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I thought the 2013 C-USA media event was well run and interesting. Of course, being that it was in Irving made it quite convenient for me to attend, actually took about 20 minutes for me to get there. The event was held at the DFW Marriott North, which is very close to C-USA's headquarters in Irving right off of Freeport Parkway and 114. They started the day at 9AM with the western division teams which included all of the head coaches and one player from every team. The eastern division teams did interviews with the television media in the morning; the western division teams met with the print media/websites in morning and then they switched it up in the afternoon. The one question that I know every Mean Green fan wants to know is what about North Texas? I was able to interview Zach Orr although he was also being filmed himself doing interviews during part of the morning. He was very excited about the season and had high praise for both of his other linebackers Derek Akunne and Will Wright. He said that Akunne was a great playmaker for them last year and he would only get better. He said Will Wright brought excellent speed and the ability to pass defend on the other side. He was very emotional about this being his last year, wanting to "Leave his mark". I would take the time to share all of Mac's thoughts on here but I actually videotaped much of the interview and will try to post that as soon as I can. First things first -- he looks great. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses. I think the major points of Mac’s message haven’t changed in the time he has been here. He's going to build this the right way, things weren't good when he arrived but they are getting better; academics have improved; there is quality depth that wasn't there before and more competition at positions. While these are all good things that we appreciate in terms of this event I would say the difference was there was a taste of agitation in Mac's motivational message. Let me be clear - Mac is as positive and motivated a guy as I have come across. I just sensed that the same words that rolled off his tongue in past years seemed to have a bitter taste this time around. I described to a friend as sort of an agitation in regards to words as compared to actions. Mac is tired of talking about the sleeping giant and doesn't have 10 years to build this thing...he wants results now. He wants to return to the C-USA 2014 media day with some feathers in his cap in the form of wins. So instead of regurgitate the same messaging that I've fed you before, I decided to break out and drink from the rest of the C-USA cup and see what I would find. Despite the lack of detail, take solace if you are a UNT fan..Mac is literally chomping at the bit for this season to begin and you can tell he expects to right the wrongs of last season’s 4-win campaign. Read more:

Conference USA Media Day is TODAY. Event starts about 9AM. Stay tuned to GoMeanGreen.com for the latest. I will be covering the event and will be tweeting from @meangreenfan. You can follow things here on the site but also via twitter feed @gomeangreen. Also if you follow twitter keep an eye out for #CUSAFB as they are recommending that everyone covering the event use that with their updates tomorrow. East Division coaches and players will do interviews at FS Southwest in the morning and West Division coaches and players will do interviews at the DFW Marriott in the morning (8:30 – 11:30 a.m.). The groups will switch in the middle of the day and reverse locations for the afternoon sessions (12:30-3:30 p.m.). On the C-USA site there will be free video available of all of the interviews including some comments by commissioner Banowsky. Here is a summary and link to the C-USA website: Conference USA's 2013 Football Media Day is set for Wednesday, July 24 in Irving, Texas. The league's head coaches and one student-athlete from each school will be on hand to preview the upcoming season. C-USA followers will enjoy significant coverage of Wednesday's event and throughout the weeks leading up to the beginning of the season. ConferenceUSA.com will present free, live video streaming of interviews with coaches and players on Wednesday. East Division coaches and players (along with future members Charlotte and Old Dominion) will be on the stream from 10-11:30 a.m. CDT and West Division coaches and players will be on from 1-2:15 p.m. CDT. These interviews will also be archived on the conference website. Conference USA's social media platforms will provide live updates throughout the day. Photos, notes and other information will be posted via Twitter (@CUSAFB) and on the Conference USA Facebook page. C-USA's Instagram and Pinterest pages will also have content from the event. Television coverage previewing the upcoming season will be provided by the league's television partners following Wednesday's Media Day. FOX Sports Southwest will also produce two Football Preview shows set to air in August prior to the start of the season titled The C-USA East Division Football Preview and The C-USA West Division Football Preview. Both shows will be 30 minutes long and will air on select FSN affiliates, debuting Saturday, August 10 at 8 p.m. CDT. CBS Sports Network and CSS/CSN Houston will each have crews in Irving to shoot interviews that will air during several different college football preview shows that both networks will broadcast during the month of August. The 2013 C-USA Football season kicks off Thursday, August 29, with three non-conference games. All but one of the league's 14 teams are in action during opening weekend, with seven games scheduled to air on television. LINK: http://www.conferenceusa.com/

And so it begins. The buildup toward the kickoff of UNT’s 2013 season starts tomorrow with Conference USA Media Day down in Irving. This will be UNT’s first season in the reconstituted league after 12 years in the Sun Belt. So what are the storylines this year? Here are some thoughts: 1. How does UNT fit in? The big benefit of the move to C-USA for UNT is it will finally be in a league with three other Texas schools in Rice, UTEP and UTSA. It will be an interesting mix, especially for the first few years because there really hasn’t been any kind of pecking order established, nor a feeling of how those teams will match up nor an idea of how they will approach competing for recruits in the state. UNT has struggled since 2004. Does the move to C-USA provide the boost it needs? Can new head coach Sean Kugler give UTEP a boost and make the Miners competitive right away? And what about Rice? Do the Owls have an edge now as the lone Texas private school in the league after the departure of SMU and the impending departure of Tulsa and Tulane? There are always a handful of players who prefer the private school environment and it seems like more and more top players are gravitating to private high schools. UTSA has a huge local base to draw from in San Antonio, but has little history. Can the Roadrunners ramp up their program that fattened up on lower division teams and do it quickly due to some inherent advantages? Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/07/conference-usa-media-day-primer.html/