WeAreNorthDakota

Midco's goal should absolutely be to get on DirecTV's sports pack. They're no different than ROOT, or FSN, or YES. If they are successful in getting on DirecTV then the FCS problem is eliminated and UND games will be available nationwide and in every legitimate sports bar in the country. If they accomplish that and are also able to get Midco Sports Net on a majority of the cable providers in the region, UND will have as much television coverage as a small market Major League Baseball team.

If the sky is really falling and a huge chunk of people who have been able to watch in the past will now be without, CALL YOUR CABLE OR SATELLITE PROVIDER. If the number is significant enough, the provider will see demand and may provide Midco Sports Net. If it's just 10 people on a message board who are upset, then UND will be getting a significant check every year and will have a much higher quality of broadcast. The TV deals with the NCHC and ROOT may have forced UND's hand with regards to FCS. It is now on us to create the demand and force cable and satellite companies to pick up Midco and show our games.

Would love to see all the different combinations of pants and jerseys now. Hopefully the green stripe on the new black pants goes well with the green jerseys, etc. I can't stop watching the slideshow on undsports.com. This absolutely just made my day.

Exactly what I was hoping they'd be. Just enough green and white to know its still UND and nothing over the top or outrageous. Home run.

It also seems that PJ would fill in that "between the tackles" runner role that Sutton currently occupies nicely next year. That way we have Miller and Garman as speedsters and Sparks as a bruiser for the next few years. I hope the coaches can continue to find a mix of bigger backs and speedsters as I really like the flexibility in our running game.

Since the Mountain West network is now defunct, I would think ESPN3 would be a safe bet. I could also see ROOT picking up the game as it would fit with their footprint and viewing area pretty well and also be a way to showcase a Big Sky team. I have no idea if ROOT picks up games this late or if they have their programming set already but that would be a nice option.

I can see how it would appear that we're changing our style based on talk on this board and coverage of camp so far. I think the reason for a focus on the passing game is primarily because we are bringing in a guy at quarterback who has just 1 spring session in our system and we're relying heavily on him to start. He needs all the reps he can possibly get to get used to the system and build chemistry with our receivers. It was also a glaring weakness over the past two years and improving the passing game to compliment a successful running game is priority #1. I also think keeping our running backs fresh is a priority and rightly so. Sutton is a senior and has a lot experience in the system and Miller has a lot of game experience for only being a sophomore. This experience lessens the need for a lot of reps in practice as both guys should be pretty familiar with the playbook and comfortable with the system. There are also concerns about health for both of them. Sutton has had a history of minor nagging injuries and and limiting practice reps before gametime should help to keep him healthy. There are also some that are concerned Miller won't be able to take the beating of a more difficult schedule because of his size so keeping him fresh should alleviate those concerns at least a little bit.

That seems like an ideal option. Then when Idaho realizes they can't survive as an FBS independent they become our 14th football member. How great would it be to have Denver as a rival in all sports but football?

Mines: UND 52 - Mines 6 Portland State: UND 31 - PSU 17 SDSU: UND 17 - SDSU 27 I would be more than happy with this outcome, as long as it doesn't come with a letdown against Sac St the next week.

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football/top-44-previews A preseason ranking of the top 44 teams in FCS. Has UND ranked 30th. That's good for 4th in the Big Sky presumably behind Montana, Montana State, and Eastern Washington. Also 2 spots ahead of South Dakota St and 4 spots behind Indiana State. A pretty good writeup also, although it was clearly written before news of Bradley leaving got out.

Not really a great place for kids, but I never make a trip to the cities without having a meal at The Nook in St Paul. It's a little hole in the wall place right across the street from Cretin Durham Hall High School.

Bingo

Wanted to go out for dinner with some friends to the Toasted Frog a few years ago but didn't think to call ahead. We got our name on the waiting list and figured we could walk over to the Hub for a drink while we waited. We decided to just have a burger and some apps there. I was blown away because I had never heard anyone talk about food at the Hub. Definitely a hidden gem in Grand Forks.

How many people were in the stands watching today?

Totally agree. In football, with very limited home games, I'm more ok with them not playing every year. But in all the other sports there's no reason to not play every year. It's the biggest draw of the year for every sport at both schools. Glad to see the series starting back up.

It'll probably take me a few years to get any merchandise with the new name unless it's something really cool. I don't see that happening necessarily so I'll just be happy with my North Dakota and UND gear for the forseeable future.

Considering Bradley has never been on the same field as Molberg, I don't see how that's the case. Wishful thinking and I certainly hope Molberg or Bartels are good enough to start next year, but I don't think this has much to do with new recruits.

I think almost every team generates more yards through the air. It's just the nature of a passing game. A run-first team, for me, is a team that runs the ball over 55% of the time. Anything under that is balance or pass-heavy.

JL > Five Guys > Smash Burger

Unless we have some DB's step up big time, I could really see that game getting out of hand. I think that game might be the one we have the least chance of winning. I'd even give us better chances against SDSU.

I've often wondered the same thing. Outside of RibFest and the Red River Valley Fair being infinitely better than the Grand Forks Fair, I fail to see what Fargo has that Grand Forks does not. I think it has something to do with Grand Forks being seen as more associated with UND than Fargo is with NDSU. A UND alum living in Grand Forks can view Fargo and NDSU seperately while an NDSU alum living in Fargo sees nothing but UND when looking at Grand Forks.

Toasted Frog, Blue Moose, Whitey's, Rhombus Guys, and Mama Maria's are all unique Grand Forks restaurants that are solid. JL Beers is a quickly expanding North Dakota original as well. Personally, my favorite place in town is the Parrot's Cay. Awesome wings, pasta, apps, and a good beer selection.

Only 7 teams in the Big Sky in 2001. 4th or 5th is the middle of the pack.

I'll buy that. Montana won a National Title that year with 14 straight wins to finish the year but Northern Arizona was the only other Big Sky team to make the playoffs and they lost in the first round. Montana State finished 5-6 overall and finished 4th while Eastern Washington went 3-4 in the Big Sky and finished 5th. I think the 2001 UND team finishes 4th or 5th.

The ultimate goal is obviously not to finish 3rd or 4th. The ultimate goal will be to win the conference every year. But in a conference with Montana and Montana State that's simply not realistic. If UND is able to finish in the top 4 every year, always within a game or 2 of the conference title, with a conference title every few years, and making the playoffs/winning some playoff games more often than not, I'll be very happy with the program. It's not different than the hockey team. You could argue that we're the best program in the WCHA but we certainly don't win the conference every year, we're just always near the top.