Still trying to round out the schedule

[56BISON73]

Purple is gay!

Well there you go..

[SamsRams]

Wut about purple thongs?

[mhyer63]

I'm pretty sure he's content with the DI streak that NDSU has been able to keep. Scheduling DII's just invites crap you don't want. I would probably figure FBS over DII. A DI non-scholly is still a DI win.

I want to see some high level competition as well, but I want to ask why it is such a bad thing to consider playing a high ranking DII school and give them there shot. I know we need the wins at the DI level and all, but what would have happened if Montana never gave us a game when we were DII, that was one of our greatest wins. So why not give the little guy a shot every once in a while. Not saying that we owe anyone anything, but is it not just what these FBS schools do when they play us, give us a shot even though they think of it as a tune up game in their mind. I'm not saying to do it this year, but some time in the future. For now, unless some respectable FCS school steps forward soon, we IMO had better jump on that OSU offer fast.

[BisonFan02]

I want to see some high level competition as well, but I want to ask why it is such a bad thing to consider playing a high ranking DII school and give them there shot. I know we need the wins at the DI level and all, but what would have happened if Montana never gave us a game when we were DII, that was one of our greatest wins. So why not give the little guy a shot every once in a while. Not saying that we owe anyone anything, but is it not just what these FBS schools do when they play us, give us a shot even though they think of it as a tune up game in their mind. I'm not saying to do it this year, but some time in the future. For now, unless some respectable FCS school steps forward soon, we IMO had better jump on that OSU offer fast.

FBS schools are allowed to play one FCS opponent per year and allow it to count towards being bowl eligible (someone please confirm). They are not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. The same isn't true for FCS schools to play down to DII...hence its not the greatest idea.

[SlickVic]

fsu and oklahoma are almost always over rated...if there was ever a perfect time to have our own little app state moment next year vs one of these 2 likely top ten teams would be about as good as it gets...somebody email gene and say we want either of them we will even pay our own way eff a payday this is bison nation and sioux suck

[mhyer63]

FBS schools are allowed to play one FCS opponent per year and allow it to count towards being bowl eligible (someone please confirm). They are not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. The same isn't true for FCS schools to play down to DII...hence its not the greatest idea.

What your saying is true, but that is not what I'm talking about for the most part in that post.

[BisoninNWMN]

I say go for it GT!

If we cannot get a FCS team to Fargo then schedule another FBS school. Neither OU or FSU would beat us 50-0. IMO, we would be very competitive in both games.

[Hoofbeats]

Great ideas everyone, I see this issue from many different ways, but with no one single avenue of easy settlement. If you will, allow me for a second to move this topic in a slightly different direction.

I've often envied those schools either early in the football season or late, that schedule Thursday night games that ESPN broadcasts to the entire nation. Many of those games as I remember, are between MAC Conference teams having forgettable records or even viable reasons to be on nationwide TV. Because most times, those teams have that Thursday evening all to themselves, we watch because we're all crazy for football, we're looking for relevance to the Bison program and it's the only game on that night. In previous threads on this board, we've questioned the commitment of ESPN in broadcasting FCS games, and for our own purposes, Bison games in particular. Instead many times ESPN broadcasts games of lower BCS leagues, albeit in high population areas, but to what I'm sure are mixed ratings outside of that league's ose immediate geographical area.

That being said and only if a second BCS opponent cannot/will not be scheduled, how about a FCS marquee matchup between two premier teams that showcase not only the best teams in FCS football, but the individual talent and competitive balance or this division. We know that ESPN loves Montana; they also love the ratings if the broadcast involves a team from the east or south (App. State, Georgia Southern, Delaware, New Hampshire, James Madison, Sam Houston, etc.). One game, prime time, on nationwide television for the good of the teams, FCS football, the NCAA and ESPN.

Does this answer all of the questions/oportunities posed on this thread? Certainly not. Not the big money, not the big regional exposure in playing a FBS opponenet, but maybe it would provide the two teams involved with early season national exposure, a decent payday and still count for post season playoff consideration. Same division opponents that might meet again in the playoffs after the regular season...what a concept, a potential post season playoff preview! Maybe most of all, it might be a starting point that would entice ESPN to cover FCS football as they promised during the just finished contract negotations with the NCAA. Would NDSU be on this matchup every year, no. But what if it was every other or every third, in the living rooms of multi-million viewers.....can you hear it? "Live from the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota, it's Thursday night football........"

Just my thoughts, thanks for allowing me to post them.

[IzzyFlexion]

NDSU vs Florida State
or
NDSU vs Oklahoma

.....with a likely payout of $750,000 ish??!!??!!??!!

Make it Happen Gene.

[DjKyRo]

If I'm Gene, I take a hard look at possibly going for a 12th game in 2013 (which both he and Bohl are on record as being against, understandably) if it means getting agreeing to a home-and-home with a big FCS name this year and traveling next season. You can still secure six home games in 2013, and an early non-conference victory over an upper-tier Big Sky, CAA, or SoCon (or maybe even Southland) would generate some interest from everybody else pretty quickly, not to mention would bolster attendance if played later in the season where student attendance typically drops off after homecoming. Not to mention it's a potential resume-builder in the event we don't win the MVFC and still have a shot at seeding.

Another game against an FBS team, particularly a BCS opponent as strong as FSU or Oklahoma (or even Pittsburgh) would be pretty exciting but makes for a pretty brutal couple of games to start the schedule. UNI might have scheduled themselves out of the playoffs, scheduling two brutal BCS opponents and having a tough league slate right from the get-go in what is likely going to be a rebuilding year for them. If it's me, I think getting a sixth home game is the priority, and whether it's via paying someone from the NEC or another lower-tier conference to come here or agreeing to the 2012-13 home-and-home, it's all good.

Some other food for thought: The two weeks that are currently open are consecutive leading into the game at Northern Iowa (not sure if this has been touched on). I'd be looking at scheduling our last game in that first week (the 15th?) such that we get two weeks to scout out UNI.