stryker

I think the opening post is about spot on. On the other hand, this coaching staff doesn't have much to work with. The other threads have beaten a dead horse about the lack of talent on hand. There's a very realistic possibility that Seth Littrell is going to be searching for his first win sometime in the 2017 season (I have this team at 0-12). It's that bad right now. Morris has seen very little action over the past four seasons. He'll need to shake the rust off quickly or I predict he'll be replaced by the time conference play comes around if not sooner. The apparent weaknesses (the offensive line, the entire defense) were magnified against what is a bottom feeder from the AAC.

Realistically, I can't see them keeping Benford without an extension, regardless of next year's roster. I'm assuming Benford has a five year deal? These days, you never want to go into the final season of a coach's contract without an extension for no other reason than it decimates recruiting. Having a coach out recruiting who has to tell recruits it's my last year, I think I'll be back is not a good sell. I still expect once this team is eliminated from the CUSA Tournament that he will be fired. If I recall correctly though this mistake was already made once before with Tina Slinker, who finished out her contract and our recruiting suffered horribly, though that wasn't the only problem.

I'm not 100% on this, but I believe in FBS over at least the last 20 years, maybe longer, that only one FBS head coach has gone winless in a season (who was not at a program making their debut season in the FBS ranks) and kept their job and that was Phil Bennett at SMU when he went 0-12 in his second season. Despite all the talk about his contract, the AD, I still cannot see UNT keeping a head coach who goes 0-12 in his fifth season. Make no mistake, this team has one shot at avoiding that, and that's against Portland State, who based on results so far, would beat the Mean Green by 20 points. McCarney will be gone if he goes winless and in all likelihood, our AD will announce McCarney's retirement. Now that still leaves us with an AD who'd be hiring the next head coach which is just as much of a problem. This team needs either an upstart from the FCS or a coordinator from a BCS conference school. Frankly, I'd like to see UNt go after someone like Sonny Cumbie at TCU or Kendal Briles at Baylor.

After this performance, 0-12 is a very real possibility. I had the Mean Green at 2-10 as my preseason prediction. mcNulty is hard worker and a leader but he's not a Division I starting quarterback. Sadly, the ineptitude of McCarney to develop a quarterback (remember when we all thought Brock Berglund would be the answer) has caught up to the program. If this team goes 0-12, I don't think McCarney will be fired, rather I think we will retire. At his age, I just don't see him sticking around for another major rebuilding project.

2-10 We have a nightmare schedule, no Division I caliber starting quarterback, a revamped offensive line and a revamped defense. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a winning record. It could get very ugly.

Schedule is brutal for all the reasons already mentioned. 1-11 Mean Green beat Portland State and that's it. I cannot see this team winning a game on the road, even as bad as SMU might be.

The scary thing is Portland State might actually beat the Mean Green next year.

You're dreaming if you think this team can even beat SFA, let alone on the road. SFA is likely to win this one by 20

Given this team's record and the remaining schedule, I would say while it's a longshot, it is not out of the realm of possibility that this team could go winless on the year.

Next year could be even uglier. With no QB and our schedule, we face the possibility of an 0-12 season. Yes it could be that bad

Mac was right. His recruiting changed the program. We have FCS talent playing an FBS schedule.

If that is the case, then I'll go a step further and say the next coach here will be hired by a different athletic director than the one we have now, especially if you consider the state both basketball teams are in as well. In that case, hopefully Mac retires first. If UNT had not had the season they had last season, McCarney would almost certainly be fired this season. I don't know if this would've made any difference but I commented a while back that UNT made a huge mistake by giving Dodge that fourth year leaving us in a position you don't want to be in, opening a new stadium with a new coach and another rebuilding program. Had Dodge been given his walking papers after year three, a new coach could've come in and started laying the foundation during the final year at Fouts so there would've been some momentum going into the first year at Apogee. Might that have made a difference. Maybe not, but maybe so.

It is time for McCarney to retire. June Jones knew when it was time to go at SMU. Mac needs to do the same. Regarding the contract extension, I thought it was a bit premature. He will be on the hot seat going into next season.

This is McCarney's fourth season. I could see the argument for patience if it was his first or second year but it's not. This is his team, his players, his coaches, his scheme. Yes we lost a lot from last year but this should be the year his recruits from the first two recruiting classes fill major roles. It hasn't happened. This is all on McCarney. Now he's throwing out the it's hard to recruit here excuse. If that's the case, then he needs to take a cue from June Jones down at SMU and retire when the season is over.

If it wasn't for the HOD bowl last year, the discussion would probably be how long before McCarney is given a pink slip. Right now, I see a coach who looks over-the-hill and out of touch much like a certain coach who walked away from SMU a few weeks ago. This is McCarney's team, his players, his schemes, his coaches. There are no excuses for this team to be this bad.

Brock Berglund anyone?

I think Mack Brown's next job will be in a broadcast booth. Can't really see him taking over a team that is likely to go winless this year. The other day I heard the well traveled Tommy Tuberville rumored for the job.

I haven't kept up with the roster turnover, but if there's not much left from Mac's first two classes which should be playing key roles right now, then that falls on the coach. Regarding the rush defense, I thought at the beginning of the year that would be a strength even with the losses of players like Orr. I expected the offense would be the unit struggling as the quarterback situation was sorted out.

I have to disagree. The youth excuse doesn't apply in your fourth year. This should be the year that Dan McCarney's first recruiting class filled the shoes of the seniors who departed after last year. That shows that our recruiting is still not where it needs to be.

Both men's and women's basketball programs are in shambles right now. Peterson has been as big a disaster as the Benford hire.

This is year 4 of the McCarney era. This is his team. Wasn't year 4 supposed to be the year this program really took off? Granted last year certainly surpassed a lot of expectations. However, if this this team struggles along to a 5-7 finish, shouldn't that raise some cause for concern, particularly in regards to recruiting? His inability to develop a quarterback (though Dajon Williams might fix that) after the likes of McNulty, Greer, and Berglund (remember when there was all the hype surrounding his arrival) is concerning.

This will be the last win of the season for the Mean Green.

Chances are increasing that UNT may not win a Conference USA game this year. Yes, it really is that bad.

I would agree with that with one exception. Dan McCarney is 60 years old, not 40. He's no spring chicken and he's already had a go around in a BCS conference. If he was younger, then yes, I'd say give him the big extension. Unless a lucrative offer came along, I don't see him going anywhere anytime soon. As far as extension goes, well, I see both sides of wanting to show commitment but also expecting more than just a one year success. Personally, I'd like to see some of our assistant coaches with contract extensions as other schools will almost certainly be looking at UNT for assistant coaches.

I really thought this was a 3 or 4 win team before the season. A lot would've had to go right for a winning season and it did. When you step back and look at it further, this team could easily be 10-1. Oh well, 8-4 and a likely bowl bid is a good start for a program that has been wandering for too long. My only concern now is, can UNT keep McCarney or more importantly assistants such as both coordinators. I would think that McCarney wouldn't be going anywhere at this stage of his career.