UND-FB-FAN

A lot of UND’s current recruits with this staff are just DII prospects - no competing DI offers. But there are some battles out there that UND could perhaps win with new coaches. New connections, new areas/geography, sure. But it goes beyond just that, so I wouldn’t make it so simplistic. Bubba isn’t the best recruiter by any means. You need to be able to make great relationships, develop a winning/championship culture, even more so in this day and age, you need to be able to utilize the transfer portal.

This is a scapegoat argument, I’m afraid. Many on this board, myself included, could write a check. Perhaps not for 6 figures, but 5 figures for starters, but why should I write said check if the administration hasn’t convinced me they have the decision-making capability or commitment to football to correctly utilize alumni donations. Many of the issues are beyond dollars. These include proving a commitment to football, hiring the right coach/coaching staff, such as not requiring a previous connection to UND, and not extending coaches that haven’t earned it. For example, UND extended Bubba after a 5-6 losing season in 2021. That screams mediocrity. I know you understand what NDSU’s football success has done for their university and following. UND needs to garner the same thing; the hockey program has plateaued and UND isn’t going to grow anymore with just that program in a vacuum.

The search area doesn’t just need to be in North Dakota/Minnesota. That’s the kind of small minded approach that keeps UND football a non-contender. If you look at the top D2 coaches, who have led winning programs for at least a couple years, they aren’t way off, though, either; includes places like Michigan and Missouri.

That’s not entirely true, but I get your point. Interestingly, both hired “their own” and it didn’t work out.

I slept on it. This still was a very bad conference loss. The season is far from over, but it projects poorly on how the season will go. Need better players. Need better coaching. Need higher expectations. Need a championship culture, not just a winning one. It’s one thing to lose, but it’s another to be down big the entire game. And I’m sorry, but I can’t give SIU that much credit. Northwestern is a bad Big Ten team (barely beat Nebraska and lost to Miami (OH) yesterday) and SIU lost to two FCS teams to start the season. This loss was predictable based on past seasons under Bubba. Sure, we all will “see how it plays out”, but my guess is UND goes either 6-5 or 7-4 (although a losing season isn’t out of the question if Bubba’s group implodes like they did in 2017). Playoffs is a possibility, but this team isn’t going far. Same old UND football with Bubba and Chaves’ leadership (I include Chaves because the football budget - namely coaching salary pool - is sort of asking for this kind of mediocrity).

Really, you don’t say? Given Bubba was just extended, he could have a losing season and he wouldn’t get fired, so no surprise there. I’m just simply explaining this because I think the decision to extend Bubba was idiotic in the first place. But that’s what UND does because their non-hockey coaching salaries are ridiculous. North Dakota football needs a new direction, and that comes with new leadership.

I get that there have only been 4 games thus far this season, but this is literally a repeat of every season with Bubba at the helm. At what point do we call out the insanity that is sticking with this? Continually going 6-5 is not going to grow UND football into anything.

The fact of the matter is Bubba has bought himself time by being a nice guy and positive figure head in the community. His coaching record should not be buying him anytime at all, though. In fact, it should put him on the hot seat.

UND definitely shouldn’t accept mediocrity with the current inbred staff or else they should just cut the program. there are folks out there (in lower divisions so $$$ isn’t the issue) that have much better ideas on how to build a team and build a winning culture than what Bubba currently has going for him. Trust me. Just look around and do the research With Chaves’ leadership in football, not sure there is a great vision. and why does Nebraska enter this conversation? They’ve just simply hired bad coaches the last couple times out … just like UND. The similarity is they hired one of their own but ultimately had to cut ties as it wasn’t working

It’s the brilliant current UND athletics model … keep UND football interesting until around Oct. 1 … then … Despite this “perfect” model, it’s not UND that’s had the glaringly obvious growth in fandom and popularity over the past 10 years or so … but rather a different school in North Dakota.

Instant classic … and so true

I should’ve just stuck to my bad news perspective, rather than trying to appeal to the crowd who hates “all the negativity”. fact is, UND football needs to be better. It’s not there right now, folks.

Yeah, be careful. I said that earlier, and got roasted. The fact of the matter is UND lost to a very bad Nebraska team and barely beat two bad FCS teams. UND is a 6-5 football team, at best. In year 9 of Bubba ball, this crap is unacceptable

Yeah, that 7th win might be tough to come by. Need to upset SDSU, Missouri State or NDSU to get there. I see 6-5 as most likely and that wouldn’t mean playoffs

Of course it’s where we expected: 0.500 football is Bubba’s speciality. Of course it’s not over. it’ll be over on Nov. 19 when UND gets blown out in Fargo and finishes 6-5

Bubba ball … but hey, it’s alright according to Chaves. “we’ll just sit back and see how it goes …”

There’s been a lot thats been awful in this game. Offensive line play calling receivers dropping passes don’t even get me started on the defensive secondary …

It’s beyond inbred. Need to start over. Hire a proven DII head coach and let him bring in a whole new staff that knows how to instill a winning championship culture …

Nope, he sh*t his pants

Hey, there’s our weekly Kostich special

Absolutely. I agree with this statement 1000000%

Hey, can the defense do some !@#$ this time around???

Looks like that guy was an absolute genius … or he just was a realist and understood Bubba ball better than we do

Well this sure as hell didn’t happen.

Another easy TD… defense is trash. Changes need to be made. Personnel/players on the field, coverage calls, coaches, whatever, but you’ve got to change something.