UND-FB-FAN

Although glass on one end and seating in the other end zone would be spectacular upgrades, it is quite the pipe dream. From a realistic perspective, I would say: 1) NEW sound system 2) New turf with fighting hawks logo at midfield and end zones -- this could become reality in a few years as the Big Sky logos will also need to be replaced by MVFC logos

Win on the damn road. Great win today for UND.

It's all related. You need good to great classes to form a great team. If you have a great team, then you certainly have - at the very least - compiled good recruiting classes. Coaching, scheme, and development do come into play in order to close the gap.

Just for the heck of it, you can see UND's classes improved significantly once Bubba and his staff arrived at UND: 2012 recruiting class players that contributed in 2016: QB Ryan Bartels, TE Joe Mollberg, TE Luke Matthewson, DL Alec Carrothers, LB Brian Labat, LB Taj Rich, LB Jake Hanson 2013 recruiting class players that contributed in 2016: OL Dan Bell, OL AJ Stockwell, OL Matt Cox, FB Kyle Norberg, LB Connor O'Brien, LB Jake Disterhaupt, S Cole Reyes 2014 recruiting class players that contributed in 2016: QB Studsrud, TE Luke Fiedler, TE/OL Jacob Francis, OL Adam Stiner, OL Demon Taylor, DL Brandon Dranka, DL Drew Greeley, DL Tank Harris, LB Dylan Bakker, S Charles Flowers, CB Deion Harris, LS Jacob Holmen, K Reid Taubenheim, OL Grant Aplin, FB Tyler Coyne, WR Luke Stanley 2014 > 2013 > 2012 I won't include the 2015 class, but obviously there are a bunch of very good contributing players from that class, as well. There was a lot of attrition from the 2012 and 2013 classes, partially due to a coaching change but also due to poor recruiting. Bubba's 2014 and 2015 classes (and even the 2016 class) won the Big Sky Conference in 2016, so I would rank the 2014 and 2015 classes as top 15 in the FCS for those respective years. 2016 class remains to be seen (based on how 2017, 2018, 2019, and even 2020 go) and obviously the same for the recent 2017 class. If Bubba and the staff maintain their trajectory, UND should be signing a top 15 FCS class every season. I recently saw Hero sports (http://herosports.com/news/fcs-recruiting-top-50-recruiting-classes-2017) ranked UND as having the 26th ranked class in 2017. Obviously I'm biased, but I feel UND should have a way higher ranking than that. Only time will tell, I guess. Obviously, performance is based on not only the players (which is largest factor, though) but also the coaching and schemes. Bubba has UND on pace to be an annual top 10 FCS program, hands down, and I believe the recruiting classes should reflect that.

Theoretically, you are right. With that said, the top teams should be at least labeled as having the "top recruiting classes" from four years prior.

Your definition of "nice" is apparently a bit different than mine. Don't get me wrong, it has some features that are appealing and would suit the Alerus Center well.

Ouch. Tough reminder but yes, many parallels.

Of course, you just had to say that and put everything in perspective. It was fun while it lasted.

Why is Northern Colorado ineligible for the Big Sky tournament? Is it because their coach is a "hot head"? I guess I missed this tidbit.

This is the thing they call the "DakotaDome". I will be there September 16th - it may not be a special venue to some but I hope for a special UND performance against the pups of SD. That in itself will make the trip well worth it.

I don't argue when it comes to NDSU's success against FBS teams - they've been superb. UND has struggled and let far too many winnable games against FBS teams slip away, including last year against a horrible Bowling Green team. Thankfully UND has one FBS win against Wyoming, which was great considering Bohl coaches there.

"Just win, baby." That is/should be the goal for all UND athletic programs. If that happens in the Big Sky Conference, highlights of that include Montana and Eastern Washington wins (unless it's the 2016 UND football team). If that happens in the MVFC, highlights include NDSU and SDSU wins. I am quite certain the masses of UND supporters would rather the latter occurs annually ("Where is Eastern Washington?"). Point being, a win against NDSU will always excite the Grand Forks/UND community more than any Eastern Washington or Montana win would, even if the polls suggest otherwise. That should be the goal: energize the fan base.

Well, I am afraid as soon as UND beats NDSU head-to-head or goes further in the playoffs than NDSU, the ND kids will quickly change their mind. Its not uncommon for 17 and 18 year old recruits to focus on the "what have you done for me lately" ideology. Yes, NDSU is still ahead of UND for good reason (5 consecutive national titles, for one), but that gap is not nearly as significant as you would like it to be.

Exactly. UND can now [finally] be directly compared to their regional rivals: NDSU, SDSU, and USD. If Jones can't put up positive results in those annual 6 games, then he should be axed. Of course, I prefer Jones not make it until 2018 unless he gets UND to the dance.

You will regret saying that when Ott is feasting on Ag school QBs in 2019 and beyond. Of course, you'll have selectively forgotten by that point.

Goodness ... not the way this team should be playing vs SUU! Hopefully they pull it together in the 2nd half.

No purgatory; goal from now on should be to win national title which is just as doable scheduling-wise as before.

Oh, the gap is certainly closing. By the time UND is playing NDSU regularly, the gap will be closed. Bubba and his staff have done wonders. Go UND!

The Summit League commissioner made a simple but great point regarding the old NCC: be proud of what the NCC represented. The old NCC was a terrific league in terms of the competition; looking forward, there is no question that the Summit and MVFC will be superior to the Big Sky Conference in terms of competition.

There is no question UND's staff recruited some high character kids with very good talent in this year's class. Man, I hope we can hang on to all of them. Bubba and his staff have UND in position to do big time things in the future.

Danny, it most likely happened - Ott is a very good player. Of course, you can believe the "alternative facts" if you'd like and continue to live in your own world like many NDSU fans.

I'll role play as President Trump on this one: WRONG!

That's pure speculation on your part in terms of Big Sky Conference rivalries. UND may have needed another 10 to 20 seasons to even produce something slightly resembling a rival in the BSC. People are really trying to force this Big Sky Conference thing. I agree with the "true rival" argument for UND going to the MVFC as well as the "same goals, less $" arguement - that is, UND can still win the FCS national championship and reach the NCAA MBB tourney all while spending less.

I can understand your stance; however, I feel UND needs to be the best in the state before they can be the best (or one of the best) in the country. I guess we just disagree on the progressive order or priority of goals. In referencing UND's and NDSU's football championships, NDSU was the top team in the state when they won national championships - both at the DII and DI level. When UND won the 2001 DII National Championship, they were the best in the state. You don't win the national championship if you first can't win the state championship - this move allows UND to do that. I will admit, whether you intended to mean this or not, that your comments do reflect the potential competitive interests of UND. UND needs to be more competitive so that they can take on the task of being the best in the state AND being the best in the country.

I don't read or subscribe to the Fargo media - can't stand their NDSU bias, actually. This is an opinion I have formulated myself based on the tremendous sense it makes. NDSU aside, you're not giving South Dakota State and South Dakota their due credit. There is just too much financial and logistical logic associated with UND being in the same conference as the other Dakota schools. That is what this comes down to. UND can still schedule out-of-conference games with "destination" school sites out west but now just not at the regular expense of the athletic department's budget and, quite frankly, the fans who like to travel to follow the UND teams in addition to hockey. In addition to Dakota schools, UNI with MVFC and Omaha and Denver with the Summit are also nice locations. I really hope the dismay for this move isn't from a competitive side, because if it is, then expectations need to be raised. UND needs to get better and be able to beat rival regional schools on the field/court head-to-head, not just with message board rhetoric as it has been for 14 years.