UND-FB-FAN

After this whole McComas deal, UND football is gonna be better known nationally as the program some video game player applied to rather than a nationally competitive FCS program. I guess we've never been competitive in the FCS, so just as well be the butt of a big joke.

Well Cal Poly and Pacific certainly aren't any better than Notre Dame and look what they did to us…

The same NCAA that found the nickname Fighting Sioux to be hostile and abusive? Yeah, I've always agreed with that "organization" …

Bohl is an idle in Fargo after the 2 NCs. No one has crap to say about him there, except maybe recently since he is departing after their season concludes.

I don't deny what happened in Missoula with Pflugrad won't factor into Faison's decision, but Weber hired him. Even compared to Andrus (who was abruptly fired from Toronto in 2009 and has been on the downslope ever since) and Cummings, Pflugrad has more college football experience and potential. In your opinion, what kind of disaster could possibly happen if Pflugrad is hired? Nothing would happen but UND having a quality Big Sky program in a couple years. Not every coach is going to have a clean record. And the fact that UND wouldn't be the first school to hire Pflugrad since "the incident" should ease the decision for Faison.

Pflugrad is hands down the best choice. Success in the Big Sky, extensive FBS experience, outstanding recruiter, runs a quality football system, etc. etc. etc.... For second choice, I would go with Bubba. The defenses down at SIU were consistently better than the offenses, plus Bubba is familiar with North Dakota and the region. With how Pflugrad is running away with it in the poll, I hope the same thing is going on in Faison's head...

UND drops their fifth in a row while NDSU beats Notre Dame of the ACC?? That win back on the 24th of November means nothing now. There's no reason this team should be this bad. I'm sure they'll compete well in conference play, but if they can't beat out of conference opponents, what does it matter. They'll likely finish 3rd or 2nd in the conference standings and it will be over. If they do win the conference tournament, they'll likely be a 15 seed and get blown out by a top 10 school. So much for the optimism at this point. Hopefully the team improves. I hate the fact they've declined since the NDSU game while NDSU has only improved improved since then.

Although it is upsetting that the process will take longer than I had hoped, Faison should definitely find the right candidate after going through this tedious interview process. Hope he lands Pflugrad!

Michael Furrey is currently the WR coach at Marshall

http://www.bruinsnation.com/2006/2/16/16569/6348 This is concerning about Wristen. If no one is who them seem to be, it's a wash. Just hire Pflugrad so we can start winning again.

If Faison is indeed going after someone not on the list, how can that be a bad thing? The target could easily be a great coach. Most were not completely satisfied with the list anyways. Faison probably has a quality coach in mind. And even though I expected it, I like hearing that the base salary will be closer to $200,000 than $150,000. I have faith that Faison will hit a home run. There's a lot of good coaches out there.

Couldn't agree more. I don't see hiring Schweigart as a great solution. He has had limited DI success. Pflugrad, Cummings, and DeWitt top my list, in that order. Schweigart would probably be fourth, though.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmXGfPacI2g

I still feel the new coach will be hired by the end of the week. It makes little sense for Faison to wait an extra week to make the decision. During the necessary 21-day posting period, he likely was communicating with several coaches across the country and gauging their interest. I'd have to think by now he has a top 3 list, if he hasn't already picked one. With that said, Wayne Nelson expects another week to go by so who really knows. For recruiting purposes, I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Pflugrad is still my favorite. He's won the Big Sky before and has FBS recruiting coordinator experience. Cummings and Schweigart, two who applied today, are the other two I really like.

Quote from Gene Taylor on his opinion regarding Bohl leaving (source: wday.com) : Gene Taylor/NDSU Athletic Director: “I’m not upset he's a friend guy you get to know, knew the day was coming knew Craig Bohl was going to have opportunities whether it was Wyoming or whoever, hate to see a guy you've built a great program hate to see it change but you know it will someday.” If that quote is any indication, then GT will probably hire the West Fargo jr. varsity coach...

Post/Song of the Month

Most of Pflugrad's former assistants are still on Montana's staff with Delaney. There was rambling over on egriz that if Pflugrad was hired, he would likely try and take a couple assistants from Montana. With that said, Pflugrad's extensive DI connections make him more than capable of assembling a quality staff. Plus, don't worry about his offense. That thing, with the right athletes, could easily average over 30 pts in the controlled environment of the Alerus. The reason they lost to Sam Houston in the semifinals back in 2011 was because of their defense, not their offense.

Although Pflugrad is my favorite of those who've applied, I do realize the odds are against him actually being the one who is hired. I have faith in Faison; I believe he'll make a quality hire that will be the opposite of Mussman. I think he fired Mussman with the idea he was going to hire someone of the opposite mold. That is, someone with DI and/or NFL experience and has the ability to be a competitive recruiter in the region against NDSU.

Because of how important the timing is due to recruiting, my gut tells me the new coach will be hired by the end of this week. Hope it's Pflugrad.

If you have good players, the scheme isn't as crucial as you would think. With that being said, it still is important. If Pflugrad is hired, I'm quite sure he'd be able to assemble an experienced staff. Subsequently, the spread option and 4-3 system that likely would be installed easily has the potential to get the job done. The most important thing is whether or not the new coach can recruit the talent. I'm certain Pflugrad could do that and then some. We'd see heckuva lot better players on campus over the next few years...and they'd be better disciplined/motivated.

Pretty sure SFI was only speculating there would be an applicant with close UND ties because were only a day out from the deadline. Still could get a name tomorrow I suppose.

New Mexico's former DC Mills (who just was fired because New Mexico's defense was horrible this year) and Cal Poly's OC and former Mankato coach are the three who applied today. They don't interest me or convince me at all. As each day passes, I become more sold on Robin Pflugrad. Just hire the man come the end of the week! Pflugrad will get this program where we want it to be: a national title contender!!

Mad? You can't expect coaches to stay forever, especially if they're successful at the FCS level. That's the reality of playing FCS football. If you're successful, you'll lose your coach due to the bigger dollars that exist elsewhere. I really doubt the next coach of NDSU will be comparable to Bohl. UND starts the process of closing the gap with NDSU next season.

What about Pflugrad puts his character in question? That whole situation in Montana ended in Pflugrad being scapegoated. I don't see how there would be a disaster of any sort at UND if Pflugrad was hired. In the end, all these top 3 and top 5 lists are irrelevant I guess. They all consist of local and familiar names, but this is a national search that very well could take Faison to someone we're not familiar with. As long as he's experienced and a leader, I'm sure he'll be a good fit.