When the UND athletic department emailed out the official release of the 2011 Sioux football schedule, the headline read ‘North Dakota football fans treated to six-game home package in 2011′.
Treat? Sioux fans are crying trick.
The angst comes from a schedule that features three games against opponents either at the NAIA level or freshly transferring out of the NAIA and a season opener against a non-scholarship Division I school.
The fury over the schedule is understandable. It’s certainly not pretty.
It’s also not catastrophic. If there was no Big Sky on the horizon, flipping cars and rioting in the streets would be reasonable. The good news for the school and its fans is that this is the final year of an unattractive slate. In 2012, the Sioux will finally have the luxury of filling out a full conference schedule as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
If you take a quick read of fan reaction via siouxsports.com, UND athletic director Brian Faison and the athletic department as a whole are coming under considerable fire.
Personally, I can’t pretend to know the rigors of scheduling for a Division I independent with a patchwork five-team make-believe conference. If the schedulers-that-be say nobody attractive wants to come here in the heart of conference season, I’ll buy that.Â
So to me, Sioux fans are misdirecting their hate. They should concerned with two things with the 2011 schedule: 1. Will it put butts in the seats and make some money; 2. Will it prepare UND for 2012, a season the program has been building for during the entire transition.
Attendance will be tied to performance on the field. Sioux fans will support a winner, or at least one showing exceptional promise against FBS opponents. If UND shows signs of life against Idaho and Fresno State, the Sept. 24 game against Black Hills State won’t be a disaster.
But if the Sioux are unimpressive in the season opener against Drake and post back-to-back 45-0 beatdowns against Fresno and Idaho, those contests against Black Hills State, Montana Western and Sioux Falls are going to have tumbleweed and crickets aplenty.
What would seem to be even more concerning is the schedule’s ability to prepare the Sioux for a full-on Big Sky schedule in 2012. If things go as expected (I’m stretching a little bit here to make a point), there are six games on the 11-game 2011 slate that won’t be within 20 points. That’s going to make the 2012 schedule a real smack in the face.
And there’s actually a third angle Sioux fans need to worry over: 2009 UND vs. Sioux Falls Version 2.0.
When do you guys stop carrying the water for Faison and start holding his feet to the fire?
“I’d say when the Angels win the pennant.”
Doesn’t look exciting.
I think it would be a good idea for either Tom or Wayne to interview Faison so that he can explain why home-and-home’s (or even 2-for-1′s) haven’t been very frequent during the transition, and what hurdles he faced in putting together the 2011 schedule.
Also, I assume the UNC game was scheduled prior to UND accepting the Big Sky invite? It would seem UNC will now be getting essentially a “free” home game just like Montana got.
The schedule is no big deal. UND is in transition. Next year is what really matters. They are in a “real” conference; a conference of proven champions. Look at the Big Sky’s history. Teams go deep into the playoffs and win championships. Eastern Washington makes my point. UND will be just fine.
I hear they are building something special up there. Crazy speed and nobody has ever had a better recruiting class. 2012 should be a lock for the NC.
Mark, teams from a lot of conferences go deep into the playoffs. Look at NDSU and Delaware. But I do agree with your educated opinion that UND is good because EWU and other teams have had good seasons. Makes sense to me, as does the value of the weak schedule.
Okay, Jack, JBB or whatever your current pseudonym is. Yes, UND will be just fine in the Big Sky Conference, – the Conference of champions. We all know of your venom for UND and the Ag School can do no wrong. Have you admitted to yourself yet that your defense ended the game with their hands on their throats and your butterfingered QB couldn’t hang on to the ball? Oh, that’s right, the officials were corrupt, the re-play official was corrupt, your team played on a cold, slippery field and EW played on a warm, dry field. Keep making excuses. Net, net, you choked when it mattered!
schedule is an abortion, unreal.
big sky is a joke, ndsu destroyed msu and were screwed in EWU. Good try, but you guys, espcially the writers at the herald can spin all you want, but you have NAIA teams and D2 teams on a year 4 D1 schedule, unbelieveable faison has to go.
lakes: Crawl back under your rock!
Its a competitive schedule appropriate for them. It has a lot of challenges not to mention the huge rivalry game with Sioux Falls. Like it or not Sioux Falls is now the #1 rival of UND followed by University of Northern Colorado.