NDSU to AAC prepare theyself.

[scottietohottie]

Weve had a generational turnover. All the excuse that have been given arent big enough to combat fans growing up and moving on with their lives and a change in priorities.

A shitty product on the field makes life changes and priority change easier eh. And I'm not saying that's all ndsu. The opponents are jokes. The schedule is terrible. Right now they play all the decent teams at home one year and then all on the road the next year. So every other year is basically a joke. Who's in charge of valley scheduling eh? I might know the answer and be just trying to make a point eh.

[56BISON73]

A shitty product on the field makes life changes and priority change easier eh. And I'm not saying that's all ndsu. The opponents are jokes. The schedule is terrible. Right now they play all the decent teams at home one year and then all on the road the next year. So every other year is basically a joke. Who's in charge of valley scheduling eh? I might know the answer and be just trying to make a point eh.

Shitty product on the field???? We just returned from a trip to the national championship of which we were playing. Granted this wasnt the same caliber teams as in the past. But they never are.

[Bison Bridge Guy]

Lots of people did say that. Heck, I didn't think that NDSU would have any natural rivals in the Gateway (no MVFC) either, but the rivalry with UNI was immediate. And the idea of SDSU being considered a rival was a complete joke until, suddenly, it wasn't - the players sure bought in immediately.

I don't see obvious rivals in any G5 conference either, but they tend to develop with NDSU and until they do, maybe novelty will sustain interest.

That said, most Fargo fans are bandwagoneers. WBB used to be the hardest ticket in town. Then VB was sold out. The second those teams started losing, people stayed away. If NDSU wins at the FBS level, tickets will sell. If not, you won't be able to pay people to go. There will always be a core group of fans though. We need to grow that core.

RANT: IMO, there are certain segments of any fandom that are toxic and seem hellbent on destroying what they claim to love by driving people away with their unceasing negativity. You see it with movie franchises, and you see it with sports teams. I don't think NDSU should spend any effort on making them happy because, spoiler: They never will be. That's just my opinion, of course. Most folks spend more time trying to enjoy things, but they are much quieter. END RANT.

Is it being a bandwagon fan if you refuse to pay to watch a terrible product on the field/court? Because that was me for both basketball and volleyball. This year I am going to women's basketball again - they are fun to watch and are playing well.

[IndyBison]

So, other than Navy (which I suggested) and Tulane (mentioned by HerdBot), no one has identified any AAC team that would draw fans to home games. I think that is evidence proving my point.

However, an argument has been made that a few loses might increase interest because wins would no longer be taken for granted. OK, not sure I buy it, but I have a proposal. In 2023, please give UNI the win so that we can test the theory!

Some of the other schools have been ranked at times and I think would generate interest. With Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston leaving it creates an opportunity for some of the other schools to step up and lead the conference. SMU and Tulsa have been very good at times. USF is in a prime location to be good. UAB and UTSA had decent teams this year.

I agree though that we will get some fans back that were bored with FCS, but we'll also lose fans that only want to a championship team. 8-4 may not be good enough. They could be an 11-1 10-2 type team, but time will tell. I think overall though when you add in the quality of non conference games, the level of interest will still be strong.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[tony]

What you forget is UNI was a huge rival for many years before the gateway.

You are correct about the complainers. The same people who bitched about tailgate are bitching about tailgate even though it has expanded greatly. Same people who bitched about no beer are still bitching about something else.

In theory, I knew of the UNI rivalry because of reading Ed Kolpack's book, but I thought it had died since we hadn't played them in the lifetime of any of our players. Looking back, I wonder if my perspective was skewed by a pro-Big Sky bias. I was really surprised by how quickly that rivalry took off with both the players and the fans.

[HerdBot]

So, other than Navy (which I suggested) and Tulane (mentioned by HerdBot), no one has identified any AAC team that would draw fans to home games. I think that is evidence proving my point.

However, an argument has been made that a few loses might increase interest because wins would no longer be taken for granted. OK, not sure I buy it, but I have a proposal. In 2023, please give UNI the win so that we can test the theory!

If you were talking about CUSA, I would agree. But the AAC is still solid. The bad teams in the AAC are way more intersting than the bad teams in the MVFC. There are no teams in the AAC that have less appeal than Indiana State, Western Illinois, and Murray State. USD doesn't excite most fans and they are generally not competitive.

Memphis is still in the conference. Everyone assumed they would end up in the Big 12

SMU would be a huge draw

North Texas is interesting. I've driven by their stadium every trip to Frisco. Tulsa is way better than Indiana State.

New teams coming to the AAC are University of Alabama Birmingham, FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA for a trip to the Alamo Dome

[EP NDSU Fan]

So, other than Navy (which I suggested) and Tulane (mentioned by HerdBot), no one has identified any AAC team that would draw fans to home games. I think that is evidence proving my point.

However, an argument has been made that a few loses might increase interest because wins would no longer be taken for granted. OK, not sure I buy it, but I have a proposal. In 2023, please give UNI the win so that we can test the theory!

You would think both USF and Memphis would be good draws. USF needs to play better but it’s a known brand. Rice and Temple would be difficult, no track record of good football or fan engagement. The AAC would be money for away games lots of fun cities and good weather. Really the reason the AAC is the best G5 is the time zones and normal game days. The MWC has better peer institutions, flagship state schools, but all the late kickoffs you suck.

[HerdBot]

You would think both USF and Memphis would be good draws. USF needs to play better but it’s a known brand. Rice and Temple would be difficult, no track record of good football or fan engagement. The AAC would be money for away games lots of fun cities and good weather. Really the reason the AAC is the best G5 is the time zones and normal game days. The MWC has better peer institutions, flagship state schools, but all the late kickoffs you suck.

UTSA would be a fun road trip to the Alamo dome. Sure beats Indiana State or Western Illinois.

SMU would be packed to the rafters.

Memphis in Fargo? Are you kidding me

Navy, Temple, and Tulane (in New Orleans).

Tulsa is a hell of alot more exciting to me than Southern Illinois.

Florida Atlantic - Right off the ocean

Charlotte

Of course we would get good non conference FBS games in Fargo. Right now the peak is Delaware

[B.Schlossman Fan Club]

AAC would be a no brainer if we could just get an invite…….. big if. No point in arguing about it.

[taper]

In theory, I knew of the UNI rivalry because of reading Ed Kolpack's book, but I thought it had died since we hadn't played them in the lifetime of any of our players. Looking back, I wonder if my perspective was skewed by a pro-Big Sky bias. I was really surprised by how quickly that rivalry took off with both the players and the fans.

That rivalry took off when Pat Paschall punched a UNI player that rode him into the wall. We had a few years of really good games against a team with mutual hatred, then they fell off a cliff and now they're just another conference team that's only dangerous if we overlook them.

While the xDSU's getting a FB only invite to the AAC would be really cool, that simply isn't going to happen. Other than Lakes, is there actually anybody with enough football knowledge to know of the existence of the AAC but with so little football knowledge that they think we'd get an invite?