Happy Hour with John Gaskins

So, what will the Jackrabbits and Coyotes do now that North Dakota State has accepted an invitation from the Mountain West Conference to play football in the FBS league?
 
Should they operate as if they desire and plan on being an FBS program someday — which takes considerable resources (staff, NIL money, scholarships, for starters) and energy spent researching  — or keep on truckin' as FCS outfits?

It will take an invitation from an FBS conference to join NDSU at the next level. But what should those schools do, or want to do?
 
Happy Hour spent plenty of time on that topic on Monday and Tuesday with guests like Kurtiss Riggs and Matt Zimmer. But what do the men who actually run the state's two Division I athletic departments say?

Wednesday's show opens up with those remarks from SDSU's Justin Sell and USD's Jon Schemmel. To understand better why the Bison made the move and why it appears most fans, boosters, and administration is on board with the FBS leap, veteran Fargo reporter and columnist Mike McFeely joined Happy hour for literally an hour.
 
Why is it such a slam dunk move for NDSU to go to a level that some perceive is barely above the Missouri Valley Football Conference? Why give up decades-old rivalries with neighboring peer institutions in the Dakotas and legitimate chances to play for national championships (and add to the trophy case of 10) in exchange for either a long shot at competing in the College Football Playoff — Group of Six squads James Madison and Tulane were destroyed by Power Four schools in this past season's first round — or a second-tier (or lower) bowl game?
 
Is the Mountain West really that awesome? 

For five years, McFeely has been making his case for NDSU to take a "moonshot" at the FBS, and he and plenty of Bison backers now have their wish. Enjoy an entertaining hour from his point of view.
 
Cameron Fens
Wednesday's show takes us to Vermillion and to the center of one of the most remarkable stories in college basketball this season.
 
Literally to the center.
 
South Dakota's seven-footer Cameron Fens is the Summit League's leading rebounder and the Coyotes' second-leading scorer. He poured in 14 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and threw down a thunderous two-handed jam in a heated second half in USD's emotional 68-67 win at South Dakota State on Saturday.
 
The win boosted the Coyotes to 6-5 in Summit League play with five games left before the Summit League Tournament, March 5-8. More specifically, USD is 6-3 since its 0-2 start in conference play and 4-2 since the league's leading scorer Isaac Bruns suffered a season-ending injury.
 
Many know the basic story of USD's M*A*S*H unit — five season-ending injuries and another player who left the team, forcing the mid-season acquisition of two players who thought their college careers were over, Silan Bennion and Trent Hudgens.
 
Fens takes us inside the ropes on the Yotes' experience of bringing in new players, how they gelled so well so fast, and what coach Eric Peterson has done to make it all work.
 
The Dubuque, Iowa, product also walks us through his transferring from Illinois-Chicago to USD a couple years ago, his season-ending foot injury from last year, his country roots and country music fandom, his close relationship with his father Randy — who also played college basketball as a center — and always being a "big man," both on the court and in life.

So, what will the Jackrabbits and Coyotes do now that North Dakota State has accepted an invitation from the Mountain West Conference to play football in the FBS league?
 
Should they operate as if they desire and plan on being an FBS program someday — which takes considerable resources (staff, NIL money, scholarships, for starters) and energy spent researching  — or keep on truckin' as FCS outfits?

It will take an invitation from an FBS conference to join NDSU at the next level. But what should those schools do, or want to do?
 
Happy Hour spent plenty of time on that topic on Monday and Tuesday with guests like Kurtiss Riggs and Matt Zimmer. But what do the men who actually run the state's two Division I athletic departments say?

Wednesday's show opens up with those remarks from SDSU's Justin Sell and USD's Jon Schemmel.

To understand better why the Bison made the move and why it appears most fans, boosters, and administration is on board with the FBS leap, veteran Fargo reporter and columnist Mike McFeely joined Happy hour for literally an hour.
 
Why is it such a slam dunk move for NDSU to go to a level that some perceive is barely above the Missouri Valley Football Conference? Why give up decades-old rivalries with neighboring peer institutions in the Dakotas and legitimate chances to play for national championships (and add to the trophy case of 10) in exchange for either a long shot at competing in the College Football Playoff — Group of Six squads James Madison and Tulane were destroyed by Power Four schools in this past season's first round — or a second-tier (or lower) bowl game?
 
Is the Mountain West really that awesome? 

For five years, McFeely has been making his case for NDSU to take a "moonshot" at the FBS, and he and plenty of Bison backers now have their wish. Enjoy an entertaining hour from his point of view.

Wednesday's show takes us to Vermillion and to the center of one of the most remarkable stories in college basketball this season.
 
Literally to the center.
 
South Dakota's seven-footer Cameron Fens is the Summit League's leading rebounder and the Coyotes' second-leading scorer. He poured in 14 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and threw down a thunderous two-handed jam in a heated second half in USD's emotional 68-67 win at South Dakota State on Saturday.
 
The win boosted the Coyotes to 6-5 in Summit League play with five games left before the Summit League Tournament, March 5-8. More specifically, USD is 6-3 since its 0-2 start in conference play and 4-2 since the league's leading scorer Isaac Bruns suffered a season-ending injury.
 
Many know the basic story of USD's M*A*S*H unit — five season-ending injuries and another player who left the team, forcing the mid-season acquisition of two players who thought their college careers were over, Silan Bennion and Trent Hudgens.
 
Fens takes us inside the ropes on the Yotes' experience of bringing in new players, how they gelled so well so fast, and what coach Eric Peterson has done to make it all work.
 
The Dubuque, Iowa, product also walks us through his transferring from Illinois-Chicago to USD a couple years ago, his season-ending foot injury from last year, his country roots and country music fandom, his close relationship with his father Randy — who also played college basketball as a center — and always being a "big man," both on the court and in life.

NLA w/ Zim: Bison bid farewell, what now for Jacks & Yotes, USD hires from within