Why NO Bowl Again??

[PlummMeanGreen]

2 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

This conference’s leadership reflects just how low we all are on the totem pole. Again, at this point, the SBC and CUSA just need to realign geographically and recognize what they both are, low G5’s that don’t have much interest beyond its members’ fans. 

Our path forward to move above this has one ending spot—the MWC. It’s the only chance we will ever have to move above where we currently sit. The AAC with SMU will never have us. Otherwise, it’s SBCUSA forever for us, just at a lower level than we currently play when the Power Conferences move away for good:

Agree 100%!

If we don't look ahead to improve our NCAA future, we will continue to be a 2'nd hand Rose while we keep on never catching the Bride's bouquet toss. 

Doesn't Smatresk have MWC ties that could get that ball rolling?  For UNT the only way we get in the MWC is with a handful of CUSA traveling partners.  

How is BYU making their situation work? Perhaps be part of a conference formed with (present) Independents?   Of course, Notre Dame would not want to be part of it.  Whatever the case, we need to always be looking after our future in the NCAA because those who don't (it's easy to say) will not have a very rosy future.  

   I agree with SUMG that we should be at BYU's doorsteps trying to get a series of home & homes games with the Cougars.  Lots of Mormons in DFW for certain.

Edited December 17, 2017 by PlummMeanGreen

[aztecskin]

15 hours ago, H-towngreen said:

But at least then you can say its Florida State.

Florida State was not on the level of Troy this year. Troy is a good ass team. This isn't Texas State out here. This team has won 21 games in two years and beat LSU. Ya'll should be saying "well at least it was a very good Troy team"

Y'all should realize that New Orleans was an opportunity and the fans and the team failed. The turnout could have been better. It wasn't.

I'm sure everyone had better things to do -- graduation, weddings, barbecues, high five time -- but Troy's people didn't. 

Sure, maybe that is sad in some way, and the average NT alumni is living a more fulfilled life but when it comes time to compare support NT looks whiny, quick to make excuses, and lame. They showed up and supported their team. And our, apparently non-trash, non-'hillbilly' fans were back in DFW sad that we weren't in effin' Shreveport or -- gah -- Frisco. 

Please make better complaints than "I'm sad that we lost to a good team that my buddy isn't familiar with, so it is hard to talk football with him". 

 

 

[Mike Jackson]

14 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

We were drilled by a team that (yes) beat LSU, but we also lost the ticket sales part of the equation , too.  I was told a ridiculous 2,000 sold from the Ticket Office?  OUCH!  That number with our 2 losses to FAU & then playing a fine Troy team yet one  from a conference we were proud to leave took its predictable toll.  Leaving the Sun Belt was like leaving the trailer park to relocate to a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs.

PlummMeanGreen is absolutely on point.  Making decisions without accounting for the impact on recruiting and attendance is just stupid and UNT Athletics can’t afford to do that.  And all I hear are excuses from some Mean Green faithful.  Hey I am all for supporting the school and Athletic program anyway possible but we need to stop giving them a pass.  Boise State, UTSA, FAU, and FIU among other young programs aren’t making execuses they are kicking our ass more they lose to us. Looking at resources and the size of our school we should be giving Houston a run for the 3rd best FBS program in Texas. We aren’t there because of 40 years of little bad decisions like this one.  In addition to huge bad decisions like hiring a highschool coaching staff build a program for Apogee’s opening season.  And no getting curb stomped on national TV your final 2 games of the season is NOT a successful season.  It is an adequate season.  Every team loses but getting curb stomped in conference or versus unranked G5 teams should never illicit kudos.   This isn’t much better (given the expectations before the season) than last year’s 5-8 season.  In both season they lost their most important games at the end of the year and got stomped in 3 out of 4.  When this program stops getting embarrassed on the biggest stages you can start “rewarding” players with the better “destination” bowls.  If you are a good team you don’t get destroyed by g5 opponents regularly.

Edited December 17, 2017 by Mike Jackson

[BTG_Fan1]

33 minutes ago, Mike Jackson said:

PlummMeanGreen is absolutely on point.  Making decisions without accounting for the impact on recruiting and attendance is just stupid and UNT Athletics can’t afford to do that.  And all I hear are excuses from some Mean Green faithful.  Hey I am all for supporting the school and Athletic program anyway possible but we need to stop giving them a pass.  Boise State, UTSA, FAU, and FIU among other young programs aren’t making execuses they are kicking our ass more they lose to us. Looking at resources and the size of our school we should be giving Houston a run for the 3rd best FBS program in Texas. We aren’t there because of 40 years of little bad decisions like this one.  In addition to huge bad decisions like hiring a highschool coaching staff build a program for Apogee’s opening season.  And no getting curb stomped on national TV your final 2 games of the season is NOT a successful season.  It is an adequate season.  Every team loses but getting curb stomped in conference or versus unranked G5 teams some never illicit kudos.   This isn’t much better (given the expectations before the season) than last year’s 5-8 season.  In both season they lost their most important games at the end of the year and got stomped in 3 out of 4.  When this program stops getting embarrassed on the biggest stages you can start “rewarding” players with the better “destination” bowls.  If you are a good team you don’t get destroyed by g5 opponents regularly.

100% agreed... just waiting for the what was your prediction preseason or the classic we were 1-11 2 years ago

 

[Side Show Joe]

16 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I understand the Indy Bowl committee waited.

I understand we were not their 1st choice (probably higher than SoMiss though).

I’m 100% confident we wouldn’t have been left out as the NMBowl was also interested.  Had we still been at the table, I have no doubt they would have invited us over SoMiss.  We were already gone.

Treefiddy’s right.  We took the bird in hand, & it bit us hard.

It is my understanding that the I-Bowl waited due to our leadership's well publicized interest in the New Orleans Bowl.

[Cerebus]

4 minutes ago, Side Show Joe said:

It is my understanding that the I-Bowl waited due to our leadership's well publicized interest in the New Orleans Bowl.

No. The I bowl waited because they were hoping enough p5 would get eligible and one would fall to them.

They wanted is to take all the risk, wait for an invite that might not come, and pass on people who wanted to offer is right then and there.

[Green Lantern]

1 hour ago, Mike Jackson said:

 This isn’t much better (given the expectations before the season) than last year’s 5-8 season.  

There’s lots of outlandish claims and knee jerk reactions on GMG, but you can’t actually believe this, right? We won 9 games. Most people on here resigned themselves to 6-6 pre season expectations.

This season is a unmitigated success, tough losses included.

[Got5onIt]

I bet the Independance Bowl is glad they didn’t take NT. Southern Miss fans will fill their stadium. 

[GreenFlag]

14 hours ago, KingDL1 said:

What does that mean? How many team fan base's over 500 miles away, not in the Sun Belt, with short notice, taking place during graduation, that went to a more prestigious bowl last year would travel better to NO Bowl? 

SMU?

TCU?

I doubt there are many if any?

I think we should have waited to see if we got the Indy Bowl, taking first bids is not usually best idea in business. 

I would bet that Southern Miss would have traveled 10 times better than us to New Orleans and we would have traveled much better to the Indy bowl. 

It does't matter now I guess

Yeah but bids can go away and you can sit at home. Just ask La Tech.

You do make a great point about the iBowl and the N.O. Bowl picking the wrong teams. If it’s attendance you are after that’s a real head scratcher. 

[KingDL1]

2 minutes ago, GreenFlag said:

Yeah but bids can go away and you can sit at home. Just ask La Tech.

You do make a great point about the iBowl and the N.O. Bowl picking the wrong teams. If it’s attendance you are after that’s a real head scratcher. 

Yeah but you can't live in fear either, maybe NO Bowl got worried and offered early. Not  sure if sitting at home is that much worse than yesterday. 

[GreenFlag]

 I’m still in Nawlins and I’m still having a blast. 

It was much better than sitting home. 

The only thing missing was Tony’s balls!

Edited December 17, 2017 by GreenFlag

[TreeFiddy]

44 minutes ago, Got5onIt said:

I bet the Independance Bowl is glad they didn’t take NT. Southern Miss fans will fill their stadium. 

Let’s wait and see how many from USM nations decide to make the short drive to Shreveport before we go too crazy here.

 

[KingDL1]

20 minutes ago, GreenFlag said:

 I’m still in Nawlins and I’m still having a blast. 

It was much better than sitting home. 

The only thing missing was Tony’s balls!

I would have gone if I could have. I was not making a statement 

[PlummMeanGreen]

1 hour ago, Got5onIt said:

I bet the Independance Bowl is glad they didn’t take NT. Southern Miss fans will fill their stadium. 

Yada (3 times)!    This out of the way:  A "9 win" UNT football team would not have been shut out in getting a bowl unless some CUSA Bowl negotiating officials wanted to meet Jesus before their time.

My old college roommate who became a  rededicated Mean Green fan this season said he'd make the drive to the NO Bowl but 6 mos. ago I'd scheduled a wedding to DJ near Possum Kingdom yesterday so negate that.

I told him if the  Indy Bowl became available that would've been perfect for my schedule along with what I'd wager would be 3OK plus UNT fans so we kept our fingers crossed but...no dice on that deal or black jack tables, too, in going to Shreveport.

Our defeating USM 2 years in a row seemed to not matter to CUSA who it seems may have been content to negotiate us down to playing a Sun Belt team.  ➡️ One helluva great reward for being West Division Champs, right?  In fact, what makes winning a division title important anymore if you are North Texas?  We did better in getting the HOD Bowl game 2 times by not winning the West.

Yet CUSA's  apparent powers that be have suddenly proclaimed the USM 'Bolden' Eagles as the traveling fans darling of CUSA? I call a big loud Billy Bobs Texas Cotton-Eyed Joe "Bullshit" on that one.  

 Last 2 bowl games prior to yesterday's ticket selling disaster were quite impressive to many media types in the Southwest  including the  🐸TCU🐸 play by play guy (Estridge) who did  ESPN radio for our UNLV win.  He bragged on "all those Mean Green fans" in the Cotton Bowl on clear channel WBAP 820AM the next day.  

😪Yeah, crying over some spilt green koolade now but "what if" we get  a bowl game 3.5 hours from DFW along with a brand new (for us) bowl for our fans to attend with a very well known P5 opponent plus......more time to sell tickets to traveling Mean Green fans?   I believe we bring a minimum of 30,000 Mean Green fans to that game & that's no matter how we finished our season.  The novelty (& proximity)  of it all would have sold thousands of tickets from the UNT contingency.

 Hindset tells us if we were going to lose any bowl game we'd all preferred losing to the Seminoles of Fla. St. U.  For some of us Older Nestors playing them again would have been a nostalgic sorta' thing, too. 

GMG!

💚 Now more than ever is it time to recruit like there's no tomorrow in Old or NewDenton.

Edited December 17, 2017 by PlummMeanGreen

[Rudy]

11 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

This conference’s leadership reflects just how low we all are on the totem pole. Again, at this point, the SBC and CUSA just need to realign geographically and recognize what they both are, low G5’s that don’t have much interest beyond its members’ fans. 

Our path forward to move above this has one ending spot—the MWC. It’s the only chance we will ever have to move above where we currently sit. The AAC with SMU will never have us. Otherwise, it’s SBCUSA forever for us, just at a lower level than we currently play when the Power Conferences move away for good:

Gagree. We need to set our sights on the MWC. 

[Mike Jackson]

1 hour ago, Green Lantern said:

There’s lots of outlandish claims and knee jerk reactions on GMG, but you can’t actually believe this, right? We won 9 games. Most people on here resigned themselves to 6-6 pre season expectations.

This season is a unmitigated success, tough losses included.

You only say that because this program has been virtually an absolute failure since the Sun Belt Championship years.  Nationally televised games are more important than others especially for UNT because we are trying to change the negative perception of the program.   Unmitigated beat downs to close out the season makes your overall record look suspect.

[KingDL1]

2 hours ago, Got5onIt said:

I bet the Independance Bowl is glad they didn’t take NT. Southern Miss fans will fill their stadium. 

I think UNT would bring more to this bowl and your statement implies other schools would have brought more to the NO Bowl. I don't think a team outside the Belt and that is over 500 miles away , with the same notice and played in a better bowl just last year would bring as many as us. It is a shitty bowl period. Short of the location itself. 

[Side Show Joe]

3 hours ago, Cerebus said:

No. The I bowl waited because they were hoping enough p5 would get eligible and one would fall to them.

They wanted is to take all the risk, wait for an invite that might not come, and pass on people who wanted to offer is right then and there.

Do you have a source within our athletic department that brings you to this conclusion?

[meangreenJW]

On 12/16/2017 at 2:23 PM, Mean Green 93-98 said:

Our fanbase is the absolute worst.

Agreed. People act like we can pick bowl, opponent, date, etc. And people act like they are experts and that UNT leadership failed when NO ONE on this board has clue how the process works. It's flat out stupidity on display. Good thing it isn't recruiting season when parents and recruits might be looking at a forum to learn more about the school.

1)Armed Forces wasn't an option because no one (schools, conference or bowl) wanted a 4th match-up in two years. 

2)Frisco wasn't a good selection because it's a new bowl with a name no one nationally recognizes or cares about played in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium. Plus neither SMU or UNT would probably be real excited about a rematch and losing to those a-holes a 3rd time in two years would be unbearable and might hurt recruiting. 

3) Bahama's Bowl - You know who played in this ridiculous bowl the last 4 years? WKU, MTSU, ODU, and UAB. 3 of those 4 have much better recent history and reason to have more 'clout' than UNT. Yet UNT has avoided that bowl this year and last year which is a credit to UNT.

4) Boca Bowl vs Akron and 5) Bad Boys Motor Bowl vs. Temple - I'm going to assume no one wanted these bowls but I'm sure some jackass will advocate for them just so they can be critical of their own school. I do think we would have beat Temple but probably in front of 250 people.

6) Cure Bowl in Orlando - Actually a pretty good destination due to Disney World and Universal but Georgia State is probably the worst name draw opponent there is. Orlando also is a pretty far destination. 

7) Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, AL vs Ark State - Same situation as NOLA bowl but in a MUCH worse destination vs the Sunbelt non champion. 

8) New Mexico Bowl vs Colorado State - Granted CSU is a slightly better name opponent (although Troy is and has been a better football team). But how can anyone really say we'd have been better off to play CSU in freiking Albuquerque? I think we'd have had 1/2 of what we had in NOLA. I couldn't make to NOLA but if I didn't have a work Christmas party I would have tried. I have no interest in Albuquerque. Does anyone? Again, outside of player families and the band, we may have taken 250 people.

9) Independence vs Florida State - This is the one bowl that I understand people wishing we were in. But acting like it's a colossal fail we weren't in it? Really? Of our primary bowl tie ins, WE GOT THE BEST BOWL! So you want our admin to risk having to play Georgia State in Orlando so they can hold out hope to play in the Independence Bowl if it doesn't fill by a Power 5? Really? Whether you like it or not, the ACC commissioner made the decision on who his team would play. That's how things work in modern day FBS football. Don't believe it? Ask UCF how fair this system is.

I've already posted on this once before, but you guys are ridiculously foolish if you think UNT ever got to soley determine their destiny. First, you have a preference of the bowls that want you. But the bowl DOESN'T have to take you. It's up to them. Second, the Power 5 commissioners have the Power over any bowl with P5 tie ins (Independence). So they would determine who they will send and what team they will play. 

Lastly, for those of you mad at attendance and claiming poor attendance is the fault of UNT officials. This is the dumbest comment of all. You brag about our attendance at a Bowl Game 40 minutes from campus? You think that is something to brag about? There are about 5 schools that get an opportunity to play in their back yard. If we can't get 4-5k in a fun destination city 7.5 hours from Dallas, then we as a fan base need to be better. I didn't think the crowd was at catastrophic as others on this board do. Troy is about 5 hours from NOLA, has won 21 games the past two season and I estimate they had about 40% more people than we did. But no, the crowd wasn't great. And somehow that is the fault of our administration?

But the criticism 'a few' of you guys continue to hurl at UNT coaches and administrators is mired in ignorance of the process, unfounded belief in our place in bowl pecking orders, and exhausting for those not living in fantasy land.

 

 

[TreeFiddy]

3 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

Yada (3 times)!    This out of the way:  A "9 win" UNT football team would not have been shut out in getting a bowl unless some CUSA Bowl negotiating officials wanted to meet Jesus before their time.

My old college roommate who became a  rededicated Mean Green fan this season said he'd make the drive to the NO Bowl but 6 mos. ago I'd scheduled a wedding to DJ near Possum Kingdom yesterday so negate that.

I told him if the  Indy Bowl became available that would've been perfect for my schedule along with what I'd wager would be 3OK plus UNT fans so we kept our fingers crossed but...no dice on that deal or black jack tables, too, in going to Shreveport.

Our defeating USM 2 years in a row seemed to not matter to CUSA who it seems may have been content to negotiate us down to playing a Sun Belt team.  ➡️ One helluva great reward for being West Division Champs, right?  In fact, what makes winning a division title important anymore if you are North Texas?  We did better in getting the HOD Bowl game 2 times by not winning the West.

Yet CUSA's  apparent powers that be have suddenly proclaimed the USM 'Bolden' Eagles as the traveling fans darling of CUSA? I call a big loud Billy Bobs Texas Cotton-Eyed Joe "Bullshit" on that one.  

 Last 2 bowl games prior to yesterday's ticket selling disaster were quite impressive to many media types in the Southwest  including the  🐸TCU🐸 play by play guy (Estridge) who did  ESPN radio for our UNLV win.  He bragged on "all those Mean Green fans" in the Cotton Bowl on clear channel WBAP 820AM the next day.  

😪Yeah, crying over some spilt green koolade now but "what if" we get  a bowl game 3.5 hours from DFW along with a brand new (for us) bowl for our fans to attend with a very well known P5 opponent plus......more time to sell tickets to traveling Mean Green fans?   I believe we bring a minimum of 30,000 Mean Green fans to that game & that's no matter how we finished our season.  The novelty (& proximity)  of it all would have sold thousands of tickets from the UNT contingency.

 Hindset tells us if we were going to lose any bowl game we'd all preferred losing to the Seminoles of Fla. St. U.  For some of us Older Nestors playing them again would have been a nostalgic sorta' thing, too. 

GMG!

💚 Now more than ever is it time to recruit like there's no tomorrow in Old or NewDenton.

Since USM will certainly send more fans than North Texas to Shreveport to play in the most wonderful bowl of the season, I will take all bets, in any denomination, that USM won’t even break 20k in ticket sales. Would anyone like a friendly wager?

 

[TreeFiddy]

38 minutes ago, meangreenJW said:

Agreed. People act like we can pick bowl, opponent, date, etc. And people act like they are experts and that UNT leadership failed when NO ONE on this board has clue how the process works. It's flat out stupidity on display. Good thing it isn't recruiting season when parents and recruits might be looking at a forum to learn more about the school.

1)Armed Forces wasn't an option because no one (schools, conference or bowl) wanted a 4th match-up in two years. 

2)Frisco wasn't a good selection because it's a new bowl with a name no one nationally recognizes or cares about played in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium. Plus neither SMU or UNT would probably be real excited about a rematch and losing to those a-holes a 3rd time in two years would be unbearable and might hurt recruiting. 

3) Bahama's Bowl - You know who played in this ridiculous bowl the last 4 years? WKU, MTSU, ODU, and UAB. 3 of those 4 have much better recent history and reason to have more 'clout' than UNT. Yet UNT has avoided that bowl this year and last year which is a credit to UNT.

4) Boca Bowl vs Akron and 5) Bad Boys Motor Bowl vs. Temple - I'm going to assume no one wanted these bowls but I'm sure some jackass will advocate for them just so they can be critical of their own school. I do think we would have beat Temple but probably in front of 250 people.

6) Cure Bowl in Orlando - Actually a pretty good destination due to Disney World and Universal but Georgia State is probably the worst name draw opponent there is. Orlando also is a pretty far destination. 

7) Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, AL vs Ark State - Same situation as NOLA bowl but in a MUCH worse destination vs the Sunbelt non champion. 

8) New Mexico Bowl vs Colorado State - Granted CSU is a slightly better name opponent (although Troy is and has been a better football team). But how can anyone really say we'd have been better off to play CSU in freiking Albuquerque? I think we'd have had 1/2 of what we had in NOLA. I couldn't make to NOLA but if I didn't have a work Christmas party I would have tried. I have no interest in Albuquerque. Does anyone? Again, outside of player families and the band, we may have taken 250 people.

9) Independence vs Florida State - This is the one bowl that I understand people wishing we were in. But acting like it's a colossal fail we weren't in it? Really? Of our primary bowl tie ins, WE GOT THE BEST BOWL! So you want our admin to risk having to play Georgia State in Orlando so they can hold out hope to play in the Independence Bowl if it doesn't fill by a Power 5? Really? Whether you like it or not, the ACC commissioner made the decision on who his team would play. That's how things work in modern day FBS football. Don't believe it? Ask UCF how fair this system is.

I've already posted on this once before, but you guys are ridiculously foolish if you think UNT ever got to soley determine their destiny. First, you have a preference of the bowls that want you. But the bowl DOESN'T have to take you. It's up to them. Second, the Power 5 commissioners have the Power over any bowl with P5 tie ins (Independence). So they would determine who they will send and what team they will play. 

Lastly, for those of you mad at attendance and claiming poor attendance is the fault of UNT officials. This is the dumbest comment of all. You brag about our attendance at a Bowl Game 40 minutes from campus? You think that is something to brag about? There are about 5 schools that get an opportunity to play in their back yard. If we can't get 4-5k in a fun destination city 7.5 hours from Dallas, then we as a fan base need to be better. I didn't think the crowd was at catastrophic as others on this board do. Troy is about 5 hours from NOLA, has won 21 games the past two season and I estimate they had about 40% more people than we did. But no, the crowd wasn't great. And somehow that is the fault of our administration?

But the criticism 'a few' of you guys continue to hurl at UNT coaches and administrators is mired in ignorance of the process, unfounded belief in our place in bowl pecking orders, and exhausting for those not living in fantasy land.

 

 

Because it is always someone else’s fault.  

[NM Green]

I have a feeling some of these people calling the New Orleans bowl sheety have never been to a New Orleans bowl.  I mean it’s a chance to beat a 10 win team in a city full of culture food and music. How many times have we had a shot at a 10 win team?  You have to take the shot to get the glory.  Our holster was only half full and kudos to Troy who deserved that win and ranking to come.  

They were the better team having the better year.  We will be that team one day.

GMG

[TreeFiddy]

3 hours ago, NM Green said:

I have a feeling some of these people calling the New Orleans bowl sheety have never been to a New Orleans bowl.  I mean it’s a chance to beat a 10 win team in a city full of culture food and music. How many times have we had a shot at a 10 win team?  You have to take the shot to get the glory.  Our holster was only half full and kudos to Troy who deserved that win and ranking to come.  

They were the better team having the better year.  We will be that team one day.

GMG

Yep.  And, down only 2 at the half and got the ball to start the 3rd qtr.  Offense really let us down IMO.  Defense struggled also, but I was most disappointed in the offense.

[vpackrats]

This board is so "glass is half-empty" sometimes that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs UNLV -- "why'd we get stuck playing UNLV?"  "That's not fair.  Why do we need to play a school like that?  We're so much better than them".

2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Army -- "Why do we have to play them twice in the same season?".  "That's not fair.  We get no respect ".

2017 New Orleans Bowl -- "We gotta play a team from the Sun Belt!?"  "That's not fair.  Why would we even associate with a school like that?"

Any SMU game:  "SMU fans are such stuck-up bastards.  They don't wanna associate with a school like us".  Anyone notice the hypocrisy?

Personally,  I had a good time in New Orleans  (me and the 10 others in our group).  We played a feam that will likely be ranked in the AP Top 25 when all is said & done and I thought we wanted a matchup against a good team.  Frankly -- and the national writers confirmed this in a previous thread -- they had us as the highest ranked CUSA bowl game.  Great season, great time in NOLA, looking forward to 2018.

Edited December 18, 2017 by vpackrats

[meangreenJW]

On 12/17/2017 at 11:42 PM, vpackrats said:

This board is so "glass is half-empty" sometimes that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs UNLV -- "why'd we get stuck playing UNLV?"  "That's not fair.  Why do we need to play a school like that?  We're so much better than them".

2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Army -- "Why do we have to play them twice in the same season?".  "That's not fair.  We get no respect ".

2017 New Orleans Bowl -- "We gotta play a team from the Sun Belt!?"  "That's not fair.  Why would we even associate with a school like that?"

Any SMU game:  "SMU fans are such stuck-up bastards.  They don't wanna associate with a school like us".  Anyone notice the hypocrisy?

Personally,  I had a good time in New Orleans  (me and the 10 others in our group).  We played a feam that will likely be ranked in the AP Top 25 when all is said & done and I thought we wanted a matchup against a good team.  Frankly -- and the national writers confirmed this in a previous thread -- they had us as the highest ranked CUSA bowl game.  Great season, great time in NOLA, looking forward to 2018.

Pretty much sums it up.