JackJD

Well done! But do you have to drag SDSU in this long-standing battle with NDSU?

Hayduke: I would have put you in with the 'weavers', not the 'tinkers'. (For the uninitiated: you just have to know a little about the SD Mines v Black Hills State rivalry.)

SDSU’s D1 move was promoted by the University’s President and AD as something the school must do to join its peers. SDSU made the change because the entire University – not just the athletics department – wanted to upgrade. The discussion at SDSU involved the entire University, athletics, academics, research and research dollars, everything. Athletics was the visible change (the old “front porch” analogy). Much of the change was simply attitude. UND92,96 is right: the move to D1 itself parallels SDSU football success. I was a student athlete at SDSU when UNI announced it was leaving the NCC. Perhaps that was when SDSU should have moved up. Certainly when SDSU and NDSU made the move, it wasn't too early in my book. SDSU has had more football success relative to recent DII days -- interesting because we had the same coach, same facilities. I think the difference is a new commitment. We’ve added coaches, funding, building new facilities like crazy etc. SDSU football is now an “event” like never before. But SDSU renewed its commitment to all sports. Last year SDSU won its second consecutive Summit League Commissioner’s Cup for its success in all Summit League sports. SDSU won the commissioner’s awards for both men and women in 2013-14. SDSU has been building a new foundation for athletics but it’s just a part of a bigger picture about SDSU. We have a great administration including a top-notch AD who have universal support. We continue to build the foundation required for sustained success in all sports, football included. (And we're really great people, too. )

SDSU's quarterback, Austin Sumner, the pre-season all-MVFC pick, out for 6-8 weeks. I haven't heard the official report of the injury but unofficial reports say broken bone in foot very early in the Missouri game. SDSU has a competent backup who stepped right in (played one year in California Juco) and did okay. SDSU hosts Cal Poly next weekend. USD's quarterback, Kevin Earl, the pre-season #2 QB in the MVFC, out for 6-8 weeks too. He broke his thumb on his throwing hand in the Oregon game. I don't know what they have for a backup. Josh VanderMaaten had been the starting QB for USD last year but was replaced mid-season by Earl and moved to wide receiver. I wonder if VanderMaaten will come in on a temporary basis...next week USD hosts something called William Penn. Meanwhile, NDSU's QB looked very good. Sure, ISU is suspect and once they got punched, seemed to lie down and take a beating from the Bison.

Let's leave the Jackrabbits out of the "discussion" between UND and NDSU.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I've been reading this thread -- my team, the Jackrabbits, has nothing to do with the dispute. Anyway, while I will not pretend to understand what the heck's going on in the dispute, the above post puzzled me. I am generally familiar with funding sources for athletics at SDSU and USD and it does not involve money from tax revenues. The poster quoted above states his brother has the basis to complain because he's a taxpayer -- suggesting tax revenues in North Dakota support athletics at UND and NDSU. I understand that is the case in some places (UNI, for example, at least in the recent past, received direct tax-revenue-support for its athletics programs). Do tax revenues directly support athletics at UND or NDSU? (Perhaps the point is nothing more than because they are institutions that receive some public support, all taxpayers have the right to question anything that goes on at the institutions...fair enough if that's the point but the way it was presented suggests tax revenues are supporting athletics. I didn't think that was the case in ND any more than it is the case in SD.)

If by that statement you mean the process didn't get to the point where the Regents' took a vote, then I agree. But if you mean the Regents voted and didn't approve, then I, supported the actual facts, disagree. My point all along has been a simple one: The SD Board of Regents did not prevent USD from joining the Big Sky. I do not dispute USD was going down the road to joining the Big Sky and changed course at a late hour after the MVFC decided to invite USD (which had already committed to the Summit...but was going to back out of the Summit commitment for the Big Sky because the Big Sky provided a home for all USD sports). Is the nail even with the board yet?

Bincity: Below is a link to the Big Sky Conference press release from 11/1/2010 announcing the inclusion of UND and SUU and stating "The Big Sky Conference is also on the verge of announcing the addition of the University of South Dakota as a 12th core member." Near the end of the press release, is the following: The University of South Dakota figures to be the final piece in the Big Sky expansion. The Coyotes of Vermillion, S.D., also compete in the Great West Conference for football. South Dakota and North Dakota are formal Division II rivals in the North Central Conference. Like North Dakota, South Dakota began the transition to Division I in 2007 and will be eligible for Big Sky and NCAA Championships starting with the 2012-13 season. “We are negotiating with South Dakota,’’ Fullerton said. “They want to be part of the Big Sky Conference and we want them to be a member. They are just awaiting a final approval process. Approval processes are different at each school.’’ Prior to the press release coming out, the Summit had invited USD and USD was committed to the Summit but that left USD in a dilemma: it had no home for its football program. The Big Sky came along with the perfect solution: all sports in the Big Sky. That galvanized the Summit schools which also played in the MVFC to lobby for a MVFC invite to USD. Up to that point, the MVFC had made clear it was not interested in expansion. The invite was put together and USD, having solved the problem of having a home for football, held to its plans to join the Summit League. (Interesting: SDSU was a strong supporter of getting USD into the MVFC which would solidify USD's plan to join the Summit League. While the relationship between SDSU and USD has its unpleasant times, both schools recognized there can be joint benefits when they work together. Here's the link: http://www.bigskycon...1101105326.aspx

bin: Your claim about the SD Board of Regents' involvement in USD's decision on which league to join is false. I wonder if the basis for your claim is the point that the Board of Regents in South Dakota would have been asked to approve USD joining the Big Sky -- just like it was asked to approve USD joining the MVFC and the Summit League. The BOR was not dictating what USD should do. Pres. Abbott's administration was going to join UND in the move to the Big Sky so that the Coyotes had a home for essentially all of its sports. The Big Sky announced UND's joinder and also stated USD was expected to join and was just waiting for BOR approval. That approval was expected by everyone. The MVFC coaches got involved and from there the institutions' Presidents made the call: invite USD to the MVFC. The Summit had made clear the door was open to USD but, of course, the Summit couldn't provide the important home for football. Once the MVFC came calling, USD Pres. Abbott said: put it in writing; they did; USD signed. The SD BOR did nothing to interfere with USD going to the Big Sky. USD's location made a lot of sense for the Summit and better sense for the MVFC than other schools. Location translates to travel savings for USD compared to a Big Sky affiliation. I watched the events unfold over the course of just a few days. USD was clearly going to join the Big Sky until the MVFC committed. I know nothing about the inner-workings of the North Dakota equivalent of the SD Board of Regents but I have the impression that the two entities may have different philosophies about involvement in intercollegiate athletics -- not saying one is better than the other, just they are different. The SD Board of Regents has been very supportive of both SDSU's and USD's changes in athletics (as they are of Black Hill State U's and SD Tech's change to NCAA DII). The Regents impose some strict requirements about funding etc. but lets the big-picture decision-making be made by the institutions. The Regents did not interfere with USD's exploration and eventual decision about conference affiliation. I'm a casual visitor to this board, I suppose my interest relates back to the days when I was at SDSU and later USD and those schools and UND were in the NCC. I recognize that you, bincity, are a frequent poster on this board and it seems to me that at times you may subscribe to the notion that if an idea is repeated often enough, people start accepting it as true even though it may be made out of thin air. (Everyone's "friend", the human virus Lakesbison is a master as repeating the same crap all the time...fortunately, it goes nowhere because everyone knows he's nuts. Bin, I think you're not known to be nuts so that is why I respond on this one point about whether the SD Board of Regents somehow blocked USD joining the Big Sky. You continue to repeat a point that is false.)

That is particularly worrisome if Lakes starts posting there.

This thread may set a record to falsehoods on both sides. I'm chiming in only to point out the statement on the SD Board of Regents is wrong. USD darn-near went to the Big Sky and it was only after some 11th hour negotiating with the MVFC that USD accepted an offer to go with the Summit and the MVFC.

That's not accurate. Larson got into trouble at Florida and Donovan took away his scholarship but he wasn't booted from the team - that was in the news in April, 2012. Donovan left it up to Cody to work hard and earn a spot on the team and in the Spring of 2012, Larson was working as hard as anyone on the team at Florida in the off season and Donovan said so to the press. But, that summer, Cody decided to take a break from basketball -- it was Cody's decision. Cody remained at Florida for the 2012-13 academic year, working on a double major and getting good grades (he's capable of 4.0 or nearly 4.0 work). As the academic year was winding down, he was thinking about returning to basketball and he decided to transfer to SDSU. An application was made to the NCAA for determination of his remaining eligibility. The NCAA cleared him to play this year, the first of two years of remaining eligibility. Some who had followed Cody's career always said he'd return to South Dakota and likely SDSU. Cody's known several of the guys on SDSU's team from AAU ball in high school days. I think its a great matchup for Cody and for SDSU. Cody has a sister who is a student/athlete at SDSU.

final score: SDSU 77, UND 70

Today's "Weekend Wrap" by ESPN's Graham Hays includes a side-bar feature on UND's Madi Buck's performance in the NDSU game. I confess the main story focusing on SDSU's home-court win over #12 Penn State is what caught my interest but nice to see Hays took note of Buck's performance too. Here's a link: http://espn.go.com/n...k-biggest-upset

final: SDSU 85, Belmont 72. Jacks finally put the pieces together...very balanced effort against a great Belmont team. SDSU will continue to have some rough spots as they find their identity without Wolters but that identity is emerging. Jacks will be a definite underdog coming to Grand Forks but I wouldn't bet against them. Should be a very good game.

Perhaps some good news for NDSU fans: It is being reported by media outlets that the human virus, lakesbison, will go with Bohl to Laramie. (Add link to Rick Astley video).

That was message board speculation.

Caught part of the game on Midco. UND looked good. Some have commented in this thread about NDSU expected to win the Summit League. That was/is the pre-season conventional wisdom but not in Brookings. SDSU fans know we have to go through a transition, figuring out some things without Wolters. The guard who will run things is injured so that's causing the transition to slow. But, we are confident that when the conference season comes around, SDSU will put a good team on the floor, one that will improve throughout the season and we hope NDSU has been buying all the pre-season predictions about winning the Summit League ('cuz it ain't gonna happen for our friends in Fargo). SDSU put some nice minutes in last night in a win over Howard -- now, Howard is going to have some struggles because they're very young (something like 10 new guys on the team). As I write this, we're starting to dismantle a decent Lehigh team. SDSU's Cody Larson, the transfer from Florida dominated last night (24pts) and is starting to do that again tonight. SDSU comes to Grand Forks 12/21. We had a rough time up there two years ago, struggled at home against UND last year and from what I saw the other night, it probably won't be a pleasant trip this year.

It is named the "Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex" and Sanford contributed $10 million to the $32+ cost. The money's in the bank and we're building now.

Sheesh. Leave the Jacks out of the meltdown! Recruiting to SDSU has become relatively easy since the move to D1 and there are a number of reasons for that and facilities is one of the minor factors -- or, from your point of view, apparently not a factor at all. If that is the case, then take your facilities out of the equation and ask that question again: Why is SDSU getting the athletes? By the way, SDSU's facilities are not as bad as you suggest. Sure, the outdoor football stadium has reached the end of its useful life. But, it will be replaced in just a few years with a 22,000-seat facility that will surpass every FCS stadium in this part of the country (isn't that the way it is with facilities...its like playing leapfrog with your competitors, everyone taking a turn having the best). And it will remain an outdoor facility which I think most fans prefer for all but maybe one game every five years. The Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center located at the north end of the football stadium opened in 2010. It is an outstanding facility. Construction is now underway for the indoor practice facility that will include a 100-yard turf, 300m track etc. It is scheduled to open by the start of school in the fall of next year, 2014.

I'm checking out. Gotta scream at the TV.

This game is bugging me...UND is going to score again.

Eagan, MN kid. Was a stud running back his junior year and then his team's quarterback was injured his senior year so his coached asked him to play QB -- which he did well. But, he just didn't get on the radar of a lot of schools. We spotted him his junior year and went after him. I think he visited a Gopher game but the Gophers didn't go after him (they've since said they missed a good one...Pat Ruesse in the StarTribute has chided the Gophers coaches a couple of times on how they missed Zenner in football and Nate Wolters in basketball).

Crap...I have about that many posts (but have been signed up on this board for many years)...guess I'll check out. Good luck the rest of the season.

Zenner wants to be an orthopedic surgeon. He's a top student. He's the kind of guy that if he lived next door to you, tomorrow he'd be playing football in your backyard with your seven-year old kid (and the seven-year old would win).