Bison06

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.

Serious question, I read a previous poster say you guys would beat U of M this year. Is that how you guys feel about your team or is he the only one. I know UND is good this year, but that seems like a stretch to me. Comments?

What does that say about UND fans at our message boards?

I'm not saying that they are comparable even if you have seen them play, at least that way you would have some frame of reference. Some Sioux fans (and Bison fans) haven't even seen the other squad play since 2003, which makes them totally unqualified to be making a comment about who would beat who.

Well I'm not daddy so I don't care who started it, my point was how can you compare two teams you haven't seen play?

Honest question to all here. Have all of you making claims as to who would beat who seen both teams play recently?

Even though it is SIOUX football, I'll take any chance I can get to start the football season earlier and get my fix. I'd like to listen to the game tonight for free. What are my options? Thank you in advance.

So it's just the same argument as always, Big fish small pond vs. small fish big pond. I see them as equal on a national scale.

I believe this has been stated earlier on this board, but I will say it again because I believe it to be true. FCS football is as popular in the national spotlight as NCAA college hockey. I don't think one can be big-time without the other being the same. I think that SOME UND hockey fans are just as dilusional about how important thier sport is as you see SOME NDSU football fans. We both have crazies, we both have logical fans, I don't know why we can't just admit that.

I'm simply pointing out that you don't have to get major coverage on ESPN to be big-time. I for one think UND hockey is big-time, but they hardly get mentioned on ESPN until the Frozen Four. I also think FCS football is big-time, depending on which two teams are playing. I just think it was a bad definition of big-time, not a shot at UND hockey.

I hate to be argumentative here because I really don't want any part of this little pissing match, but by that definition of big-time, do you then consider UND hockey to be big-time?

I think if we all were objective about the situation over the last 5 years between the two schools, we could agree that neither UND not wanting to play NDSU when we started our transition, nor NDSU doing the same now has anything to do with being afraid of the on-field outcomes. It wasn't good for UND in the past to play NDSU for reasons that have been discussed here and other places ad nauseum, and now it isn't good for NDSU to show the rest of the state that UND is now in the same sub-division in football as NDSU. NDSU has pulled away from the pack a little in the last five years in the eyes of most North Dakotans, why would they want to risk losing all of that, and they would, by playing you guys now. Why do your rival a favor. Let's all be honest with ourselves, this is the reason the game isn't being played and I think all of us realize it. NDSU has never been afraid of UND and vice versa, that's what makes it such a great rivalry. The game will be played again, but not until UND shows it can stand on it's own feet in this new division. I believe it won't take very long for you guys to accomplish that.

Our players would absolutely love that schedule and so would UND's. I realize as we get older that wins and looking good for boosters matter. But, players still have that 18 y/o ego and most guys probably think they should have ended up at one of these schools. You'll find out that your players will be much happier playing teams their friends have heard of or have played on video games than they are playing for, in the grand scheme of things, a meaningless championship. I am not downplaying d2 championships because I personally think they are a VERY big deal, but most people don't.