UND92,96 Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Has UND football ever averaged a higher attendence than NDSU for a season? Maybe back in the 1950's. In 2001 when UND won their national championship they averaged 10,517 fans, NDSU 12,115. I think the 19,000 fans will become a regular event for NDSU football within the next 10 years. Teams like Montana will take any extra tickets Bison fans don't take. I believe Montana is scheduled to come to Fargo in 2004. Has UND ever outdrawn NDSU for football? I'm not sure. Quite frankly, considering the fact that the F-M area is approximately double the population of the Grand Forks area, I would hope NDSU could muster a few thousand more per game, although they can't seem to do it for basketball. However, NDSU fans have also shown that they are front-runners, just like anywhere else. The very low attendance for all your home games last year following the UND game is proof of this. For what it's worth, I would virtually guarantee that had the Sioux-Bison game not been in Fargo last year, NDSU attendance would have been less than UND's. That gate was the only thing that saved what could have been a disastrous year financially for the football program. As far as routinely selling out the Fargodome, I wouldn't count on it during our lifetimes. Take away the UND games, and there's nothing to support the contention that NDSU is capable of selling out, or even coming close to selling out the Fargodome on a routine basis. At least unless the team returns to its 80's level of success. Somehow, I don't see how moving to I-AA will make is more likely that NDSU will become a dominating program again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Goldie doesn't want to talk hockey. Their rink only holds 10,000. Then again, they charge you for tickets from behind a mask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BisonMav Posted March 12, 2003 Author Share Posted March 12, 2003 As far as routinely selling out the Fargodome, I wouldn't count on it during our lifetimes. Take away the UND games, and there's nothing to support the contention that NDSU is capable of selling out, or even coming close to selling out the Fargodome on a routine basis. At least unless the team returns to its 80's level of success. Somehow, I don't see how moving to I-AA will make is more likely that NDSU will become a dominating program again. Time will tell. Fargo is a great setting for a I-AA football program to prosper. The population is growing fast. Visiting I-AA teams have a larger following than Division II teams. In 2004, the Montana game should be a sellout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Visiting I-AA teams have a larger following than Division II teams. And visiting fans will have twice as far, or more, to travel (compared to current conference rivals). One's an attendance positive, one's an attendance negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bison_Kent Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 But how many South Dakota or St. Cloud State fans did you see in either the FargoDome or the Alerius Center? I went to Omaha last year for the NDSU/Omaha game and I think there was more NDSU fans there then Omaha fans. Even UND seems only to travel to Fargo. NDSU fans will go anywhere in the country to see the Bison. This is what the top I-AA teams like Montana have in their fans. I would guess that any NDSU road game is the hosts top selling game of the year, mainly due to the number of NDSU fans that go to the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 But how many South Dakota or St. Cloud State fans did you see in either the FargoDome or the Alerius Center? I went to Omaha last year for the NDSU/Omaha game and I think there was more NDSU fans there then Omaha fans. Even UND seems only to travel to Fargo. NDSU fans will go anywhere in the country to see the Bison. This is what the top I-AA teams like Montana have in their fans. I would guess that any NDSU road game is the hosts top selling game of the year, mainly due to the number of NDSU fans that go to the game. USD or SCSU have fans? ;) UND football fans travel OK. (They're probably two or three in the NCC in that category.) Again, and not to keep going back there, UND hockey fans probably travel better than UND football (and have longer trips normally). I'll admit that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bison_Kent Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I'll admit football is NDSU's #1 sport. Hockey is UND's. Fan support for both sports is great. It is due to the history and current success seen in both programs. I am sure if either team had an Elite 8 basketball team year after year the support would be there for those teams as well. I am watching the Big Sky championship mens basketball game and I think the top teams in the NCC could compete in that league right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 UND's BB teams have always traveled better than the FB also. I also know that UND travels much better than NDSU in BB. I seen that BSC game too and I don't think the NCC is too terribly far behind them...but not right yet. With D1's added scholarship and bringing in one or two recruits because of that level and I could see the top programs having no problem in that league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYOBISONMAN Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Don't try to tell the Montana fans on egriz.com that the NCC is not far behind the BSC....they will have a fit. (although I thing that the Giz would have thier hands full playing football or basketball in the NCC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Once you boost your scholarships up to 13 and 15 for bb and 63 for fb for a few years most of the better programs in the NCC will close what little gap there is with BSC. It is not like their BB teams are powerhouses, by that game last night....it is not very far ahead at all. The womens BB is damn close already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDSU grad Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 In the BSC game, Eastern Washington had a player named Greg Smith who came off the bench. He played for the Bison as freshman, but I never thought he was that good. It looked like he contributed to EWU about as much as he contributed to the Bison. It might be erroneous to compare two conferences by the play of one player, but just by looking at this guy I too would say there's not that much difference between the two conferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamsioux Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Ya know, I was wondering if that was the same guy. I figured it had to be him. He is pretty much a big dope. I don't think the Bison missed out on too much with him leaving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted March 18, 2003 Share Posted March 18, 2003 Here are the I-AA attendance figures for the 2002 season. NDSU would have ranked in the Top 25 even with a 2-8 record. Look out when the NDSU is in I-AA. I will predict a Top 10 attendance figure just as NDSU has had in the past 10 years in D2 excluding last year. I figure when the Bison are a full blown I-AA member we will have numbers resembling Montana's. http://www.ncaa.org/stats/division1%20foot...GATTENDANCE.pdf Also, note that the waiting period for the I-AA playoffs is 4 years from when the schedule is a full I-AA schedule. It is a total of 5 years but one being classified as a reclassification year and the school can remain in the current division. This is where NDSU is at next year. In the 2008 season, NDSU will be eligible for the I-AA playoffs with or without a conference. Conference affiliation does not mean a quicker period. I found this out on I-AA.org. You have to remember that Montana expanded with another 4,000 seats... if those sell out (and I believe they have... could be wrong), then they'll add another 4,000 seats on the south endzone. Montana will probably average just under 24,000 this season.... near 28,000 for the next expansion. Or so they hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bison_Kent Posted March 23, 2003 Share Posted March 23, 2003 Montana is expanding by 4,000 seats to give them 23,000 or so this up-coming year. NDSU could average a sell out of 18,500 and still be in the Top 5 I-AA attendance. I-AA provides more exposure and more traveling. Opposing teams travel to see their teams better in I-AA. If NDSU gets into the Big Sky, expect around 1,000 fans from Montana or Montana St. to travel to Fargo. It is rare for NCC teams to have that number with the exception of NDSU at an opposing team's stadium. We will just have to what and see how the Big Sky presidents decide on expansion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.