GrayEagle
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GoMeanGreen.com
Posts posted by GrayEagle
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As much as I'd love to have 4 and 5 star recruits, let's not forget that we have seen players rated at 3 stars only to magically be rated at 2 stars once they signed or even showed interest in us.
Rudy, I must tell you bud, that I've seen a lot of ratings and I don't ever recall that happening. Now the opposite may be true. I certainly have seen their ratings raised because of who they committed to. Sometimes I feel though that they go back and review their data/film because they respect the coach (not necessarily the team) that offered. Rivals is especially bad about that. It seems that they give a rating before they have all of the facts. Other times I believe the ratings are raised because of the number and quality of the offers.
A main reason why we rated rather low this year was due to losing some pretty good quality in LaFrance, Tucker, and McDormin. The latter two may enroll in the spring of 2013 but don't take that to the bank.
As this staff's recruiting becomes a little more mainstream and respected, our ratings should improve.
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One small correction to Vito's article...East Ascension High is in Gonzales, Louisiana not Houma.
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Feeley is our second most experienced lineman. If he can play tackle, he should be considered our starter until someone unseats him.
I don't know how well Cam Feldt plays. I do know that he was a highly-rated all-state lineman in high school. The only time I've seen him in action was in a circle drill and he easily won that contest. He supposedly had some ridiculous percentage of pancake blocks in high school. I don't know whether that translates to a starting position or not but we'll see.
One question. If he knows that he's not highly thought of by this coaching staff then why would he sell his brother on coming here?
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Of course there are exceptional players from smaller schools. There always have been and there always will be. But check the signings of the FBS teams and see how many are from 5A and 4A schools and how many are from the smaller schools. Not every favorite wins a horse race but those with the lowest odds usually have the best finishes. Mostly, if you can excel against tougher competition you have a better chance to move to the next level.
Fellows, we got our hats handed to us this recruiting season unless the recruiting staff knows something that others don't. Given their experience they probably did uncover some hidden jewels but mostly I think that they are going to have to "coach up" what they have. Unlike their predecessors I believe that the McCarney staff can do it.
Regardless, the talent in this recruiting does not rate a 'B'.
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Outside of Vito's blog have you seen anything on Christian Hines?...anything???
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Jefferson County born, I have pulled for Micah since he came to North Texas. Glad to see him succeed and I wish him well. I'm sure that this is just another of the many successes that will come his way. Congratulations, Micah!
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I'm not totally convinced that there couldn't be both. Sixteen teams involved in a playoff and and bowl games for the "best of the rest." Only seven wins or better for the bowls.
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I doubt that the 22 number is carved in stone. That's the number that was in the two combined/projected leagues. The number could be anywhere from 18 to 24. The final number may very well depend on the TV contract. I expect that old contracts for the two conferences will be cancelled because of the changes in membership.
The conference may last for only the length of the contract. However, the old Southern Conference had 23 teams for a period of four years and eighteen for ten years and they did that without television to hold them together. When it does decide to split it would likely be similar to the east and west divisions of the allied conference so there would be little lost by the breakup. I don't believe that the SBC will surpass them during that time.
I have some ideas about the makeup of the conference dependent upon the number of teams agreed upon. I do not believe that UTSA will be a part of the alliance. It would be unprecedented to select a team that has two more years to reach fully-accreditable FBS status. The Sun Belt Conference seems more suited for now. I must say though, I didn't believe that South Florida would have been chosen for the Big East when they were. In these wacky NCAA years anything can happen.
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I don't think there should be a restriction on the number of bowl games - let the free market sort it out. This year it appears the number of bowls is a bit bloated and I suspect we will lose a few in the next couple of years. If a bowl can be certified then so be it. No one is holding a gun to anyones head to watch a couple of 6-6 teams go at it. If the institutions want to play in the game and the alumni want to travel to watch it or view it on TV then great - let'em do it. It's no suprise to me that some BCS officials have a problem with it because it is hurting their pocketbook. I don't care about that - I want to watch the games I want to watch. More than any other bowl, I watch the New Orleans Bowl every year.
This is all about consolidating power and money to the few.
Normally, I'm with you on letting the free market decide but not when the deck is stacked. The BCS is the one that benefits from allowing 6-6 teams to go to bowls. Of the 13 teams with 6-6 records that went to bowls this past year, 11 were from the BCS, several playing teams also with .500 records. And, as you know, cinderella Western Kentucky sat at home with a 7-win season.
I realize that some 7-5 teams cannot travel as many fans as BCS 6-6 teams but they should be given a chance to build their fan base. Give them less of the payout to compensate for the tickets that they couldn't sell but reward their players and their school for an exemplary season.
I would hope that the NCAA sees fit to raise the standard to 7-5 with the only exception given to a conference champion.
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While many factors are involved the most important this time is TV market. The big money for the conference comes from television rights so it's important that the conference cover as many viewers as possible.
No team carries a major market. Even the leader doesn't dominate because some college football fans will watch multiple teams, especially if that conference is represented in the area. Some teams that have the most alumni in the market are not the leader because of being in a weaker league or not having had a strong program. But if they do catch fire it's better in a populous market than a small market.
As an example, envision what Southern Miss could be in the DFW or Atlanta markets. I think that they would have been a target for SEC expansion had they been in a larger market. It's just better to have 10% of a million than 100% of ten thousand.
In this expansion there isn't a 'gotta have' program so advertisers cover the largest markets and hope that the team in that market has success. A team advancing in conference quality should usually pick up many more viewers; especially if the market is a hotbed of college football. The larger the market, the better sell to a television advertiser.
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And we can start talking about spring practice.
Actually, we could start now if we wanted to because D.Q. Johnson will be the only recruit that will be able to participate in spring practice.
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GrayEagle's theory has some trouble with it.
1. No one one inside is talking 20 teams.
2. If the MWC side wanted SJSU they would have already taken them.
Last year the MWC took a look at Utah State and San Jose State and the word was they liked USU, weren't sold on SJSU and choose not to expand.
3. The Big East is looking at Temple.
All signs are pointing to an all sports merger with 18 teams.
The 12th spot in CUSA was between UTEP/LA Tech/UNT so it stand the reason those are the two schools in the running for the 18th spot in the merger if there's a Eastern spot.
1. I didn't see any "inside" quotes but with a little trouble I can find a quote about there being 20-24 teams.
2. Last year they had Boise and San Diego State and hadn't settled on how the alliance is to be structured.
3. The Big East is looking at Temple but there are two problems with that. One is that Villanova is blocking Temple because Temple holds the college stadium rights to Lincoln Financial Field and won't allow Villanova to play there. It's the only place in the area large enough for the Big East other than Franklin Field and Penn hasn't allowed other college teams to use their stadium either. The second reason is that there are no vacancies in the Big East. And, as you said about San Jose State, they had a chance to take Temple when they chose San Diego State.
San Jose State has far more TV households than the Utags. They are nearly twice the size of Utah State. SJSU is more accessible than Logan. On my list of all-time prestige franchises (actually it's the average of five computer lists) San Jose is #86; Utah State is #92. Romney Stadium only holds 25,500. While 30,000 is no longer the criteria for FBS membership the Mountain West hasn't taken a member with less. They are virtually dead even on revenue and attendance. This time out people watching TV is more important assuming that other items are near equal. San Jose State was admitted to the WAC before Utah State because they had more to offer then and they do now.
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After wrestling with a lot of figures I will make the following prediction for the merged conference:
There will be 20 all-sports teams (possibly expanded to 24 in the near future. There will be two football and ten basketball games with teams from the other division.
West
Hawaii
Fresno State
San Jose State
Nevada
UNLV
Wyoming
Colorado State
Air Force
New Mexico
UTEP
East
Tulsa
North Texas
Rice
Memphis
Tulane
Southern Miss
UAB
East Carolina
Marshall
Temple
The above adds the #s 4, 5, and 6 TV markets to the existing teams, giving the conference a much larger bargaining chip in their television negotiations. Not only that but the three additions are very large universities with hundreds of thousand alumni each.
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I rechecked the ranking sources and found a couple missing. Neither Sam Rice nor Christian Hines show commitments to North Texas. In the case of Rice, he doesn't even list us as an interest team. Hines isn't listed on 247, Scout, ESPN or Rivals period. The two newest commitments aren't listed either but they are relatively new and should show up soon.
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There is no incentive for Alliance West to support ANY team in Texas for recruiting reasons because they will NEVER play any football games against the eastern schools in conference play. The Alliance is designed to have zero football interaction prior to conference title game.
That's not lawyer speak. That's just common sense. The idea that Air Force would support UNT or a western aligned UTEP would support UNT for the east for recruiting reasons is just flat ignorant of what the Alliance set-up is.
The western Alliance schools have only two interests in the eastern expansion. 1) Will it improve the overall rating of the conference. 2) Will the team generate enough dollars to make them worth adding?
As I've noted in other posts, I think it is likely that USM and Memphis would support adding UNT because they would actually get game exposure in the region. Based on what I know of Rice and Tulane, I don't believe either small private school will favor adding a large public institution in an area they need to recruit. Tulsa, I'm agnostic on their attitude. They have historically voted with Tulane and Rice but seem to often think more like a public when it comes to athletics. ECU and Marshall aren't going to support UNT over FIU because their interest is in shoring up Florida presence and east coast presence. UAB is liable to vote with them because they are likely to prefer shoring up Florida presence over Texas.
You still didn't speculate on how this alliance manifests itself but I did glean a couple of things from your response.
It is your opinion that the two divisions will never play one another. Then why are we doing this charade? Why should the west get to decide what the east does and vice-versa? If the only item to be gained in merging is a bigger TV contract then form some quasi-legal entity for the purpose of negotiating as one and forget this falderol. It doesn't take a merger for conference champions to play one another.
Admittedly, I don't know or understand the purpose of the alliance set-up is but it seems that it will lose a lot in terms of NCAA basketball revenue distribution if it is only one league. From what I read, it hasn't been determined whether the merger is football only or for all sports nor for how many teams will be involved.
I don't know who North Texas' friends or enemies are but my perception is definitely different than yours. Your argument that we would get no support from the west because there's no recruiting advantage since we don't play one another. Then wouldn't the opposite be also true? Why would they vote against us since we don't play? We were in a conference with Tulsa for a dozen or so years and got along just fine. I would expect their support. You might have a valid argument about Tulane (and maybe Rice) if the other school being considered were private but it appears to me that only public universities are being considered. Furthermore, I have doubts that Rice would pick a Florida college over one in Texas for a conference partner. It's a given that ECU would prefer FIU over us but I'm not that sure about the others. Denton, Texas is exactly 18 miles further from Huntington, WV than Miami. They also understand that there aren't other qualified candidates in their area. They might have to hold their nose but if enough are for us then I don't believe that they would remain against us. Denton is even closer to Birmingham than Miami and I don't believe that they would feel strongly about accepting or rejecting us.
Maybe it's just a sign of the times but I don't understand how you choose a school with seven years of FBS play over one with forty years, especially when the older school has a better winning percentage. The larger one is in a larger metro area, TV market and is better located for the universities involved. I guess politics is just dirty at any level.
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Thanks for the correction on the Utags.
He could see some playing time this coming year. I don't think that he'll be ahead of Jackson, Lee, Warner, Swarn, Trice, and possibly Marshall. I also don't think that they're bringing in DQ Johnson to ride the bench. But, especially if he plays corner, he should have an excellent chance for the two-deep.
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beat out Wyoming....a revived Utah St.... and Navy. Not bad!
That was the Utes, not Aggies, that offered.
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The old Southwest Conference plus Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Texas.
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Rivals short-sheeted Busby with a rating of only 5.4 (two star). Every other rating service that I've seen (24 7, ESPN, Scout) rated him higher.
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Guys...Guys...what are you reading? Let me quote three excerpts from the KMPH article:
"...at least eight schools" Unless they dump Hawaii there will be at least nine in one of the conferences/divisions and other sources have said that there will be at least nine in each division.
"the numbers could change as schools are moved around or added" Does this possibly indicate that the number and structure are not final? What we definitely don't know is how many may be added.
"If it all comes together as planned the proposed conference could have bigger demographic numbers than the Big East and the ACC" DFW is the fifth largest TV market in the country and is not currently included in the makeup of the Alliance. It is the largest population center within the footprint. There are 5.777 million people in just the counties that abut Denton County. How can you surpass the Big East without those numbers?
If you want to beat yourselves up go ahead but this article actually gave me more hope, not less, than previously.
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Just more institutions having access to the limited research dollars.
Oh, I thought that they'd made the requirements more stringent.
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UNT isn't likely to get in if UTEP stays in the eastern part of the Alliance because they aren't likely to add any teams this way if they do. There isn't room for UNT unless UTEP shifts west and if that happens UTEP isn't likely to support adding a Texas team to recruit against when they aren't playing any games in the eastern half of Texas.
Remember Tulsa, Tulane, and Rice are private schools and probably not favorable to adding a large public in the middle of an area they recruit. Memphis and USM probably would support UNT.
UAB, Marshall, and ECU probably prefer FIU.
None of the western schools really care. The point of the Alliance is that each division will exist independently and will not play cross-over games in football. UNT does nothing for the Texas recruiting of any western school other than to create an additional school in the region that can offer players a chance to play in the league and hurt their recruiting because they cannot offer the chance to play close to home by playing Rice or UNT.
Let's see if I get this right. In the western CUSA the big factor is who you recruit against. In the east it's where you're located. It sounds like lawyer-speak to me. I know what I want my answer to be and this is what I'll use to prove my point. C'mon ArkStFan, I've always respected your opinion, but this?
If I were choosing a replacement team for my conference, recruiting would likely be the last factor that I would consider. How about what you can contribute in the way of power-rating, market, attendance, size, facilities, time in grade, prestige and location among others? Finally, when it did come down to recruiting wouldn't the ability of one school to get better athletes into the conference be a plus. A conference of better athletes can usually recruit better athletes.
If this is to be considered one conference why would you want to spread out even farther when the majority can save untold travel costs by selecting from nearer the center? East Carolina has always harped about no teams near them. They have been trying to get into the Big East as long as they've been in Conference USA. They may still get their wish when West Virginia, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, et al leave so why pick someone in their end of the world when they'll be gone as soon as they can?
One other factor that you mentioned needs to be elaborated on. If there is to be no inter-league play, what is the purpose of the alliance? How do you see the structure? One conference or two? Eighteen, twenty, twenty-two or twenty-four teams? One TV contract or two?
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Boosting attendance is our most important current priority. It is the cornerstone to any off-field success. Virtually every member of the AD staff should have this priority at the forefront of their jobs..."How Can We Get More People To Apogee?"
It's a three-part solution. The most important aspect is student attendance, closely followed by alumni participation, and then the general populace.
Student involvement will require support from both the administration and the SGA. The administration can strongly urge the faculty to announce to their classes the need for student participation (especially attendance). Their enthusiasm spills over to the alumni, Denton and Denton County, and the Metroplex. They are our best advertisers. They can boost future enrollment and the recruitment of athletes. When a prospect visits and sees the support they will want to be a part of it. Just as the student body was essential to the building of Apogee Stadium, they are also vital to stimulate attendance. They could work with the administration to provide incentives for students to attend all athletic events (especially football because of the money it generates). Hopefully, there is an 'UNT Flyer' in this Student Government Association. Lots of flyers and signs on campus around game day.
The alumni portion can best be done by the alumni themselves. Give incentives for those who bring in new MGC members. It could be seats, merchandise, parking, awards or recognition or some combination of the above. Discount tickets for new season ticket holders. Expand MGC Ambassadors. Free hot dog and drink w/general admission, etc.
The townspeople need to be personally contacted by some combination of visitation, door hangers, mall booths, letters, or local advertising. Maybe that could be done with volunteer students and alumni. Students should be admitted free with purchase of ticket by an adult. Make each game a special promotion catering to a specific group...church, civic club, chamber of commerce, etc.
This is the year to get anybody and everybody involved. If they like what they see (and I believe that they will) they'll be back.
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Isn't that what the bridge at North Texas Blvd is for?
Yes, it is but it is far too small to carry the amount of traffic anticipated. While I still like the footbridge the North Texas Blvd bridge needs to be expanded to four lanes with sidewalks.
bridge construction begining?
in UNT Facilities
Posted · Edited by GrayEagle
And we can keep track of it through this thread...Bridget's Diary.