FARGO -- The last Northern Iowa-at-North Dakota State football game in the Fargodome was highlighted by a brief fight. If veteran boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer returned to Fargo on Saturday, it would be an easy opener.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble.
The two heavyweights so far in the Missouri Valley Football Conference -- and for that matter the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision -- will get back at it again with a 3:07 p.m. kickoff. The game is sold out and the numbers only add to the hype.
Both teams are unbeaten in the league. UNI is No. 2 in the FCS Top 25 coaches' poll while NDSU moved up this week to No. 3. They will be the highest-ranked teams to play in the Fargodome since No. 1 NDSU opened the facility against No. 2 Pittsburg State (Kan.) in 1993.
"I think this is the biggest game we've been a part of at home," NDSU head coach Craig Bohl said, referring to his nine years in Fargo.
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It's easily the highest-ranked teams in the Division I era at the dome, passing No. 5 NDSU vs. No. 9 Cal Poly in 2006. The Bison defeated both Pittsburg State and Cal Poly in those clashes of Top 10 teams -- something they haven't done against Northern Iowa this decade.
Since getting into the Missouri Valley in 2008, the Panthers are the only league team NDSU has yet to beat. The Bison are 0-3 against UNI. All three UNI victories were decisive in nature despite the final scores -- especially last year's 16-9 Panthers win in which NDSU gave up a school-record 11 quarterback sacks and had minus-40 yards rushing.
"We got physically dominated at the point of attack," Bohl said. "The game was not near as close as what the score was, although our guys hung in there. I thought we got out-skilled, I thought we got out-physicalled and I thought we got out-everythinged."
The Bison switched spots with Montana State in this week's poll despite both teams winning. NDSU remains one of three unbeaten teams in the country along with No. 10 Georgia Southern and No. 7 Sam Houston State (Texas), all at 7-0. Georgia Southern has an equally big game, facing No. 5 Appalachian State (N.C.).
The NDSU-UNI matchup is the game of the year in the Missouri Valley.
"As we have come into the Missouri Valley, (UNI) has been the king of our league and we have a big, big challenge," Bohl said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
