rcade

DeLoach hasn't done enough the second time around to be head coach after Dodge. He would only deserve consideration as coach if his defenses were playing as well as they did in the Dickey years. But if they were, Dodge would be winning and we wouldn't need a new coach. Catch 22.

I knew someone would say that. We are kindred spirits. I always had a weakness for "somewhat crazy."

Even if we lose to Army, a 9-win season is possible. My guess is that a 6 win season or a 5-3 record in conference would probably be enough to save Dodge's job. I'm down on Dodge, but I wouldn't consider firing him until seeing how we play the first two Sun Belt games against FAU and La-Lafayette.

Now that the WAC has sued two programs that are leaving, what message does that send to teams that might consider joining the conference? The WAC is now the jilted girl who stalks her ex-boyfriends. Who would go out with her?

He was put in for a couple of plays on a single drive. The fact we need Thompson now shows why we could have used him in that extra season, which Dodge stupidly blew up.

Aside from Boise State, none of the western schools in your scenario would help us. They'd be long travel and late TV times. So it's really New Mexico State, two Louisiana schools and Arkansas State that would be our eastern-division rivals. I don't see how they're better than the Sun Belt. The southeast is a better region for us than the west. It's also a better football region. I just wish we had some in-state conference rivals. Even UTSA and Texas State.

Were you on the record when Dickey pulled the black uniform stunt and he lost control of the program so badly his coaches had a fistfight at halftime? I appreciate his run of success, but the way he ended things at UNT showed why his teams had so many discipline problems. Dickey had no discipline either. He was also the biggest poor-me complainer who ever led this football team.

I'm not one of the UNT fans who hates playing in the Sun Belt. The southeast is a good region to build a conference in. I'm content for us to play in the Belt forever unless a can't-say-no offer comes along. I'm disappointed that Dickey's run didn't lead to better success, but that's why they play the game. Ultimately the only thing that matters is whether you win. Dodge knows he needs seven wins to continue coaching here.

I prefer we win our conference and some OOC games. Dickey did the first pretty well until the later years when he was justifiably fired.

Don't crap on Dickey's run. We should be proud of winning a New Orleans Bowl and the Sun Belt for four seasons and having one of the nation's longest conference winning streaks.

That doesn't sound so bad. If Kragthorpe praised UNT's facilities and talked about how he was coming here because we'd proven our desire to succeed in the FBS, he'd win over the fan base immediately.

That should prove to people that some recognizable names with FBS head coaching experience might be eager to come to Denton. The job ain't the most attractive in FBS, but it's a hell of a lot better than what Coker's looking at in San Antonio at the moment.

I think the reception was more mixed. At least half of the people here were really fired up about it, but the hiring of a high school coach spooked some folks. If I recall correctly I was mostly positive because he seemed like he'd come here and motivate the team and the community.

He did an incredible job with the Jets last year as OC.

True, but if UTSA could open with Larry Coker there's no reason to assume UNT has to settle for high school coaches and obscure FBS assistants. There are only around 120 head coaching jobs in FBS college football. A big name who is tired of being out of the game might look at the new stadium and the softness of the Sun Belt and think he could do something in Denton.

If Dabo Swinney is only getting $800,000 to coach Clemson, why would you assume that Tommy Bowden or the other coaches I named will require $2 million? I think we overestimate what some of these coaches would require. A few of them are still in demand enough to draw salaries and schools beyond UNT's reach. But some others might be more available than you think. Who would have predicted Larry Coker would take UTSA?

I'm surprised RV didn't just ignore him. ADs and coaches who get into altercations with fans always look stupid. It's generally a sign that firings are on the horizon.

I don't know what Kragthorpe said, but he and Bower would be solid hires.

If North Texas hires a new coach, I'd like to see us hire a coach with significant FBS experience who would have instant media credibility by virtue of his past jobs. If UTSA could get Larry Coker, SMU June Jones, UCF George O'Leary and Ohio Frank Solich, perhaps UNT could get a Bill Callahan, Tommy Bowden or Phillip Fulmer. That new stadium and the Dallas media market are nice carrots.

I am proud of having graduated from UNT and served as the school paper's editor. I bring my kids back to campus each summer I visit to restock on UNT gear. But I can support the school without living out the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results -- with the football program. I have never threatened to quit before, in all the years I've been posting here. But I need wins like Paris Hilton needs cocaine.

A bit tough? We're still waiting for Dodge to equal the 3-win season that got Dickey fired! I stuck with UNT during the I-AA and Big West years. Maybe it's not a flaw in personal character to eventually give up on a team that sucks in the worst conference in major college football. Supporting UNT is like going to the same restaurant for year after year hoping the food will get better. At a certain point, the problem's not with the restaurant. It's with you for being stupid enough not to demand any better.

I can't answer for Emmitt, but I'm a 1991 UNT graduate who has followed the program since 1987. I tried to give up for good in the off season, decided to give Dodge one last chance to produce some wins this year, and am near quitting. I don't feel like spending the next 20 years rooting for a lousy program with low resources that produces excuses instead of wins. Living in Florida, I see what it would be like to follow programs that aren't permanently mired in mediocrity. Even newer programs like USF and UCF have been head and shoulders above UNT. The way the school got rid of Bataille -- and she gutlessly refused to explain her ouster -- didn't help matters. Maybe the stadium will change things, but I'm just not seeing it. This is a win-or-else year for me as a UNT fan.

In order for UNT to have fair weather fans, the team has to experience fair weather. We haven't had a winning season since 2003.

Good column. I think the main factor in the loss was atrocious special teams.

I'd love to eavesdrop on that conversation. What rule do you think he broke by yelling at the coach and RV on the sideline?