Monday, September 23, 2013

Herald Ryan Bakken: Face it, NDSU doesn’t need UND

Okay, this sounds familiar. I have to admit that – I laugh – eventually the scandals and the failure to discipline their said athletes for these transgressions will come back to haunt them and bite them in the rear end. It's just a matter of time before this comes back and blows up in Mr. Clean's face. I mean honestly, how many of their football players have been in trouble with the law the last few years and had no form of discipline at all? So, they really don't have the moral high ground to stand on.

Hey! It is what it is, they’re the top dog right now… So, let them have their day in the sun, for now. Eventually, the two teams are going to play again. it might be a while
Ryan Bakken, Grand Forks Herald -- When NDSU took the leap to NCAA Division I in 2004, it wanted UND to come along. But UND balked. And UND, as a Division II team, refused NDSU offers to continue the football rivalry because the Bison were able to offer more scholarships and thus have an advantage.

Then, when UND eventually followed NDSU’s upward move to D-I, NDSU athletics officials declined to add their neighbor to their schedule. The decision had the aroma of sour grapes, of payback for UND’s schedule shunning earlier.

However, now NDSU has a legitimate reason for keeping UND off its schedule: It has bigger fish to fry. After back-to-back Football Championship Subdivision national championships and a string of upsets of established Football Bowl Subdivision teams Minnesota (twice), Colorado State, Kansas and Kansas State, NDSU doesn’t need UND.

For those of you who are not convinced, answer this: If NDSU adds Division I hockey as a sport, should UND feel obligated to add the Bison to their schedule?
Of course not. Nor should NDSU be forced into a schedule not in its own interests.
There’s a whole decade of fans that haven’t been treated to this historic rivalry. The two teams haven’t played since 2003. That’s a shame in my opinion. Let’s refresh people’s memory, when the Bison moved up to Division I, UND had for the most part dominated the series between the two teams during the last 1990’s. The Nickel Trophy still resides in Grand Forks, ND.

From Sioux Sports

Trophy holder: UND won 28-21 on Oct. 18, 2003, in Grand Forks
Current streak: UND has won the last 3 nickel trophy competitions
Nickel-winning record: UND leads 35-30
All-time UND vs NDSU record: UND leads 62-45-3