Bison06

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.

Is this how the majority of Sioux fans feel? I was honestly under the impression that Mr. Buning was well liked from most everyone.

No way, he is far too arrogant and full of himself to associate himself with a classy program like UND.

Whether or not these smaller DI schools can compete or not is not the issue at all. It is that they have to right to let recruits know that technically they have just as good of a chance to play for a title as Duke or NC. Now, I know that no recruit in their right mind will ever confuse UND or NDSU with DUKE or FLORIDA in basketball. But, that doesn't mean that we don't all compete on the same level. Hypothetical situation-If high schools were able to recruit in ND, this would be the same as fargo south telling recruits that devils lake or wahpeton don't play at the same level as them for football. The recruit, who was planning on visiting these schools because he is very intrigued by them, decides not to even check them out or give them another thought because of misinformation given to them. It absolute BS that schools were able to lie to recruits and it is an absolutely wonderful thing that this power was taken out of their hands.

I don't disagree with any of that. But, does that mean that these big schools should use an unfair advantage to sway kids that are on the fence between Florida St. lets say and Southern Illinois or Northern Iowa? Kids can go wherever they choose to go, but they should have accurate information to make that decision IMO. I don't understand why this is being met with so much resistance from some on this board. Would any of you like your children to be lied to during the recruiting process? I know I won't when I get to that point in my life.

I think you may be doing just that. It can be very confusing for young kids to know who is telling them the truth and who isn't. Especially during such a fast-paced process as recruiting can be. It was the right move for the NCAA to take that ability out of the hands of "Big School" coaches. They were purposely decieving young kids and that just isn't right. I don't think that you should be able to blatantly and knowingly lie to a young adult about your school being on a higher level for a sport when it clearly isn't.

Do you really expect an 17 or 18 year old kid to understand the difference, when they have a coach in their living room telling them what to think?

Originally, no it wasn't meant as derogatory. But, as many have pointed out it had been used that way by many schools to fool potential recruits. It is in that way that I was referring to the inaccurate and negative connotation with that label. I do apologize for the mistake in my post, I put BCS and I meant FBS. Like I said I am still getting used to the new terms. But, for all of the reasons given I fully support the name change and will continue to call them by their current names. If you want to continue calling them by the old names, I have no problem with that. I just think it puts the schools we both cheer for at a disadvantage with recruiting for sports other than football.

I can understand you all being a little hesitant to begin using the FCS moniker. I have trouble with it myself at times. But, soon it will become more commonplace and people will understand what you are saying when you mention FCS and BCS. What I don't understand is why some of us here consider it to be an inferiority complex for us to use these terms. Plain and simple, they are more accurate and more descriptive than the old terms. If we all could understand that using a term like I-AA puts an INACCURATE negative connotation on your school than I think we would be more apt to support the change.

I think that even if Lennon leaves, UND has a much better chance at success early in their transition than USD. True, USD has had recent success on the field, but I am not convinced yet that they can sustain that long term. In terms of recruiting,I think that football wise USD will be playing second fiddle to SDSU for many years to come. I am well aware that this isn't necessarily a reflection on their programs, but you have to remember these are young kids making these decisions on where they will play football. Alot of kids make that decision based on who is the most well known school in that sport. I believe the same case could be made for UND vs. NDSU. More to the point though, It would be a major loss for UND at this point in the transition to lose Coach Lennon. IMO, he has single-handedly kept that program competetive during his tenure. I also believe that he won't take the job.

That's exactly the problem I have with those guys. They have this illusion that they're a lot better and a lot more relevant than they are in reality. That's what I meant by keep your ego in check.

I would pose this question on bisonville, but since the discussion has been going here for awhile I will ask it here. Does NDSU have an endowment fund set up? And if so, how much money is in the fund? I am also curious if someone could lay out specifically what money in the UND endowment fund is used for at the university? Thanks.

I guess I knew he was fast, but never thought he had the physical tools to play at the next level. I have never seen him as an elite player for UND, am I wrong or is this surprising to others too.

There no such thing as middle ground with you is there Dave. Haha. I will give you that you always have a strong opinion one way or the other. I think he still has some gas in the tank and if given the right situation he can still be a go to guy in this league. I don't know if Green Bay would be the best situation for him but I think he would excell with a quarterback like Favre who just likes to throw the ball up and let his receivers go up and get it.