jdub27

Not a real apples to apples comparison comparing an outdoor game or one at MSG. Those are pretty special "one-off" type games. The Winnipeg game only drew 7,000 and that is a smaller commitment of time and money than the other two. I don't think the demand for Sioux Falls would be as strong as it is be for Fargo because it is closer for a huge portion of the fan base and doesn't require the time commitment or dollars to attend. Minneapolis/St. Paul is a huge alumni base for UND but the crowds for regionals there always seem to be lacking (even if it is only a week's notice). That's not saying it wouldn't be better attended than most regionals but I don't think it would sell-out. Fargo was a slam-dunk for me because it is easy. Not as certain I'd go to Sioux Falls. Other than more UND fans getting a chance to go, what benefits would Sioux Falls have over Fargo? The atmosphere wouldn't be any better. The team would spend more time away from home/normal routines. Did they even stay in Fargo two years ago or did they drive home and sleep in their own beds? It doesn't bother the FargoU fans as much (which is just an added side bonus). As for getting tickets for Fargo, if you were above #400 in the Champions Club, you had the exact same chance of getting tickets as everyone else above, whether you give $1,000+ or $100/year.

I was told that UND more or less sold out their allotment of 7,000 assigned tickets and then started selling BC's portion, which was obvious due to the amount of green in prime seats on the other side of the arena. Then add in people who bought tickets outside of those two areas. Knowing that info, I'm finding it hard to see how something 8,000 or a little more is a wild overestimate.

Suites were sold out long before the tickets were. Good effort though. Though the guy at Scheels Arena said that some suite holders will sell their extra tickets for around $300/seat.

Looked like UND made a conscious decision to not double Werner for the majority of the game even after he started rolling. Guessing the thought process was that it was better to take your chances on Werner cooling down than sending a double team down on him and leaving one of their shooters open, giving them a chance to start rolling which would have given NDSU a much better chance to get back in the game.

I asked someone involved with the process about the potential conflict before the brackets were announced and was told that UND made it known to the NCAA. Apparently they didn't care. As for what you heard on the radio, just like the rest of the self-important BS, take it with a large grain of salt.

Game time change was announced a couple months ago, so nothing new there (TV reasons I believe). MSG has free WiFi, guessing there will be at least a few ESPN3 streams running through it.

It isn't a rationalization, it is reality: There is a large contingent of the fan base going to NYC that would otherwise definitely be at the football game. That doesn't have anything to do with the rest of your post, because it isn't an either/or thing. Building the fan base remains true regardless of other things effecting attendance and I don't think you'll find anyone disagreeing with the need to continue to work on that.

If you win enough and do it consistently, it does eventually. It isn't an overnight switch though. Relatively speaking, the mighty FargoU had terrible attendance for their first ever home playoff game (the dome was 2/3's full). And spare me the Thanksgiving weekend excuse, it effects every school but the bandwagon wasn't full yet. And while they got close, they didn't sell out their first playoff game the following season either (~95% full). Will be interesting to see how many student and visitor tickets they release tonight.

UND has an All-American kick returner (also the starting RB), so that bodes well. However, UND fair catches the majority of punts, which is honestly a good thing considering how many close-calls they've had when they don't. Hospitality will be top notch as it always is. Might be a little cold, but there will still be a good amount of people out in the tailgating lots prior to the game.

The squeakiest wheel gets the grease. If you wouldn't have felt the need to come in and take an unnecessary cheap shot after the team actually pulls out a nice win, I wouldn't have said a word. Did you watch a single minute of any of the games this weekend?

You're correct, for some reason I had it in my mind that CSU-B was hosting, not Wright State. Regardless, they don't have enough OOC wins, this was a good one and my overall point stands.

UND gets the elusive OOC road win you always complain about and that's the kind of response you come up with? Can't even give a little credit where it might be due. Hell of an effort by the team not to give up and score 16 straight to end the game and pull out the W.

Hopefully not Kalen DeBoer again

Well, on a positive note, there is a decent amount of good seats available for those who waited. Hopefully that will help get people to the game.

That's an interesting take on the situation. Not sure I'd agree with it though.

You'd think NDSU would have been happy to showcase its brand on something other than whatever garbage production it is that KVLY puts out. Maybe someone in NDSU broadcasting got a kick-back or something again.

That doesn't do anything to change the fact he would still have 4 years left if he wants it. You get 5 years to compete in 4. He didn't compete last year so he can still compete for 4 years. I'm not saying he will be around for another 4 years, just stating that if he wants to, he is eligible for 4 more years of NCAA competition.

How so? He didn't see any game action except in an exhibition, therefore he didn't use any of his eligibility up and he should have 4 more years to compete if he wants to.

Sagarin doesn't take injuries into account and UNI had nothing similar to what your scenario was. How is it relevant to Sagarin being flawed by giving out moral victories to UNI, ranking them 5th even though they have 6 FCS losses? I'm not saying that there isn't some merit in the different ranking systems, I'm just simply amazed that the MVFC bros can't admit that there are some big flaws with it and it isn't the be all end all they keep claiming. UNI may very well better than a few teams in the field, but they also lost to multiple teams that didn't make the playoffs. Simple solution: Win the games on your schedule.

They didn't, so what is the relevancy? UND was 7-1 last year when Studsrud started and finished games and 0-3 when he was injured during the game or didn't play. On top of that, they were without their All-American safety for a few of those games. That didn't seem to matter to the committee.

No, it cares about being "close enough". At some point, you are what your record says you are, even when you take into account strength of opponents. I don't know exactly when that point is, but I feel pretty comfortable that you're there at least by the end of the season. Outside of moral victories, give me a logical explanation why Sagarin's 5th rated FCS team has 6 FCS losses.

Because it rewards moral victories? Any system that shows a team that is 5-6 as the 5th best team in nation has some serious kinks in it. LOL. They beat non-scholarship Dayton (who was #78 out of 125 in the almighty Sagarin rankings)

There is a pre-game party planned at the Heartland Brewery on 5th Ave (inside the Empire State Building) about 2 or 3 blocks from MSG.

Season ticket holders have until 6pm on Wednesday to purchase their tickets. Anything not purchased gets released so expect to see some more blue dots on the map mid-week.

Absolutely amazing how the chatter the whole season is that all these teams are garbage and then they end up on Fargo U's side of the bracket and it somehow becomes the "bracket of death"...