[This just sad...when Washington Post takes a shot at SMU]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/09/27/it-could-be-worse-you-could-be-an-smu-fan/

[Who do you want in bowl?]

If I can't have Michigan, Pitt is my next best choice. Voted "other"

Me too!

[Big East Football Still has Options]

What a mess.

[What should C-USA do now?]

Here it is. The Big 12 only has ten teams Big 12 expands to 12. Florida State and Virginia Tech will leave the ACC for Big 12 The ACC adds two orphans from the Big East. The Big East grabs two more teams from the C-USA. The remaining C-USA teams merge with the MWC. You heard it here first. .

[Official Statement from C-USA's Britton Banowsky]

You forget what is driving all of this...ESPN and TV Money. The Mountain West will not pass over the DFW market. They will also want Houston and SA. Tulsa is a good program but they are the least desirable from a TV Market standpoint. Tulane did not go the the Big East because they were winning football games.

With the obvious exception of UTEP, why would any other C-USA school even consider the MWC? I think a merger between the C-USA and the MWC is more likely.

[So what did C-USA really lose?]

Here is some wild speculation. The Big East new television contract does not provide the revenues that Houston and SMU areexpecting as a provision to move to the Big East. SMU and Houston choose to remain in the C-USA.

[So what did C-USA really lose?]

Does a MWC merger with C-USA make since again? Especially, if SDSU and Boise State stay committed to the not-so-Big East.

[UTSA brings College Football To San Antonio]

1. UTSA is not just marketing their team to students and alumni they are marketing their team to the entire city

2. what do the spurs have to do with anything?

3. they may not have what you consider adaquate parking, but they still get 60K+ there for bowl games most every year and more than that for final fours

4. why would it be torn down it still gets final fours, concerts, a bowl game that is moving up in the pecking order, high school football, WWE, Soccer, rodeo, Cowboys training camps, and many other events all of which provide benefits to the community and the surrounding hotels and restaurants

5. the deal is such a "stinker" that UTSA made a million or more over their projections on football last year and that is before they are even D1-A and before they have several well known teams coming in to play them......it probably beats paying 78 million for a stadium that host 5 home games per season and can't even get a high school game after that

6. in spite of all you said UTSA still had 60K+ for their home opener and they averaged at least 2X what unT did in their new stadium that the students are paying a large portion of

1. UTSA is located in San Antonio having games at the Alamodome does not help to market their program to greater San Antonio. Having games at the AlamoDoMe does not bring visitors or alumni to the campus.

2. With the Spurs leaving the AlamoDoME and the building of the AT&T Center, there no major professional sports franchises that play at the AlamoDoMe. The AT&T Center and the Alamodome actually compete for events.

3. A Bowl Game once a year and a final four tournament every four years is not enough to support a major sports arena.

4. An empty sports arena benefits no one and costs everyone.

5/6. UTSA receieves no revenue from concessions, parking or permanent advertising or promotions. UTSA has share revenue on suites. UTSA has to pay almost 40k a game to used the Dome and pay ticket fees on sales greater than 20000.. UTSA students pay a sports fee just like UNT students. Unlike UTSA, UNT buyenefits from all the revenues their stadium generates. Yes impressive first game attendance, of course attendance dropped throughout the season by 50%. Once UTSA plays FBS level competition and has several losing seasons, let's compare attendance.

[UTSA brings College Football To San Antonio]

But wait.. isn't the Alamodome twenty miles away from UTSA? I mean, completely across town. I guess there is plenty of parking on campus during games...that's a plus.

Along with placating the San Antonio Spurs ownership's demands for a larger basketball venue, the multi-purpose facility was intended to increase the city's convention traffic and attract a professional football franchise which has not occurred. The Spurs played basketball in the Alamodome for a decade, then became disenchanted with the facility and convinced Bexar County to construct a new arena for them now called the AT&T Center at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Inc

Visiting the Alamodome is interesting. It used to the the home of the Spurs, but now sits empty most of the time, a tribute to poor urban planning. It is located in the heart of the city, but lacks adequate parking, forget about tailgating.http://www.utsatailg...g-damn-straight There are approximately only 2,100 on-site parking spaces and 12,000 parking spaces within a mile walking distance to the dome.

Eventually, the dome will likely be torn down, as the occasional concert and football game can't cover the costs of keeping it running.

The city is currently exploring selling the naming rights to the Alamodome in an attempt to offset rising costs.

UTSA's five contract with the city is a real stinker for the Roadrunners.

This agreement is expected to generate approximately $40k-$130k per game in City revenue based on estimated attendance of 5k-30k per game.

UTSA will reimburse the City for event staffing and other costs estimated at $25k-$37k per game, based on estimated attendance of 5k-30k. In addition, the City will retain the following revenue:

1. $1.00 ticket fee on incremental tickets sold in excess of 20k per game (not including student tickets)

2. All concessions and catering commissions, including beer sales commissions

3. All sales of parking at $10.00 per car

4. City and UTSA to share equally in suite rental on 10 suites sold by either party.

[Texas Football calls out the fake Lonnie finch]

After perusing this board, THAT was the quote this dude chose as the most irrational?

But it's still cheaper than therapy.

[Thoughts and Prayers go to Rick Spears aka "Green Grenade"]

Our prayers and thoughts

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

City Council on May 15 with O’Reilly, UNT President V. Lane Rawlins, and members of the public in attendance – you can click here to see a video of the entire presentation. To add to the public nature of this presentation, I made a point of it in my regular Council Meeting Preview prior to that meeting.

And let’s be clear: this still has to be voted on and approved by the City Council. Nothing is set. Citizens have long been in favor of the idea of a convention center and they will surely have the chance to chime in on the specifics on this one prior to the approval of any such agreement.

CLAIM: The city is on the hook for $87 million for this project.

FACT: That figure represents the approximate total cost of the project, including the value of the land and the cost of building the hotel. $60 million of this is coming from private funding – the O’Reilly group proposes to fund the hotel and connected restaurant. The land is coming from UNT. If the plan is approved by council and goes through, the city’s investment in the project would be approximately $25 million.

CLAIM: The city is liable for the $87 million.

FACT: Once again, the city’s investment is much less – $25 million. This is still significant, which is why the council has insisted that the city lower its risk as much as possible. In order to pay off the debt associated with the Certificates of Obligation that would be issued in order to fund such a project, the ad valorem and hotel taxes generated from this project would be dedicated to pay this down. In addition, O’Reilly would make lease payments to the city for the convention center. And here is where the potential deal is great for the protection of our taxpayers: in the event funds generated from this project are not enough for the city to pay off the debt, the O’Reilly team will make up the difference.

I hope this helps clarify this issue for those who have been confused by various claims made recently. I guess it is more fun to conjure up images of slick politicians sipping on Scotch and smoking cigars in the seedy back room of some ambiguous local bar ran by the politically-connected. Sometimes I wish local government was that enticing. More often I find myself debating the nuances of setbacks during a 7 hour council meeting in front of an audience of about 3…

http://denton-tx.gra...d=3&clip_id=583

http://rodenfordento...vention-center/

[Head Coaching Candidates]

How about Bobby Valentine? I am sure he would love to leave Boston.

[C-USA announces tourney sites]

Hopefully, in future, C-USA may chose a tourney site that will increase the exposure of the conference. I like .San Antonio.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

It would be great if Denton got a convention center, but I wonder why it has to be on NT property. Seems to me that land might be put to better use by NT than a hotel complex. Athletic facilities and student housing might be better for NT. By the looks of it, land in the concrete city around Fouts should not be cost prohibited. Denton seems to do so little for NT, why should NT subsidize a convention center?

UNT is not subsiding the convention center. UNT is leasing the land and generating revenue. With the convention the city will have vested interested in the University especially in the area near Apogee. The University will be one the entities that will uses the convention center, why would you not want the convention center on campus? The convention center will allow the University to leverage its facilities and resources. This project will increase the University's visibility. "The xyz convention at the University of North Texas." THIS A BIG WIN FOR THE UNIVERSITY.

[McDorman to join UNT in July]

Good stuff thanks for your info! You a coach? Glad to have you on here either way.

I agree Harry, with is size he could cause a lot of havoc in the middle of line and take up a lot of space similar to a Nose tackle. This may allow more flexibility in using your defensive ends especially if you have good speed at defensive end.

[Some UNT Baseball History]

This is an early picture and discription of our team. It is from 1916 and was the first season I could find where UNT scheduled other college teams. The coach was S.S. McKay, and the schedule was Dallas U., and two games with both SMU, and TCU. Austin college was also to be scheduled. The information came from the 1917 Yucca, but no scores for these games were found in the 1918 Yucca.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fmcbj

[mid major coaches]

Lest someone call you to task about a word.

Thanks Gray,

Clarification , in football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A (the principal football schools) and Division I-AA;these were renamed "Football Bowl Subdivision" and "Football Championship Subdivision" in 2006. NCAA does not use the terms "major" and "mid-major" to differentiate between Division I athletics conferences. Division I contains 346 institutions. So what is a mid major?

[mid major coaches]

NCAA does not use the terms "major" and "mid-major" to differentiate between Division I athletics conferences. Calling a conference a mid-major is like calling someone a short-tall person. But, what would you expect from a minor-major sports outlet like the Bleacher Report. This is no minor league in the NCAA Division 1.

[Chris Barnett (Euless 2011) 4* wants to play for the Mean Green]

Wow, If you read about this kid's background, he may qualify for a hardship exemption.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

Addendum: Maybe there are some things in the works, development wise, that I'm not aware of. My main point is that the other "suburbs" (eg. Grapevine) have made themselves a very attractice place to come and visit for locals and out-of-towners. True, the airport is right there, but Denton is the convergence of two major interstate highways for Peats sake! Like it or not, Denton. Growth is coming. Make the most of it.

Hunter,Excellent point! If you look what other suburbs including Frisco, Grapevine, etc. have achieved, it is frustrating to see where Denton stands in the scheme of things. With two major universities, rail mass transit, the convergence of two major major interstate highways, Denton should be the cultural and intellectual center of the metroplex. Denton is the gateway to metroplex from the north, yet Denton does not offer anything to encourage people to stop and explore. Denton, has so much potential. This why an outside developer is willing to invest $85 million on a major hotel/restaurant complex.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

The hotel/convention center will have amenities for a convention that are simply not available on campus. If anyone has attended an out of town convention will appreciate the convenience of a hotel, a restaurant, and a lounge connected to the convention center.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

Mark G is going bit overboard on the sell job for a convention center.

I agree that the new hotel and convention center will be an economic boast. But saying it will create a cost savings because University and City events are booked somewhere else is a stretch. When was the last time you saw a UNT booked at the Lewisville convention center?

Maybe just a little. This is probably not the most compelling argument. But, it is true that UNT has schedule conventions and events outside of Denton due to a lack of adequate facilities. I think we both agree that this project will be a big economic boost. I also believe that building the convention center can be a first step in increasing the needed cooperation between the City and the University. Building a convention center at the proposed location will result in the city having a vested interest in the streets, facilities and traffic flow near UNT sport venues and facilties on the west side of I-35.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

As I wrote in a previous post, last year Denton had revenues over $1.5M in hotel/motel tax and expenditures of over $1.2M. They could pay it off with that if they scrap everything else they are doing.

You are looking out the window on a Tuesday seeing that is raining and concluding that the picnic on Saturday has to be cancelled. The debt service is to be paid by FUTURE revenues. First if a developer builds a new 12 story, 300 room state of the art hotel it will generate a substantial increase in hotel revenues.. Second Denton is one of the fastest growing areas in the country again hotel tax revenues will increase. Third, the convention center will generate an increase hotel taxes from all the hotels n the city. Fifth will UNT and TWU continuing to grow resulting in an increase in hotel taxes. With UNT moving to the C-USA, there will be an increase in sports tourism that will increase hotel taxes. Sixth, the convention center itself is a revenue generator. The convention center generates rent income. Denton is located perfectly for DFW regional convention activity.

If you were to examine the current expenditure of 1.2 million, you would realize that much of that is directed to developing future projects to encourage tourism and economic activity including a convention center. Although, the total cost of this project is $85 million only a small portion of this project is the convention center. The twelve story hotel/restaurant will be financed by the O'rielly family. We're not talking about a huge amount of debt to be financed by the city. UNT gains lease revenues and use of the convention center.

The Hotel and Conference Center project will be a great revenue generator for the city of Denton. Many university meetings and events must be shuffled to other metroplex cities because Denton has no comparable hotel and meeting facilities. The new convention center will result in a huge cost savings for University meetings and events and provide new revenue opportunities for the University and the City.

It is extremely shortsighted not to realize the business that will "trickle down" to all merchants and service businesses in Denton. This is not to mention the boost to sales tax revenue. Any passed on costs will be far exceeded by the expansion of business that this project brings.

This a project that has joint participation with the city of Denton and UNT. The City will have a vested interest in the area west of I-35 on and near the UNT campus.

The City of Denton will have to widen bridges and access roads to Apogee and the west campus facilities as economic activity expands. The Hotel and Conference center project will result in other businesses locating near to the convention center and UNT sports venues.

[Hotel and Conference Center "Deal in the Works"]

If it's going up on UNT property, will it be the first convention center in the nation with absolutely no designated outdoor smoking area?

UNT will lease the property to an outside concern. As such, it will not technically be part of the campus. The lessee will establish the "smoking policy." Many public facilities including convention centers prohibit outdoor smoking.