UND-FB-FAN

This is what is so discouraging. Jones' teams don't have fundamentals. If the Huff, Anderson, Webb, etc. group would have had fundamentals to go along with their talent, they would have won the Big Sky Conference their senior season. Same goes for this current young group; I'm sure they'll improve, but they'll never learn enough from Jones to where they can be the best in the petty Big Sky Conference. Real disappointing.

Because Jones doesn't have an offensive system. As "gfhockey" says, they just go out and play freestyle. Also, the absolute chaos that is UND's paint defense is pathetic to watch. No attempt to block anyone out or secure the boards. They just play volleyball and tap it to the other team. I would love to say that this is just a result of UND playing a better team, but Wisconsin is young and not a juggernaut as indicated by their loss to Western Illinois. Furthermore, and probably most importantly, Jones' teams have always had problems with offensive rhythm and defensive rebounding, so I expect this trend to continue.

Here it shows us playing at SUU. If SUU wins the conference championship and the auto-bid by beating Northern Arizona on Saturday, and UND beats Cal Poly and matches up with SUU, who gets the home game? Does SUU get it because they won the conference? Or is it the higher bid? If its this case, I feel good about UND outbidding SUU.

UND is also on a 2-game winning streak and the two much-needed players (Studsrud and Reyes) they didn't have against ISU and WSU are now back. One could even argue that the offensive line and defensive backs are playing far better than they were just 3 games ago. Clive Georges being healthy also adds an element that was missing against ISU and WSU. The Cal Poly game will not be easy, but UND has a legitimate shot at winning.

The kid can't play anymore, which is not easy on him or the team. Yes, it could have been worse, but it still is unfortunate that he suffered the injury. I believe he has the work effort to get in the weight room during the winter and spring season and get better for next year, though, so in that sense, it is fortunate he did not sustain a long-term injury.

Agreed.

I understand what you're saying, but there needs to be some renovations done before playing on campus again can be a possibility. The capabilities of Memorial are not fit for hosting games right now.

ABSOLUTE DISASTER You're probably joking, but in the event you're not, its just not capable of hosting anything right now. It would be a mess and, quite frankly, an embarrassment. The lease with the Alerus Center should cover playoff games; it did from 2001 to 2007. Why wouldn't it cover playoff games now? Faison really would be a screw-up if they couldn't host games; he probably wouldn't even bid if that was the reality of the situation.

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/stats-fcs-top-25 According to the STATS poll, UND has enough votes for the #32 spot. If they were to beat Cal Poly, they could rise into the high 20s (29 or 28); would that be enough to get in? Obviously the # of DI wins and the FBS win will be looked at, but I think a legitimate position in the polls will also be important for UND to get an at-large bid out of the Big Sky Conference. Losing that Idaho State game when UND was ranked #25 really hurt as far as poll positioning goes...

Jones is still coaching; UND gets smoked in this one. Hope I am wrong, because I will gladly eat crow in that instance.

Game won't be easy. As much as everyone has been talking playoffs, I could see this game going either way. I expect a close ballgame with plenty of runs from both sides; hoping Will Ratelle and the linebacking corps is the difference for UND in this one.

No question. North Dakota football -- with Bubba at the helm -- deserves quality support. There's so much potential for UND football, but it requires both community and administrative support to complement Bubba's passion and hard work. Faison needs to be willing to place quality bids, improve coaching salary, and secure HPC Phase II funding, whereas the community needs to show up and support the team during home outings. Considering the noise that has been generated this season (averaging only around 8000), an average crowd of 10,000+ would be a tremendous home-field advantage. If UND football could get the Alerus back to where it was during the 2001 playoff run (namely the UC Davis game) and those subsequent DII seasons, then UND football would not only be good, but would be a heavy favorite for every home game (including potential playoff games!).

Certainly all makes sense. When it comes down to it, if UND wants to compete for FCS titles, they need to be willing to make legitimate payouts at times. Northern Iowa and South Dakota State are no better institutionally than the University of North Dakota, and everyone should agree with that. Now, are Northern Iowa and South Dakota State more invested in their football programs? That is a question that gets a little iffy. In the past, no question, but where is UND's mindset now?

I agree. At worst, it will stay the same (around 7000).

Well, if UND beats Cal Poly and has to play on the road against a school with a 6,000 seat capacity stadium, I'll be upset. No reason UND and Faison shouldn't expect at least 6,000 or 7,000 people (maybe more) for a first round playoff game. With that said, outbidding UNI or SDSU would be tough but not impossible.

Faison better assist with this by submitting a healthy bid. As one may suspect, my opinion of Faison will drop considerably if he fails to bid reasonably (especially if he doesn't bid at all!).

Absolutely. What the hell was Kostich thinking? Real unfortunate that Olivera is done for the season, but to lose both Olivera and Santiago to injury in a blowout game would be disastrous.

Losing Alo hurts. NDSU still winning over a lot of the in-state kids. More work to do for Bubba, but the in-state players he has worked with already are solid contributors. Have to keep recruiting & developing some resident North Dakota student-athletes.

38-14 Park River took the Class A title for the second consecutive season

Seems clueless like that, doesn't he? Or perhaps he's just protecting player confidentiality and being stoic?

Yes. Can't get it right now.

It's attitudes such as this that have relegated UND men's basketball to a status of nothing; of course, the attitudes I'm referring to are those of the athletic department. UND men's basketball had a horrid season last season, and throughout Jones' years as UND MBB head coach, they have zero major wins. As far as I'm concerned, unless Jones proves something, expect nothing but crickets. I love college basketball and the University of North Dakota, but it's really hard for me to support Jones' below-average resume and his underachieving teams.

I'm feeling good about this one. Something to play for late in the season and coming off a bye week. University of North Dakota 31 University of Northern Colorado 21

If UND , along with their gift - the REA, don't make a conscious effort to market Saturday's important football game on Friday night, then I will lose a tremendous amount of hope. If UND can't recognize football for what it is - the most popular sport in America - and try to capitilze off of that, then they are beyond brainwashed. Use the damn video boards a couple times and advertise the game, making note of the playoff opportunity.

To your last two points: I also expect a nail-biter, but I am hoping for a UND blow out win. Bubba has yet to get one this year, and last season, UND's only blowout win was against UNC. Bubba and UND need to show their level of concentration and capability this weekend and get a comfortable win for once. UNC has not played well on the road; their last game on the road was also in a dome - against NAU; they got crushed 63-21. As for the second point, UND needs to do whatever they can to motivate students into supporting UND football, especially with how big this game is for the season. If UND athletics truthfully cares about UND football's potential first playoff berth (although I have my doubts with all the puckheads), they will rally behind the team and support the squad.