UND-FB-FAN

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.

My friend, UND and NDSU are 80 miles apart and are governed by the same state and university system, in addition to the athletic and academic rivalry. Blatantly ignoring NDSU in terms of UND's conference status - as well as other dynamics - is not ingenuity (or defeating an "obsession", for that matter) but rather pure negligence.

I think I know why you're so down: you're going to have to change your profile picture or whatever they call it now!

800 miles versus 80 miles Distance traveled costs $$$, for both athletic department and fans.

Brookings and Vermillion are yet more doable in terms of travel than anything the Big Sky Conference has to offer. Also, UNI ain't all that bad. Most of these anti-MVFC/Summit comments appear to be coming from those who have forced themselves to disregard the 100+ year UND-NDSU intraconference rivalry, regardless of the history and residual interest. Whether you like it or not, UND/Grand Forks will never be in the Rockies.

Amen

No, but we may have to recruit better linemen across the board.

Well, just in case you are unaware, UND can reach the dance via the Summit and they can do it in front of more than 50 people.

How great would it be if UND beat NDSU in order to go to the dance and steal away NDSU's opportunity? Can't have that happen with UND in the BSC.

Well, I prefer results over philosophical arguments. If NDSU beats UND 9 out of 10 times, then I agree; unfortunately, UND hasn't been able to play NDSU consistently for such DI comparisons to occur. That will now change with this great move. Conversely, if UND consistently beats NDSU in basketball or football, I don't see how your flagship statement can hold any water.

I agree with you in that it will be interesting to see what kind of UND crowds show up in Brookings and Vermillion for basketball and football games. Not to mention, the basketball tourney in Sioux Falls should have a fun crowd, too.

I am pretty sure they can still pave their own path, but everyone has a right to an opinion (just remember, whether one has a particular entitlement or right is irrelevant to whether one's assertion is true or false).

I absolutely see where you are coming from, but should UND cater more to UND alumni living in Colorado or UND alumni still living (with many still working and contributing to UND) in North Dakota? After all, UND is the flagship university of North Dakota. If UND is trying to please all of its alumni based on travel distance, it is just a no-win situation. If UND can logically decrease travel costs for both the athletic teams and local UND athletics' supporters, then they should do it. I am glad they made the move.

Thanks, fixed it: MVFC/Summit Conference: closest school to UND is 81 miles away. Big Sky Conference: closest school to UND is 807 miles away.