nodak651

This. Somewhat disagree with 5, though. Defense, to me at least, seemed much improved.

I think probably 90% of fans in vegas were drinking pretty heavily. What !@#!$ fans. Students who are 21 and over should be able to drink like all other adults. And it does make the game and atmosphere better. You think lawson lunatics are all sober? If the students who are dumb enough to underage drink in public didn't go to the games, you would lose easily 1/3 of the student section. Probably more. I don't think me or any of my friends ever went to a single game sober.

This makes sense. I think the case with SDSU is that it is just a very competitive game each year, and two good teams playing each other is always going to create excitement. Competitiveness on both sides is important in a rivalry, and I think that is why the SDSU games have a lot of hype right now... it's just always going to be a great game, and that is fun and all, but here just isn't enough hate between the fan bases. I mean Bison fans, for the most part, want to see SDSU do well when they aren't playing each other! @Gothmog if you had to chose, who would you rather have NDSU lose to, SDSU or UND? As far as your attendance counter argument, SDSU is less than two hours farther from NDSU than UND is. That isn't a very long drive for a weekend football game, especially considering it is such a huge rivalry, and how far so many fans have to drive just to watch home games for each school. Why don't you include some facts to support your argument for a change?

In addition, and in reference to beating NDSU and it's affect on UND's football program and growth, why was NDSU so affraid to play this game that they low balled UND with such a !@#$ offer? They new that UND playing NDSU and beating them would be a huge boon for UND, and pretty much lose lose for NDSU. They made an offer that they seriously doubted that UND would accept. NDSU is paid UND 100k and 140K for the games. The first game was 20 more than any game on the schedule that year. $20 x 18,000 = $360,000 added revenue over any other game on the schedule. I wonder why NDSU was so hesitant to play UND when according to some, it's just another game on the schedule, and a win doesn't help the program more or less than any other game on the schedule.

If that's the case, it sure is interesting that tickets for the 2015 UND/NDSU game were the most expensive tickets ever sold at face value by NDSU. Especially considering the marker games (and don't forget UNI) are the most important and "hyped". That ticket in 2015 still has a higher face value than the 2018 Jacks game, despite it being 3 years ago and UND coming off a 5 and 7 season..

Looking back, the below posts seem to be the ones that started this discussion. Not sure where anyone implies that beating NDSU is what will cause UND to become a championship caliber team. Would it help? Of course it would. How would beating the best team in the country not help in that regard? A win vs NDSU would improve our resume more than a win VS any other team, it would create huge hype and greatly improve attendance (which would improve our home field advantage), it would give us the chance to stay at home in the playoffs (even vs NDSU), and it greatly help with recruiting (NDSU signs more UND offerees than any other FCS school). SDSU was booted from the playoffs in for of their last 7 playoff appearances, by the way. So how exactly does beating NDSU not help UND build it's program? UND hasn't done anything to show that they are a currently a championship team, but they may have the potential to be, and a win vs NDSU (the perennial champs) would actually provide evidence that UND is moving in that direction. You have to beat the best to be the best, and really, what better benchmark is there? We compete directly with NDSU in everything - athletics, academics, fan support, and enrollment - and with a fixed amount of potential recruits, WINS, CHAMPIONSHIPS, students, sponsorship money, a win vs NDSU means our biggest competitor looks worse and we look better, and we have a better chance at succeeding. Sorry for the ramble, and I forget the economics term I was trying to think of (basically the opposite of a rising tide lifts all boats, but applied to athletics).

I don't see anyone making that straw man argument. Improving the program and/or beating NDSU isn't a bianary option. Yes, building the program puts us in a better position to beat NDSU, but beating NDSU also puts us in a better position to build the program.

Well it seems to have served them well, as they have like the 2nd longest playoff streak in the country, have been seeded multiple times, and just made it to the semi finals. They havent knocked off NDSU in the playoffs yet, but their experiences in beating them has undoubtedly given them confidence, and they have consistently given NDSU some of their most competetive games in the playoffs. Its hard to say that beating the Bison doesn't matter when there is a 99% chance that we will be placed on the same side of the bracket as them. Besides, beating NDSU puts UND in the drivers seat for a top two seed in the playoffs, which would mean an eventual matchup in the Alerus vs the Fargo Dome or any other stadium. Any argument that beating the Bison doesn't at least partly translate to playoff success, or at least better odds of playoffs success is ludicrous, especially with the game coming so early in the season. A win against NDSU so early in the year would also be huge for recruiting, considering we lose nearly all head to head battles. THAT has to change, and a win vs the Bison is worth more than any other game on the schedule when it comes to recruiting our back yard, and future playoff success.

Thanks for the info! From the tweet I posted, I was imagining something to the affect of the new Minnesota United soccer stadium lights haha. I'm assuming the new lighting the Alerus has is brighter than the old lighting, though.

Can anyone describe this new addition in more detail?

No

Not under the current circumstances, but at the time there wasn't any indication that we would be moving to the mvfc. I would assume Bubba wanted this game to generate fan interest and hype for a team that had none after the Mussman years. UND football was bottomed out, and we were out of sight - out of mind for casual fans in ND. It prob wasn't worth it now that we will be playing every year, but I think if we were to stay out west, the contract would have opened the door for home and home games, which NDSU clearly wanted no part of. Was defiantly a terrible deal, but I can see why Bubba thought it was necessary, or at least beneficial to the program. I do think it was a embarrassing and humiliating contract, however, and if I was deciding, I wouldnt have given our biggest rival their two cheapest home games, probably ever, in the D1 era. And the first game was the most expensive ticket NDSU had all season - the same will probably be true next year.

Hopefully if that happens we get Phase 2 built with Sanford money. Might as well have some benefit if we are affected by the other Dakotas attachment to Sanford anyway.

Is there any chance Augie goes to the WAC if they move to D1? Sioux Falls to Kansas City is only about 5 hours.

I think midco has a show on it

I'm hoping general university funds can be used, considering they need athletics out of the hyslop to repurpose it for academics. Instead of 100% donations.

Pretty sure he was joking.

Curved area overlooks weight room, which is at field level. Bottom picture is above the top picture/locker room.

No. They will sit in the bleachers and use the jumbotron.

I found floor plans for phase II. Has anyone posted this yet? Page 13 http://www1.und.edu/finance-operations/facilities-management/_files/docs/und-athletics-masterplan-0406.pdf

They need new locker rooms before we see a significant improvement. NDSU has new locker room SDSU has new locker room/ipf/stadium USD moving forward on new locker room and dakota dome renovation with shovels in the gound in Feb.

Most sushi is typically frozen at -4° F or below for 7 days. Even "fresh" sushi on the coasts. This kills the parasites. Also, I eat Sushi at grocery stores all the time - if you get it at the counter it can be made fresh, right in front of you. However, microwaved sushi sounds disgusting haha.

I think the rules are different if it an in-house hire. How many days did it take for Berry to be named HC? I think it was pretty quick.

CC really baffles me. They are averaging 3,400 this year, and they used to average around 6k, until I think last year. And they were averaging 6k when they were way worse than they are now. Does this have something to do with the new arena that they are bulding? Did they used to give out free tickets and they stopped? I think that is what Omaha did when they built their new arena - stopped giving away free and discounted dickets to pay for the new arena, and attendance went down by a few K.

Recruits like to play for championship programs. NDSU has a great niche carved out for kids who want to play for championship programs. That allure changes when NDSU turns into a G5 team playing for a chance to play in a low level bowl, and zero shot at a championship. I could see the fans become disengaged at that point as well. Playoffs > one-off bowl game. That said, NDSU could turn into the next Boise State. Don't really see that happening though.