Great article on NDSU and what it takes to build program

[Little Stevie]

http://www.campusrush.com/north-dakota-state-bison-football-carson-wentz-1958646374.html

Mudra identified a formula that remains paramount to college athletics: Winning requires investment, on and off the field. "He changed the culture here," Simmers says. "He raised capital before anybody else was raising capital. He raised money. And they worked hard and got tough kids."


Adds Klieman: "We're a developmental program. We don't take many transfers. We're taking kids that are freshmen and getting them invested in the program so they don't want to leave."

NDSU-much props!!!

[POD Knows]

Win or lose, Bison fans don't waste their yearly pilgrimage to Texas. Prior to the title game in January 2012, North Dakota State hosted a pep rally at a Frisco-area Marriott the Friday before the game. Bison administrators approached hotel management beforehand with a warning: You can't have too much beer on hand. The hotel assured NDSU officials they would be stocked. By 9 p.m., all the beer was gone. The second batch ran dry by 11 p.m. "Afterwards, we got a letter from the hotel," Pat Simmers recalls. "They said, 'We're sorry, we just didn't understand.'"

xdrunkyx

[Professor Chaos]

Win or lose, Bison fans don't waste their yearly pilgrimage to Texas. Prior to the title game in January 2012, North Dakota State hosted a pep rally at a Frisco-area Marriott the Friday before the game. Bison administrators approached hotel management beforehand with a warning: You can't have too much beer on hand. The hotel assured NDSU officials they would be stocked. By 9 p.m., all the beer was gone. The second batch ran dry by 11 p.m. "Afterwards, we got a letter from the hotel," Pat Simmers recalls. "They said, 'We're sorry, we just didn't understand.'"

xdrunkyx
Yet expanding tailgating is apparently a massive task since it involves moving the glacier that is the bible thumpers who apparently oppose it.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Yet expanding tailgating is apparently a massive task since it involves moving the glacier that is the bible thumpers who apparently oppose it.

What "Bible thumpers" or whatever name you use are opposing it?

[Mattymc727]

Fap Fap Fap Fap Fap!!!

[Professor Chaos]

What "Bible thumpers" or whatever name you use are opposing it?
No clue. But apparently that's what Simmers has told people is holding up the expansion of tailgating into additional lots.

[POD Knows]

No clue. But apparently that's what Simmers has told people is holding up the expansion of tailgating into additional lots.

You know, maybe if we filled the NW reserved section with actual bodies and vehicles, we would need more space. I know they are reserved in that area but most of the time you could fire a rocket over there and not hit anybody. That area is a ghost town when it gets cold out or deer hunting is going on.

But I would agree, probably need some more GA tailgating areas that allow alcohol.

[Professor Chaos]

You know, maybe if we filled the NW reserved section with actual bodies and vehicles, we would need more space. I know they are reserved in that area but most of the time you could fire a rocket over there and not hit anybody. That area is a ghost town when it gets cold out or deer hunting is going on.

But I would agree, probably need some more GA tailgating areas that allow alcohol.
Yep, agreed. I wish they'd give tickets for each game to people who have reserved tailgating spots so they could sell tickets for the games they won't be at. Too much work I guess. I suppose if you're handling security/facilities for the lot you're perfectly happy with an empty spot that's paid for.... even moreso than a full spot that's paid for.

[IBleedYellow]

xdrunkyxxdrunkyxxdrunkyxxdrunkyxxbeerchugxxbeerchu gxxbeerchugxxbeerchugxxdeadhorsexxdeadhorsexxdeadh orsexxdeadhorsex

[Bisonoline]

No clue. But apparently that's what Simmers has told people is holding up the expansion of tailgating into additional lots.

In all of my conversations with Simmers hes Never said anything about bible thumpers. But to expand tailgate I can think of 4-6 groups that have to sign off on it. The Fargodome, Law Enforcement, City Council, NDSU, NDSU Athletic Dept and Teammakers.

But the thread was about a nice article about NDSU and how we built the program and you had to throw this crap at it. WTF does drinking and tailgate have to do with this article?

[Catamount87]

Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.

Fargo and Grand Forks still aren't far from the Twin Cities. It's about 3/4 hours by car so long as the weather is decent. That's pretty reasonable. A place like Montana State is far more isolated. Fargo really feels like a legit city that's not far off the beaten path. Bismarck has a much different, desolate feeling....

Hell, I live about 140 miles from Temple and it usually takes me 3-3.5 hours to get there. Twin City traffic isn't Philly traffic....

Lehigh and Lafayette have to compete with each other (same league/located about 15 miles apart) as well as Philly and NYC sports.

[Twentysix]

What "Bible thumpers" or whatever name you use are opposing it?

Did somebody say BibleThump?

http://i.imgur.com/IWcT8Fb.jpg

[Twentysix]

Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.

UND and NDSU are basically the same size. NDSU has more physical students, but UND has a bigger budget by something like 25% (but the medical school more or less accounts for the difference). Both schools report enrollments of about 15,000.

[DFW HOYA]

Good article, but it also ties to three factors which really drive NDSU's brand:

1. Exclusivity. NDSU and UND are the only two schools in the state with enrollments of more than 4,000. They become a default choice for a lot of casual fans.

2. Facilities: Where would NDSU be if it were playing at a version of Coughlin–Alumni Stadium or Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute? The ability to drive funding for a top-notch facility is a big, big plus.

3. Cost. A year's tuition at NDSU is $6,924, a great deal for the kids to stay close to home and for the athletic budget.

[Bisonator]

Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.
People also look at those as hindrances too though. Fewer schools because their are fewer people which leads to fewer D1 players. Fewer "attractions" and geographic location also make it harder to get certain kids.

[Twentysix]

Good article, but it also ties to three factors which really drive NDSU's brand:

1. Exclusivity. NDSU and UND are the only two schools in the state with enrollments of more than 4,000. They become a default choice for a lot of casual fans.

2. Facilities: Where would NDSU be if it were playing at a version of Coughlin–Alumni Stadium or Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute? The ability to drive funding for a top-notch facility is a big, big plus.

3. Cost. A year's tuition at NDSU is $6,924, a great deal for the kids to stay close to home and for the athletic budget.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure an out of state full ride plus FCOA at NDSU is like only 60% the cost of just tuition at my UC. Last year tuition alone was just under $35,000, at a public university...

[Professor Chaos]

In all of my conversations with Simmers hes Never said anything about bible thumpers. But to expand tailgate I can think of 4-6 groups that have to sign off on it. The Fargodome, Law Enforcement, City Council, NDSU, NDSU Athletic Dept and Teammakers.

But the thread was about a nice article about NDSU and how we built the program and you had to throw this crap at it. WTF does drinking and tailgate have to do with this article?
So I'm over-generalizing with the term bible thumpers. We can just call them "opponents of fun" then. My point was that people always love to talk about how NDSU fans drink Frisco dry when we're down there, even though we warned them (/yokel voice), yet expanding the presence of alcohol in or around the Fargodome on game days appears to require about twelve Geneva conventions to make any progress.

[dewey]

2. Facilities: Where would NDSU be if it were playing at a version of Coughlin–Alumni Stadium or Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute? The ability to drive funding for a top-notch facility is a big, big plus.

Before NDSU moved into the Fargodome in 1993 they played their games at Dacotah Field, just south of the Fargodome. This is where NDSU won 8 National Championships but according to Wikipedia the seating capacity was only 13,000.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacotah_Field

As noisy as the Fargodome is now that didn't really start until probably the 2011 season when the former coach. Rain Bohl asked the fans to be as loud as possible for games during the year. That is when the fans realized we can have a profundity impact on this game. I remember being at the Georgia Southern game in 2011 and my wife telling me that the people behind me wanted me to sit down...Ahh hell no I said.

Imho the biggest thing that helps NDSU is tradition and fan support.

Dewey

[POD Knows]

In all of my conversations with Simmers hes Never said anything about bible thumpers. But to expand tailgate I can think of 4-6 groups that have to sign off on it. The Fargodome, Law Enforcement, City Council, NDSU, NDSU Athletic Dept and Teammakers.

But the thread was about a nice article about NDSU and how we built the program and you had to throw this crap at it. WTF does drinking and tailgate have to do with this article?

Nothing, I cut and pasted a thing I thought was funny in the article about running out of booze in Frisco and it was off to the races. I love thread drift. Hell, a couple more pages, we would have been talking about he Turf burning down.

[dewey]

Hell, a couple more pages, we would have been talking about he Turf burning down.

Joking about everything except the Turf burning down is acceptable but you sir have gone too far.:D

Dewey

[Bisonoline]

Nothing, I cut and pasted a thing I thought was funny in the article about running out of booze in Frisco and it was off to the races. I love thread drift. Hell, a couple more pages, we would have been talking about he Turf burning down.

I know. It is a great story and I was there. It was madness. But then somebody had to piss in the punch bowl and bring up something totally unrelated. (facepalm)

[gotts]

Fargo and Grand Forks still aren't far from the Twin Cities. It's about 3/4 hours by car so long as the weather is decent. That's pretty reasonable. A place like Montana State is far more isolated. Fargo really feels like a legit city that's not far off the beaten path. Bismarck has a much different, desolate feeling....

Hell, I live about 140 miles from Temple and it usually takes me 3-3.5 hours to get there. Twin City traffic isn't Philly traffic....

Lehigh and Lafayette have to compete with each other (same league/located about 15 miles apart) as well as Philly and NYC sports.

lol wut

[POD Knows]

Joking about everything except the Turf burning down is acceptable but you sir have gone too far.:D

Dewey

Yea, I did. I have a habit of going to far. We should never joke about shrines burning down. I will go flog myself now. :D

[POD Knows]

lol wut

Fargo is the biggest city in the state but Bismarck is the nicest. I would move back out there in a heartbeat.

[Professor Chaos]

I know. It is a great story and I was there. It was madness. But then somebody had to piss in the punch bowl and bring up something totally unrelated. (facepalm)
It was a great article and, despite the fact that it contained a couple minor errors, was very well written.

Feel free to go police other threads now.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

In all of my conversations with Simmers hes Never said anything about bible thumpers. But to expand tailgate I can think of 4-6 groups that have to sign off on it. The Fargodome, Law Enforcement, City Council, NDSU, NDSU Athletic Dept and Teammakers.

But the thread was about a nice article about NDSU and how we built the program and you had to throw this crap at it. WTF does drinking and tailgate have to do with this article?


This here.

The part I bolded is what I have been told about this. "Bible thumpers" is made up bull****.

[Bisonoline]

This here.

The part I bolded is what I have been told about this. "Bible thumpers" is made up bull****.

Just a bunch of whiners that need their diapers changed. Boohoo this and boohoo that. xbawlingx

[Twentysix]

Fargo is the biggest city in the state but Bismarck is the nicest. I would move back out there in a heartbeat.

oh blah, no way.

I could never live in Bismarck, it is way to dull and way to far from anything.

[Bisonator]

Just a bunch of whiners that need their diapers changed. Boohoo this and boohoo that. xbawlingx

Kind of like you are doing on this thread? xrolleyesx

[WTFCollegefootballfan]

Fargo is the biggest city in the state but Bismarck is the nicest. I would move back out there in a heartbeat.
Bismarck sucks. You can't even get from the south side to the north side in less than 40 minutes. I grew up near Bismarck, and Fargo is much, much better. Bismarck is like going back in time to the 80's.

[WTFCollegefootballfan]

Great read....xnodxxthumbsupxxawesomex

[POD Knows]

Bismarck sucks. You can't even get from the south side to the north side in less than 40 minutes. I grew up near Bismarck, and Fargo is much, much better. Bismarck is like going back in time to the 80's.

Bismarck is nicer. Lived in both places. The climate is better. No freaking mosquitos. Nicest 18 hole golf course in the state. When was he last time you were there

[WTFCollegefootballfan]

Bismarck is nicer. Lived in both places. The climate is better. No freaking mosquitos. Nicest 18 hole golf course in the state. When was he last time you were there
Month ago. My dad lives southwest of Bismarck.

[Bisonoline]

Kind of like you are doing on this thread? xrolleyesx

xrotatehxxnottalkingx

[POD Knows]

Month ago. My dad lives southwest of Bismarck.

I am originally from the east central part of ND but I like the western part of ND. To each his own I guess.

[UpstateBison]

POD, did you forget to take your med's today?

[Schism55]

Way to keep this thread on point fellas xthumbsupx

[POD Knows]

POD, did you forget to take your med's today?

Well, yea, but how can you tell. What was it that tipped you off? :D

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Kind of like you are doing on this thread? xrolleyesx



Pfft....that is the last thing that would describe PL....xsmhx

[ex189]

I'm looking forward to the Kickoff Classic and was curious to know from the Bison fans, what in your opinion is the biggest weakness on this years squad? What are you concerned about, if anything? Not just for opening day but for the whole season. The domination of FCS by NDSU is impressive

[IBleedYellow]

Cornerbacks.

[BadlandsGrizFan]

I'm looking forward to the Kickoff Classic and was curious to know from the Bison fans, what in your opinion is the biggest weakness on this years squad? What are you concerned about, if anything? Not just for opening day but for the whole season. The domination of FCS by NDSU is impressive


Nothing...they will make you think they have weaknesses....and than go and win the Natty again....its a facade!

[Bison56]

Cornerbacks.

^This

[WTFCollegefootballfan]

I'm looking forward to the Kickoff Classic and was curious to know from the Bison fans, what in your opinion is the biggest weakness on this years squad? What are you concerned about, if anything? Not just for opening day but for the whole season. The domination of FCS by NDSU is impressive
Left tackle, and cornerbacks.

[andthehomeofthe-BIZON-]

Left tackle, and cornerbacks.

This ^^

[Hammerhead]

All of those are big factors. With NDSU football being the biggest show in town on Saturdays, it's easier to get local businesses to spend big $$$ for prime seats. It also helps that the only FBS team in neighboring states, Minnesota, hasn't had much success in the last 50 years.


Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.

[BisonBacker]

All of those are big factors. With NDSU football being the biggest show in town on Saturdays, it's easier to get local businesses to spend big $$$ for prime seats. It also helps that the only FBS team in neighboring states, Minnesota, hasn't had much success in the last 50 years.

Don't tell the media dolts down their that. They think they are big time football. Maybe some of the teams coming in to play them play big time football but Minnesota hasn't been able to compete at the FBS level for a long time.

[Grizalltheway]

Cornerbacks.

Is that why everyone is so confident they'll be able to shut down Kupp and EWU's offense? xeyebrowx

[Thumper 76]

Things I have always wondered about that may also influence NDSU's success but aren't often mentioned/questioned are:
1) The limited number of D1 (FBS and FCS) and D2 programs in the state, 2 D1 schools and 2 D2 schools.
2) The loyalty of the residents to those few schools.
3) The fact that NDSU is the largest university in the state.
4) The somewhat remoteness of ND to other D1 and D2 schools and population centers.
5) The lack of any major league to high minor league profession sports teams. (I wonder about this because this can draw large advertising dollars away from college athletic programs.)



This actually brings up a conversation a couple of us were having at work recently. In NC, it seems you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FBS, FCS or D2 football program. There are 14 D1 football programs (7 FBS and 7 FCS) and 14 D2 programs. That's a total of 1,540 football scholarships or approximately 1 scholarship for every 6,493 residents of NC. (In ND this calculates out to approximately 1 scholarship for every 3,758 residents.) From an advertising dollars perspective, in NC there are slew of pro teams to compete against. We have NHL, NFL and NBA teams, one AHL team, two AAA baseball teams and seven A league teams, three minor league soccer teams and let's not forget NASCAR everywhere.

Just a couple things to point out here even though I hate NDSU:

1) Fargo is literally on the border of MN, so only counting the ND colleges is misleading. Are you saying if it was two miles east then the MN schools would count and the ND ones wouldn't? There's a DII school in Moorehead, which is basically the same town, plus a DIII too I believe. Not to mention a TON of DII schools in MN and the Gophers, ect. Not that the point is wrong 100%, but that's very misleading information.

2) There is still a pretty large number of UND fans in the state as well.

3) Sure it is, but not by a massive margin. UND isn't a tiny school. And I think UND is actually better funded.

4) Not sure how being remote helps you draw in recruits, especially from large population centers. It helps with the local fans no doubt, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't help with recruiting players.

5) The lack of major sports teams is due to the small population and lack of $ and people to support such a team, so it's not going to help as much as you think. Remember, the entire state has less than 1 million people.

To the point about scholarships available per person, wouldn't it be better to be in the area where you have 1 scholly per 6,500 people than 1/3800? Doesn't that mean when you have more people per scholarship there should be more opportunities to recruit better talent?

In the end I think every school and area has something that's a positive to help them succeed and a negative, some schools are just very adept at taking advantage of the positives much more than the negatives. Every time I see an article or a thread like this it just reeks of justification for other programs to not get to the same level, which I think is garbage and a loser mentality (not saying you are, just in general) and it drives me nuts. Comes off as whining or trying to say it isn't fair one way or the other. From my perspective it would have been mighty easy for SDSU to just say, well they have all these advantages over us, guess we're screwed. Especially when we made the jump to FCS. Instead the administration has put their nose to the grindstone and focused on what it would take to catch up, and after the last ten years, I'd say they are doing a good job. Certainly haven't caught them but if you look at where SDSU was to where they are now it's light years of difference. It's kinda like the difference between the Patriot League and what they did to get better by adding scholarships to get better to compete nationally compared to the MEAC and SWAC taking the other route and deciding to just quit on trying to compete at that level. Ok, rant over.

[JSUSoutherner]

Is that why everyone is so confident they'll be able to shut down Kupp and EWU's offense? xeyebrowx
Two words: Pass rush.

[AmsterBison]

Is that why everyone is so confident they'll be able to shut down Kupp and EWU's offense? xeyebrowx

That's a bit of an overstatement, no? Or did I miss a poll in which everybody predicted that NDSU was going to shut down Cooper?

If NDSU shuts down Kupp, it will because the Bison defensive line spends the afternoon terrorizing the EWU QB, not because NDSU's DBs are blanketing him.

[IBleedYellow]

Two words: Pass rush.

Exactly. Ask Montana about NDSU's pass rush last year in the playoffs.

[Grizalltheway]

Exactly. Ask Montana about NDSU's pass rush last year in the playoffs.

I certainly remember it all too well, but I also remember the first game where your best corner was out injured.

[Thumper 76]

Exactly. Ask Montana about NDSU's pass rush last year in the playoffs.

Or SDSU from the Marker Game. Wieneke couldn't do anything cause Lujan was on his ass the whole time.

[IBleedYellow]

I certainly remember it all too well, but I also remember the first game where your best corner was out injured.

I will agree with this to the sense that we were leaning on our Corners/Safeties more than our defensive line in that first game - which is never good for our brand of football. The second game we were closer to normal.

Another counter argument though is that the key to NDSU's defense (i've stated it before, even) is the quickness of the LBs and the shutdown corner that allows the other 10 men to play free and not care about that #1 receiver of the other team.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

I'm looking forward to the Kickoff Classic and was curious to know from the Bison fans, what in your opinion is the biggest weakness on this years squad? What are you concerned about, if anything? Not just for opening day but for the whole season. The domination of FCS by NDSU is impressive



NDSU will have 2 new corners. One guy played their some last year and probably a junior college guy will win the battle.

I think our new LT will be fine....not to concerned with this position.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Two words: Pass rush.


NDSU will roll EWU.

EWU's defense is horrible and their OL will be new and young. 1st time in the dome.

Bison roll.