UND-FB-FAN

“Butt hurt”? Vikings? Hockey town? Dang you’re out in left field. As a division I model, centering on hockey won’t work. University of Minnesota - the “state of hockey” flagship - still invests significantly more in football than hockey. UND athletics is a dysfunctional model held hostage by special interest donors. If UND ascends, it’s because football grows, not because anything better or different happens to ice hockey.

You a hockey-only fan? You seem like someone with red hair …

Hockey-only fans are literally the red-headed country bumpkin stepchildren of sports fans. I’m not that. I fall in line with the mainstream.

The status quo isn’t nearly good enough for UND athletics. In fact, 2022-2023 was a very disappointing year. “Grand Forks is a big hockey town” is the status quo. Also perhaps a fact, but doesn’t mean it’s unchangeable.

Honestly, no. But credit to you on the attempted analogies.

Well, actually, if you don’t identify the problem, you can’t really fix it. So I disagree. With that said, it’s a major uphill battle, for sure

Yes, absolutely. One is superior to the other. Ask the country.

The game will be at noon. I’d prefer the biggest football game in North Dakota be played at 2 or 3 PM, that’s all. A huge number of other folks would agree with that. But it is what it is given the home hockey game. Ultimately, hockey is affecting football, which I think is pure bullsh*t and stupidity (in simple terms, I’m backed by popular vote), but again, we know who Chaves answers to (Midco, sure, but bigger picture is donor down south).

Tailgating is not synonymous with binge drinking, but it is associated with it I suppose.

We know who Chaves answers to … hockey will continue to get unwarranted preferential treatment.

Disagree. More time for tailgating is preferred, especially with cold fall mornings. 2-3pm kickoffs the best

The NDSU game being on the same day as the Wisconsin hockey game is perhaps a bad thing from my perspective, but who knows, could be fine. It does mean the game will be earlier than I’d like, though. 2 pm or 3 pm kickoffs are always better than noon in my opinion.

Rinse, lather, repeat. Average football. I’m sure I’m going to regret flying out to Boise, but trip already booked.

Now I’ve contributed. We’ll all be okay and won’t have to cry ourselves to sleep now. sheesh

UND football (and the athletic department as a whole) needs to reassess their expectations and philosophies, as do you your interpretation of them.

Misplaced and irrelevant. Straw man at work.

Most likely scenario is Bubba retires or moves on to a leadership position in the athletic department and Freund gets promoted to HC. Not sure when that will happen, or if Freund will be a major upgrade. If UND loses Freund before this happens because of Bubba and Chaves’ stubbornness, then UND will have to look elsewhere. As for inbreeding, this is definitely an issue. It’s been an issue for UND and Bubba. It’s potentially an issue with NDSU, but they’ve ultimately done fine with Entz and Roehl - back to back FCS championship games the past two seasons and one championship. UND football would kill for that, let’s be honest. NDSU does expectations/philosophy on a way different level than UND.

They would. But it won’t come because which FBS program wants what Bubba brings to the table? None.

Same to you. But you’ve oversimplified: NDSU’s FB budget isn’t exponentially greater than UND’s. Expectations and philosophy are independent of funding. UND lacks in these areas.

I’d argue the best thing you can do for your staff is not handouts like Bubba is doing, but rather actually winning and then moving to a bigger program. See Craig Bohl to Wyoming and Chris Klieman to Kansas State. Now those resulting promotions are what helps the assistants … As someone else mentioned on here, UND football should *not* be the final destination for head coaches. It clearly is right now for Bubba, and that breeds the program’s staleness.

His contract situation is perpetuated by UND AD, Chaves. It’s intentional, not an accident. Questions should be [rightfully] directed to him on what the true goals and expectations for UND FB are. They don’t seem too high based on timing of contract extensions. That is disappointing, and partial source of the impatience and frustration you cite.

After a decade, he has failed at these goals. Perhaps he can self-scout and improve, but it is skeptical.

Status quo under Bubba is always a safe bet. Vegas agrees. Boring (Bubba ball) football out of the Grand Forks as per usual. Change is overdue. Now, if you and I are wrong and UND is better than 3-3 after 6, then things are looking not so bad with old man Bubba’s program.

Bingo

Bonus? Next HC at UND? Bubba to AD or AA?