2011BisonAlumni

No that is fine but the fact is UND does not return very many good players and Bubba still has Muss's recruits. Bubba has done a good job of getting the most out of the players he was given, but as the saying goes, it is pretty hard to make chicken soup out of chicken !@#$.

The safety spots are key. That is the only real question mark in my mind although Dempsey is moving to safety and has started. Board was a beast when he played. Both corners return and they are very very good. Linebackers should be fine. Deluca returns and is a beast on the middle. I can't remember the last time NDSU had a bad linebacker core. The loss of Emanuel does hurt, but they have a lot of young talent coming back. They have had great recruiting classes in the past few years and have the same Klieman defense. In regards to offense, when you return a starting QB back aa good as Carson Wentz, 4/5 starting lineman (3 of which are preseason all Americans, your top 2 receivers back including a guy like Zach Vraa, your starting fullback in Bonnett (also preseason all American, and two running backs who saw significant playing time, I call it the bulk of your offense. The only significant loss is Crockett on offense but when was the last time NDSU had a bad running back? When you have the offensive line back like they do, almost anyone can run the ball effectively. Even if the defense is middle of road this year, the returning talent they have on offense makes them a title contender in 2015, assuming they stay healthy.

Darell, I have to hand it to you. You are the only person I know who would be optimistic enough to put their expectation for a game as completely unknown when your team is coming of a losing season, playing on the road against the defending national champion returning the bulk of their team and coaching staff. You well never be known as a guy who isn't optimistic.

UND finished 5-7 last year. I was wrong about 5-6. The 2012 NDSU football team losing to the 2012 Indiana State football team has no relevance in the discussion as to the probable outcome of the 2015 game to be played between NDSU and UND. In 2015 NDSU returns the bulk of a 2014 national championship team, all of their coaches, and is playing at home against a 2015 UND team who returns a bulk of a team that had a very bad 2014 season and was completely embarrassed by bad teams. 99.9999% of people who watched the players of the 2014 teams that NDSU and UND had and players who return in 2015 would side with my assumption that it is going to be a double digit NDSU win than would side with your, we don't know how good the teams will be.

Christ there you go again bringing up the past that has no relevance to this game. It doesn't ever change with you. Have I said UND couldn't win? Anything is possible. I have just said it is extremely unlikely and NDSU has a far superior team in 2015. There is not a single starter from NDSU remaining from the 2012 team and UND is not Indiana State. Indiana State actually had a winning record in 2011 in the toughest conference in the FCS, entered the season ranked in the top 25 and proved to be a top 25 team as they beat a couple of ranked teams and ended up in the top 25. They also had a runner up Walter Payton winner in Bell returning along with a good chunk of their team. See Darrell they were a fairly good team in 2011 and were a good team in 2012. The only relevant past that matters is how each team played last year and how much of their core do those two teams bring back. NDSU has a much better team returning in 2015 than UND. Period. Based on this, I feel NDSU will win. You act like each team is completely unknown at this point. When you are a defending national champion and return the majority of your core, it is safe to say you will be a good team again.

I only bring this up because somehow you guys view this being a game where UND returns a dominate defense and will face an NDSU team with a good offense and that both teams will have unknowns on both sides of the ball. Just stop it. I saw that defense tourched last year far more often than it played really well. Were they better than under Muss? Yes, but that and giving up 26 ppg does not make them good.

No the greatest FCS defense ever was the 2013 Bison not the 2014 Bison. You had one good defensive performance against a Montana team who had a very injured team at that point, was missing Jordan Jordan after midway through the second quarter and think they are dominate? I bring up the Missouri State game because Missouri State was bad last year...really bad. Dominate defenses do not play horribly against bad offenses. I was wrong about giving up 24 ppg. It was 26 ppg. That includes the steller performance to close the year against against 3-8 UNC when they gave up 33 points and the !@#$ down performance against EWU when they put up 52 points. You are also flat wrong on your stats bud. NDSU defense was on the field for 966 plays last year, gave up 4,486 yards which equates to 4.64 yards per play. UND defense was on the field for 818 plays last year, gave up 4,253 yards which equals 5.20 yards per play. That is according to the NCAA so if you dig down into it you are wrong. NDSU gave up 14 ppg last year and UND gave up 26 ppg. NDSU had the 5th ranked total defense in the FCS last year. UND had the 34th ranked total defense. NDSU had the third ranked scoring defense last year. UND had the 56th ranked scoring defense. You really are going to try to compare the two? Come on man.

Why wouldn't I expect a double digit win? NDSU is coming off of a 14-1 national championship season with the majority of their offense back, including the starting quarterback, entire coaching staff back (not a single assistant left), defense with several returning starters and a lot of young high end talent and are playing at home. Their opponent is coming off of a 5-6 season with an offense that was horrible last year to say the least, and a defense that was middle of the road (I do not call giving up 24 ppg dominate or giving up over 30 to Missouri State as dominate). Not like I am being an asshole to expect NDSU to win by double digits. Most realistic UND fans say the same thing.

I would put my comments into the smart ass remarks area. As for the game played in 2015, I expect a double digit win for NDSU. UND will come out excited and trying to play the role of giant killer just like a lot of programs the past few years. NDSU rarely blows teams out by Q1 and often the games are fairly close by the end of the half. If everyone is healthy, I would expect something in the lines of 31-10 or 24-7. These two teams are on different levels right now. Let's face it, the GF High School Roughriders might have a more potent offense than the UND Roughriders.

I have come on here before to try to talk about the actual game but here is how it usually goes. - I say that I expect a fairly easy NDSU victory based on the fact that they will have a significantly better team, more experienced coaches, majority of starting offense back from last year's national championship team and game is in Fargo. - Darrell chimes in and brings up the early 90's when UND beat NDSU as a basis for why he feels it will happen again this year and brings up the 90's success of UND in the fargodome. In the process mentions 2001 and has a moment with himself. - NDSU fans respond with reasoning as to why the 90's are not relevant to a football game in 2015 and usually states how superior this football team is to UND. - Darrell usually fires back with another reference to the 90's and the lone D2 title that UND has and starts down the path of why UND will one day catch up to NDSU and how UND messes up by not moving up to D1 when NDSU did. Usually during this tirade he brings up women's basketball, hockey and volleyball during the early 2000's and how they were all successful. -Another UND fan brings up forgetting the past and that they have a good thing going with Bubba and that he has the football program moving in the right direction. - NDSU fans comment back with smart ass remarks and state that while Bubba made moderate improvements it hasnt been as great as what UND fans think. -Darrell then gets off topic and brings up one of the three losing seasons NDSU had, in 2009, and their quick recovery into national championship form as a basis for why UND will do it as well with Bubba. - NDSU fans bring up 12 national championships vs 1. -A few UND fans then bring up hockey. -Darrell brings up 2001 again -Personal attacks start, usually in the form of calling someone a retard. -UND fans start calling UND degrees superior to degrees from NDSU and make an ag school comment. -Thread gets locked and a new one is created and the same cycle starts all over again

Just curious but what do you think Bubbles will be able to market better? Roughrider Nation? Green Hawk Nation? No Name nation? I would think the pride associated with those nicknames coupled with images of a half filled Areoa center should really start raking in the recruits. Christ he already has such a built in recruiting advantage with all of those prospective doctors and lawyers who want to play football. Amazes me how NDSU has even managed to win 12 national championships compared to 1 at UND with all of UND's built in advantages.

Right that is exactly what I am saying...top end in the conference with a couple of playoff births. That is far different from the term top FCS team like NDSU that was used . When you say top like NDSU, I think of teams like Montana, JMU, Delaware and App State/GSU before their move etc...teams with continued success, national championships, perennial national championship contenders and packed attendance.....that is far difference from being a top 25 FCS team making playoffs. For the record, I don't call a defense that gave up 24 ppg and gave up over 30 points to Missouri State as one of the top in the FCS.

I liked how he referenced the 3-8 and calling for Bohl's head. That is the difference right there. Bubba has a losing season and UND fans praise him for his team trying hard. NDSU demands excellence from coaches. No excuses. UND better hope Bubba wins fast because he is in the good old boy club. They will tolerate futility with him even longer than they did with Muss.

I meant NDSU. Wasn't paying attention. Maybe Roughrider nation can actually get behind UND and support the team and they become a top FCS team. I doubt it within 5 years though. What has Bubba done to prove that? Is he crushing it on the recruiting trail? Last time I checked no and it isn't even close. UND has a lot more to worry about than NDSU. They compete every year against Montana and Montana State for conference titles. Both of those schools have significantly better fan support and better teams. Cal Poly is a team in the waiting and EWU has been great the last decade plus. Then you go against NDSU, SDSU and UNI for players in your back yard, all schools with significantly larger fan and school support and significantly better football programs. There are far more things going against UND being a top FCS program than things going for it.

I'm sure that really bothers Bison fans now after beating multiple FBS teams, winning 4 consecutive FCS national championships and having a men's BB team who had made 3 NCAA tourney appearances with a win in the tourney and has multiple wins over ranked power conference teams. I know you hear the year 2001 and a little bit of blood rushes downwords but give it a rest man.

NDSU has had three losing seasons since 1964. I repeat 3. They followed a 2009 season when the experienced significant injuries and disciplinary issues with one of their best recruiting classes ever and a controversial playoff loss in the FCS quarterfinals against the eventual national champions. Somehow you fail to remember that NDSU had back to back 10-1 seasons in both 2006 and 2007, beat 3 FBS teams, and were the number one ranked team in the FCS for multiple weeks. 2008 they went into the year ranked #1 in the FCS and had an injury plagued year. 2009 was an anomaly in the D1 era. Will NDSU have another down season? Yes of course. With that being said in the last 6 decades, they have responded very fast. UND on the other hand had relatively brief periods of good football followed by extremely large stretches of futility. 12 national championships vs 1 darell. Really no comparison between these two programs and their history of football excellence. Look, UND is going to be a good team again. They are a state flagship institution. It is inevitable. I just think it is unrealistic to try to say that in 5 years they will be a top program like NDSU. They are still an afterthought in this region for recruiting and really didn't show me they have talent, at this point, to be a top FCS program in 5 years.

Idaho State won a national championship at the FCS/D1AA level just like Boise State. As such it is inevitable that Idaho State will one day become just as good at football as Boise State is right now.

That claim is about as absurd and funny as NDSU fans claiming they will be in the Big 12 one day. Just curious what would make you claim that? The fact that you have a fan base who views FCS football as a joke and does not attend games? The fact that FCS football at UND is ridiculously low compared to other peer institutions? The fact that UND has been getting crushed, to put it lightly, for top regional talent compared to NDSU, SDSU, UNI etc? UND has a long way to go towards being a top program in the Big Sky let alone the FCS. I can see UND being competitive in the Big Sky and cracking the top 25 within the next 5 years. There is nothing UND has done to make me believe they will be a top FCS team like NDSU within the next 5 years. To be like NDSU means you are winning national championships. Maybe refrase your prediction and say competitive playoff team like SDSU.

He was quoted saying that it was an easy decision and that NDSU showed more interest. Bubbles must have had another Canadian on his recruiting radar. Not sure how NDSU kicking UND's ass on September 19 is going to change anything. Good thing that Bubbles can fall back on pimping that aeronautical program and dam near worst rated medical school as a recruiting tool. They sure seem to have been raking in the talent.

That was a good win. I wasn't trying to be an asshole. I was asking the question because I seriously didn't know if UND had beat a ranked FCS team on the road before. So in total, 3 wins against ranked FCS teams since 2006?

Yes it would. Dam near a decade? We got into the Valley in 2008 but didn't play them until 2009 where we proceeded to get beat three straight time before the 2011 win. So UND's biggest win ever was beating a then ranked #5 UNI team who went on to finish the season at 7-4? Lol you win dude you really have something on us.

Correct me if I am wrong, but UND has yet to beat a single ranked FCS team on the road. Given their lack of talent, I doubt they are going to come into the FargoDome and beat a Bison team who will be ranked very high and have essentially their entire offense returning. Your 90's card is irrelevant. When UND beat NDSU in 1993, they were 3 years removed from a National Championship and starting to come down to earth while UND had been extremely competitive the year before and on paper, were equal going into that game. This year, NDSU will be the #1 team heading into week 1 and is largely expected to be one of the premiere teams in the FCS. UND is expected to be a bottom feeder once again. No comparison. That Indiana State team spent the majority of the season ranked and proved it by finishing 7-4 in the toughest conference in the FCS, barely missing out on the playoffs. They also had maybe the best running back in the country that year, Shakir Bell, who was coming off a season where he finished second in the Walter Payton award. It would be safe to say that the 2012 Indiana State team was significantly better than any team UND will be putting on the field this upcoming season.

Good. Than you should have been happy that BF accepted the most embarrassing offer an FCS team has ever taken and get to play in the Fargodome.

Maybe it will be. I don't really care. I know NDSU will win this game. NDSU is a far better team.