CSN Article

[fargocyclone]

Doesn't sound like this guy likes the Bison that much...

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=88502

What do you guys think?

[4mcruenomore]

Typical "scared/jealous" comments IMO. Sounds like a Griz alum. He mentions the BSC first with Montana having to lose, YUP. Cling on to your 2 championships dude.
Who cares, let's go 11-0, go into next year on a high. These clowns forget we have 8 DII Nat'l champ already, I guess 1990 is a long time ago.

[CaBisonFan]

Doesn't sound like this guy likes the Bison that much...

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=88502

What do you guys think?

Did this guy get the quotes right? It doesn't sound like Bohl. Sounds like this media guy twisted his words and meaning slightly to fit his needs.

[Mr_Meanor]

No...the guy has his quotes right....I heard Bohl say that on the radio on sunday. I believe it was when we was on with Sid.

[PantherHawk]

Doesn't sound like this guy likes the Bison that much...

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=88502

What do you guys think?
He didn't really say anything that isn't true.

CSN had a more Bison friendly article earlier in the week:

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=88474

[twowheels]

The CSN article written on the 25th of October contains straight forward facts. When a contract is signed both parties are fully aware of what is contained in the contract. This is what they both agree to and abide by.

This Bison nation is on fire and has such an incrediable history. The championships of the past are plastered all over the dome and most importantly in the hearts of the Bison Nation. The championships of the future will join with those of the past continuing to build this program.

To taint this pride and passion with pissed off attitudes because the team cannot finish this season with a championship won on a field is unbecoming of this great program. To have one’s nose out of joint because facts are written out as they exist is unbecoming of this great program. Maybe this CSN writer was just a little tired of the tantrums and arrogance that sometimes are displayed.

In my way of thinking, Coach Bohl has a goal. The Bison being recognized is huge for him. As dedicated as he is to this program and to this Bison nation, as fantastic as he has been for this program and developing this team, the Bison are only apart of his long term personal goal, and there is nothing wrong with that. Through Coach Bohl’s growth the Bison grow, through his growth the Bison will continue to grow long after he is gone. And in my way of thinking, unless something just perfect comes along, he will be here another year. To win a national championship, ON THE FIELD, the first time out of the gate will be HUGE for him.

[NDSUguy]

After reading the article I can't help but think the following:

While the national attention that NDSU is craving (and for the most part receiving) is great, there are also downsides of such attention. The first being sports writers writing columns based upon a few select quotes.

Should we really blame the writer (Charles Burton) for ripping Coach Bohl??? From the quotes that Bohl stated it sounds as if he thinks that it's unfair for NDSU to not be eligible for the playoffs. Considering that those who cover FCS football don't live in or around North Dakota, they can only write of which they have heard or read. They do not have access to all the quotes that Bohl or others associated with NDSU have said.

We all know that Bohl has repeated over and over again that he knows that championships are won on the field. He has however stated that we're striving to be ranked #1 in the polls -- but that we won't claim a championship due to polls. The problem is that the sports writers do not get to hear him day in and day out say these things.

So, who's to blame for an article like this???? Well, although I hate to do this, I think that i'll blame Coach Bohl. Everytime that NDSU goes up a division and wins there will be LOTS of national attention. His job is to represent the school as best as he can. Stating that we are looking for a split championship does nothing but irritate those who already are somewhat upset that we are doing as well as we have done in our transition to FCS

[Mr_Meanor]

Here is the one quote that I don't agree with....

"If we can't be in the playoffs, by gosh we can win the championship through a vote."

I don't believe Bohl should have ever stated this....its going to rub alot of people the wrong way. It was nery unlike Bohl to state something like this in an interview.

[NWNDBison]

To me, this article doesn't seem as vindictive as the Coulson article over at Sports Network. But apparently the national media (at least at the FCS level) is thinking the Bison program is getting a little too big for it's britches and needs to be reminded of its place at the bottom of the pecking order (until next year).

Coach Bohl did overstep his bounds if he did, indeed, say "If we can't be in the playoffs, by gosh we can win the championship through a vote." That's just wrong.

But is that sentence taken out of context? I can't believe our classy Coach Bohl would expect a legitimate championship through the polls. He knows better than that. He knows it's a consolation prize. He knows it's the best his team can do this year and there is no shame in going after that.

Coach Bohl is a classy guy who is usually very low-key, very respectful of every opponent, knows the AGS philosophy of any team can win any game if the football gods smile on you. It's what makes the sport so addictive with the adrenaline rushes we all feel every Saturday.

Those of us who follow Bisonville closely saw this coming. A year ago we were saying, if the Bison start getting number one rankings before the transition period is over, we're gonna piss a lot of people off. Because it indicates that the "system" doesn't always work. Well, here we are.

Burton's statement, "But implying that the NCAA is “not allowing” the Bison to play in the playoffs is misleading, and that the Bison can get a “championship through a vote” is dead wrong." is absolutely correct.

And we have to live with it, as hard as it may be. A year ago, some on this forum thought there might be a way to make an exception to the rule for a very good team like the Bison, to whom 5 years of purgatory is unnecessary. Well, we know now there is no way around that rule. And you can understand why. If we were Northern Iowa or Montana or Massachusetts, we would not want to play the Bison until we had to, either. You know that all of those teams crave a national championship as much as we do.

We'll have to wait until next year. But, then look out Northern Iowa and Montana and Massachusetts.

Maybe Bohl's statements after the Minnesota game are part of his plan to get that national attention he craves so much. If so, it backfired. We don't need the kind of press we're getting now. And it may make it harder to come up with those number one votes in the media polls.

[bisonmike2]

Does Bohl have a bonus coming if NDSU finishes the year ranked #1 in the polls? Maybe that's why he's lobbying hard for the ranking? I'm a huge Bohl fan but I disagree with him on the split NC in FCS. You can't have a split champion when they have a playoff scenario. We may the best football team in FCS, and they can rank us #1, but to be a national champion, you need to accomplish that in the playoffs. We'll have our shot next year.

[Bison"FANatic"]

Here is the one quote that I don't agree with....

"If we can't be in the playoffs, by gosh we can win the championship through a vote."

I don't believe Bohl should have ever stated this....its going to rub alot of people the wrong way. It was nery unlike Bohl to state something like this in an interview.

I agree with you on this. It should have been If we can't be in the playoffs by gosh we can do everything we can to finish number one in the polls at the end of the regular season.



This comes so much out of no where for me as it is a different tone than Bohl has been preaching all year. Maybe he was trying to get under some skin with a few people and get more press and attention around the country. Kind of a we are going to let you know we are coming next year and you better be ready. I guess it is press and attention for the program. Working the press can be a very funny business. If it was said talking to Sid it also was probably said in about the only way he could make any sense out of it. It is like you are talking to a 1st grader and you have to explain everything and probably not explain it they way a normal person would understand it. I sure wish I could have heard the interview it is tough to comment when I am going on speculation.

[Notorious]

I like his aggressive stance. The columns recently written that were based on a single quote from Coach Bohl are a bit of a stretch. He knows the ground rules and respects the NCAA and the playoff system. His desire for a split championship is not to earn NCAA recognized acknowledgement of such, but rather a "mythical" one.....one largely for national recognition(recruitment), motivation for his current players, and the satisfaction of us rubes(fans). Obviously, there is probably some selfish reasons for wanting the attention, as well. Let's not be foolish and ignore that fact that all the attention helps Craig Bohl. Which one of us doesn't want to be recoginized for doing a good job, and improve our chances for a raise, or promotion, etc.

Remember, when you're the best, everyone wants to knock you down. I think we are rubbing people the wrong way, but doing so in a very respectful and classy way. These types of columns come with the territory. We heard the same stuff when we were dominating in the '80's......steriods....dirtiest team.....extra perks for players.....Bison arrogance....etc. When you are in the spotlight, you have to be prepared for people to throw shi* at you to see what might stick.

[BISON Thunder]

Coach Bohl also mentioned in Sid's Sunday morning interview something akin to, "I can understand the NCAA mandating a post season eligibility waiting period for schools moving up divisions as it relates to basketball (because of the available pot of money), but FCS football is different".

Coach Bohl certainly knows the NCAA eligibility rules...and I do not believe he is in any way lobbying to change said rules just for NDSU. I think Coach Bohl believes his football program is currently one of the best in the FCS, and should be recognized as just that even though they have not been and will not be able to prove it again this year in the playoffs.

IMO the coaches and players have done a wonderful job in downplaying what must be a terribly frustrating position.

[NDSUstudent]

When Bohl declares NDSU the FCS champs due to a poll is when these guys should start writing columns. For now these guys should back off unless they actually want to talk to the man and get his real two cents. Not something based off a quote that could be either taken out of context or written down wrong.

If these people would actually take the time to talk the man I'm sure they would realize that he has never intended on taking anything away from the real champ. All he wants to do is have NDSU recognized for its accomplishments.

[onbison09]

You can be fully aware of a rule but that doesn't mean it isn't bullsh**.

[birdbrain]

Coach Bohl also mentioned in Sid's Sunday morning interview something akin to, "I can understand the NCAA mandating a post season eligibility waiting period for schools moving up divisions as it relates to basketball (because of the available pot of money), but FCS football is different".

Coach Bohl certainly knows the NCAA eligibility rules...and I do not believe he is in any way lobbying to change said rules just for NDSU. I think Coach Bohl believes his football program is currently one of the best in the FCS, and should be recognized as just that even though they have not been and will not be able to prove it again this year in the playoffs.

IMO the coaches and players have done a wonderful job in downplaying what must be a terribly frustrating position.Here is the quote:
"the NCAA, in their wisdom, which quite frankly guys I do not understand when a team moves up that you're going to be ineligible for playoffs in the I-AA or Championship Division. I don't understand the logic of it because it's certainly not like you're going to get a big share of revenue from the basketball tournament or anything like that. ... If we can't be in the playoffs by gosh we can win the championship through a vote."
http://www.830wcco.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=1078125

[KC_Hats]

The place where these East Coast idiots have it all wrong is that yes NDSU was well aware of the fact that they were not going to be eligible for the playoffs but that doesn't mean NDSU isn't a better team than the teams in the playoffs. They can claim from the lofty perch that the only true champion is one that plays in the playoffs but they can't tell NDSU that they aren't better than the teams in the playoffs. Yes NDSU isn't eligible for the playoffs so they can't win it in the playoffs but they are also good enough that I'm not going to believe they would have lost in the playoffs. The ineligibility cuts both ways the Bison can't win a national championship on the field but they also can't lose a national championship on the field in the playoffs. If the Bison finish 11-0 with two wins over FBS teams in my opinion they are national champions.

[AJ]

The NCAA does not ever care about doing the right thing in regards to student-athletes. Let's not forget one of the major reasons we moved up to 1-aa.

The NCAA allowed D-2 to get watered down with NAIA teams that had no business to be on the field with the Bison. We would be eligible for playoffs in D-2 (of course we would not be the same team). Remember when we were in out last year of D-2 and were 8-3 and beat the snot out of the NSIC champion and we were snubbed in the playoffs for the second place NSIC team and 2 teams that had 3 D-2 CONFERENCE LOSSES EACH!!!! We Beat Montana that year for God's sake and took UND into overtime who consequently destroyed the 2 teams they played in the playoffs and lost a close NC game.

We wanted to be the best that our resources would allow us to be, and nothing has changed. We still want to be the best and playing the other 15 best 1-AA teams in the nation would allow us to do that. If the NCAA is going to declare a national championship then the should do everything to ensure the top 16 teams in the nation compete for it. The can! They make the rules and have the power to do the right thing. But they do not do that. Don't forget the kids who put on the Bison uniform in 2007. The PLAYERS deserve to play for a NC. If the NCAA is about making college athletics fair according to the student-athletes they are sworn to protect and watch out for then they need to give the Bison a chance. Otherwise they are just old men and women, sitting in a stuffy old room and collecting their Bowl revenue in the huge salaries. Screw their hypoocritical rules.

These players have shown incredible character in how they know that they can't be in the playoffs but they are driven by a desire to become the best players and people they can be, for themselves and their Bison Family. They are men of character and very special. We, the fans, would love a Bison NC, but the players have done everything asked and it is their championship first. It is very rare that a player gets to win a national championship and say that we are the best, adn every athlete deserves that chance. We would still have to win 4 more games, and any given Saturday applies. I am so proud of these players and our coaches and our fans. The NCAA needs to step up and do the right thing, IMHO.