miss our old rivalries

[sdman]

I understand the need to go d1 and think it will work out but I still feel sad that a lot of our old rivalries have gone away.  When I graduated in the late 50's from SDSU and moved to Sioux Falls it was always so much fun to go to games in Brookings which I can still do.  But what I miss and I am going to miss are all the times I took some of my kids and friends at different times and drove over to Mankato or Omaha or up to Grand Forks and other driveable places and just saw some terrific fb and bb games.  Other than going to Fargo there just aren't going to be any teams I am going to be able to get to in the Big Sky .Way too expensive for a retiree to fly to our new destinations.  So while it will be neat to be in one of those conferences it is still sad to lose those wonderful experiences of going to out of town games with my kids over the years.  I know we will develop new rivalries over the years but I won't be able to afford to fly to those games and they are too far for me to drive.  Hopefully we will get a good tv package one day where I can watch our fb team play out of town.

[91rabbit]

Re: miss our old rivalries

sdman:

I agree with your message as I have stated somewhat in the past. When I mentioned that I will miss seeing the Jacks in Mankato and the like, I was roundly chastised for being selfish for such a desire and for lacking the desire and wherewithal to fly off to Davis. Be warned, my friend, you will now face the wrath of this board.

[Jacks99]

Re: miss our old rivalries

There is nothing wrong with missing the old rivalries. Every SDSU fan should miss the old rivalries and games that are close enough to drive to. If they don't they are kidding themselves.

As long as you are supporting the teams and SDSU now, that's all that matters.

I'm sure overall, there will be less close games. But I think this year has been very exiting already.

- SD State scores on the ESPN ticker

- BBall games with the top teams in all of college

- U of Minn playing the Jacks BBall at Canaries Stadium

- Being nationally ranked in DI-AA for football

etc.

[goyotes]

Re: miss our old rivalries

I definitely miss the USD-SDSU rivalry. I had 3 brothers and a sister graduate from State, and 3 sisters and me graduated from the U. My family still gets together frequently and it was always fun to discuss the most recent or upcoming football or basketball game. Many of my business associates are either USD or SDSU grads and a lot of good natured ribbing used to always take place.

All of that good fun is gone, at least for the time being. I hope that some day in the near future we can once again be talking about State and the U.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: miss our old rivalries

I dont miss the thrown carrotts and dead rabbits and all the other non-sense. I am not going to miss the frozen fingers from touching a Super 8 outside door when its 40 below in Grand Forks.  That experience has a remote possiblity of returning just as USD may be D1AA some day in the future.

SDSU is moving forward by going to D1 and that means a great deal for South Dakota.  Adding a new score board at the Dome is not progress, but more like smoke and mirrors.  I rather have the schedule and opponents that we have now.

I think Mike McFeely did a good column on the difference between D1AA and D2.
http://new.in-forum.com/articles/ind...Mike%20McFeely


Schedule lacks any patsies
Mike McFeely, The Forum
Published Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Despite coachspeak to the contrary from former North Dakota State head coaches like Rocky Hager and Bob Babich, there were several certainties regarding Bison football in the late 1980s and '90s.

The Bison were going to hammer Morningside.

And South Dakota.

And Augustana.

And South Dakota State.

And St. Cloud State.

And more often than not the school formerly known as Mankato State.

Including nonconference games that were usually decided by halftime or earlier, the Bison had more breathers than a 1-900 phone number.

Eight weeks into Dr. Chapman's Great ESPN Ticker Adventure, we have learned the following:

Those days are over. Finished. More out-of-date than Whitesnake and "The Dukes of Hazzard." When it comes to playing NCAA Division I-AA opponents -- at least those offering a full boat of scholarships, or at least close to it -- no longer will Bison fans be able to pencil in seven or eight sure victories.

From a competitive standpoint -- week in and week out -- NCAA Division I-AA leaves Division II eating dirt. Top to bottom, I-AA is a better product.

Sit down before you read this, Gene Taylor, but this is good stuff. Real good stuff for somebody like yours truly, who had to sit painfully through years of 44-10 NDSU victories over bottom-feeders of the North Central Conference, waiting for those three games a year (North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Colorado) that would actually be competitive.

The revelation hit late during the second half of Saturday's 27-21 Bison victory over Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds were headed toward being the only winless team remaining in the Great West Football Conference, yet weren't a bad team.

Not even close.

The Thunderbirds had some players, some athletes. But just not enough of them. This column is being written Monday afternoon, and the Bison still have not found a way to block Southern Utah linebacker Marques Harris.

"When you're talking about the talent level at I-AA, everything gets ratcheted up," Bison coach Craig Bohl said. "The speed and athleticism are different (than Division II). As coaches, when we're looking at some of these athletes we're saying, 'Whoa.'"

The difference between maximum scholarships allowed in I-AA and II -- 63 to 36 -- is an obvious reason for the higher level of play. But Bohl said the Roman numerals themselves make a difference, too.

"Players want to play at a higher level," Bohl said. "When you combine that with the scholarships, you're going to get better athletes."

Not only does that mean the top teams in I-AA are going to be better -- if you want to see for yourself, mosey into the dome Saturday afternoon to see sixth-ranked Cal Poly play NDSU -- but the middle-of-the-pack and lower-tier teams are more palatable, too.

It is true that the top teams in Division II can compete with I-AA teams. But it's become clear in the past several weeks -- ever since the Bison left behind the NAIA and Division II teams needed to fill their schedule in this transition year -- that even non-elite I-AA programs like Nicholls State and Southern Utah are highly competitive. That can't be said about Division II.

There are still many questions yet to be answered about NDSU's move to Division I. At the top of the list has to be what in the world is going to happen to the men's and women's basketball programs without a conference.

But this much we know: The Bison football team will no longer be beating Augustana, South Dakota and Mankato State by three touchdowns.

And, whether you're a Bison fan or not, that has to be a good thing.


Forum sports columnist Mike McFeely can reached at (701) 241-5580 or mmcfeely@forumcomm.com

[Jacks99]

Re: miss our old rivalries

That's a great article. Just a tad biased to NDSU but it gets the point accross.

Much more parity in DI than DII.

Maybe if the U's get their act together the old rivalries will be back.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: miss our old rivalries

That's a great article.  Just a tad biased to NDSU but it gets the point accross.  

Much more parity in DI than DII.

Maybe if the U's get their act together the old rivalries will be back.  

Mike McFeely in contrast to Jeff Kolpeck of the Fargo Forum has been skeptical  of the D1 move for NDSU and heaven help do we dare ask what he thought of SDSU moving to D1?  At least Mike McFeely had the courage to express his change in thought and opinion. Does Rod Thormsdguard of the Brookings Register and the Sioux Falls Media have that kind of courage? So far the answer is no.

[91rabbit]

Re: miss our old rivalries

Yes, it is a good article, and largely accurate in its assessment of the NCC. I do not deny the Bison dominance of the conference, but would still contend that in its prime, the NCC was grand and the envy of every one else.

My main point is that I wish all comments would be a bit more respectful of the NCC when it was glorious. To be sure, it is rapidly disintegrating to the point of near death. But in the spirit of not speaking ill of the dead, where respect is due it should be gladly offered

[Jacks-D1]

Re: miss our old rivalries

I also thoroughly enjoyed SDSU-USD games, and wish they would occur again. But the only way its going to happen is if USD gets off its a** and moves to DI. Wouldn't this be OK -- a new Big Sky conference with the following teams.

Montana
Montana St
Idaha St
Northern Ariz
Weber State
Eastern Washington
Southern Utah
SDSU
NDSU
USD
UND
Northern Colo

Kick out Portland St and Sac St -- they can find a league on the West Coast which is where they should be anyway. The SoDaks and NoDaks get their rivalry back and all the schools are somewhat close to each other (as close as can be given the vastness of the Western United States). It would also be a strong DI league in all sports with the name recognition of the Big Sky Conference.

USD and UND just need to get moving and make it happen.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: miss our old rivalries

I hope UND and USD do not move up. There are only a limited number of players in the region who can compete at the DI level.

[Alumguy]

Re: miss our old rivalries

JACKGUYII ... bingo!

I won't miss Augie's students chanting (when they were behind) ... "That's all right, that's okay, you'll be working for us one day." I won't miss those Christian boys and girls chanting "Go back, go back, go back to the farm." I won't miss the great mystery of "Who's got the rabbit."

I understand we are playing them this year in football but those days will come to an end ... soon I hope.

I won't miss USD jacking around our fans at the DakotaDome and making them sit upstairs if they are wearing an SDSU sweatshirt. I won't miss their drunken students acting ... well ... like drunken students. I won't miss their public address announcer referring to us as "The Bunnies" instead of the Jackrabbits. I won't miss their students physically pushing around our women's basketball team when they are on the way to the locker room. In fact, there is nothing I will miss about USD.

There is nothing I'm going to miss about either USD or Augie. Nothing.

[jackmd]

Re: miss our old rivalries

sdman:

I agree with your message as I have stated somewhat in the past.  When I mentioned that I will miss seeing the Jacks in Mankato and the like,  I was roundly chastised for being selfish for such a desire and for lacking the desire and wherewithal to fly off to Davis.  Be warned, my friend, you will now face the wrath of this board.

Don't whine its not becoming of a grown man ;D. You used the loss of rivalries as an argument against the move to DI. I tried to express a different opinion and in doing so it might have been interpreted as chastizing. My point, there will eventually be games in closer venues with quality opponents. Maybe even the return of some of the old rivals. The move to DI brings with it a much greater potential and benefit then the lack of some NCC teams on the schedule. Last point, lamenting the loss of these rivals and expressing how it affects on you as a fan might be understood as selfish by some of us. The move to DI is bigger than that.

[Dakota]

Re: miss our old rivalries

I agree, I hope UND and USD stay DII, One DI program per Dakota enough.

[Jacks-D1]

Re: miss our old rivalries

AlumGuy -- Believe me there are plenty of drunken SDSU students acting like drunken students at games. Heck I used to be one back in the day. I went to the SDSU-USD basketball game in Vermillion last year and sat near several SDSU students who heaped loads of unnecessary abuse on Josh Mueller and anyone that walked by wearing a red shirt. This is going to happen no matter what school you are at.

But it happens because its a rivalry. Fans don't get so excited, obnoxious and drunk if its not a rivalry. Rivalries are good.

[Alumguy]

Re: miss our old rivalries

Jacks-D1 ... read the last paragraph of your post one more time. Getting drunk and obnoxious are great thing about a rivalry? Good grief.