UND-FB-FAN

Wentz making himself some $$$ already.

NFL playoffs

UND t-shirt; acknowledges UND has other sports besides hockey. Also, football is the sport of choice in both your instance (FCS national championship game) and nationally.

Absolutely. But UND needs to still increase the focus on football and other non-hockey sports. Part of the reason UND and the fans accept such two-faced actions is the ridiculous notion that UND only sports hockey and everything else is intramural; UND needs to pay attention and start excelling in the sports that the country, not just the region, care about: football and basketball.

"Nice guys finish last?" That adage particularly fits well with today's world of division I college football. If you want to win playoff games and championships, you better be willing to make difficult decisions, including the discontinuation of football scholarships for football reasons. Being respectful and sympathetic does not fill seats and generate revenue on gameday, but winning games does.

Good looking athlete. Best of luck to him at the University of North Dakota. UND can never have enough quality athletes, especially those who are considered talented enough to play FBS ball.

So does this coach named Simdorm explicitly dislike UND or are you just speculating? UND needs to add a scholarship QB in every recruiting class, in my opinion, so Bubba and staff should at least consider Perra.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/12-29-2015/1303/2015-fcs-college-football-stadium-experience-rankings/ Alerus Center ranked #49, whereas Washington-Griz comes out #1 and Fargodome at #2. The ranking is a bit questionable, though, to say the least. They have the "high school setup" at SUU ranked #20? Alerus Center tailgating is positively mentioned but the gameday atmoshphere is criticized. Personally, although I subscribe to the "win and they'll come" notion, I do not believe UND athletics fully addresses the issue. UND marketing and gameday staffs need to pick it up; attendance needs to improve but the in-game cheering needs to improve as well. No reason fans can't be cued to cheer on all downs when the defense is on the field, not just 3rd and 4th down. The in-game features do not allow the Alerus Center and UND football to reach their full potential. Alerus Center may not be a top 10 FCS stadium, but it should definitely be higher than #49. I would like to see a refocus by the athletic department in terms of commitment and in-game features. Winning will help, but UND athletics can accelerate this process as well; to dispute that is pure ignorance.

UND MBB is broken; not because of the student-athletes, but rather the instruction they're receiving and the lack of fan support. Faison needs to change the program or else it will continue to sink in the pit of insignificance.

I understand the doubts regarding Lennon coming back to coach at UND under Bubba, but what else is he going to do? It doesn't appear Lennon will be an FCS head coach or coordinator in 2016, so why not take an FCS assistant coach position at a place he's really familiar with? For the record, I would be very surprised yet excited if Lennon joined Bubba's staff.

First opening for Bubba to fill since original staff was assembled; will be interesting to see which direction Bubba goes. Lennon possibility? Doubtful but intriguing nonetheless.

Good chance. One of the few scholarship QBs available between North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Would hurt. He would start at guard next season.

UND's 2016 FBS opponent, Bowling Green, is currently on ESPN in the GoDaddy Bowl. Bowling Green is playing Georgia Southern, a program not long removed from FCS and this is the program's first FBS bowl game. Also, Georgia Southern runs some schemes similar to what UND runs, so it will be interesting to see how Bowling Green handles it in anticipation for the 2016 season UND-Bowling Green matchup.

Nice moral victory for the Fighting Hawks tonight.

Because the difference between NDSU football and Ohio State football is comparable to the difference between NDSU football and UND football? Answer: No

There's a fine line between those two. As just a disclaimer, UND athletics is benefited very little by those who watch from afar and say they "told you so". Fanatics, a.k.a. fans, do not promote realism, but rather push the department and the teams to exceed expectations. UND football would have very little support right now if they "stuck to the script" and shot for only external expectations (see "realistic" preseason polls).

Too much pessimism within our own fanbase. UND ended the season on a three game win streak. I would have liked to see them keep playing and not get shafted by one of the most subjective processes in the NCAA.

I always like the addition of North Dakota kids; with the right coaching and development, they can turn into great contributors (see NDSU football). With that said, I sure hope this is not the only "QB" that UND adds. Bolinske does not have the credentials nor the tape to warrant being a top FCS QB prospect. He is a project player that doesn't positively affect the QB depth at all in terms of next season. UND better add a scholarship QB or else this year's recruiting class will be slightly tarnished. I love the defensive philosophy that Bubba is taking to build UND football, but QB is still a very important position. Other than Studsrud, UND has no capable QBs on the roster as we all witnessed last year.

We've got a winner. Universities do not need elaborate slogans to attract recruits and/or supporters, they just need something that "sticks" and promotes pride. Pride does not cost years worth of logo history or political unrest, but rather it only requires a certain level of commitment and belief. Holding out hope that UND will do well with the new nickname is not childish, but rather both prideful and novel at the same time.

There really is no choice but for the new nickname to "catch on". It may take several years, but it will happen. I won't fail to mention that the new nickname does not require complete riddance of "Fighting Sioux" in terms of its role and tradition; however, the new nickname does require some level of embrace. As for the notion that the University will be operating at the same level with or without the nickname, I do not agree with you. Several UND employees I have spoken to have reaffirmed the idea that continuing with no nickname would be detrimental. Why? Because the ideology that the state of North Dakota and UND do not need a nickname relative to every other university (including the Big Ten schools you continue mentioning) is distracting and, quite frankly, embarrassing. It took attention away from what the student-athletes were accomplishing and that is not something I can just ignore for the sake of political dialogue and intrigue. Your criticism of UND football's recruiting slogans are far more reflective of middle school literacy than the actual sayings themselves. How do you know they are having zero impact in recruiting? Again, quite the assumption on your part. I commend Bubba and the football program for embracing the nickname situation, rather than implying denunciation. Lastly, without getting into a credential battle, I am not just a fan, if that's the terminology you wish you use. I am an alumnus of the University of North Dakota (2 degrees), a season ticket holder in both football and hockey, and a lifelong UND supporter. Of course I do not speak directly for UND, as my opinions are my own, but is there something wrong with having thoughts that align with those of UND's administration? In some instances, bureaucratic stances are necessary. You may call me desperate, but as you stated, your opinions and predictions- as well as mine - are ultimately powerless. Nevertheless, if I can voice just a single unit of contribution towards advocacy over despair, then I will do it. I do not believe pessimism will carry UND athletics forward, so I do not regret voicing my opinion for the promotion of a positive nickname transition. My bottom line is that it is way too premature to denounce UND's efforts without at least allowing the logo development process and subsequent marketing campaign to occur.

Its likely that UND is underrated in the 2016 preseason polls (like usual), but I feel UND can easily beat anyone in the Big Sky Conference. Expectation next year easily should be to win the conference. Good things are coming for this young but talented UND squad.

I definitely see him at outside linebacker. His size will help at the line of scrimmage batting down passes but he also shows the ability to cover, which is required for outside backers in this defense.

As we learned last year with the running back position, just bringing in athletes can sometimes offer out the best solution. I think with the staff bringing in all of these defensive athletes that project at outside linebacker or defensive back, the safety position will work itself out. More athletes the better as far as safety goes in my opinion.

Defense wins championships. See 2001. But yes, always can use another explosive player or two on offense.