As much as we can not care, the fact that the fans of UND's biggest rival are essentially mocking the AD's decision on the head FB coach tells you a lot. Maybe not everything, but a lot.
I wish the best for CC (Except of course playing UND). Having them successful is a good thing in the college hockey world. Puts pressure on Denver U when there's a second relevant program in Colorado. Colorado Springs is a sort of Mecca of college hockey (Spencer Penrose, the Broadmoor, Olympic facilities, etc.). The college hockey world does not exist in its present form without Colorado Springs.
Are there enough pairwise improving games left to even crack an at-large? Denver (2 games) and W. Michigan (2 games) plus whoever we face in the NCHC tournament.
https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/bison-media-zone/mens-sports/ndsus-athletic-endowment-tops-100-million
UND's is $49 million, according to this article.
Will the roster cap of 105 be the norm going forward (at least until rules change again)? If so, the 2025 "FBS players" you speak of (on FBS rosters, but probably not playing much) will be FCS players in 2026 and beyond. they're the same players, whichever way you slice it. The key will be recruiting that "in-betweener" to UND instead of him going to our rivals.