The Mike McFeely Mess

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to discuss the weekend news that three key North Dakota State football players have entered the transfer portal before the Bison play their first playoff game, and a breakdown of the Football Championship Subdivision playoff field announced Sunday.

FARGO -- Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson and podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely break down North Dakota State's regular-season finale against in-state rival North Dakota.

The game at the Fargodome has implications for both teams, but Mike says this is the biggest regular season game in UND's Football Championship Subdivision history given what a victory over the Bison would mean to the Fighting Hawks and the playoff impact it would have.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to take a look at North Dakota State's football game against Southern Illinois on Saturday in Carbondale.

It's an important game for both teams. The Bison want to get closer to wrapping up a top-4 seed for the FCS playoffs while the Salukis are fighting for their postseason lives. A loss would likely put and end to SIU's playoff hopes.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to discuss North Dakota State's game against Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill.

The guys spend less time on the game, which is expected to be a comfortable Bison win, and more time on the big picture of where NDSU sits with three games left and the FCS playoffs upcoming.

***Warning: The audio quality of this podcast is less than good. Mike recorded it via Zoom and his laptop microphone quality is apparently poor. Mike hesitated to even post this podcast because of the lack of sound quality, but did so. Our apologies.***

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and Forum columnist Mike McFeely to preview the North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State football game.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference title and a top seed in the FCS playoffs are possibly on the line. 

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to break down North Dakota State's football game at Indiana State.

Can the Bison improve their tackling? Can the Sycamores stop the run? Will Indiana State play three quarterbacks?

Forum sports writer Eric Peterson joins podcast host and columnist Mike McFeely to look at North Dakota State's homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 1, against Youngstown State.

The Penguins appear improved, but will it be enough to hang with the No. 1-ranked Bison?

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to look back at North Dakota State's loss at Arizona and to look ahead at the Bison's game at South Dakota this Saturday. 

What are the questions NDSU has going into the Missouri Valley Football Conference season? Will the Bison have a "hangover" after a tough loss in a game against an FBS opponent?

Podcast host Mike McFeely was in Tucson on Friday and joined the "Spears and Ali" show on ESPN Tucson to preview the North Dakota State vs. Arizona football game.

Hosts Justin Spears and Ali Farhangis asked Mike what makes Bison football special and what he believes are the keys to the game. Ali also gave dining tips in Tucson.

You can listen to "Spears and Ali" at the ESPN Tucson website: https://www.espntucson.com/spears-ali/

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to take a close look at the football game between Norh Dakota State and Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 17.

What role will quarterback Cam Miller play? How important is this game to the Bison? Who has the potential to be an unexpected hero?

Arizona Daily Star and Tucson.com sports reporter Michael Lev joins podcast host Mike McFeely to preview the North Dakota State-Arizona football game from a Tucson-based perspective. Lev believes the matchups favor Arizona in at least a couple of important areas, but says the Wildcats can't afford to overlook the Bison.

Forum writers Eric Peterson and podcast host Mike McFeely break down North Dakota State's Week 2 football game against North Carolina A&T. The Bison are coming off a 56-14 victory over Drake in the opener, but still have a number of unanswered questions.

A&T is a historically Black university and Mike shares what he learned from Aggies coach Sam Washington.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to look at North Dakota State's season-opening football game against Drake. They look at the questions about the Bison, the missed questions and what to look for Saturday in what is expected to be a blowout victory.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to look at North Dakota State's football recruiting class of 2023. The Bison have commitments from 16 high school players so far, and expect to add a handful more before the end of July.

Peterson has interviewed and written about many of the recruits, including a western New York quarterback and a potential defensive back nicknamed "Pickett-tron."

Bismarck's Jackie Stebbins was a successful young attorney with a family, driven to succeed in North Dakota's capital city. It all changed when she was struck by a rare disease, autoimmune encephalitis, that caused anxiety, depression, shakes, seizures and eventually amnesia. She joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about her experience, her recovery and writing a book titled "Unwillable" to tell her story.

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 recorded in The Forum's company plane at 25,000 feet, so the audio quality is not perfect. But the content is on fire.

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.