Herd

As an FCS football team, I would love to have 1 of those teams on the schedule each year. With a full FCS conference schedule, this is only room for 1 or 2. I'm hoping for a Wisconsin game within the next 5 years. I can't think of a game that would generate more fan interest (after MN) than a game against WI or NE. If we move to 85 scholarships that would be a dream schedule, but of course, not realistic for a team in the MAC, WAC or bumped up MO Valley to get a game with most of these teams. But wow, who wouldn't want to play even one of these major teams. Who wouldn't want to play the best, besides you of course.

Yeah, the $ is part of the reason why you play up, but there are many many others. I'm not even sure I'd put $ at the top of the list. Fans want solid schedules, not teams no-one cares about Games yearly against top competition in big arenas, mean booster $ DI Games around the country means increased fan base and increased attendance The better recruits and coaches want games agaist major programs to prove themselves Major teams means national exposure. Wins put you on the map. NDSU's game this year at Central Michigan is a huge opportunity for the bison, and it has nothing to do with a big guarantee. It's about a chance to beat the MAC champ. (recruiting +, exposure +, boosters +, coaches +, fans +) Yeah we could just play a 0 scholarship team or a DII and have an extra home game . . . yeah right. If we lose, so be it . . . anyone, anytime, anywhere.

It's almost a mute point as DII teams rarely play up. The sioux played up last year against UNI for the first time in decades, only because they had already announced the DI move. Teams like UND and Grand Valley are more interested in being the big fish in a small pond. Not playing DI team is easier for them as they can spout off against DI without having to deliver. DI teams, on the other hand, play each other and the 63 scholly teams are not afraid of the FBS big boys. Playing up and testing yourself is a way of life in FCS. Most sioux fan will appreciate this change.

I'm not too worried about App. State vs. Mich. Last year the same Ball State team that lost NDSU at home played Michigan within a touchdown and lost on the last play of the game on the road. Ball State, a middle of the road MAC team also played Purdue within 5 and beat Indiana. App St. is closer to Michigan's scholarship level than a DII team would be to a DI team with 63 scholarships. I think that Michigan was ranked in the top 5 at the time of their close call against Ball State. There are many one shot wonder examples, such as your sioux against uni last year. Was Und capable of catching Uni on a down day, yes. Could Und be successful in the Gateway conference with UNI's schedule and 36 scholarships, simply no way with their limited depth. While you cowar at the thought of playing a top level FBS team with your DII squad, a real DI team with 63 scholarships would not. App St. will give Michigan a good game (within 14), as will the bison with MN. Could the sioux stay within 14 of App. St? I doubt it.

The NCAA sponsors 25+ championships at the Division I level. Only 1 sport in Divison I has a subdivision, football. That is why the IA/IAA label, often incorrectly used as an all sport label, was eliminated by the NCAA. The FCS/FBS subdivision labels as directed by the NCAA, are not to be attached to the Division I label when referring to Division I schools. It is just Division I, with subdivisions for football only. In Division I football you can play at the 85 (FBS) or 0-63 (FCS) scholarship level. All other Divsion I sports (25+) play for the same championship with the same scholarship levels, and there is no distiction other than Division I. It doesn't matter if your school has 5000 or 50000 students. For those of you who think DI = DII, you are very wrong. For those of you who think that DII = DI in football, you are wrong. I would gladly pit the top 25 DII football teams against the top 25 DI (FCS) teams and it would be just as lopsided as the top 25 FBS playing the top 25 FCS. It would be 20-36 scholarships against 63 scholarships in DII vs. DI (FCS). Or, 63 scholarships vs. 85 scholoarship in DI (FCS) vs. (FBS). FCS has had some good success against FBS teams in recent years, even against the BCS conferences, and that gap is closing. Those of you that today think the DII top 25 would have significnat success agains the DI (FCS) top 25, you are delusional and you will learn if you ever play a full schedule of good FCS teams. We are talking about an average gap of more than 30+ scholarships. I'm not saying anything bad about DII football, but it is not the same level as DI with 63 scholarships. The small minded attempts by people on this board to confuse readers about Division I athletics and talk down Divison I is hard to understand. This is the very same divsion you are joining. How are you going to spin things when you are actually Division I?

If you think that DI and the FCS subdivision are a joke, why you wasting your time and money? When you start posting 0.500 records in FCS football, you won't by laughing. I guess that depends on whether you actually play top completition at the FCS level or not. I'm sure that you won't be for most of your 5 year transition, other than a few here and there. I'm sure that there is no way the Bison should scheduling you, being that DI FCS football is such a joke. Hopefully you will stay DII, you have my full support.

UND and USD would be wise to package themselves. USD would benefit from UND's facilities and athletic success, and UND would benefit from USD geography. Without the package, both may have some dealbreakers.

Your suggestion that NDSU would leave the Summit/Gateway for the Big Sky has zero potential now or ever. The BSC would be a step down in both basketball and football, and it's in the wrong time zone. The Gateway is awesome and will be a possible stepping stone to the Valley. Not going to happen. I could see you guys pursuing the Sky, but not the bison.

I'm sorry, I should have your favorite DI sports preferences in mind when I interpret your erroneous use of the DI nomenclature. My bad.

Indignant bison fan (me) correcting ignorant sioux fan (you). You actually posted a correct reference.

App St. and UNI play for the same championship in all DI sports as USC and ND, with the exception of football where they play in the FCS vs. FBS subdivisions, both in DI. App St. and UNI are DI schools, no more no less, than USC and ND. Number of students, t-shirts sold, number of people at the game means nothing. If you play for the same championship, you are on the same level. You are right about 1 thing, both App St. and UNI would probably have beaten up on ND on the basketball court last year. Maybe they aren't on the same level, and maybe ND with its small student population should think about going DII? You make a good point on that!

Feel free to demonstrate your ignorance. You have my support.

Compared to your knowledge of DI, yes I think that title fits. Division I-AA is old language and is dead, no longer exists. It's just DI, DII, DIII . . . that's it. I think that's the 12th time that I communicated that to you personnally.

OK, what is it? It is damn good football where the best teams can complete with the mid to top level FBS. Here is what it is and is not. What it is: Division I schools playing 63 scholarship football. Division I schools that complete with all other Division I schools in all other sports. Some games against Division I 85 scholarship schools that count toward bowl eligibility for those schools Division I Football Championship Subdivision, did I say Divison I Fans who say, bring on the completition What it is Not: Division II schools or Division II Division III schools or Division III NAIA schools Division IA or IAA FBS football (no, its FCS) 36 scholarship football with DII schools Schools that are afraid to compete and play up Whiny ass fans with an inferiority complex that criticize FCS (these folks are definitely DII, and they should stay there)

Disagree, DI is the best thing that every happened to NDSU and the Dakota schools. Look at the schedules for 2007-2008, the enthusiasm is 10x what it would have been in DII. The lowering of schollies gave us the push to DI and did us a favor. That is where our schools belong, you will see. Not to pick on UND, but your schedules the past few years (all DII sports considered) have to be leaving you feeling a little empty inside. Just watch the enthusiasm that you will bring back to your fan base over the next 5 years, it will be huge, and you will wonder why you didn't make the move 10 years ago.

If this had been a fight, your corner would have thrown in the towel by now DK. You threw a lot of punch, but just not much behind them. As long as you don't make the state of ND look like idiots again out on AGS, I won't be back to visit. Say what you want on this board, but use some discretion when all of FCS is listening. Best wishes to the sioux for a successful transition, sincerely. Good day

If you are going to put down an L for the bison before the game, that's right, use a pencil. It's good to know that that the new scheduling model for the Sioux will actually be against "quality" opponents. Again, just quoting from your post. And as for the hate'in on the bison, that's just a shame, I was counting on your full support.

I also hope that you don't lower yourselves to playing Minnesota. Hopefully the bison will get all those games, and you can pull in a DII guarantee game that week at the Al against the Northern Sun. Yeah, and last year when the bison got completely trampled in MN, it left such a bad tastein my mouth and I felt so dirty. Then to turn around and see Ball St. play Michigan within a TD left me all empty inside. What is the word you used, whore out, or something like that. Wow, I am learning so much from you.

FCS football is part of DI, that is why FBS/FCS games count toward bowl eligibility. FCS is what it is, that is 63 scholarship football playing for the DI football championship. I am excited about the emphasis made by the ncaa to reconcile the DI division and create more competitoin between the FCS/FBS teams. This is definitely good for college football. The BCS championship is clearly the marquee championship, but the recent changes are bringing much greater exposure to the FCS subdivision of DI. The number games televised with FCS teams is rapidly growing.

I would be shocked to see subdivisions in BB. Who would want to complete in the lower level when the big prize is there? For basketball how would you create a lower level, it would have to be through scolarship reductions, and when you only have 12-15 scholarships in the first place, why would you want to drop to a lower scholly level. Doesn't make any sence to me for BB, but we will see. Have a single DI division is great IMO and creates opportunity and parity for great play across the country, and I don't see that changing. In football you can create a sub-division, but how would you do it in BB. I would never want my school playing in a lower subdivison of DI BB, no way. It defeats the whole purpose of being DI. For Football, why do you think that so many teams want to play in the 85 scholarship sub division? The prize, the prize. One special year can put your school on the map. Look at Boise State example last year. The only schools that I will remember in 5 years for the 2007 Bowl season were Bosie, Florida, and unfortunately MN. That fact the BCS championship for FBS football teams is so hard to win, make it all the more special. This elevates (not diminishes) the FBS champion. I hope my team will aspire to that level, but first I want to see some DI championships in FCS.

Hey, most FBS schools including a lot of the Big Ten will never get on Notre Dame's football schedule, that is not a fair comparison. I will gladly settle for Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma, NC State, TX A&M, Oregon, and schools like that. And yes, we will play games like these in your lifetime, assuming you have a few years left.

So, what are you going to do when your school actually schedules an FBS school, man-up and cheer your ass off, or jump off a building? Most sioux fans will man-up and get behind their team, I'm not so sure about you. There will probably be bison fans like me cheering louder than you.

Basketball, no way. If you don't like the DI competition, you just go DII. It is much different than football. In Football, the scholarships require so much cash that the subdivisions are needed just for the economics. And the game is brutal.

So when you sell t-shirt and hats with your school's logo on it, you actually earn points toward the national championship? Since when does selling merchandise have anything to do with competing for a national championship. This is the big time, you better throw out the small mindedness or drop back to DII. It sounds like you already have.

My school is on the same level as Notre Dame and USC in every sport that they are competing for the same championship. In football my school completes for the DI Football Championship while USC completes for the BSC championship because of their scholoarship level being 85, but we will play them if they want a game. Bring on the Competition.