Bison Gopher showdown

[walleyefisher0990]

So a rematch game, set for oct. 20th. I know alot of people didnt give the bison alot of credit last time they played the gophers. Id kinda like to see the bison beat the gophers, Any predictions?

[Scott M]

Having Mason coach the Gophers was a real handicap for the Bison. Now that they don't have that card to play I don't expect as close a game. No disrepect, ND is a good team in their own right with a great coach, but that was the rock bottom part of the season for the gophs last year. If this "rivalry" continues for a few years, I expect the margin of victory to cleave further and further apart to match division 2 or 1AA vs. 1A

[Flaco651]

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Id kinda like to see the bison beat the gophers,

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Not gonna happen.

[hanson]

As a Bison alumnus, I'm excited to see this game happen again. The Bison continue to improve, and its a win-win situation for them. They get to play a good opponent and expectations will be low, hey, they are supposed to lose.

The Gophers are the team with the pressure to perform in this game. It almost got to them last time they played.

I might just even go to the game this year, would be my 1st Gopher football game since they played the Nittany Lions back in '95 I believe.

[Mudcutter]

Never can understand why a bad DIV 1 team like MN or ISU or any bad DIV 1 team schedules a game agst a good Div II school, other than to rack up a win. But, if you lose, what a embarrassment, and in the case of ISU and Northern IOwa, it hurts their recruiting even more. I know even the big dogs play DII schools, but for a team like MN or ISU to move up the charts in the rankings and prestige, I think they need to play tougher opps. A new rule needs to be put in that if a D1 school loses to a D2 school, they need to be elminated from postseason play, quit trying to rack up wins agst cupcaskes and play a tougher schedule. No wonder the Gophers usually go 4-0 into Big 10 conf play and get crushed. Maybe a loss or two in the first 4 games isn't has bad if it betters the team and you give OSU or MICH a run for their money. Too many bowls is the reason why. I'd rather see the GOPHS play for a chance at the rose bowl and lose , than play cupcakes and win and put them in the Motor City bowl agst Hawaii or San Jose St.

[LMITOUT]

Apparently there was an agreement the last time they played back in the 30's that they'd play again in 75 years or something like that. Last year the contract was due so they played. Not sure if that's true or not, but that was mentioned in the paper at one point last fall before the game. They agreed to play again this year but that might be it for a while. NDSU has nothing to lose in this matchup and they have a lot of alumni down here so it's a guaranteed full house.....most of them wearing green and gold!

[so haaad]

I think playing the Bison is more of a PR move for the Gophers than anything. Kind of like Iowa vs Iowa State, or Colorado vs Colorado State. It gets people watching college football in MN, it gets people into the dome, and if those people have fun then they might just go to another game in the near future. Adding a local "rivalry" game is great for both teams.

[PierBridge]

North Dakota state is not a Division 2 football team.

Secondly scheduling non-conference games is not easy you don't just call up FSU, Texas, Alabama amd say hey can we play next year, thats not how it works.

I know Brewster has talked about changing the weaker non conference schedule but he says a lot things and quite frankly I think he's full of hot air!

[PierBridge]

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NDSU has nothing to lose in this matchup

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They can they say they have nothing to lose and that may be the case but they have everything to Gain a win over a Big Ten team especially over Minnesota could put NDSU on the map and would help recruiting for the next century.

To me the game means nothing to the Gophers even if they lose nobody except a small few will care where as if NDSU wins it's on the Front page of every media article or recruiting tool for eternity.

[Flaco651]

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North Dakota state is not a Division 2 football team.

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They are Division 1-AA Great West Conference.

[ripper]

"showdown" and "rivalry" are two words NoDaker use. Ask any MN person and I can promise you that "the thundering herd" is not on the top of their list...get real! The cute little team from Fargo does bring in a few more fans but once Brewster gets this thing cranking he is going to replace these cupcakes with meaningful games.

[LMITOUT]

Talk is cheap and always has been with this U of M program. We'll see if Brewster lasts long enough to find out if the plan of not playing "cute little teams from Fargo" really happens when the boosters start breathing down his neck. He'll eventually crumble and become a puppet much like Mason did.

Like I said earlier, NDSU has nothing to lose going up against a Big 10 team, so yes, showdown and rivalry are some of the words used when talking about this matchup. It's a small market team going in against one of the majors so they give it their best shot and see what happens. They are expected to lose, so they don't have a lot of pressure of a "must-win" game, unlike the Goofs.

[LMITOUT]

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North Dakota state is not a Division 2 football team.

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They are Division 1-AA Great West Conference.

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To be accurate, they play in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Ranked #4 in the national preseason poll, BTW.

[PierBridge]

Right formerly 1 AA now known as Division 1.

[zepman]

Pier,

NDSU has been on the map for several decades while piling up numerous National Championships (Div II). A win over the Gophers would certainly be a feather in their hat but please don't think the Bison "need" this win to recruit and be successful for the next 100 years. In Fargo, the Bison are expected to win, it's a mindset--the kind the Gophers had long, long ago. Winning this game would be a big bump to their season but their real goal, year in and year out, is to bring back another National Championship to Fargo(Div. 1AA). If you remember after last years game there wasn't any moral victory taken back to Fargo. They lost a game in which they showed up to win. They will come to town again this year with that same midset.

[PierBridge]

I know all about their Division 2 dominance of the 80's I followed them closely and was recruited by them a good friend of mine won the Harlin Hill award "D.2 Heisman" and a National championship for them.

I'm actually quite suprised they left the best D 2 Conference in the country also mindly suprised at their D 1 success to this point I thought it was a huge mistake leaving D 2 especially since they weren't playing very well at the end of their D 2 tenure.

I didn't say they needed or had to win to help them recruit but beating a D 1 team especially Minnesota would have helped immensily "understatement" so in my opinion the game means a lot more to NDSU then the U of M, the game is pretty much meaningless to the Gophers.

It's not 1 AA anymore it's the Football Championship Subdivision of Division 1 Football.

[tims]

I'll be rooting for the Bison for the simple fact that they recruit more local talent than the Gophers. I bet if the Gophers played the game in the Fargo Dome, they would get crushed. It is a big advantage playing at home. The differnce between top D2 OR 1AA schools and average D1 schools is slight.

[IFallsRon]

North Dakota recruits more players who end up transferring to St. John's when they don't play than any other area college.

[tims]

So your saying St. Johns could give the Gophers a run for thier money also? Probably

[Mudcutter]

good to see UNI really hand it too ISU. Anybody who followed the game knew it was over at half. Michigan is way down expecially after the blow out to Oregon, but that's Oregon and App St who should be rated in the top 25. ISU is another story and after losing to KEnt State and D2 UNI at home they likely to go 0-12 and one of the worst DI teams in the nation. ISU recruting just got a lot tougher with a loss to a in-state team. Way to go UNI!!!!

the Gophs need to make sure it doesn't happen to them agst ND- they for sure will struggle in the BIg 10.

Loving it in Iowa to see a BIG 12 team fall in embarassing fashion.

[LMITOUT]

NDSU gets their first win of the season last night in front of a sold-out Fargo Dome on Fox Sports Net. Lots of offense but they had some bad turnovers that they can't afford to give up as they go further into the season. Now that they have the opening game jitters out of the way they can march on towards the Dome in October!

[LMITOUT]

NDSU - 44

Cent. Mich - 14

One Div 1A team down, one to go.

Objects in your mirror, may be closer than they appear.

[hanson]

Gophers now 0-1 in the Big Ten.

The crowd was looking pretty slim after halftime.

Go Bison!

[PierBridge]

It was quite slim before halftime also.

I'm trying to come up with a legitimate point spread for this game....I was thinking NDSU 6 but the Gophers did somehow cover the spread last week against Purdue.

I'll go with an opening line of 3 1/2 "ndsu" and let the betters determine the movement of the number....

[TommyJ33]

Where are all the big talker betty crocker Gopher Fans now?

A little over a week away from "no joy in Punky Brewsterville"

Cake walk! NDSU by 10.

We're Comin!

Hail the Bison!

[LMITOUT]

The Bison win on the road over Mississippi Valley State today, 58-7. MVSU isn't the greatest team this year, but the good thing to take out of games like this is that the Bison aren't playing down to their opponent's level.

Hopefully they don't play down to their opponent's level next week either.

Get on your feet...the march is on!!!!

[hanson]

Go Bison!

I believe the Gophers gave up a last second touchdown and extra point today to force overtime with Northwestern. Couple overtimes later, Northwestern left the stadium with a victory. Ouch!!

[PierBridge]

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Ouch!!

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Not when you have the Gophers plus the points..

[iffwalleyes]

So this weekend is the big event. As was the case last year prior plans will keep me from the game . So what is going to be the out come.

I made the coment last year that the bison had a good shot as the gophers were down last year and the bison were playing well. Then the bison rolled in and won every aspect of the game except for the most important one being the score board. Well this year finds the Bison (No.1 ranking in the FCS Coaches Poll) undefeated and the Gophers have what 1 win? Well this year I think they have a better shot than last year. I think the Herd will pull it out this year. I am going to say 24-17 Bison.

[tims]

38-17 BISON. Not even close.....