Bison06

My guess would be that the people from Bisonville that also have accounts here are people who attended the school or were a fan of the school when we did play UND and vice versa for Siouxsportsters over on Bisonville. I have never claimed to not care about what goes on at UND, I am from ND and have an interest in both teams. I only cheer for one. If you are saying that Bison fans having an account and posting on this website somehow proves that we are still "obsessed" or that it proves we are still rivals, I would like to point out I have accounts on SDSU, Minnesota, EGriz, and AGS. I like to contribute to conversations that my frame of reference might give a different perspective. Also I probably have way to much free time on my hands. Again, I conceded the fact that many fans still care about the other school. My point was that the players from both sides would probably not name the other as thier rival. I doubt many current Bison players post here very often.

Exactly my point, you can't have a rivalry with someone you have never played. So if we continue to not play each other, all of a sudden we have close to a decade of alums from both sides who have never seen a game played between the two schools.

Mcfeely is just trying to get everyone riled up and knows this is an easy way to hit a nerve with hot-heads from both sides. The fact of the matter is there isn't one player on either NDSU or UND's roster that has participated in a game between the two schools. So to alumni and fans maybe it will take more than 5-10 years of not playing each other for another school to be considered a "true" rival. But, I can guarantee you that if you were to ask an NDSU athlete who thier rival is, they would come back with SDSU 99% of the time. We have had some great games with them and it has picked up a great deal since this move up. Call it manufactured, call it convoluted, call it whatever you want in the stands or on a message board, but to athletes from NDSU and SDSU it's the real deal.

When that psychiatrist prescribes medication for these condition, they would have to get those from a pharmacist, from a pharmacy school, like at NDSU.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses

I have noticed that you guys seem to be hitting Canada pretty hard this year. Historically, have players out of Canada been able to make the transition to the American style game or is it difficult for them? Also, are there any Big-Time players that the general public has heard of that have come out of Canada?(i.e. been stars for UND or other colleges, or made it to the league)

There have been a lot of Bison fans laughing at the schedule you guys have coming up for next fall, but I am not one of them. Scheduling at the beginning of the transition is not easy. It isn't as though you wanted to schedule all of these teams, it was out of necessity. Your administration put a lot of hard work into getting great teams on the schedule and it just didn't happen. It will, no worries. So fight through the first year(maybe 2) and the schedules will be really exciting when you come out on the other end. Every fanbase has a-holes, we aren't all that way.

Wow, grammar police are on patrol.

Not that it may not be true, but he really throws whoever blocks for him under the bus with the blocked kicks comment down the page.

Maybe it is just me, but that doesn't seem like a great thing to say when you are starting at a new position.

I would say that it depends on whose perspective you are looking at the situation from. From a fan's point of view I would say UND is the better situation. Better facilities, more excitement about the program. But, from a coaches perspective it's a no-brainer IMO. Better paying job, and most importantly the ability to recruit to SIU is much, much easier, they are in the heart of a great recruiting area.

I agree some Bison fans got a little pissy about that, but if you notice more and more "major" sports authorities are becoming more accustomed to the terms.

No I think he meant NDSU v. SUU, where NDSU didn't play Tyler Roehl or Joe Mays and the backups were in at most positions before halftime.

UND may never attain the #1 ranking, they may also attain it within 3-4 years like NDSU. Noone can really say. Success at one level doesn't guarantee it at the next. Mediocrity at one level doesn't guarantee it at the next. It is so hard to make these predictions, I for one see UND doing quite well through the transition. I don't think it is very realistic or even healthy for the program to EXPECT to be as successful as NDSU. Things have fallen into place very quickly for NDSU, alot of it was great preparation but I think alot was also luck. Conference affilitations are all based on luck for the most part and things just worked out well for NDSU. So as good as UND has been I wouldn't expect things to go as well for UND as they did for NDSU. I would be confident that it may go as well, I just wouldn't expect it.

I don't care how accurate any pole has been in the past. If anybody has NDSU and UNO ahead of The University of Texas, it has to be thrown out the window, right? I mean I am a huge NDSU homer but that insane. SOS has to be given a higher priority in these ranking systems.

Have you seen both teams play Bin? I am not trying to antagonize you either I am just curious, because I have not seen UNI play this year.

Before you get too worked up there pal, technically that's true. We are not officially DI until next year.

I am actually enjoying this week with Bison and Sioux fans finally finding something to rally around together. I have been hearing from Sioux fans about this Gopher fan arrogance and high and mighty attitude for years and have never fully understood until this week. The amount of trash talk about our state that I have heard this week is enough to make me sick. I will defend ND until I am blue in the face. I love ND and always will. In the past I have cheered against the Sioux when they played the Gophers in hockey. My reason being the typical if it's bad for UND it's good for NDSU. I no longer feel this way. This week has changed my opinion of most Sioux fans and has definitely lowered my opinion of some Gopher fans. Go Sioux, Go Bison.

I agree with you that UND talk on NDSU message boards and vice versa is still very common, I attribute this mostly to most posters being in the older generations. But, I have not heard 1 UND chant at an NDSU game this year, which I am grateful for. I think we need to understand that the longer NDSU and UND don't play each other, the more students come through each school that have never been introduced to the rivalry. Which means that we will have a generation of alumni that have not been introduced and will grow old not caring about the rivalry. I honestly think that this could be the beginning of the end of this rivalry. I do believe that they will play again in the future, but I don't believe it will be every year.

Fair enough, I am with WYO and would rather see us spend money in other areas. I grew up in a town that was horrible at hockey and have never been a fan of the sport.

Dave, do you want NDSU to have a hockey program? If so, why?

You guys make very good points that I agree with. Murphy I too believe that it matters how you win and not just that you win. Dave I agree that there are many schools that win year in and year out, but remember all of the schools on your list haven't changed levels in the last 50 years, if ever. I believe UND will be successful at the DI-FCS/DI-AA level, my point is that it isn't guaranteed to go as well as NDSU's transition to the next level based on your higher level of success in your final years of D2. NDSU went through a MAJOR coaching change that was the big reason for the programs turnaround. I believe we have had the best coaching staff in our history over the last 5 years. Anyway, we are in agreement on most points. Good Luck to the Sioux during the rest of the season.

We'll just have to agree to disagree, but I will say that where I believe your logic is fundamentally flawed is your assumption that competing at one level has anything to do with competing at the next. Competing one year, for that matter, has little bearing on the next. The players and coaches we are winning with now were not present 3-4 years ago(other than Coach Bohl and maybe one other coach) so how does how we did during our D2 days have anything to do with our success now? This is where we disagree, you think that because UND is good/great now that they will be in the future at the next level, all I am saying is that it guarantees nothing, it barely even suggests that you will be. Just a difference of opinion between you and I.

NDSU has had about as successful a transition as is possible, to say they haven't accomplished something special is inaccurate IMO. Do they have ALOT to prove? Yes. I think saying that we were a good D2 team and you are a great D2 team is also inaccurate. I would say they are both great. I'm just saying don't sit here and tell me you guys would beat Central Michigan and beat Minnesota, when NDSU actually did it. This is where the basis for my opinion comes from. UND and NDSU haven't played in many years now. Fans from both sides have no idea how big the gap is between them, it's possible there isn't one at all. All I'm saying is don't base your opinion of NDSU vs. UND on old information. We used to be similar in talent level, we may still be, but it's POSSIBLE that NDSU is way ahead of UND and that is why we have won all of these big games. As opposed to us winning these games because the others teams aren't very good. At least acknowledge what NDSU has done up until this point. (this post is for DAVE, I know there are alot of fans here that respect what NDSU has done as much as I respect UND's program.)

I think a lot of Sioux fans mistake NDSU's success for UND's success. Us playing the gophers close last year was our accomplishment, and us doing that doesn't guarantee that others can like some fans here seem to think. If we beat the gophers this year it will be an upset, and it won't mean that the Sioux could beat them, it also doesn't mean they couldn't. I just think that with all of the success NDSU has had lately that Sioux fans are thinking that they are guaranteed to do the same. Not intended to rile anyone up, just an observation I guess.