nodak651

Anyone else see the end of the Rhode Island game? They measured twice... I think this was the second measurement.

Way to put words in my mouth.

100% agree.

For the record, I'm not saying they WILL miss the playoffs, just that they could. Their offense performed well last year, but it didn't look as good as former NDSU offenses. Their D wasn't that great, and they also lost more on D than usual. Normally NDSU is replacing guys who played for a more dominant team, and they have never had this many losses from the transfer portal either. Things just seem different this year than in the past.

True, but they also lost Kobe Johnson and Dom Gonnella so the depth isn't the same. TaMerick Williams is good, but didn't they also lose two NFL lineman?

With Leupke's performance in Dallas, I'm starting to think that NDSU has the potential to surprise and actually miss the playoffs. I think losing him will make a way bigger difference than people think. Realize how important he was to their offense, and their QB was still pretty bad for having the benefit of playing against teams that had to sell out as much as they did to stop the run. Teams may not have to do that as often this year. TaMerick Williams is good, but they also lost Kobe Johnson and the depth isn't the same.

It will happen regardless with the Big Ten involved. Heck, someone apparently tried to poach a Gopher recruit by offering 75K.

Valid point. I would have certainly been tempted by an ASU offer (had I been good enough to be recruited). But then again, I chose to pay to attend UND when I could have paid to attend ASU or any other school in the south. Weather certainly isn't everything. UND will always have enough funding, facilities, tradition, and fan the fan base to compete for D1 titles, even if a bunch of other schools add the sport. Would it be harder, yes. But if there were 100 or so programs, stretching coast to coast, a championship would mean a heck of a lot more, there would be more national interest, tv viewership would be better, and there would be more potential for greater sponsorship and tv revenue. The NCAA would probably draw a ton more national interest as well. The profile of the university as a whole would also improve as well. Less winning, maybe. But I think it would be more fun to win a title that has national interest rather than regional interest only.

Very true. I suppose with all of the NHL guys UND has produced, there is a huge opportunity to cultivate donations from them, especially with the precedent set by Ralph. I have always just assumed that they make donations anonymously or work with the Engelstad Foundation to help fund the major projects we've seen. Could be wrong though. I'm sure there are a ton of older hockey Alumns that donate and I just don't recognize their names. I'd think the money will be there for hockey if ever really needed. Biggest issue I guess is that many who only care about hockey might see that it is well funded currently, and may not think donations would help, but donating to hockey would free up money to other programs and that would be huge.

I'd do Kansas City if I got to choose. Best choice for many reasons. But there's huge potential for real growth of the game there because it is so close to some markets where hockey is a huge deal. Great for league travel as well. Multiple potential rivalries. Just look at a map... and they already have an arena in place, so no need for a billion dollar investment. Also no competition from the NBA.

Fyi, Alerus has rights to the corners - up to them.

Montana game could get bumped to week zero on ESPN... Patty: "Part of the agreement is that we'll consider non-traditonal windows, I don't think we can overlook the possibility of Week Zero window. I think there's room there, maybe not a conference game, but a non-conference game, maybe a game we create. There's a lot of interest in the Missouri Valley-Big Sky Challenge, I think that's an avenue we may pursue jointly with the Big Sky. We'd be willing to look at occasional Thursday or Friday game, but needed to be embrace by our campuses." https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/college/missouri-valley-football-conference-and-espn-agree-on-new-national-television-contract

So true. The QB that's the best choice to start isn't always the same QB that has the most potential.

Seems it may be near this location based at the article below? https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/forsyth-county-the-gathering-new-arena-nhl-team-board-cost-study

Worth it's weight in gold for families with toddlers. Would make it way easier for me to justify bringing my kids up to GF for a FB or hockey game if there's other stuff for them to do while we are in town. From a quality of life perspective, things like that are huge for keeping young families in town.

Ahhhhh, YES! That's the name. I should know... I drove him home from a math class once. Not sure why I was thinking it was Tank.. must be getting old! Without me asking, Mike told me about how he didn't watch film and how he gamed the software that was used to track it.. something about it being the same thing every play as a NT, which I suppose makes sense.

Yeah, I was just thinking about it and before getting to the logistics of it. I was thinking about whether or not it could be profitable even if there were no avalability/staffing issues etc. I was thinking about whether or not something like a 3 for 1 scheduling agreement would be worth it from a financial standpoint, assuming a payout for a money game would be like 75K (x3)... was thinking about how much revenue the REA could generate for a marquee basketball game, let alone the realities of scheduling and the stuff you mentioned. Just thinking strictly of the revenue potential, with the assumptions that a game could be scheduled and the facility would be available - hard consider those (legitimate) factors without first knowing what the revenue side would look like.

@geaux_sioux would be annoyed that you didn't include big snacks (I thank that's what he called Tank Harris).

Pretty good article and a fair summary for UND. https://jackrabbitillustrated.com/2023/08/mvfc-by-the-numbers/

I was curious..

Does that mean 9 games annually or literally 9 games total, spread out over a 6 year period?

The Missouri Valley Football Conference and ESPN have reached a new multimedia rights extension. The agreement will feature national linear and digital exposure for the Conference, beginning with the 2024 football season and extending through the 2029 season. This fall, the Conference and ESPN are entering the final year of their existing multi-year agreement. “We truly value our relationship with ESPN, and this agreement achieves all of the Conference’s goals we identified at the start of the negotiation process,” said Commissioner Patty Viverito. “It strengthens our relationship with the industry leader, offers broader opportunities for linear exposure, and protects local media rights agreements.” During the term of the six-year extension, a minimum of nine MVFC games will be featured on ESPN linear networks (ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU), in addition to continuing the eight-game Conference “Game of the Week” digital package on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service. The MVFC will also deliver additional league contests to air exclusively on ESPN platforms as part of the new agreement. “The Missouri Valley Football Conference features fantastic programs and outstanding rivalries that we look forward to continuing to highlight across ESPN platforms in the many years ahead as part of our commitment to the coverage of FCS football,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director, programming & acquisitions. The MVFC retained LEONA Marketing Group to assist with negotiating its agreement with ESPN. The future schedule of games and any corresponding distribution outlets will be announced later.

Just curious... what do ya all think we could draw for a game vs the Gophers at the REA in basketball? (I know it's impossible to get P5's to play off campus.) Also, could it potentially be worth it financially for the REA to host a tournament like they do down in Sioux Falls? How is Sioux Falls able to afford getting teams to go there? Is the facility losing money but putting those games on to promote the venue or are there major sponsors like Sanford involved? https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/sports/college/perennial-no-1s-baylor-gonzaga-to-meet-for-college-basketball-showdown-in-sioux-falls-in-december

Really hoping that if gambling is going to occur at any of the bars/restaurants that may be located in these P3 projects that the UND Alumni Association finally gets involved.