JohnboyND7

I don't think so. If you said the job is meaningfully different from 2010, I would agree wholeheartedly. Dude hated recruiting by the end. Its a tough job. Lots of shaking hands and kissing babies compared to every other CFB job. The administration is not always super football friendly. It is a draining job relative to the other blue bloods. Notre Dame is always popular with parents. You need to sell it to kids. Freeman was a blue chip kid himself 20 years ago. He's got that dog in him. The only recruiting battles he's losing right now are over guaranteed money or kids who don't want to get a degree. Kelly did a wonderful job restoring a high floor at Notre Dame. There were many issues he fixed on the admin side and program side. But Notre Dame fans dont want to go 11-2 getting blown out in their playoff game. Freeman said let's make a higher ceiling by bringing in kids and prepare them to win big games. He's undefeated in bowl/postseason games. He's making Notre Dame cool again to people who have hated ND for years...but more importantly, after this season, they might get to start shopping down another aisle at the grocery store.

His dad is a black airman from Ohio. Mom is from Korea. His wife is white. His six(!!!) kids 23&Me results look like a Walgreens receipt. I think when he says what he said, he's not pandering to Notre Dame's obviously very white fanbase. I don't think he gives a hoot about being the "first" anything. Seems to be pretty comfortable in the job now. Hired big name coordinators and let's them do their jobs. Lot of guys in his shoes (cough cough Brian Kelly) don't do that. I think it's easy for him to focus on the team. Unlike most coaches, he was a 4 or 5 star dude in the modern football era. He already had his time as big man on campus.

I don't think he has any plans on leaving. When things are rolling there, no better job in college football. Plenty of NIL available. He's already sorta disowned his alma mater. Converted to Catholicism. Dude is 39. He hasn't spent time around the NFL and his style seems to be based around building kids and running a program.

Might need to find a bar to watch the finale in town then next week!

30K is pretty big for an FCS game unless you got at least 1 and probably 2 "big" fanbases going.

Learning lesson i suppose?

No better teams were left out. SEC got exposed yesterday. I think maybe they should get rid of conference champs getting byes, instead just guaranteeing a spot in the playoff. That would mitigate some of the weird stuff.

I don't know what the committee was supposed to do. Alabama is the reason two teams are bowling, one of the losses was in humiliating fashion during "win or go home" time. Also lost pretty bad to Ole Miss. Ole Miss was Kentucky's only SEC win I think. Enough said. South Carolina got stomped by Ole Miss, lost to Alabama, and lost to LSU. That said, they were playing well at the end of the year. Miami was the alternative maybe? They were gonna get stomped tonight too. Indiana's stars aligned. They beat the piss out of most teams, and lost pretty bad to OSU in the second half. Hard to hold that over their head. I think this game maybe demonstrated they aren't great. But they had a nice season. If you don't make the tourney as a P4 team, the problem is you and no one else.

NDSU would not have ever existed in that hypo. It would just be University of North Dakota and we'd all be together.

Moving the state fair to Bismarck would do wonders.

Born on the base. Not raised, don't currently live there either. I enjoy Grand Forks quite a lot. Such a shame we didn't go the Wyoming route and just have one state school. Alas....

Because I'm from here? You ever live in Grand Forks?

He would likely want a chance to improve his career, not take a step backwards.

Contract extensions

Louisiana. If they haven't done time at Angola, they don't get an offer.

I believe NDSU was very fortunate to luck into that through some set of circumstances not dissimilar to winning thr Squid Game.

Only because I was born there.

The AQ does count for something. It counts for an autobid. In most conferences, that's what determines getting into the playoffs.

I do not know the extent that committee considers FBS losses, but I imagine losing a close one at Colorado probably helped more than hindered NDSU.

Yep. The teams all had an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack and failed to do so. The committee got left with a bag of crap to sort out. I think they probably got it right. I think each team is probably fine with the outcome. USD gets to go to Bozeman if they win. Thats a reward to not have to play either NDSU or SDSU again. SDSU isn't afraid of going to Fargo at this point. NDSU gets to play at home, which sure beats going to Brookings that time of year.

Not sure the MVFC can order the committee to seed the AQ higher than others. That would fall outside the conference's jurisdiction. NDSU had an additional D1 win, and people seem to be ignoring that they have an additional "good" win over Illinois State that neither USD or SDSU have. I doubt the NCAA is particularly concerned with helping anyone get to Frisco. Any combination of the top 4 seeds making it to the championship will bring plenty of fans.

Better SoS, but I don't think anyone could have complained if they were 3 or 4.

UND should do an national search.

I was at that game in primo seats with VMeister (RIP) and his daughter. Awesome memory with some good natured ribbing back and forth. Great guy.

Cam Miller did something with Dr Pepper. Some other NDSU guy too. At this level, it's all gonna be small stuff. But the NIL stuff at FBS is wacky