The Mike McFeely Mess

University of Arizona sports reporter Michael Lev joins podcast host Mike McFeely of The Forum to discuss how the Wildcats, 1-11 in 2021, have re-tooled with a top recruiting class and transfers. What once looked like a prime opportunity for North Dakota State's football team to pick up a win over an FBS team has taken on a different vibe.

WDAY-TV's Dom Izzo and The Forum's Jeff Kolpack join podcast host Mike McFeely on the flight back to Fargo from Frisco, Texas, to take a quick look back at NDSU's 38-10 victory over Montana State in the FCS championship game and to look ahead to 2022. Next season's Bison team has many pieces in place to be a championship contender again, but has a few questions it needs to answer. The podcast was...

Bozeman Chronicle sportswriter Colton Pool joins podcast host Mike McFeely to break down the Montana State Bobcats one day before they take on North Dakota State  in the Football Championship Subdivision title game in Frisco, Texas. Pool believes the Bobcats have what it takes to beat the Bison for the championship, leaning on their defense and freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott.

HERO Sports FCS analyst Sam Herder joins podcast host Mike McFeely in Frisco, Texas, to talk about the future of the Division I subdivision. With programs like James Madison, Sam Houston and Jacksonville State moving to FBS, is FCS going to be North Dakota State and perhaps three other schools playing in the semifinals every year? Sam and Mike disagree on what the FCS might look like in 10 years.

WDAY-TV sportscaster Dom Izzo joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recap their first day in Frisco, Texas, covering North Dakota State and Montana State playing in the FCS national title game. The biggest news of the day? Probably that Bison receiver Christian Watson received a Senior Bowl invitation, meaning is NFL Draft stock is climbing quickly.

Peter Gorton, who spearheads a website about former Negro League baseball great John Donaldson, joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about Donaldson and why he belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Donaldson played baseball for more than 30 years, much of it in small towns in Minnesota, and compiled a remarkable record that deserves recognition.

Bismarck, N.D., scholar, author and historian Clay Jenkinson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the state of affairs.  Clay laments the treatment of Kyle Rittenhouse by the right wing while Mike lambasts the Democrats for, well, being Democrats.

Former North Dakota State running back Chad Stark joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the University of South Dakota Coyotes, who have struggled against the Bison in recent decades but at one time challenged NDSU for NCAA Division II supremacy. The Bison and Coyotes met twice a year in both 1985 and 1986, including in the D2 championship game in '86.

Former North Dakota State defensive end Nate Tanguay joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recall the Bison's exciting 27-24 victory at Youngstown State in 2015. NDSU rallied for a late victory, but the story of the game ended up being a meltdown by volcanic Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini that aided the Bison's effort.

Former North Dakota State fullback Rich Mische joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recall the Bison's big victory over South Dakota State in 1964 ... and much more. The Jackrabbits had won 17 straight conference games before the Bison beat them 20-13 in 1964, a victory that one could argue kickstarted the NDSU championship tradition that continues today.

Greg Madia, who covers James Madison University for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Va., joins podcast host Mike McFeely of InForum.com to chat about the Dukes moving up from FCS to FBS.  JMU is a playoff rival of North Dakota State in FCS, and won a national title as recently as 2016, but the Dukes will soon be leaving for the higher-level Sun Belt Conference.

Former North Dakota State receiver Trevor Gebhart joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recall an infamous date in Bison football history, a loss to Indiana State in 2012. Two interceptions returned for TDs by the same player were the difference for the Sycamores, but Gebhart says the Bison were feeling pretty cocky after a big win the previous week and that was costly.

Former North Dakota State quarterback Jose Mohler joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recall the regular-season finale in 2010, a 3-0 Bison loss at Missouri State. The defeat nearly knocked the Bison from the FCS playoffs. Instead NDSU made the field and advanced to the quarterfinals, setting the table for a national championship run that continues.

Former North Dakota State linebacker Esley Thorton joins podcast host Mike McFeely to visit about the Bison's national title game victory over Illinois State following the 2014 season. Thorton made a key play near the end of the game to seal the victory, after missing a big play earlier. The Bison won the game 29-27, coming back from a late deficit behind the arm of Carson Wentz and the receptions...

Former North Dakota State quarterback Tony Stauss joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the last time the Bison played in Grand Forks against UND. NDSU will play at UND this week for the first time since 2003. The Bison lost a tough contest 18 years ago, 28-21 in overtime, but the game was wildly entertaining and Stauss brings us back to remember.

Former North Dakota State punter Ben LeCompte joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss a couple of Bison victories over Northern Iowa in 2015. The Panthers visit the Fargodome this weekend. LeCompte played a major role in NDSU's playoff win over UNI in 2015, big enough that he was named the game's most valuable player by national and local media. 

Former North Dakota State defensive end Kyle Emanuel joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recount the last time the Bison played Towson. NDSU plays at the Maryland school Saturday, Sept. 18. The teams played in the FCS national title game after the 2013 season. Emanuel remembers how terrible the turf at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, was for the game; the awkward coaching change that took place on...

Former North Dakota State running back Kyle Steffes joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the Bison's first-ever game in Division I. It was in 2004 against Valparaiso, the Indiana school that will play NDSU this weekend at the Fargodome. Steffes had a big game against Valpo, as did the Bison. NDSU ushered in a wildly successful Division I era with a shutout victor in front of a capacity cr...

Ben Portnoy, who covers the South Carolina football program for The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss the wonderfully bizarre story that former North Dakota State quarterback Zeb Noland will be starting for the Gamecocks in their season opener Saturday. Noland had apparently quit playing football when he left NDSU to be a graduate assistant coach at Sout...

Former North Dakota State star running back Tony Satter joins Bison Glory Days podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the 1987 and 1988 seasons, when NDSU followed an underachieving season (1987) with a perfect national championship season (1988). The parallels are far from perfect because NDSU's 2020/21 was a marred spring season thrown together to salvage a year for FCS, but could Bison fans se...

Mit Winter, a Kansas City-based attorney specializing in sports law, joins podcast host Mike McFeely to analyze this week's monumental U.S. Supreme Court ruling that is sure to shake up the NCAA. Winter says that in the long-term, the ruling means college athletes will likely start getting paid and that it could happen as soon as five years from now.

North Dakota scholar and author Clay Jenkinson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss the state's attempt to shore up its coal industry with hundreds of millions of dollars of state money. North Dakota lawmakers recently OK'd a $250 million loan to help augment carbon-capture technology, meant to save coal-mining jobs and perhaps position the state to be a world leader in the technology.

Minnesota fishing expert Tony Mariotti joins podcast host Mike McFeely to preview the weekend fishing scene. The story in Minnesota (and elsewhere) is that water temperatures have shot up with the string of 90+ and even 100-degree days. How is that affecting the bite?

North Dakota author and scholar Clay Jenkinson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the future of democracy in the United States — and neither are optimistic.  Between the millions of conservatives who seem willing to do whatever it takes to keep Democrats from power and the compliant Republican politicians, Clay and Mike think this country is headed for a dangerously rough road.

North Dakota scholar and historian Clay Jenkinson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss a piece on "CBS Sunday Morning" of which Jenkinson was a part. The story takes a fun look at the dispute between Rugby, N.D., and Robinson, N.D., over which town is the real geographic center of North America. Part of the story is that this exercise was not so much fun for Rugby, because it lost an importa...