NDSU, UND, NDSU, UND, NDSU, UND

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Maybe the University of North Dakota should have held on to the Fighting Sioux nickname after all. With the continuing bumbling of the NCAA and its fifth grade geographical knowledge, there would have been a 50 percent chance the NCAA would have sanctioned NDSU rather than UND over continued use.

This after another fiasco involving NDSU’s championship football banner. It was sent to UND. Furthermore, NCAA representative Kelly Dodds confused Brian Faison as the athletic director at NDSU. Not a good day Kelly, time to punch out and head for the local martini bar in Indianapolis.

The point of this post, however, is to further give credence to my FCS top 25 poll theory from last fall when NDSU fell from No. 6 to No. 12 despite being idle. It was the same weekend that UND lost in a close battle at Fresno State. That theory caught the ire of UND fans, who let me know about it in certain ways after UND moved up in the poll despite a loss. Again, let me point out: teams that lose to FBS teams either stay the same or move down a few slots, not move up. 

If the NCAA can’t figure out NDSU and UND, surely voters from across the country who have no idea where North Dakota is in the first place could easily mix up the two. It’s the same poll that gave Missouri State University (MSU) votes on a week when Montana State University (MSU) moved down despite winning. Missouri State was 1-7. As I said last fall, I don’t care about a poll; but I do care about accuracy.

67 thoughts on “NDSU, UND, NDSU, UND, NDSU, UND”

  1. Its true what say here. NDSU is so far head & shoulders above with football its not even funny, plus 12,000+ season ticket holders is more than some teams average.

    • When you have a possible 24% increase in season ticket sales in one year and there was a ticket price increase it shows the need for a new stadium. A cap at 12,500 means 18,700 isn’t cutting it anymore with this program or the rapidly growing F-M community. I have been saying it for months it is time to start planning for a new 40,000 seat dome that can be expanded to 50,000 when more room is needed. Scheels, Sanford, Microsoft and a number of wealthy Oil companies setting up shop in western North Dakota would be the places you need to go to get financial support for this project. Maybe Mr. Inniger needs to come out of retirement for one more fundraiser! Go Bison!

      • The thing is, it’s NOT just the FM area…it’s literally half the state. I have friends, A LOT of friends, that come from Bismarck and Minneapolis to come to the Dome.

        If they make a new stadium…I hope they keep it indoor. And make it an indoor bowl.

  3. When I worked at Indiana State University people always confused UND and NDSU. Because people would ask questions about my academic credentials. Given I had a degree from NDSU, the person asking would start talking about somebody they knew at the medical school, etc. Then I would have to correct them, and I had to say it is like IU (Indiana University) and ISU (Indiana State University) or UM (University of Michigan) or MSU (Michigan State University). It was not until NDSU joined the MVFC that people in Terre Haute, IN finally started to know (remember) that NDSU was in Fargo, ND. In addition, In Indiana when you say UND everyone thinks you are talking about the University of Notre Dame anyway. Funny how it takes a school being in the same athletic conference, as the school you are at, to actually have people in that community know the other schools location, and in the example of NDSU, that it is a land grant research institution and does not have a medical and law school. Who knows if you had NDSU and UND in the same conference (and they played each other) people might recognize the differences more quickly (at least in athletic circles).

  4. I think someone needs to let it go. Obviously this was a touchy subject and still bugs you. There a lot of different opinions on what happened in the poll last year. Your opinion is just one of them. I for one don’t think you were right.

    • A lot of coaches in country agree too. It’s pretty well known that it was a mistake. UND absolutely wouldn’t have moved up. Unless they maybe lost to Alabama. Then maybe one spot.

  5. I am also a little surprised you want to stir that up again. It is kind of old news now.

  6. Jeff, I totally agree. This proves the point that you had and me and most other Bison fans agreed with when NDSU magically dropped 6 spots after playing nobody and UND magically appeared in the polls with a record of 1-2 coming off a win against a horrible Drake team and getting beat the next 2 weeks. No, there was no mixup there. I’m glad that the coaches poll has been proved more of a joke and that the FCS does not base it’s playoff teams or championship on it. They better enjoy having actual FCS championship banner because it will soon come home to where it belongs. Kind of like if they mistakenly sent a superbowl championship banner to the vikings.

  7. I agree with you Jeff. The way UND plays and considering they play NAIA and D2 teams all the time, there is no way they can be ranked as high as they are.

  8. Jeff I think you were and are still right about the votes being messed up. You don’t drop 6 spots when you are idle and Misery State collecting votes at 1-7 is an obvious mistake by someone thinking they were MT State.

  9. Jeff was correct then and he is correct now. UND football has been terrible for a number of years and last yr was no exception. This yr will be worse!

  10. This article started out with the confusion between the two schools and got highjacked by football polls. I’d like to go back to the first issue. My relatives never understood the difference between the two schools for many years. Until I got fed up and gave each one a show and tell (with map of North Dakota) to explain where I grew up in G.F. and went to school in Fargo. The map cured all mis-understandings. Graphics sure can explain. GO BISON !!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Season ticket sales for Bison football close to 12,000. That leaves only 6,000 for general admission. Should the football team continue to have success. The Fargodome will be to small by 2020. A new stadium is in the near future. I said it and I’m the first one. I should get a free handshake.

    • Actually you need to figure in the 4k student tickets into the equation too. Only about 3500 left if you’re lucky. Time to get a ticket exchange

  12. Perhaps NDSU gave the NCAA the wrong address. They should have sent it where they store the horse manure….the Fargodump.

    • Ha, that’s funny. The “Fargodump” ,as you refer to it, will be hoisting a National Championship banner on September 1st to a crowd that will be around 19,000 people. What’s going in Grand Forks that weekend? A crowd of maybe 7,000 excited about their new Big Sky era and them watching their beloved team with no nickname play an NAIA team in SD School of Mines.

  13. You are absolutely correct about the NDSU and UND poll mix up. Its a joke. Luckily were National Champions and it didn’t matter.

    Could you image in they mixed up North Carolina and North Carolina State? Or Michigan or Michigan State? People would freak.

    Thats as close as UND will ever get to a National Championship banner!

    • Ummmm…UND has 7 National Championship Banners…and theirs are at the highest NCAA level, not a sub category.

      • Yes UND is D-! in Hockey but didn’t MInnesota-Duluth win the title a few years ago? I would have to say that beating Minnesota, Kansas, Ball State, Central Michigan, App. St., Montana, Northern Iowa and Georgia Southern in Football is at least as impressive as beating Minn-Duluth in hockey, isn’t it? Go Bison!

        • And dont forget Bemidji made the frozen 4!! Bemidji, seriously? We could be competitive in hockey within 5 years if we started

      • Highest level of competition? I’ll be cheering for the SD School of Mines over UND this season.

      • I forgot. How many colleges play hockey? And don’t count the D II, DIII or naia schools.

        • yes…more people pay football than hockey. What is the point to that statement? Division I hockey has the best teams in the country competing for a nationasl championship out of 55 teams.
          DI-AA football has about triple that number at last count but teams are getting out a fast as they can. Teams in DI-AA are not the best teams in the country competing for a championship. It’s really DII and DII is DII and DIII is really DIV, is just the semantics of the NCAA’s level titling that confuses most NDSU fans into thinking its real division I football.

          • Well than if it is such a week division UND should dominate right away, is that what you are saying? Remember Sioux Falls college is D-II so you don’t have to play them this year. Go Bison!

          • This “real DI sport-hackey” first of all is such a minor sport virtaully no one pays attention to it. Secondly, there are more DII and DIII schools playing DI hockey than DI schools. so how can it be a real DI sport.

      • The difference is D1 FCS doesnt allow D2 and D3 teams in its playoffs like D1 hockey does. If you find solace in beating teams like that to win a championship to make yourself feel better—enjoy.

      • says the guy with teams like Union, RPI and Alabama-Huntsville in it’s division :Lol:

  14. One can possibly understand mixing up the respective school addresses. However, mixing up the athletic directors? — Ouch!

  15. Kolpack needs a new job. He is obviously mad at UND, it’s fans, the world. Does he work for forum comm or NDSU?

  16. It obviously bothered Kolpack a lot that UND got votes in the National polls. I am not sure why it did or why he was so worried about UND. Basically he works for NDSU I think.

    • He was merely pointing out how worthless the coaches poll is. The coaches that vote in it don’t spend anytime on it so they screw up and vote for schools that don’t deserve the votes.

      As another poster stated at least the NCAA doesn’t pay any attention to it when the playoff selections occur.

    • Doesn’t it bother you if they (the votes) were undeserved? Oops, forgot, an Undie fan.

  17. NDSU = OHIO STATE
    und = ohio

    Thats the bottom line, this was a musuem’s banner, big deal, but as usual the und people get excited to make the news. Too bad they cant make news on the field.

  18. UND has 7 championships to the moron who thought this was as close as they would get. Sure UND won;t be good as NDSU in the next few yrs in football, but theyll get there. NDSU however will never field a hockey team…btw who has the nickel

    • Keep the Nickel. NDSU would rather have the banner (and more of them in future, hopefully).

    • Bemidji, Duluth, St. Cloud and Mankato have hockey teams I think NDSU could be successful in hockey too if they really wanted to do it. Give me a break! Go Bison!

    • I’m a football season ticket holder and TM member. I’m really quite content having just one butthockey college team in the state. In fact, I would be pissed off as hell if one cent of my teammaker dues went to fund a puck team. So, take your skates, pucks, and sticks and shove’m.

    • Never say never. We already have a nice hockey arena waiting for us . Not in the same league as the Ralph but certainly more than adequate…. and once the SHAC opens, Teammakers will have a new revenue stream. Besides if Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji can field some good teams, absolutely no reason NDSU cannot

    • “Who’s got the Nickel?” That’s all you got? Look at what those programs have done since they last played for it. NDSU has had 3 one loss seasons, been ranked #1 in the nation in multiple polls for a lot of those 3 years, beaten 16 ranked FCS schools, beaten 5 FBS schools, and won a National Championship. All in front of crowds that were 15,000 in a bad year to being consistently sold out near 19,000 in the other years. Meanwhile, UND has had no significant wins a a DI football team other than maybe beating a ranked S Utah team last year. They have had losing records, played numerous NAIA teams (losing on of them to Sioux Falls). All while playing in front of crowd of 7,000 or less and student sections of under 100. Also at the same time fighting a never ending nickname saga that has had your Big Sky membership at jeopardy. And for a cherry on top of the sundae, 3 former players were arrested for using pot and steroids last year. But you hold onto that Nickel, its all you got. NDSU football is miles ahead of UND football.

    • Too bad they can’t display it now since it has the Sioux logo on it. UND can have the nickel, the Bison will take the championship trophies.

  19. It’s so obvious that Kolpack work for NDSU and not the forum. Why else would he post so many things about NDSU in the Bison Media Blog.

    • Well it is called the Bison Media Blog, so he better not be posting any Sioux info on here. I mean what else would you talk about on the Bison Media Blog besides NDSU stuff…

    • The logic of suzy fan, complaining that someone is talking about the Bison in a Bison blog.

  20. The NACC or NCCA or I mean the NCAA is and always will be an organization who believes it’s self importance is special. It is a freakin money sucking top heavy organization that is a joke. After that screw up, keep the nickname at UND and tell them to spin. They will be sending any further hockey banners to NDSU anyway. UND should send the NCAA a shipping charge invoice of 35,000,000 dollars and sue them if it is not paid in 30 days. When the NCAA claims the invoice is ludicrous then UND can say “we will drop the fee if we can keep our nickname.”
    Now for you former Sue fans who think I am going to bat for you, forget it. I am a Bison fan and could care less what happens to your college. As far as I am concerned, you are taking way too many tax dollars from good people in ND.
    Go Bison !!!
    PS NCAA- send all further banners to 1800 N University Dr. Fargo ND C/O NDSU national champions.

  21. Hockey is meaningless in this country. 0.7 tv ratings, just ask dan nutbeard hammer at kvly bout that!

    7 titles with all 24 year olds in a ncaa sport with maybe 4 legit university’s ia nothing to brag about.

    NDSU has done more nationally in last 5 years then every single sport at und HAS EVER DONE COMBINED!!

  22. Serious thought here: If the NCAA is this breathtakingly incompetent that it can’t get a championship banner to the right school and also can’t get the right name of the athletic director, then NDSU should seriously consider joining any other schools that would like to break from the NCAA and form their own collegiate athletics organization.
    This is also more than incompetence, it’s disrespect. For all the hard work, esprit de corps, and determination NDSU (or any other championship team in any other sport) puts in, to have your championship banner sent somewhere else and in this case to another in-state school, is also disrespectful. President Bresciani and Gene Taylor need to make a personal trip to Indianapolis and deliver a very one-sided conversation to those fools.
    Yes this is comical. But it’s far more serious to me. The NCAA is breathtakingly incompetent and/or the US education system is in extremely bad shape.

  23. On a national level this just shows how irrelevant North Dakota is…whether it be NDSU and its DIAA football championship or UND and its hockey championships. Even in the Twin Cities people have problems decifering between the two. Maybe UND can change their colors when they change their name and make things easier.
    People don’t have problems with determining Michigan State/Michigan, Florida/Florida State, Arizona/Arizona State because they are large national schools playing at the highest level of competition and have differing colors.

    • I’ll bet teams like James Madison, Lehigh, Georgia Southern and Sam Houston might disagree with you, they won’t forget NDSU for a long time.

    • They should keep their “official” colors. Kelly (puke) Green and Pink. Yep Pink, look it up.

      I have a suggestion for a new mascot. UND Flipflops. We are going to walk all over them anyhow, might as well be a cheap rubber sandle.

  24. I think it would be more beneficial to discuss what is going on with NDSU athletics rather than the nickname of a former rival from a different time and Division. They aren’t even on the schedule over the next three years. There must be something more substantial to discuss than what is now a moot topic given the voters have had their say. Until the day and year they are on the schedule anything posted here is just hot air. This post should be closed.

  26. I have said this before and I will say it again, continuous whining behind anonymous user names serves no one. Put your real names on the ballot, get yourselves elected, got to Bismarck and make a difference. Lead, follow or get out of the way.