MafiaMan

WYOBISONFAN...still living off of the Perry Tuttle 1983 NCAA title, are we? Clemson has great tradition and yes, they have their own "Death Valley," but let's let the Tigers and Bayou Bengals debate that. No sense being the Hatfields and McCoys over this issue. Here we go again, Bisonfan1234...another fan touting the University of Toledo as a "big-time" Division I football opponent. Gimme a frickin' break. Non-conference opponents for the Gophers... 2004: Toledo, Illinois State, Colorado State. I'll spot you that CSU is decent, even a top 25 club. 2003: Tulsa, Troy State, @ Ohio, Louisiana-Lafayette - you're kidding, right? I remember this 4-0 run that vaulted Minnesota into the top 25. Ugh. 2002: Texas State, @ Louisiana-Lafayette, Toledo, Buffalo - Buffalo...if memory serves me right, rated the worst D-1 school of the 117 D-1's three years running. Didn't Scott Bakula play in a bad movie in the 1980's with a green Texas State team? Sheesh. What a sad schedule. 2001: @ Toledo, Louisiana-Lafayette, Murray State - MURRAY FREAKIN' STATE? Michigan non-conference schedule over the same period.. 2004: Miami (OH), @ Notre Dame, San Diego State - Nothing major, but the Notre Dame game is a huge rivalry so anything can happen. And I'm sure ND will have revenge on their mind after last year's humiliating loss in Ann Arbor. 2003: Central Michigan, Houston, Notre Dame, @ Oregon - Smaller Michigan schools contracting to play at the Big House, Houston ended up being a Bowl team by the end of the season, again, big rivalry with Notre Dame that turned out to be disaster for NDU this time around, and @ Oregon...two out of four big-name opponents. 2002: Washington, @ Western Michigan, @ Notre Dame, Utah - I was at this home opener...#8 vs #9 in the country. Washington went on to lose a heart-breaker and had a disappointing season. @ Notre Dame was a loss for Michigan in a surprising big season for the Irish. Again, two good opponents in four non-conference games right out of the chute. 2001: Miami (OH), @ Washington, Western Michigan - Another big loss on the road to a big-time opponent in September for Michigan. One out of three solid clubs, two cupcakes. The defense rests, Bisonfan1234. The bottom line is you tout potential top 25 opponents as major players all you want. Glenn Mason can be happy with his Sun Bowl trophies. At Michigan, coaches are fired for 8-4 seasons. Now...back to the North Dakota move up to D1-AA debate...

Thanks for the compliments, boys. I thought my other avatar was good, too, but you can't clearly see the bikini-clad girls from the King of Diamonds in it. Funny funny story from last night's game...my buddy (in his 1980 white USA jersey) and I (red 1980 CCCP jersey) are sitting three rows up behind the goalie. I'm 34, he's 33...after the first intermission, a half-dozen Russian college girls dressed up with face-paint and bedecked in the Russian flag show up asking to take a picture with us. The whole section was razzing me about supporting the "commies," but their jaws dropped when this flock of hotties came over to us. I have the pic...it's a matter of time before it's posted! Note to self: Russian Red Army hockey jersey tonite for the Slovakia game.

Doesn't Minnesota pack its schedule with enough patsies already? Michigan opens up two years ago with Notre Dame in what was supposed to be a big game...Minnesota, on the other hand, opens up with THE Ohio University. Cupcake U!

I think 20,000 Gopher fans is a bit optimistic. They only sell out WI, Michigan, and Iowa because of the number of OPPOSING fans who buy all the tickets!

How many fans would truly show up to see UND get beat 77-0 by Minnesota? My guess is not many.

And that's where I have a problem with going big-time. It's not about being competitive in a D-II or DI-AA conference, it's about getting your a** whooped once or twice a season so the athletic department can rake in some big bucks. THERE is the problem with college sports these days.

What's your point, IowaBison? There are pluses and minuses for everything. I totally agree with what an earlier poster stated. Going DI-AA isn't going to get more kids from Oakes, Fargo South, or Watford City onto the football team at UND. It's going to result in kids from Miami, Detroit, or Chicago who aren't good enough for D-1 coming to North Dakota for football. That I think is a big minus. However, there are the obvious "prestige" reasons to want to be a D-1 school, whether it be with the big boys or DI-AA.

I concur, Frankenstein. I seem to recall another former D-II school jumping up the ladder...anyone remember Troy State? Look up their past few years...you'll see some absolute drubbings at the hands of Nebraska. And that's a recruiting selling point?

And I believe I stated some opinions on that, IowaBison.

Not until WYOBISONMAN admits that I am right!

WYOBISONMAN, Trust me, I've been in Baton Rouge. The ONLY Death Valley is the home of the Bayou Bengals. They poke fun of Clemson's version. Click on the attached link and scroll down for the picture of the stadium and some info. Tiger Stadium (91,600)

The Gopher football program plays in a joke of a stadium with absolutely ZERO atmosphere. Look me up when the Big 10 football season is over, Bisonfan1234. I'm keeping your quote for future reference when I need a good chuckle. Big 10 champs, huh? If that happens, I'll draw a red circle with a slash thru it over my Sioux tatt.

DaveK, Amen! The only bad thing about Memorial Stadium was the artificial turf. Michigan Stadium is no work of art...it's old and you are packed in like sardines on a hot summer day...or snuggled up when it's 30 degrees outside. But the atmosphere is what makes it. The Alerus Center is Grand Forks' Metrodome. Yawn.

Coming from someone with an NDSU background (my dad and my two sisters went to school there), I always rooted for NDSU its football games except when they played UND. I grew up watching the NDSU/UND game on TV and it was quite honestly, the ONLY football game that my dad would watch. That being said, I consider myself somewhat of a fan of NDSU football, despite having graduated from UND in 1992 and having the Sioux logo tattooed on my back left shoulderblade (for hockey purposes obviously). What's funny is the banter back and forth between die-hard Sioux football fans and I-bleed-green-and-yellow Bison football fans. Let's look at the facts, shall we? UND plays big-whoop-dee-doo Division II football. Having personally attended a half-dozen Michigan games at The Big House, I can honestly tell you how small-time Sioux football is. Do I support the Sioux? Yes. Did I watch them win the title a few years ago and lose a heart-breaker last year? Yes again. Does it remotely compare to seeing 107,514 fans sitting in Michigan Stadium? Not even close. On the other hand, NDSU is spouting off about how "big-time" its program is now that they're (and I use this term loosely) "Division I." Keep in mind, you're Division I-AA, folks. Again, big difference. And if you think playing "big-time" D-1 football is heading to the Metrodome for a thumping at the hands of Big 10 wanna-be Minnesota (2003-2004 Sun Bowl Champs!), you have another thing coming. Until you've seen the sea of red at Nebraska, 107,000+ at Michigan, the Horseshoe and Ohio State, USC vs UCLA, Death Valley at LSU, Florida/Georgia, or even the steam at Miami's Orange Bowl, you're still small-time. I'm glad folks in Fargo are proud of beating up Valparaiso, the school still living off of Bryce Drew's miracle basketball shot against Ole Miss several years ago. Big whoop-dee-doo number two. Now, if we're going to argue what's better, DII or D1-AA, we might as well discuss what's better, checkers or chess? It's pointless to even argue. I hope NDSU goes on to do well in D1-AA and quite honestly, I hope UND decides to move up the rest of their sports within a few years so these two schools can renew their storied rivalry. It's a shame that it had to end this season. Good luck to NDSU in D1-AA this season. It'll be interesting to see how it works out. And good luck to UND, too, obviously. Avenge the GVSU game! MafiaMan

ScottM...funny stuff...I hear it's so "Woog-esque," that David Hakstol is giving out several scholarships himself to help out the recruits!

Greyeagle, Have a seat and watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

jloos, I stand corrected. Goon was referring to TC Transplant, not WPos. Is anyone going to the WCOH game tonite? I do have a blue USA jersey, but so do 10,000 other fans heading into tonite's game. I'm trying to make a statement. The funny part is, my buddy will be wearing his white 1980 USA jersey. Row 3, right behind the goalie as you look to the left side of your TV screen.

Goon...ease up on WPoS...he's actually pretty cool. Hey, WPoS, you goin' to the USA/Russia game tonite at Xcel? I'll be there in my red CCCP jersey.

Not to beat a dead horse with the # of NCAA titles issue, but has anyone noticed that ANOTHER team now has more titles than Minnesota? Yep...that was Denver's SIXTH last season, although the first in a long, long time. 6>5!

I've always been curious as to what happened with Travis. Last I recall, he was broadcasting games somewhere... One thing I wondered, though, was I remember back in college that he had a girlfriend who was "standing by him" throughout his ordeal. Whatever happened with that? I haven't heard any details about Travis' personal life other than the check. Anyone know?

I take that back, sorry state of hockey...my favorite Gopher "moment" would have to be 1980-2001. It's just too bad that that streak had to end.

That's pretty witty of you, sorry state of hockey...I think my favorite Gopher memory is of teary-eyed Grant Potulny weeping like a baby after getting spanked around by UMD last spring. THERE'S NO CRYING IN HOCKEY!

Apparently my scantily-clad babes aren't good enough for the "best avatar" category.

OK, Parise Freak, here's the 4-1-1. The cowbell refers to an SNL skit of "VH-1's Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult." In the video, the cowbell seems to take on a life of its own and the band members all get upset at how loud it is. The director constantly adds his two cents after the guitar players and lead singer get riled up and stop play in the video shoot. In fact, the "band" almost comes to blows with the cowbell player. Some of the director's witty one-liners: "I got a fever...for 'dat cowbell." "I'm tellin' ya...you're gonna want more cowbell." "I need more cowbell!" It might be one of those "you had to see it to appreciate it" bits, but trust me, it was a gut-buster.

That being said....1996-1997 Sioux. Picked to finish (I believe) 5th in the conference, they win the co-MacNaughton Cup along with the Gophers, defeat Goldy at the old St Paul Civic Center in the Final Five, then advance to the Frozen Four and beat CC. Michigan gets beat in what might be the biggest college hockey upset ever by BU, and NoDak wins the title after being completely dominated by BU in a 2-0 first period deficit. Truly, one of the most unexpected seasons in Sioux history. In my opinion anyways... Now, that being said...I'm tellin' ya...."you're gonna WANT more cowbell!"