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Good find @Harry I gotta admit it’s hard to hate La Tech sometimes. Rick

Maybe the La Tech Athletic Director?

Hate losing to them but respect the heck out of that program. They make us better and don’t care where they play how remote they are what their facilities lack...they’re Louisiana proud and just compete and win and win and win. GMG

Full story:

LATECH just keeps on winning, I don't know what their secret is but we could use some of it here. Nice to hear someone speak up on the subject though. Who is our commissioner again and is paid to do anything? If she is running CUSA as a volunteer I won't knock her. What has she done for the conference? Maybe it is time to look for a new one who is dynamic and can help us get to the next level.

Literally that is why people dedicate their lives to the study of something - to become experts so that they can lead in their fields. The reason this was originally referred to as the “novel coronovirus” until it was named was because it was new. So that means they did not fully understand it and have been improving their understanding of it along the way, hence guidelines and recommendations. But how were those guidelines developed? Through using what knowledge we already have about disease transmission and viruses. Did you take a high school science class? Because that should have taught you enough to get that when there is an illness you try to isolate the ill from the healthy. You mom taught you as a small child to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. That wasn’t simply manners, it was good public health practice. So yes there is plenty of proof these measures are effective. What is not proven is that outdoor temperature has anything to do with slowing the spread. It hit warm countries and those in the Southern Hemisphere like NZ and Australia. New Zealand has zero new cases for six days. They chose to go on strict lockdown and physical distancing as their strategy and it worked. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31097-7/fulltext Also there is no herd immunity yet. The Sweden model that people like to cite didn’t lead to sufficient herd immunity. A recent study showed about 7.3 percent of those in Stockholm had antibodies and models say it could be as high as 20 percent - but herd immunity requires in excess of 60-70 percent. And they ended with a high death rate. Look if you want full peer reviewed scientific proof of everything to know about this virus, you are going to be waiting a long time. Or you could just use common sense and the available information. If you don’t think sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone as you both exhale heavily (cheering, yelling) can transmit a disease then there really is no convincing you.

Let's just make a bowl first

70,000 or so online students will pay for a lot of stuff. Liberty learned what Memphis and FedEx's Fred Smith learned. University presidents don't look favorably on schools trying to buy their way into association. It looks like taking a bribe and isn't well received. University presidents have to make the call on conference affiliation and who gets to be an equity partner. They have to balance the wants/needs of students, faculty, staff, alumni, the board, and if public, the government. As a general rule, university CEO's don't go around seeking trouble and being in partnership with an institution that requires all faculty to affirm that they believe in young earth creationism and refuses to grant tenure (a strongly held principled decision they backed off of to get the law school accredited, then the principle wasn't so strongly held). Their policy toward gay students is the most severe in FBS without question now that BYU has changed it's code of conduct. Hiring a discredited AD and football coach doesn't help perception either.

There is no herd immunity going on. Your math is a joke. Your understanding of statistics is astounding. Your disbelief in 'experts' is tiring and willingness to spread it is troubling. It's crazy that you can't use google to search for medical journals or studies... instead rely on your awesome gut instinct to spread misinformation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7191274/ https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.08.982637v1.abstract https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/alr.22577 https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiaa189/5820886 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/risa.13500 https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2009324 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6490/489 https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/04/27/13993003.01260-2020 .. https://medium.com/better-humans/whats-the-evidence-on-face-masks-5f3c27a18cc .. I could post links to studies all day long. It wouldn't matter to you. You don't respect the science, studies, math of the brains behind it all. You think everything is a big ass conspiracy. It's akin to me saying oxygen doesn't help spread fires ... and telling you to prove me wrong You think the heat is slowing the spread and NOT the crazy amount social distancing? That is comical. I guess it isn't warm enough in NV, AZ, CA, MS, AL, GA, AR, NC, SC, TN, KS, WV, CO, UT - yet. If only early summer would play along. You are willfully ignorant. It is scary. You show no signs of ever admitting not being the utmost expert, or ever trusting 'experts' or just being decently nice about stuff that matter to people you disagree with. I wish I would ignore you - but you spread so many untruths - I can't bring myself to do it. Facts are not opinions and your opinions are not facts. But again - what does this have to do with facilities? Nothing.

COVID-19 ruined my planned Hawai'i trip this summer for a friend's wedding. I'll gladly take a Hawaii Bowl .. I still have the flight credit!!

That’ll work too. Just before they signed off they said possibly Saturday but that the best weather outlook for launch would be Sunday. So that’s why I said maybe Sunday. Rick

I'm amazed a great NT fan would give up the dream so easily. I have seen it ala 1aa. Explain to me how it would be one iota different. I also wonder why you would think being in a playoff against the very teams that you think no one cares about in a bowl game would advance the program. I am not so sure your new association championship would get more national coverage. It is more likely that NT coverage would sink to the levels of the D2 teams cited.

IF/When this happens.....we are rather lucky in that we are in a good spot geographically surrounded by schools with some sort of tradition....and the other amazing thing is the SMU, Houston, UCF, etc...think the same way some here think. "no way will we "MOVE DOWN"....Again...they're not going to have a choice. The 65 P5 teams will want to shed some of the dead weight they have now...why would they want to take an SMU with them? Alabama doesn't care about SMU or UH. I got into an argument with an ECU fan and he just kept telling me how much money they have and showing me their facilities....dude......Alabama and Texas and Clemson don't care about you or your little athletic budget. Those schools and TV are in control. The fear of the G5s is that when the P5 breaks away...we'll be irrelevant (like we're not now) However, this new world is not going to be like when we went down to 1AA. We're not going to be playing McNeese State. We're going to be playing La Tech and SMU and Southern Miss and UH. Because they'll be right there with us. Which gets back to my first point....UNT is actually lucky in our location will still have interest for media and in our footprint. I would hate to be MTSU or a MAC school... I've gone back and forth on this but a potential playoff with a semifinal of Boise St, UCF, Cincinatti and App St? That would garner some interest. That's not equivalent to James Madison, Sam Houston, etc. Edit: and I'll add....the schools that should really be concerned about this are the FCS schools...this will push them further out.

Thanks. I didn't hear that, so good to know.

You have to realize that most black people see Biden as honorary black at best, and an awkward ally at worst. It's the same way that if your friend calls you an asshole, you're going to take it totally differently than if someone from SMU calls you an asshole.

So perhaps racial comments are not a true issue, rather who says them. If things were truly offensive it would not matter who said them. It's hard to have to have change when the rules that others are judged by change day-by-day and person-by-person

I admit the low numbers from African American is an issue that needs to be fixed. What is the answer - I don't know. All time lows for unemployment and record numbers employed (before the pandemic) did not seem to be important or matter. Areas that have been in disarray for decades continue to reelect Dems to lead them even when nothing changes. So within that demographics, economics does not seem to be a major issue. What is the issue that will make a change, yet to be determined.

LMAO, I'm glad you don't run UNT's marketing department. Here is the case I would make to AAC Commissioner, Mike Aresco. UNT is a university on the rise. Just look at our expansion in DFW. We now have campuses in Denton, Frisco, Fort Worth, and Dallas. A Tier One research university with nearly 40,000 students makes us one of the nation's largest universities; which better positions us to survive economic downturns. (Fingers crossed) Our facilities are top-notch and both our football and basketball teams have had success in recent years. Sure, we're not where we want to be just yet, but our improvements can't be denied. I know SMU likes to drape Dallas on the front of their jersey and remind us we're not the prettiest girl at the dance, but truth is, we're the one's f*cking the prom king. https://www.unt.edu/notices/unt-dallas-cowboys-partner-offer-professional-mba-cowboys-way-official-notice-president. Being a strategic partner with the most valuable football franchise in the world is a clear win and advantage over other schools from C-USA, MWC, and Sun Belt. President Neil Smatresk understands the power of the halo effect and he's using it masterfully to our advantage. It's no secret the AAC is moving their headquarters to Dallas. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2020/05/20/college-athletic-conference-finalizes-plans-for-more-to-north-texas/ Do a quick Google Maps search and you'll see their new headquarters will literally be 3 minutes down the road from the current Big 12 headquarters. This is a brilliant power move by Mr. Aresco and the AAC. If I were him, I would take it a step further and drop Tulsa and add UNT in order to lock up the DFW Metroplex. Suck on that Big 12. Let's not forget that DFW is projected to lead the nation in population growth this coming decade. The battle for the DFW Metroplex is just getting started. https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/01-09-20-dfw-lead-population-growth-2020-2029-cushman-wakefield/ As AAC Commish, I would be cautious of raiding the MWC and enlarging the AAC travel footprint even further. The new landscape of college football is seeking to reduce travel costs, not add to them. This aggressive action could also open the door to the MWC gaining a strategic foothold in Texas by swooping up UTEP and UNT as replacements. Unintended consequences can be a bitch. My last point is rivalries matter and put cheeks in seats. The annual UNT vs SMU game only grows in importance if both schools reside in the same conference/division. Why not lean into the local rivalry and pour gasoline on the bonfire? Move the annual game to the end of the season, and it takes on a whole new level of intensity and local interest. Thanksgiving game, anyone?

So happy to be reminded of why I took a week+ off. BS political upheaval, "gotcha" language that doesn't really get anyone, and Lifer trying to police the board. Love you. See you again in a month. GMG

The power is who has the content not who organizes content like the NCAA does. They can and should be replaced with a phone call. Who cares what you call the the tournament or the championship. Amateur athletics is gone.

My question is do you think they will bring 25 or so teams from the G5 to use as easy wins to ramp up the top P5 team W/L records? This might provide us an opportunity to move up at that time.

This group should also say goodbye to the NCAA!

This is where we oughta be positioning for IMHO.

Wait I thought you said social distancing was not proven effective to prevent COViD.

Nope, but brought up the virus. How was Lawrence O'Donnell last night?

Those political panties are wadded up so tight you just can’t read fast enough. ...”At least one student who returned to Liberty University“... Returned means he was off campus. In fact, if memory serves he was training for a shot in the NFL when he tested positive. And yes, I missed the 1100 students, not 1500. You got me🙄. Heres one from Sunday. https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/24/liberal-media-taking-liberties-with-jerry-falwell-/ ...”Liberty University, which the media predicted would be Ground Zero for a deadly outbreak of coronavirus, has not reported a single on-campus case. Not one. .....On March 30, The Washington Post ran an editorial, “Irresponsible decisions like Jerry Falwell Jr.’s put untold numbers of people at risk.” The Post cited The New York Times’ contention that about a dozen Liberty students “were sick with symptoms that suggested COVID-19.” It turns out that the students had common colds or the flu or something other than COVID-19. Only one student tested positive, and he was living off-campus. Several other universities, such as Rutgers, Pepperdine, Valencia and Texas A&M, introduced similar policies, but only Liberty was singled out for a press whipping”... Rick

To put it more plainly, a separation of the Power Five conferences from the NCAA has long been possible. Those 65 schools, including independent Notre Dame, already exist as separate entities -- financially, competitively and even corporately. But with the coronavirus ratcheting up the stakes, a tipping point may be at hand. "I'm telling you, if you or I were going to place a bet on a stock … you could double down on the Power Five being a separate entity now within two years," said Vince Thompson, founder and CEO of MELT, an Atlanta-based sports and entertainment marketing firm. "The next year will be a critical year for the NCAA," Tatos said. "It will be a critical year for college athletics as a whole. But I think we are starting to see how professional this enterprise is, how divorced it is from any type of education. Schools are starting to make decisions on financial points, [saying], 'This is amateur sports? This whole charade is coming to an end.'" If the financial reckoning becomes severe enough, entire athletic departments could go away. Already, the Mid-American Conference is slashing budgets and sports. Never mind athletics, Akron cut six of its 11 departments within the university. "We're going to lose institutions," Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick predicted. "We're going to have a number of member institutions who won't be involved in college education in 3-4 years." read more: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/why-we-may-be-reaching-a-tipping-point-for-the-power-five-to-break-away-from-the-fbs/

How cool would it be to see NT play at Fenway?

https://footballscoop.com/news/conference-usa-ad-wants-no-part-of-a-c-usa-sun-belt-merger/

The entire P6 is kind of sad. Its like the dork who tells everyone he is going out with a hot girl and everyone clearly knows he isn't.

Beginning steps for P5 schools to break away from the NCAA. Do not think for a minute they give a crap about the G5 schools. The G5 schools need to start working together. If the AAC thinks they are "P6" they are about to be left alone on an island

On the Biden gaffe, from an assistant professor at Stanford: Obviously not a nationwide, official poll, but more scientific than what's going on in the thread.

I agree but it seems the CDC can't get there shit together and if they suggest it to the States..bet states require it.

Did not realize we had been paying Russia 86 million per seat to take our astronauts to the Space station

Great News. Thank you

👍🏻

We couldn’t have been more proud of you. You had the Okie fans in the stands shitting their britches for 59:53. Rick

Prayers go out to the family.

The money thing is not what worries anyone the most. It's the controversial politics. Not even being a religious university -- there are plenty of those -- but the controversies and the president of the university firing off HSOs. Smastresk and Baker would be asked to comment about scandals here and there. That's not a headache anyone wants. Stuff like this https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/09/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-loans-227914 is dealt with by Falwell and co themselves. The teams that schedule them get a little flack but it ends fairly quickly. Going into business with them? That's another thing entirely.

That is a lie.

That would just absolutely kill recruiting

I think it's more like 30 teams, you know who they are, with games in which I have no interest. On another note, I finally got a 'smartTV'. I would have no issue watching NT games on some of the channels available on that thing.

Go ahead and make another pro football league for me not to care about. That will free up even more of my time on Saturday’s in the fall. Rick

Not if the NCAA can appease the Power 5 schools to stay within the organization. Trust me, if they leave the NCAA, the Big East Basketball ain’t sticking around the NCAA either. You literally would see an entirely new basketball tournaments, College World Series’ For baseball and softball, Frozen Four for hockey, and Track championships. Right now, the NCAA gets FCS football on network TV and other non-entities of interest because of the network deals they sign. Good luck getting any TV money for your G5/FCS teams if the P5s pull away. We will see SEASONS of football and hoops on Facebook/YouTube/Hulu, etc...

I’m not the one to first mention Trump and you were the first one that brought politics into this thread genius. Why don’t you do yourself a favor and put me on ignore? Rick

I'll wear a hazmat if It means I can watch football.

History has seen (let's not count this current situation) that men's programs and opportunities have been greatly reduced. So Title 9, while providing for improved opportunities for women, has been mostly a one way street. However, the NCAA stance remains - And their response to the impact on men - So while the opportunities are needed, and good for women, men's programs have suffered.

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