Football the last year of the NCC (by Sioux7)

As well as being a hockey fanatic, I'm also a big college football fan. I've always liked the big D-I games on Saturday afternoons. I have also followed some I-AA as well, like Montana, and it hurts to say it, but NDSU as well. Since UND's last season in the NCC is going to get underway in a few weeks, I decided to post the schedule, so without further adeiu,

Aug 23rd 8:00 pm Humboldt State
Sep 8th 7:00 pm Southern Utah
Sep 15th 2:00 pm Central Washington
Sep 22nd 7:00 pm Western Washington
Sep 29th 2:00 pm Augustana
Oct 6th 4:00 pm Minnesota State
Oct 13th 2:00 pm Nebraska-Omaha
Oct 27th 2:00 pm Minnesota-Duluth
Nov 3rd 2:00 pm St. Cloud
Nov 10th 3:00 pm South Dakota

(BOLD are home games)

I remember going to the last game every played at the old Memorial Stadium, which I loved. It has tormented me for years that we play in the "Alerus" indoor stadium. Football is best when played OUTSIDE, not in a d*%# dome. Look at all the D-I major and even mid-major teams, they all play outside. I would like to see UND move back to the old Memorial Stadium, I would go the games every Saturday, like I use too.

With the upcoming move to I-AA, they want to have stadiums that seat 15,000+ The old stadium has seating for 10,000, but they could easily add seating at one end or add on to the seating on the East side of the stadium. Don't add lights to the stadium either, afternoon is best, especially on a sunny fall day in good ol' North Dakota.

The NCC conference will be no longer exist at the end of the season. UND and USD are going onward and upward a division, forcing the other teams to jump to other conferences. Nebraska-Omaha is going to join the MIAA, which is a good conference and with the addition of UNO, the MIAA will most likely be the new best conference, after the official fall of the NCC. All the other teams, MSU-Mankato, Minnesota-Duluth, Augustana, and St. Cloud St will all join the NSIC (Northern Sun Interathletic Conference). That will create a new twist in there league, 14 teams, they are almost forced to split the conference into a North/South or East/West format, with 7-teams in each.

The landscape in D-II football is changing, but after this season, I don't know how much of it I will follow anymore... on to D-I ready-or-not.