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McFeely's Tip Sheet is a compilation of notes, quotes, rumors, gossip and commentary by Forum columnist Mike McFeely.
If you have a tip, a note or a hot rumor feel free to send it along to [email protected].
Not all will be printed because of, you know, legal reasons.
But they might lead to something.
All tip sources will remain anonymous.
FARGO The Tip Sheet, because it has no life, took time last week to look on North Dakota States athletics website and try to determine how many football season tickets had been sold.
The Sheet cant say it went seat by seat on the Fargodome map that shows which tickets are available and which arent, but it came close.
There was counting, subtracting, equations, adding, eyeballing, estimates and guesstimates.
ADVERTISEMENT The number at which we arrived: 11,400.
Close, but no Tiparillo.
North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen said Friday, July 24, the Bison have sold about 11,000 season tickets.
Theres still time since NDSU doesnt open the season until Aug.
29 against Jacksonville (Ala.) State at the Fargodome, but online season-ticket sales ended last week as the school is now focused on single-game sales.
Single-game tickets go on sale to the general public Aug.
1.
NDSU had set the goal of having 12,000 season tickets and perhaps trying to hit closer to 12,500, but those figures now seem out of reach.
Larsen said the highest number of season tickets sold during the rockin heydays of the Bison FCS dynasty was about 12,200.
The Tip Sheet wont lie, it wouldve been nice to hit close to that number in NDSUs first season in FBS and the Mountain West Conference.
ADVERTISEMENT In fact, 11,000 is a touch disappointing to the Sheets eye.
Fans said they wanted different competition ..
right? Whaddya waiting for? On the other hand, a season-ticket base of 11,000 is rock-solid and potentially the best in the reconstructed 10-team Mountain West.
According to a 2024 article by Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net, UNLV had 10,121 season tickets sold that season, which topped the current membership of the Mountain West.
Boise State (20,000), Fresno State (16,433) and Colorado State (12,000) led the way, but all those schools have moved to the reconstituted Pac-12.
Wyoming did not respond to Murrays request for season ticket numbers, but its entirely possible the Cowboys would top the current MWC membership in the 29,000-seat War Memorial Stadium.
The Cowboys have a great and supportive fan base in Laramie.
Other current MWC members and their season ticket bases in 2024, according to Murrays article: - Air Force 8,853 - Nevada 7,561 - Hawaii 7,473 - New Mexico 6,366 - San Jose State 3,446 Northern Illinois and UTEP are new conference members this season along with NDSU, but given their attendance average (NIU 9,309 in 2025, UTEP 15,818 in 2025) its unlikely theyd have more than 11,000 season ticket holders.
Given New Mexicos excellent nine-win season last year, theres a chance the Lobos are selling many more tickets this year.
They averaged 25,252 fans per game in 2025, a significant boost over the 16,000 they drew per game the year prior.
ADVERTISEMENT Selling out the FBS opener against Jacksonville State with single-game sales is a must, as is the homecoming game Oct.
3 against Wyoming.
Those must be listed as an attendance of 18,700 (or close to it), which would be official sellouts.
Anything else would be a bad look.
NDSU averaged 16,048 in six regular-season home games in 2025.
Thats about 86% capacity.
Getting to an average of 17,000 and over 90% capacity would be a big positive in the first year of FBS.
UNLV'S actual attendance UNLVs announced attendance in 2025 was 31,589 in the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFLs Las Vegas Raiders.
Key word: Announced.
The real numbers tell a different story.
According to a story in the Las Vegas Journal-Review from February, the actual attendance was 19,383 per game.
ADVERTISEMENT The authoritys data is actual attendance, or fans that scanned their tickets at a gate at Allegiant Stadium and differs from announced attendance which accounts for any tickets sold to the game, even if a ticket holder doesnt show up, and it includes staff and media members present at each game, according to the story written by Mick Akers.
Announced average home football game attendance in 2025 for the current Mountain West teams (and percent of stadium capacity): - UNLV 31,589 (48.60%) - Air Force 26,665 (67.61%) - New Mexico 25,252 (64.38%) - Wyoming 23,433 (78.61%) - Nevada 17,875 (66.20%) - NDSU 16,048 (85.81%) - UTEP 15,818 (30.71%) - Hawaii 13,708 (90.22%) - San Jose State 13,997 (76.90%) - Northern Illinois 9,309 (33.00%) Source: D1 Ticker The total attendance of 116,296 in six home games was a 17% decrease over 2024.
The Rebels drew a total of 139,747 fans in 2024, an average of 23,291.
UNLVs announced attendance in 2024 was an average of 32,203.
UNLV received a $3.6 million payment from the stadium authority to supplement football revenue generated at Allegiant Stadium during the 2025 season because it did not reach $5 million, according to the article.
Attendance figures announced at the Fargodome come from the number of scanned tickets.
Hot take of the day Something that probably won't happen, but if it does I'll look like a genius: The Minnesota Twins will largely be buyers and not sellers at the MLB trading deadline in early August because ownership wants to make a run at a wild-card spot for public relations purposes.
ADVERTISEMENT A little birdie said UC Davis is farther away from moving to FBS than most believe because of finances and revenue-sharing shortages.
The belief around Davis is Montana State and Montana are by far the favorites to bolt the Big Sky Conference for the Mountain West.
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High school coaches in Fargo are displeased with their players transferring to Moorhead for football.
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There are those in the Mountain West who believe NDSU is going to be better than media pundits who cover the conference anticipate.
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UNDs thinking in removing Tim Hennessy as a full-time employee might be that he went from being a full-time broadcaster for the hockey team with multiple roles to calling only 18 home games last season, basically a part-time role.
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Despite public comments, there is frustration at South Dakota State that the Bison moved up to FBS and left their top rivals behind.
Jottings Jim Childs will call Moorhead Spuds football games on radio for WDAY-AM this year, replacing longtime legendary announcer Larry Knutson.
Childs is a 1986 Moorhead High School graduate.
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Alexandria, Minnesota, native Bryce Hanstad won his second MGA state amateur mens golf championship recently at StoneRidge Golf Club in Stillwater.
Hanstad, 39, won the KX Amateur at Moorhead Country Club in 2008.
He played college golf at Colorado State.
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Former West Fargo Sheyenne, Northern State and NDSU mens basketball star Jacksen Moni had a nice NBA Summer League and will return to the Santa Cruz Warriors this season.
Santa Cruz is the G-League affiliate of Golden State.
Moni averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game last season in 35 games.