North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State tonite: The end of the D2 era.

[SmileyBoy]

Tonight, my North Dakota State Bison host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at the Fargodome in the last game that these two teams will play eachother in the North Central Conference in Division 2. Starting next season, both teams will be Division 1-AA Independents. The rivalry will definitely continue strong for many years to come in a the new top division, and SDSU is a school I really respect (which is more than I can say for a certain stubborn, whiny university in Grand Forks). Also this football rivalry is NDSU's second largest, behind the rivalry with UND (the afformentioned school). South Dakota State will probably be the main rivalry school we'll have for the next many decades, for reasons I'll explain.

This game tonight in reality makes me think about the University of North Dakota, our largest rival for over 100 years in D2, and one of the five largest rivalries in American college football ("Sioux suck" were my first words as a baby), but a school that for the past three years since NDSU began the D-1 study, has been VERY stubborn in their opinion to want to stay in Division 2, and expressing their reluctance to even CONTINUE the rivalry with us after NDSU goes D-1 next year.

As a further result of this pissy behaviour, UND had gouged ticket prices for the Oct. 18 NDSU/UND Nickel Bowl game in Grand Forks by over 150 percent. As the Bison play the Jackrabbits tonight, my disappointment for UND will resurface at times. Playing another fellow D1 transition team makes me think about the negative attitude of UND Fighting Sioux athletics. If they don't need us and don't want to move up, that's their decision. But I thought that they would be more mature than wanting to basically end the rivalry, and deciding to play a bunch of cream-puff schools in the non-conference season, like Minnesota-Crookston and Mesa State (who they fucking LOST to two weeks ago, anyway). It hurts me that they would want to just blow us off after over a century of football.

So, hats off to you, Jackrabbits. I will be chewing you out and insulting you from the student section tonight, but no more than I would do to any other team that plays my Bison. Tonight's jeering from me to you will actually be partly a result of my opinion of UND's behaviour.

Don't tell my friends I said this, but I respect you guys. We're gonna have shitloads of fun in D-1.

[SmileyBoy]

1. Shameless kick

:kick:

[SmileyBoy]

2. Doesn't anyone care?? Another kick.

:kick: