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I was a fan of other schools for a long time before I had even heard of UNT, but once I stepped on campus I bled green. I will never put another school before UNT, because this is where I went - my second home. I think most people on this board feel similar to the way I do, and therefore they couldn't fathom putting a "cheer" for another school before their own.

1. The cupboards aren't bare, their injured. 2. There is no culture of losing. The school just invested in new facilities and a new coach. A culture of losing implies its what people expect and are fine with. UNT has hiring expectations, that's why the last two coaches were fired mid-season. Our expectation is to wining seasons, bowl berths, and conference championships.

One question to clear up this whole thing. UNT plays Texas in a couple of years. You are at the game. You are a UNT student. Are you wearing Orange or Green?

No, it's not problem solved. It is the wrong freaking answer. You support the school that you freaking attend. Are you kidding me? This is the problem that has plagued this university for ages. I'm sure that when you graduate, you will easily forget about UNT football and enshrine your house in Texas paraphernailia, only embracing UNT when they finally make the top 25. Glad we could be your 4 year hobby.

I'm going to hate myself for saying this, but I expect miracles. We've got the remains of a team that nearly beat Kansas State, an OC in Coach Canales that is about to explode, a veteran head coach that I am told is the highest paid in the Sun Belt with skins on the wll to prove he deserves all that he's been given. To say nothing of a brand new stadium. I expect to win. Soon.

Don't fret, he's like all the other UT fans out there, die hard, bleed orange, but never stepped foot on campus, never attended a home football game, a class, nothing. Just a hollow shell of a fan. Since moving to Florida this year, I see the same thing down here with Gator fans... My friend, let me explain it to you, UNT opened it's arms, took you in as a student, offers you the chance to earn a degree and relish the college experience. What's UT done for you lately? Dance with who brought you sir, dance with who brought you. Most of us on here bleed green. We may "like" other schools or root for other schools for a multitude of reasons, but first and foremost, we're UNT fans. But if UT is your school of choice, then that's fine, but pray tell, why not make the drive 200 miles south down 35 and enroll there? Only way it could be worse is if you said you were a SMU fan first and foremost.

North Alabama Delusional and thinks that Sun Belt is calling

"Our defense must lead the way for the turnaround at North Texas to be successful."--Coach Mac Really glad to (finally) hear the emphasis on this. It is so critical for the program at this point.

Not sure what you expect of a staff that is still being assembled. Historically , NT commits the great majority of its recruits late in December and January. I am sure NT is not going to have a banner class due to the coaching change, but I can't imagine that it won't be a lot better than if the staff changes had not happened. Even with a couple of coaches carried over, it is going to take a lot of evaluation to specify and prioritize NT needs. Even though the old coaching staff tried to keep in contact with recruits, I doubt they really were effective. Just guessing, but NT was recruiting with a very bad hand prior to the McCarney hiring and a lot of those old recruits might not be acceptable to the new staff. All recruiting data is suspect and until a player is committed or signed, I would not fret too much on losing x player to x university. Despite what is posted on a bio, you have no way to know if an offer was actually made or if it was, if it is still available. College's personnel can not comment on individual recruiting and there is nothing to keep a player from exaggerating a little or a lot. A form letter or a casual text becomes a firm offer.

Year after year this same discusion. All programs ONLY have so many scholarships and not everyone who wants to be selected will be selected for a scholarship. NT, like all other similar programs, are a product of "trickle down economics." IMHO, there is nothing wrong with showing intresest in these JUCO's becuase, who knows, where they want to go and where they end up are two different stories. Some of these kids usually end up saying the phrase..."I sure am glad that coach (name one) kept after me." Translated: I got turned down by all the BCS programs and it was between two Non AQ schools, SHSU and Sul Ross.

Supposed to be a joke i guess? But its neither accurate or funny, I don't get it. Also ho does this add anything of value to this thread? This is another thing that irks me about this forum. Most threads degenerate into childish joking and very little information about the topic is discussed.

Not much going on but South Grand Prairie had a disappointing lost to Coppel 34-51, Trey Norris led SGP with 10 Casper CC closed out the 2010 schedule with a win over Northwest College 70-59 and a lost to Sheridan 67-78 Brandon Walton through 14 games is the leading scorer for Casper at 13.7 with 4.5 rb and 1.9 asts. Eastland(13-0) beat Hico (11-2) with Robinson held to 8 points, 53-42.

We can all agree that the job ahead of coach Dan is quite a large one. Our cupboards are bare in a few spots, a culture of losing permeates our program and he walks in being the highest paid coach in the history of the University and possibly the conference as well. My real question is this: Seeing a significant and appreciable commitment of time and resources by our Athletic Dept to fielding a quality staff to play in a quality venue, how long is Coach Dan's leash. We all thought Todd deserved at least 2 years, 1st year just to get his feet wet and recruit "his" type players. Then that turned to 3 years after yr 1 and 2 failed, because "he really inherited a bare cupboard." After 3 years we were all starting to see the handwriting on the wall and felt the time had come, some sooner than that for sure, but I don't think anyone was still on board with keeping Dodge thru the end of this year at the very least, let alone him finishing out his contract. So does Coach Dan get the same leniency or is he under the cross hairs form Day 1? I think next year, even with all Coach Dan brings to the table, will be a trial of our patience and determination. Obvious holes to fill, increased expectations, it would take a herculean effort to get us to winning football and a bowl game. While the development over the past 3 years has been noticable, went from hoping we're just competitive to actually expecting to win a few ball games, we seem to have still had a problem with closing out games and figuring out how to turn effort in to wins. I'm as excited and optimistic for next year as I've ever been, but have also been tempered by the reality of the past 5 yrs or so. So all that being said, what are your expectations for next year? What constitutes a positive season, what pacifies the masses, what is absolutely unacceptable. Personally, imho, 6-6 is a hugely successful season. Anything less than 4 wins is unacceptable, and anything more than 6 is cause for delirium. I open the floor for debate.

Thoughts?

Echoing the sentiments of many on here for the last 5 years. Our AD has dropped the ball in marketing our university in just about every way. But this as well may be changing. We already have multiple billboards throughout the metroplex, but what is terrible, is the lack of email marketing. It literally cost us next to nothing for email marketing, why aren't we blasting every student email account and alumni email's, just cramming our schedule and new stadium down their throats. I get emails from the Alumni association and the MGC. But the AD has to step past our confirmed fans and gain some depth and breadth into our casual fans. I can tell you that the majority of the metroplex has: A. No idea we're building a new stadium B. No idea we hired a new head coach C. No idea when our first game is, against who, or where. (But in Fairness, neither do any of us on point C at this point) These would seem like logical places to start getting the word out. And what about a nice marketing program, like "UNT: Where special happens!" Sell the dream, sell it hard, and they'll buy and buy hard. You've got over 100K alumni just waiting for a reason to get excited. It's the AD's job to sell that excitement and market it. We just haven't seen it happen in so long many of us have given up on offering suggestions.

UNT90- I really am not trying to offend or anger anyone on this board. I was just saying who I root for. UNT is not my 4-year hobby. I will be going to games long after I graduate. It's not an overnight process to quit supporting a team that you have for your entire life (In my case, Texas). I'm just as much a Mean Green fan as I am a Longhorn fan. MeanGreenTexan- Thanks for at least hearing me out unlike most people on here would. GMG!

I'm going to say this position looks strong next year barring another catastrophic, injury-plagued year. Riley is the man and Thompson will be a very capable backup.

The TD hire initially generated increased interest in the program that may have helped us in the stadium campaign as well as in attendance in relation to our record, it brought us his son who will hopefully be with us for two more years, and it eventually brought us Chico. Other than that, no I don't have the stones to say that the TD hire was great.

Glad we understand each other now. Can't wait for UNT vs. Houston next September. Go Mean Green

TE is a position of need in this recruiting class. I don't care what order the needs are addressed, as long as they are addressed.

Losing as much as we have in the past 5 years, that's a culture of losing, despite what expectations are and where we as fans want to see us go. Dude, we lose, and lose with great regularity, and despite the recent commitments, there is a culture of losing. This can change and I hope it does. But regardless of what anyone says or does, if you lose, you create a culture of losing. Regardless of what changes are made, until we win more than we lose, we have a culture of losing. I agree we've never had the commitment from the University on so many fronts, but until that translates to wins, which I fully expect to happen this year, we will still have a culture of losing. The last 2 coaches were fired mid-season to give us a better chance to find the right guy, when it could have been a year, maybe two years too late in Dodge's case. I never said efforts weren't made to change the results, but until they do, as Parcells would say, "You are what you are" We're a 13-58 team in the past 6 years, that by any and all accounts, would qualify as a culture of losing. Doesn't mean I said we're not trying to change it, but that it does exist cannot be argued with. I said the cupboard is bare at some spots, check our D-Line situation. All I hear on this board is how much trouble we're in at O-Line, D-Line, LB and even secondary. No one feels confident we have a #1 QB, so yes, I think the cupboard has some holes to fill. Are we better off than when DD left, I'll grant you that. But the reliance upon JuCo's and recruiting classes that haven't panned out, have left us thin, I think there's some issues to address. Expectations and reality are often widely dispersed, do not let expectations and perceptions cloud the judgment of reality. 2-9 3-9 2-10 1-11 2-10 3-9 How is that not a culture of losing? And I think you're missing the point, what are your expectations for next year, have they been raised, what constitutes a positive season, what is unacceptable, at what point do we become delirious and ask for a Coach Dan statue outside the stadium.

Well, we HAVE come close to 30k before. We had 29,437 in attendance for a game against Baylor on 9/6/03. Here is a link to the article: Mean Green Sports. Yes, that was during our SBC championship years, but our fanbase now is bigger and healthier despite the losing. Add a new stadium, an exciting new coach that will get the students excited, and an opponent that will have a couple thousand fans at least, and you have a sell out of at least 30k. I have talked to people that never gave a damn about UNT athletics while they were in school, and they can't wait to come back for this opening game. When we have 100k alumni in the metroplex, you bet there will be enough to fill that stadium for at least the first game.

On a UNT message board. That's the part your missing that has everyone so fired up. Go to Orangbloods and you're welcomed with open arms. Come to a Mean Green board and confess your faith as a UT fan first and foremost, you will be flamed, flamed hard and deserve to be. Failed to answer the real question though, if you're such a super fan, were ingrained in the culture at such an early age, then why pledge your allegiance and money to UNT. LSU, Ohio State, Florida, OU and UT... All schools that have rabid fan bases while less than 10% of that fan base actually attended the school. Root for where you attend first and foremost. UNT is poised to give you something UT will not. A degree. I root for Marshall, my brother attended there, played football for the Herd, won big games and built a legacy in Huntington, and I attended every game I could. Closet full of Marshall hats, t-shirts, jackets and the like, all buried away. But first and foremost, I'm a mean green fan, and anyone who knows me knows that I bleed mean green before anything else. Period. If we wanted to hear the opinion of a longhorn fan on this hiring or potential hiring, we'd all visit orangbloods and get a sense. Nobody hates you bud, just don't agree with where your loyalty's lie. Welcome to message boards, kind of a rabid bunch.

I disagree, the first game in the new stadium will 100% be a sell out. Houston will have plenty of fans, as will we for the first game, and there will also be people from the community that will come out to see the "first game in a new stadium"...in addition to that, Mccarney is going to reach out to the students like never before, as well as the community...Dodge never did that. Will we sell out a game other than Houston next year? Not unless we are winning, and the chances are slim even if we are, but the first game will be a standing room only sellout of 32,000 or so.

Timothy Leary advocated the use of LSD to cope with places like Las Cruces. Well, on the positive side, I did go to part of elementary school there, an NMSU astronomer discovered Uranis....."not your anus".....but the planet Uranis and you can still drink in the same bars as Billy the Kid. The only aspect of Las Cruces I really liked was seeing Welcome to Las Cruces in my rear view mirror.

I guess we have a base, because we've had well over 350 students at every game this year.

This is from the San Diego paper. It's a quote from the San Diego AD. “The really interesting questions are going to be what we start thinking about in January,” Weber said. “The first question would be: would we like to add more programs? If so, the question is whether it’s one or two (programs in addition to Hawaii). Beyond that, a question is where those programs would be. Do we want to stay in Texas, or do we want to look elsewhere?” .... Weber said he doesn’t expect the questions to be resolved in January. If the board is “serious about looking at a couple of teams, we’d probably do that through the rest of spring and make a decision in June,” he said. ..... “Let’s be clear: the market in Utah is pretty small; that’s not a big marketplace,” http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/10/mountain-west-still-may-grow-beyond-hawaii/ I think people are wrong to assume UTEP and Utah St are 100% getting invites. It was mentioned in article by guy who writes for St. Lake City paper, but he never said they were 100% getting invites. He just said they are two potential expansion candidates. The MWC needs to decide if they want to stay in Texas or just stay in Mountain Time Zone. I don't think they know right now.

Look up the article in the Dallas Morning News archives yourself--2 of us on this board saw the article if your questioning that it was ever written. And then you say: UNT brings access to the DFW marketing, but its doesn't bring the market. You care to explain what the hell you mean with that? UNT brings far more to the table than you seem capable of mentally absorbing. Go back to your DD worship.

They look like ASS!!!! NT needs new uni's for the new stadium but not like this crapola.

You pretty much summed it up right there. Javis is possibly the best coach in the conference (Jones is up there too, not meant as a slight). I really don't know about WKU. We have some nice talent but we may be too one dimensional since we do not shoot the three well at all. On the other hand I could see us putting it together and going on a tear in conference. Either way, I tend to think that this is FAU's year in the East. They are just sharper and more cohesive at this point. The last couple of years the knock on them has been that they are young although they have recruited nice talent. That's not true so much anymore. They came within a hair of winning the East last year. This year, Jarvis will finish the conquest.

Really? In all honesty, coach Mac was hired here to turn around the program on the field and win ballgames. A team could have a cumulative GPA of 4.0, but if they don't win the coach will be gone faster than you can blink.

That was your first mistake...anyone who has read this board for awhile knows no one reads any of his postings.

Well...I mean...we did just have a Rangers/Giants World Series.

Might have been a center in the late 70's, Pat McCrotch

I've been trying to figure this out as well. I am pretty sure we all agreed that TCU got screwed by the NCAA when it all went down and that is the only mention that TCU has even had in this thread. And other threads that have mentions of TCU in them aren't negative. Why don't you ask some of your fellow alum that post here.

Is Hogans really shooting 64%

Why would you think that? We had the option of adding several FCS teams over the last two years and have turned them all away. The only team that we are helping move up is a member of the conference and gets an auto invite. In fact, they cannot go to another conference according to our bylaws. Just because a school wants to join us doesn't mean we want them. UTSA listed CUSA in their feasibility study but that didn't mean they actually had a shot at getting in. If anything, adding USA for football will strengthen the conference , they are undefeated and averaging 20k a game in attendance.

I think the question might be, would you rather be in MWC or Sun Belt. I don't see any scenario where UNT gets to pick between CUSA and MWC. Best case, we'll get an invite from one of the conferences. CUSA has better regional match-ups but the MWC is more stable and still a better conference (but probably not best fit for UNT). If you are talking MWC vs. Sun Belt, I'd take MWC. Even without BYU, Utah and TCU it is the best non-AQ conference. I know the MWC has a crappy TV deal but it's better than the non-existent Sun Belt deal. For basketball, you get into a multi-bid league. The Sun Belt has received an at-large once in the past 10 years. The MWC isn't the best in basketball but they do receive multiple bids on occasion. Those extra teams equal more $$$$. Plus, I think North Texas would be seen in a more positive light in we were in the MWC. You'd go from the worst D-1 conference (although WAC will take over that title) to the best non-AQ. Instead of playing Monroe and La-La, you'd get to play Air Force and New Mexico. That has a chance to grab the casual sports fans attention (which hopefully increases attendance and donations). As long as you don't lose a bunch of money, I think you'd be crazy not to jump to the MWC.

And if the Big East would take a TCU, why wouldn't the MWC entertain the possibility of a UNT (which we know has not had the same success as TCU football-wise, but Johnny Jones' UNT basketball program would hardly be a deal-killer to the MWC powers that be, either). UNT's being the closest DFW university to a major airport (25 minutes) would not hurt things for our cause, either. Some schools have to parachute their teams out of some these way out there outpost schools or get to a major airport and then bus their teams a few hours away. GMG!

shaft...instead of you getting into a "I know you are but who am I" junior high'ish diatribe here with your attempt to insult, just simply list what you see as media pull because I think others would like to know what you think those would be, too. Is that too simple a request? NOTE: I know you're a big DD supporter and you know I was not his last 2 years and that because of things that none of us would post even on this board that were taking place--and with that in mind I think I can project other future responses from you when we are not on the same page such as this "media pull" business of which you have said with one giant swath of your keyboard that North Texas has none whatsoever. AND......... you honest to goodness don't accept local TV ratings (no matter what year) as a part of your so-called media pull? Then if not--then what the hell would the barometer be? I'm all ears.... If winning any Neilsen TV ratings in any time slot in the Dallas-Fort Worth market is not so notable, then why would SUMG and I (back in the day) marvel at a Dallas Morning News (blurb) written by sportwriter Cathy Harasta with her all but gloating about the kind of TV ratings pull North Texas did show that particular day? TV ratings is all about media pull and North Texas merely showed a sample of what we were capable of doing that day in 1982 with a much, much smaller UNT constituency. shaft, would your own math suggest that we would do much more since there are so many more of us among our Metroplex numbers--hence more TV sets in the homes of North Texas Exes, UNT students and Mean Green fans in general? Have you ever heard "it's a numbers game" and how that might influence a future new conference for UNT because (in deed).........it really is a numbers game? And as SilverEagle posted, it was a great game. North Texas QB Greg Carter played one of his best career games as I recall and I was just one that the Neilsen ratings folks may have used my own TV set to enable the University of North Texas on a Saturday afternoon in 1982 to win its time slot. Hell, I'd bet SMU and TCU would have taken those same ratings UNT got that day and done a bit of gloating of their own. GMG!

Then just what is the critera of any school in any metro area who would bring said metro area with them to any league then? Yes, winning is at the top of the list and believe it not, North Texas will win again and also believe this or not, TCU will come back down to earth because (after all) didn't private school Notre Dame do so with the Irish being a school that we rarely see in a Top 10 poll any longer--sometimes not even in the Top 25? Mean Green & DFW TV? We've Already Been There--Done That & Passed The Neilsen TV Ratings Test : North Texas has won Neilsen TV ratings time slots on a DFW major network (ABC TV) in the past, of course, that was before some of you could say Mween Gween, and our entire UNT constituency has all but quadrupled since that ABC TV Game that even inspired former Dallas Morning News' sportswriter Cathy Harasta to write a blurb on Mean Green football that focussed on UNT being a Neilsen ratings winner. She seemed duly impressed. Even 1 or 2 years when North Texas football had a local station televise our entire seasons it was said that that TV station was quite surprised with the pull of Mean Green football from their own ratings research and polling so........ ......I guess I have to ask it again: What is the criteria for a metropolitan school to bring a metro market to a league such as the Mountain West Conference? Whatever it is I think North Texas with almost 40,000 students and 100,000 Dallas-Fort Worth NT Exes could bring it as much as anyone--including Texas Christian University who is still basically a Fort Worth supported athletic program whose influence doesn't go too far beyond the Cowtown City Limits and even that with their recent great teams. Our 100,000 North Texas Exes in Dallas-Fort Worth gives us a presence no other school in DFW can duplicate and that also a selling point to those who get paid nicely to do the selling which we should all hope is happening now with all this latest wave of re-alignments. GMG!

We're just glad to be your lil silver medal. So when you couldn't get that hot girl when you were younger, did you just tell your current girlfriend you would still be splitting your loyalties?

Again, I absolutely hope you're right, and would be more than willing to bask in the glory of a packed stadium and eat every last word, just don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

I expect to win against Houston. I expect to win against Indiana. And I expect to win 5 conference games. That's 7 wins. Expectations are a bi$%&, and something that have been missing around here for a very, very long time.

Thanks Matt, your response gets to the heart of the matter. Expectations are raised due to improvements being made, both real and perceived. 6-6 is a huge turnaround and would have to be considered a real positive step, and again, anything 4 wins and above represents our best record in the past 5 years at least. But where's the bottom line drawn? Are we happy with 4 wins? Do the glasses of green kool-aid flow at 6 wins and a non-losing season. With the kick to the pants we've taken over the past 5 years, it makes it very difficult to raise expectations too high, but with the improvements made, both real and perceived, I think we can all agree, expectations will be and should be higher. Therein lies the crux of the issue: What are reasonable expectations for next year, what would you feel confident signing for if your rear was on the line. How high do we set the bar when we haven't even seen the bar for the past 5 years? And I know, past performance is not always an indicator of future success, but nonetheless, how high do we set the bar, knowing that if we fail, then for the first time potentially ever, it won't be because the University didn't do all it could. Coach Dan, welcome to your new position, firmly entrenched between this large geologic specimen and a place of unusually high hardness.

Then start we have.. looked at the salaries from last year and we lead the belt, are strong in CUSA and strong in the MWC. Mark it down, our DC and OC will be the highest paid in the belt. So again my question is this: With this increased emphasis on spending more and making a serious commitment to our Athletics Department, but football in general, how long before our expectations also rise and we demand conference championships and winning seasons. .

That and having your signature backwards.

Best unintentional humor of the day.

So you're of the opinion that both the specific number (and overall talent) of the members of the rotation are inadequate at this point? You prescribe that the Rangers need to pursue an additional starter? Obtain more hurlers? Acquire greater arms, in terms of both quantity and quality? Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. I think you're one catchy slogan away from a philosophy I can get on board with.

well if you have problem's with personal attacks....maybe you shouldn't go on someone elses message board and attack there school....your little PHD brain should have known that...