against better teams. Ball State was the team that took Michigan to the final seconds last year. They also nearly clipped Nebraska this year...41-40. NDSU has taken its hits in the media too. I understand the emotions. Announcers can be really stupid sometimes. That was a stupid thing for the guy to say. It's irrelevant. Both programs are huge right now. Can't be compared. Until the hatred that has developed in the last 5 or 6 years quiets down, I'm not ready to support a return to competition between the two schools. I've lived long enough to see each school go through their cycles of dominance in football. My attitude isn't about who would win right now...or who won in the past. This hatred began through some action taken from leaders at the schools. Where did it begin? I'm refering to the current state of non-competition. Where did it 'really' begin? This is a question that deserves to be answered. Someone has to admit it...and then adults have to start acting like adults. That...is the day when I will support a return to competition. Until then...it's a big 'whatever.' I apologize to Sioux fans that were offended by this idiot's comments. Bison football fans are extremely proud of the tradition. The championships 'are' meaningful.

This has been a topic of discussion by NDSU backers and on the blogs for quite some time. The general opinion that I've read on the SU side is that several years in the Gateway and Mid-Con are needed before even considering such a move. During the frustration of finding conferences for its teams, this topic came up a lot. It has calmed down somewhat since the Gateway came with the invitation. On the other hand, I could see NDSU making the next jump somewhere out there. I don't doubt that UND could do the same. But Bohl isn't the first person to bring up DI-A status. And obviously, Bohl will bolt for a bigger program when he finds the right one. It's just a matter of 'when.' He's an amazing coach, and he would certainly be qualified to be at the next level.

The NCC was deserted by the NCAA when it allowed so many newcomer schools to have the power to vote the scholarship levels down. We've seen a slow, but steady, deterioration of the over-all caliber of play in all of D2. There have remained some very strong programs, with UND being one of them...but the over-all effect has been erosion. The 4 Dakota schools eventually had to leave if they were to maintain a 'real' state university caliber program in the long run. We could even see it coming when schools like Mankato and St. Cloud came into the picture. No one has abandoned the NCC in the Dakotas. The NCC was dismantled by the NCAA and its lack of concern for what was once a beautiful balance between athletics and academics. UND and NDSU lived in the best of both worlds. Without the four Dakota schools, the region has lost something that the other area schools can't fill. All four schools from the Dakotas should have moved up together, but each school had its own reasons to do what they did...and when they did. And here these four great universities are...fighting over something that the NCAA caused. It seems like a lot of conferences have been shifting and changing, even in DI. Schools are going where the money is. It's too bad that this all had to happen.

No problem. I give you permission not to respond. Seems that you have to be either a Sioux or a Bison fan in North Dakota. Can't be a tweener at all. That's why the rivalry should not be renewed. The hatred is too embedded. I've learned what I need to know.

innocence? I 'am' a fan of different sports at UND & NDSU and I should plea for innocence? You're the arrogant one. What are you a fan of...yourself?

What??

I stated an opinion based upon observations. There's plenty of arrogance on this board, and you are one of the more arrogant writers. There's also a lot of paranoia here. You can't feel or see the arrogance because you are so deeply embedded. It was a bull$%!# article, with some statements of fact...one being the destruction of D2 by the ncaa. It has forced the hands of some of the stronger programs...with UND and NDSU being two of them. You took the bait. You're the winner.

You read only what you wanted to read. What in the hell are you so paranoid about? I wrote this: That doesn't bode well for entrance by UND either. Meaning Montana won't want UND either and they pull the weight in the Big Sky. They would fear UND also. The Big Sky decision had more to do with power than distance. Otherwise the 100 percent vote requirement would not have been instituted. One could assume that the two Montana schools had 'something' to say about the vote requirement. Even Griz fans, in their chat room, have the opinion that their man in the conference leadership position was the problem. I show a little respect for UND, and what do I get? More defensive bull$%!#. Seriously...I grew up in eastern North Dakota and had a natural interest in athletics at both schools. I've cheered for the Sioux in the Frozen Four, cheered for the Sioux in basketball, and cheered for both schools in football. I can remember listening to the Sioux basketball team with sweaty palms when I was a kid. Phil Jackson was playing. Remember Phil? He's the guy that coached the Bulls and the Lakers. Grew up in Williston...ah...North Dakota. I watched him slam dunk the ball from the top of the key to end the Class A Championship game on TV. Not bad. Oh yeah...I enjoyed the bucket teams from the mid-90s. Went to as many games as possible both at home and away. Read what you want. Believe what you want. Criticize what you want. It make no difference to me...K? You're the one that needs to get over something. If I were just a Bison fan, I'd have nothing to get over.

I don't know many Bison fans that want the game. If you go to Bisonville.com to the blog and ask the question, you'd have a low percentage of takers. It's mostly like the responses here.

as well?

Actually...it's the other way around. I pretended to bite to see what your reaction would be. I knew that donors were supporting the litigation and that it wasn't taxpayer money. I don't concern myself with the athletic budgets of any university. But I do know that the travel involved will find its way to the pocketbook of North Dakotans. I hear that it hasn't been easy during the transition period at NDSU. Empty home arenas and plane flights have a way of doing it to the budget. I still want to know where the conference is...the one that we were promised before UND would make the move to DI. What happened to that?