If not 2012, when?
Until Thursday, many believed UND and NDSU would renew their football rivalry in 2012.
Today, it's anybody's guess when the two will play again.
UND wants to play the Bison every year. NDSU says every other year is in its best interest.
We're at gridlock in a small state that desperately needs a rivalry game. North Dakota-South Dakota isn't a real rivalry. Neither is NDSU-South Dakota State. They never have been, never will be.
Neither side, unfortunately, appears it is willing to make a compromise.
So, who will come to the rescue?
It won't be the state board of higher education. They still have the Fighting Sioux nickname mess in its lap.
How about the UND and NDSU presidents?
Can't see that happening. NDSU won't have a president in place until later this year. The new NDSU president likely will have more pressing issues to deal with at first.
The state legislature? Do you really want legislators telling unversity presidents, athletic directors and coaches what to do and when to do it?
Maybe we should all watch Football America's Fire and Ice again. That little documentary from the mid-1990s caught the essence of the Sioux-Bison rivalry and why it needs to resume.
The arguments of the past and present just don't cut it anymore. OK, so UND tooks its ball and went home in 2004. OK, so NDSU took its ball and went home in 2010.
Get over it.
We're living in a small state that needs a high-profile football game each year.
Any suggestions?
Against my better judgement, I'll allow comments because this is the one issue that sparks as much interest as anything in North Dakota. But, c'mon, keep it clean.
April 2nd, 2010 - 08:30
Taylor hasn’t taken his ball home yet. He could have very well said go pee up a tree but he didn’t. He made an offer that I think was pretty generous given the two very different situations the two schools are in right now. Faison needs to sign that contract. What happened to the “We’re ready to play, so lets play” that Faison went to the media with a couple of years back. NDSU is saying lets play but now UND is saying no way again.
April 2nd, 2010 - 16:50
montana is also at the dome in a few years!
April 8th, 2010 - 18:53
This is not NDSUs problem.
Who is looking foolish with 10 games and an offer they turned down because they didnt get their way? Which school has had a 10 game schedule as a norm?
NDSU fans should simply give up on the idea of scheduling UND. Its actually closer to being manipulated by UND rather than a scheduling decision. I have trouble understanding the buy-in of many NDSU fans that this is something NDSU should do and its something NDSU should leave money on the table to do.
There was no where near this kind of reaction to UND quitting the series. Everybody lost a lot of money because of that self serving, spiteful decision. The big thing is NDSU recovered and moved on to bigger and better things. UND never did recover and has not moved on to bigger and better things.
If its 10 games without them so be it. Let Dr. Taylor use the teachable moment to his advantage. On the other hand if UND pays the price they can have 11 games too, but the idea we should be accommodating them because:
1) UND will never pay NDSU to play a football game
2) That UND will never come to Fargo to play a game without a return trip
are not reasons for NDSU to change its stance and they dont make it incumbent or otherwise force NDSU to feel any pressure to schedule them.
Dr. Taylor made an offer. They turned it down. If they want a game take the offer or make one of their own. If they don’t make an appropriate offer they dont get the game. Whats so hard about that?
April 12th, 2010 - 10:02
as a gopher grad/fan i dont really care if und vs ndsu happens again. i will say that living in moorhead however has cause me to believe that no game in fargo or grand forks will ever have the hype as a bison vs sioux game. its really funny how ndsu fans talk about these great wins over fbs programs, but havent done anything once they have been eligible. and sioux fans have a single response, “our hockey is awesome.” play each other every year or at least every other year. your state needs teh excitement. fargo and grand forks arent exactly hot beds for tourism. these games will bring major financial games to either city that the game is played in. its very arrogant of ndsu fans to say they dont need und they are above them. u of minny doesnt need ndsu and we play the little green guys. it doesnt help minny in any way. it helps ndsu recruiting etc. when brew came out and said he doesnt want to play ndsu/sdsu etc so get over yourselves and play the damn games