[Canales name mentioned for UAB]

Not a chance.

A losing overall record in the Sun Belt conference doesn't get the head coach, much less a coordinator, a FBS college football head coaching offer, even at UAB.

Much more concerned about losing Bowen to a higher profile DC position, although I don't think it happens until after next year.

I don't want to lose Bowen either but if we must let it be this year when Skladany is an option. Somehow, I don't feel that he would jump unless it's to Kansas (or another Big 12 school). I just wish that we could hire Skladany as the DL coach and move him up when Bowen eventually leaves (hopefully to take a head coaching job).

[If NT gets the CUSA invite]

I don't mean to make anyone less happy about the programs future, but I don't feel very confident we will be moving up.

There's a good chance that CUSA will either stick with the 9 they have, or invite eastern schools. If we get stuck, it's really going to be a test of the true fan base. I'm sure a lot of people's support will fizzle, but we have some good players in place to be good in the SBC over the next couple of years.

At this stage no one knows but I just feel fairly confident that we are in CUSA or the MWC on the next realignment.

The reason won't be our improvement in record or big increase in attendance although there was movement in the right direction on both. It will mainly be due to market, size, location, facilities and financial commitment. The only potential candidate in CUSA with better qualifications than us would be Temple. La Tech has a better winning tradition but is pretty far behind in the other categories except attendance. We have had the larger crowds but a lower average. We would be #1 in the Mountain West based on those categories. Basketball would be a plus for us except against Temple in CUSA and Utah State in the MWC. It's not so much that we are great as it is that others are not exceptional.

[The SBC will kill our program...]

Wrong. Losing in the Belt is killing us.

We have an excuse for every occasion. We've used the Big West, Sun Belt, coaches, weather, unknown opponents, commuter school, hippies, fraternities, Fouts Field, tailgaters who stay outside, SMU, money games, administration (especially Lee Jackson), recruiting, publicity, fund raising, athletic department, lack of donors, no baseball, Denton, Denia Park, and injuries for not winning or poor attendance. There may be a small element of truth in most of those reasons but how many are willing to accept the blame for their lack of effort?

I know that some do what they can toward the success of this program but most don't. We think that if we give to the Mean Green Club and buy season tickets that we have done our share. Financially, some can't afford a higher level but most can. It's a matter of priorities. Even if you are at the highest level that you can afford you can do more. How many others have you tried to get to support the Mean Green?

The Mean Green Club, if indeed it is a club, should organize so that there are stated goals with plans and efforts to meet those goals. For example, the membership committee might have as a stated goal to add members and increase giving so that we can advance to a better conference. I, for one, would not increase my giving if we only planned to continue in the SBC. Put as many as possible on a committee to further the growth of the Club whether it be season ticket sales, attendance, publicity, or another function that would make us stronger. Getting started would be difficult but once rolling it would become easier to perpetuate. Have quarterly meetings (heard of that before?) to keep members informed of our progress and our needs.

We need to quit making excuses and act. Pump the AD staff with ideas and follow through with whether they were accepted or rejected and why. Currently, the student body is not pulling their share and should be encouraged to attend at least one game per season as a show of school spirit. The alumni, many who have purchased season tickets (and even chairbacks) do not attend. There should be someone that they can call so that the seats gets used if they are unable to be there.

Work rather than make excuses. Others have succeeded with a later starting point and less resources than we have. We can do the same if we try.

[C.U.S.A.]

I don't know that there is a rosy picture if we don't get into CUSA or the MWC but I think that we'll be in one or the other. If we don't obviously we stay in the Sun Belt. The good news might be that three teams would be added. For us, adding La Tech, UTSA and Texas State would benefit us most. That would put six teams within 500 miles which would be a significant improvement over our current situation.

My preference for CUSA replacements would be North Texas, Louisiana Tech and Temple. The first two would replace SMU and Houston in the west and Temple would replace UCF in the east.

Per Commissioner Thompson, the Mountain West would like to have a presence in Texas. The DFW market is already a part of the TV contract, so we could simply replace TCU. With SMU and Houston gone from CUSA (leaving only Rice), UTEP might strongly consider returning to a more western conference. They could then consider either adding two Texas teams and/or increasing to 12 by also adding Utah State and San Jose State.

Any of those scenarios would be an improvement over our current situation. In time, the Sun Belt could surpass CUSA or the MWC if it adds the right teams.

[Big East Expansion Update]

It wouldn't surprise me to see a change in the conference name with all the new non-traditional east coast teams potentially entering the conference. PAC and Big are all used up...maybe "Hoard of # or Super Colossus #"

I believe that the Big East's hands are tied unless and until the twelve football schools breakaway from the eight basketball schools. Then there should be some kind of settlement on NCAA money and the two can go their separate ways.

[C.U.S.A.]

NIU is in Rockford, which IIRC, is like saying Baylor has the DFW Market. I think that's comparable.

Nope. NIU is in DeKalb. The only county between DeKalb and Cook (Chicago) is Kane County. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago TV market.

[Key to our offense improving]

I honestly don't believe that there is a key to an improving offense (or defense for that matter either). This is a team game and a good coach will exploit any weakness.

It's true that the game can be won or lost in the trenches but without the skill players they can have all day to run or pass and if you don't have the hosses to throw, run and catch you still won't score. Everyone has a job to do and a chain is just as strong as its weakest link.

It is good to see the line gel. They're opening holes, giving the quarterback more time to throw and allowing the other players an extra second or two to make plays.

Lastly, as we saw with Hamilton, it's also very important to have depth.

[No Respect from KXAS 5 sports]

We weren't shut out. Channel 11 had film and a short report about our win.

[Recruting Classes 06-08]

That was an eye-opener. I'd also add '05 to that group. The class of '08 has been a little better with only about half of them that won't finish their eligibility. The other classes that you named had about three real contributors each and a few more that lettered but what really grabs you is that about half never played at all or even set foot on the campus after signing.

[Mountain West board mentioning UNT as possibility]

The reason no SBC team has never been ranked is because none have had a strong enough record. Get 11 wins or go get up to 8-0. When that happens a belt team will be ranked. It is not the uniform patches but the teams WEARING them!

That is certainly true, but...

A major part of that reason is the conference. If you're a recruit and you're offered a chance to play in CUSA or the Sun Belt which would you choose? Basically, it boils down to recruiting. CUSA and the MWC get better talent overall than the Belt, MAC and the WAC. The attendance is better, they have better TV contracts and they can afford to pay for better coaches. Plus, the SBC has to play tougher teams to pay the bills. It will be a slow build for a Sun Belt team to have eleven wins in a season.

So, while it is the team wearing the patch is the one that will be ranked the conference helps that to happen through bowl alliances, TV contracts, and public perception.

[Does Micah Thompson Move Back to DT?]

For all we know Micah Thompson might be one of the top 5 offensive linemen on the squad. Some that are now on offense might be quicker/faster and would make better defensive linemen. We'll just have to trust Coach Mac that he'll find the best defensive tackles to put on the field.

But I do hope that they find some 300 pound defensive tackles that are FBS quality players to replace Boutwell. Ryan may be strong, quick, tough-as-nails and the other qualities needed for DT but he has to give away 30-50 pounds to the O-lineman blocking him. I see him as an all-conference defensive end but only an adequate tackle.

[Baylor U Projects This Future On-Campus Stadium]

I know it's a difficult concept, but the title of this forum is Mean Green Football, which means it should be about...the Mean Green. It's pretty simple.

We're all guilty of posting non-unt stuff, but sometimes it gets out of hand. I find it funny that so many people on this board complain about the lack of media coverage, but if you look at this forum threads about other schools always go multiple pages while UNT threads are lucky to go past two. Why should other people care about us when we seem to be more interested in other schools? And this just isn't about the current Penn State situation.

Maybe not now but if Todd Dodge were still here you'd see page after page about UNT football (or lack of it).

[BYU Approached By the Big East]

BYU/Big East

[/quote/

They'll keep on until they find the seven strongest candidates that they believe will stay beyond the next contract in 2014.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Big East can be saved if they can only convince Notre Dame to join for football. There is a rumor that the Fighting Irish' contract either won't be renewed or the payout will be greatly diminished. They could get about anything within reason and have an easier path to a BCS bowl than what they have now.

I thought that BYU was a strong candidate for the Big XII but once they get in the Big East (if they do) they'll be hard to extricate.

[Big East Expansion]

They were offered football-only memberships so that they wouldn't have to travel their teams in other sports such a great distance. Navy was the exception. Thay wanted to keep their olympic sports teams in the Patriot League with Army.

I believe that both the WAC and the West Coast AC have offered AFA and Boise membership for their other teams. If they insisted on all sports then I'd guess that they'd be accommodated.

[Wind turbine construction begins?]

They are being installed in the drainage collection area between the practice fields and Bonnie Brae. How is this is the space for the indoor practice facility?

The only plans that I've seen called for the indoor practice facility to be between the Darrell Dickey practice fields and Bonnie Brae. Where would you have them put it?

[Big East to Invite Six]

i have one major concern regarding our opportunity to join CUSA, and its how many schools does it want in it's conference.the MWC will lose BSU and AFA, add SJSU and Utah State to remain at 10 universities. CUSA has 12,will lose SMU,HOUSTON, CFU, and perhaps ECU. do they go back to 12, or drop to 10? if they plan for their champion to play MWC champion at end of year, then why would they have 12 schools and a CUSA conference championship game. why not just have 10 like MWC, skip a meaningless conference championship game , and have their 10 school champion play MWC's 10 school champion? just asking.

Who knows what the CUSA members have in mind but as long as the conference is still rather far-flung I think that returning to 12 teams would be appropriate. The reduced travel costs for all sports and the additional revenue of a championship game would help compensate for splitting two less ways. Have the champions of the MWC and CUSA meet in a bowl unless one qualifies for a BCS bowl.

I'm partial to 12-team conferences, so I'd prefer that both leagues have that number. That would be a real reach for the MWC because there aren't enough qualified schools available in their area and would require a tradeoff with some western CUSA teams. That could mean an additional seven teams. Since those teams would come from the Sun Belt and the WAC that would cripple the Belt and kill the WAC.

[Kustra on Possible CUSA Replacements]

This is some sort of misquote. In the first place why would he care about CUSA's losses? Boise State has never been a part of that conference. I assume that he meant the MWC; the conference that he may be leaving.

Except for location and the fact that they haven't expressed interest in the MWC, Louisiana Tech would be a decent replacement. NMSU, on the other hand, would be a tough call. They have one of the poorest all-time football records in Division IA. They struggle to average 15,000 attendance. They have good basketball but so does Utah State and they have even better attendance. Funny, Utah State and San Jose State weren't mentioned. Several reports have speculated that they would be the replacements for Boise and Air Force should they leave.

It appears that either the columnist or the BSU president made a Freudian slip.

[Athletic Budget Now Showing A Big Increase]

Based on the UNT Fact Book, 2010 Fall enrollment was 28,283 undergrads and 7,784 grad students.

Admittedly, I don't understand all reasons for the disparity but it seems to hold true for every university. I think that the number of full-time students pursuing degrees may be a factor.

Houston is shown to have a few less undergraduates than North Texas and that doesn't agree with their published figures either.

[Athletic Budget Now Showing A Big Increase]

Ok, but the fees are paid... what happens/happened to them?

They are included; just not assigned to any sport. There are no specific amounts dedicated to football, basketball, soccer, etc. That gives the AD more flexibility.

I didn't examine the report closely but it's possible that a portion of the fees designated for stadium debt retirement or interest could be on a separate report.

[SMU Fan says drop UNT from the schedule]

I didn't see him getting a lot of support.

There are several things that he needs to consider. Notre Dame may feel the same toward SMU as he feels toward us. They need as many butts in the seats and wins as they can. Highly unlikely that they'll get many playing Notre Dame consistently. They stand a much better chance of both by playing us.

This is one comment from one supporter. Ignore it and consider the source. We've said a lot worse about them to my chagrin. There are also many on this board that feel the same way towards Texas State and UTSA.

It never makes you taller when you try to push others down.

[Mountain West prepared to Move]

I am truly disappointed in Craig Thompson.

He cries about the Big East taking his teams after what he's done to the WAC. They're only taking two, not the entire conference as he did. Now he's considering taking two more so that he can have ten before any other moves.

The MWC is the primary beneficiary of a three team alliance. He doesn't have 12 teams for a conference playoff and has little to choose from to try to garner that many. So he tries to form a 36 or whatever team league to give his members some sort of access to the top BCS bowls. Why would the Big East even consider that when they have an automatic bid and access to any of the teams in the other two leagues?

Then consider Conference USA. They have a contract for their championship game from when the conference consisted of 12 members. They will now be reduced to nine but they have several strong candidates from among the Sun Belt and the WAC and could quickly return to 12 again and fulfill their contract. With no agreement that the winner is guaranteed a berth in bowl championship, what's the incentive for CUSA?

This alliance thing seemed doomed from the start and why did Commissioner Thompson try to sell it? Was he looking to take over all three leagues?

[My honest, objective, opinion]

I agree with your assessment of the realignment landscape. I don't buy that conferences will add us solely to gain the DFW market. We may hail from DFW, but we're so far down the pecking order that I can't believe that our presence gains any more TV revenue for CUSA or MWC---which is what they REALLY want. If ESPN/Fox/etc tells CUSA and/or the MWC that adding us will help stave off some of the lost revenue from the departures of TCU/SMU in their next contract, then we're in. If not, then we're not.

Any idea how much our presence adds to the Sun Belt TV deal?

The first thing that sports networks look at is the TV homes served. It allows them to sell to advertisers; the more viewers, the more buyers, the better their rate. There is no single university that can deliver the DFW market because it is so large and diverse. North Texas has more than 200,000 living alumni. Approximately half are located in the Metroplex. The Mountain West and CUSA can garner a better TV package if they have large student and alumni bases in major markets. If we are competitive we can garner many more viewers than the only team in a small/medium market. Ten percent of the Dallas-Fort Worth market is greater than the entire Nashville market (and there are about fifty markets smaller than Nashville). Believe me, we will add presence to the DFW market.

As to to your question about our helping the Sun Belt TV package...probably very little, if at all. The reason is Cox and Charter do not broadcast into this area. There is a little revenue generated by those few games that are picked up by Channel 21 and broadcast into the area. It's also possible that ESPN3 generates some income from our presence. We should definitely be more advantageous for CUSA and the MWC.

[Time For A Change ?]

Have you ever thought about it?

Exactly. I'm not saying that Vito is wrong. It's just that I don't want to be reminded of the last six years ad nauseum.

Look at the first five questions posed. That pretty much says it for me so why continue doing it? Elevating DD to a greatness continually actually has the opposite effect on me. And, is there a soul here that does not know of Dodge's sorry record? Is there anyone that enjoys being constantly reminded of it?

For pete's sake Brett, base your comparisons on the beginning of Coach Mac's era. We all know that he didn't start with a load of talent. An occasional reference to bygone eras is fine but I certainly don't enjoy a steady diet to the tune that I've turned you off.

[El Paso Times Article on Realignment]

Man, I'm lost. The original intent, at least as presented, was to have an alliance whereby the two football champions play for a BCS bowl berth. All other sports were totally separate. This is the first article I've seen where a merger is implied. Even then it was a little murky because no berth was promised and different were members such as Boise State, Houston, SMU, Air Force and UCF; all likely to be AQ members.

If it's a merger who is the surviving commissioner? Do they have the basketball teams in the (former?) conferences running coast to coast? All of the minor sports too?

Until an official announcement is made by either commissioner, please take this with a grain of salt. It's not the first time that Joe has confused us.

P.S. Since Conference USA's office is in Irving and the Mountain West commissioner has stated that he wanted a presence in Texas, the DFW area is likely still high on each league's list.

[Yet Another Realignment Thread]

There also seems to be a real possibility that UAB gives up football. If that should occur would UAB play their other sports, except football, in CUSA as they once did?

Legion Field is becoming dilapidated and the Alabama board just turned down an on-campus stadium.

If UAB leaves does CUSA add one, three or five teams? My guess is likely three and there'll be another needed when West Virginia leaves. That could take a pretty big bite out of the Sun Belt.