MeanGreenGlory

Wow. This video quality and editing is phenomenal. Brilliant way to tell the game day story. Thank you to whoever filmed this and put it together. Well done.

Nobody is saying it wasn't hot forty years ago... Scientific models are simply suggesting it will be hotter in the upcoming decades, even if only by a few degrees. As it turns out, when you're talking about historically hot Texas summers, a few additional degrees can be a tipping point for increased heat-related illnesses which is something to think about when you're asking student athletes to perform physically demanding activity for long periods of time in that heat.

Whether SMU leaves or not, I hope the AAC gets Air Force and Colorado State at minimum. A few other MWC schools might be nice additions as well.

What are the chances this causes enough disruption in the MWC to make Colorado State and Air Force join the AAC? I believe they expressed interest before the MWC announced they were staying out for the time being.

I have no idea where everything will stand once the dust settles… However, I’m happy to know that we'll be in the AAC with Aresco who is a more strategic, vocal, and pro-active commissioner. This increases our chances of being in a better conference when the music stops compared to our chances if we remained in CUSA. AAC The American went big last year, adding six Conference USA schools after losing three to the Big 12 (and being turned down by the Mountain West four). Only Memphis and SMU appear to be potential Power 5 targets this time if spots open up. But the AAC, too, could be interested in Washington State and Oregon State if the Pac-12 falls apart. The AAC already looked to the Pacific time zone last year with its Mountain West targets. The American could pitch a higher TV payout. The Mountain West pays around $4 million per school as part of its Fox/CBS deal, while the remaining eight original AAC schools earn more than $6 million from its ESPN deal, both numbers that could increase with the Pac-12 leftovers (the six new AAC schools will receive a smaller share). “At the end of the day, the American has a chance to stay stable and/or potentially pick up a team or two if all hell breaks loose,” the source said. Full article: https://theathletic.com/3403475/2022/07/06/college-football-realignment-mountain-west-aac/?amp=1

This is likely the best QB transfer we've ever gotten. I agree this is huge for Littrell, and I'm cautiously optimistic. In my opinion, the reason to be more confident in Gunnell succeeding here compared to transfers like Morris, Ruder, Earle, and Head is that Gunnell has respectable playing experience against P5 teams. We'll see what happens...but this could be good.

Reminder: Transfers from successful programs don't always pan out the way you might expect. Exhibit 1 Exhibit 2

Great news! Any word on whether or not Ross Hodge is staying as well?

FWIW, @SMU2006: If you're right about all this, I'll be very sad to lose McCasland and know that the news will only fuel the rivalry between SMU and UNT... But I'll also have great respect and appreciation for you getting on this board and shooting us straight with the info you had from your sources.

This can't be overstated. I'd love to keep McCasland because I think he's a great fit for the university and he has performed. However, past performance does not guarantee future performance so we should make a great offer to try to keep McCasland and continue building upon the momentum, but not so high that we're stuck for years if things don't go as planned. If another school offers McCasland an astronomical number that we can't reasonably compete with, I think we should shift focus to promoting Hodge to head coach.

What. A. Game. Go Mean Green!

Bingo. The more you get the talking heads to discuss the AAC, the more you prevent them from talking about the MWC, CUSA, MAC, and Sun Belt. The increased air time leads to increased brand awareness which improves perceived conference strength. Aresco plays the game like a pro, and I'm excited we're on his team now.

Exactly. Aresco is extremely good at establishing a vision, creating talking points that strongly support the vision, and then flooding the air waves with those talking points. Even if the P6 thing (as an example) isn't 100% true in reality yet, the media talks about the campaign and Aresco's quotes which naturally positions the AAC as "the next league up." This quick example shows that these types of campaigns and talking points have an impact, and over time, they shape public opinion and key decisions. I'm excited to see how North Texas can thrive with this new framing supporting the brand.

It's an exciting day at North Texas. A huge "thank you" and "congratulations" go to Neil, Wren, and their teams for making this happen. There are many benefits to being part of the AAC. However, one of the bigger ones that I don't think is highlighted enough is being in a conference with a proactive commissioner at the helm who understands PR and media. Over the years, Aresco has demonstrated that he understands PR and media better than most NCAA conference commissioners. His talking points usually get attention, are always on point, and continually position member schools from areas of strength. As an example, the AAC just released this six minute video with Aresco. If you watch this video closely, the host and commissioner aren't having a light-hearted "welcome to the party" conversation. Instead, they're strategically and concisely hitting key talking points. They didn't create this video to make an announcement—they made it to help guide and craft the narrative of other reporters, media outlets, and fans. That is something we never had in the Sun Belt or CUSA, and it's something that can be extremely powerful over time. Getting attention has always been a struggle for North Texas—even when we've had winning season. Aresco and his team will help change that, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Now we need to win to add fuel to the fire. Go Mean Green.

As of tonight: "Mountain West sources told CBS Sports on Monday night that the conference will not expand beyond the current 12 teams in football. MWC presidents see no value in adding teams. A contributing factor is that the MWC's rightsholders, Fox and CBS, would be unlikely to increase their contracts if the league expands, MWC sources said." Source: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/washington-state-coach-nick-rolovich-four-assistants-fired-for-cause-over-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/

I agree with you. I'm hoping this news prompts the MWC to extend a quick, appealing deal to UNT and that we go that route. If not, I'm still happy because a poached AAC (after the next round of Big 12 expansion) is better than a poached CUSA or CUSA/Sun Belt merge.

No. But the post-Big 12 departure AAC is an upgrade from the post-AAC departure CUSA.

Cheers! Looking forward to the ongoing series.

The Mountain West is continuing to explore the possibility of expansion, commissioner Craig Thompson said Thursday, noting that he had spoken earlier in the day to the presidents of two universities interested in joining the conference. “We’re really just looking at the landscape and debating what expansion would mean for the Mountain West Conference,” Thompson said in a virtual news conference. “If it’s something that makes sense for us, we’ll look at that. But really, I’m defining it as we’re studying our options.” MW athletic directors have been meeting virtually “twice a week for several months now,” Thompson said, as they explore their options following the announcements of recent additions to the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences. The conference’s board of directors, made up of the president, chancellor or superintendent that heads up each of the MW’s member schools, has been involved in those discussions, as well, he said. Source: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/2021/10/14/mountain-west-conference-discussing-possible-expansion-ncaa-realignment/8457594002/

@MeanGreenAnonymous What were the reasons for rejection?

I'm with @MeanGreenTexan. Here's to hoping the MWC extends an invitation to North Texas!

If I'm UNT leadership, I'm selling size. Money is a big part of this, and if I'm the MWC is looking at DFW for the media and recruiting market, I also want to know what portion of that market has the potential to be invested in the team. When looking at SMU's student and alumni population vs. North Texas' student and alumni population, North Texas is the clear winner to me. Sure, some on this board will say, "BuT oUr AlUmNi AnD sTuDeNtS dOn'T cArE!" And they're right—we've posted too many losing seasons in the past decade to build momentum. So, the pitch is in the potential. We have the potential to sell A LOT more (tickets, merchandise, concessions, etc.) than SMU. I think the MWC got a glimpse of what the sleeping giant could be in 2014 at the Heart of Dallas Bowl against UNLV. The Cotton Bowl was full of green that day.

The MWC should go ahead and make the move to 16 while simultaneously taking a punch at the AAC by adding: North Texas (5th largest media market) UTSA (31st largest media market) UAB (43rd largest media market) Memphis (51st largest media market) By doing this, you add larger media markets in regions that are all rich with football talent. West: Fresno State, San Jose State, San Diego State, Hawaii, Nevada, UNLV, Boise, Utah State Mountain: Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico, North Texas, UTSA, UAB, Memphis

It's not uncommon for schools to play non-conference games at random points throughout the season. Alabama plays New Mexico State University in their 9th game this year. If you really have trouble scheduling game 11 or 12, that's where Notre Dame and BYU can come into play. Speaking of Notre Dame and BYU, they manage to schedule 12 games a season despite other conference's schedules.