Mark Gommesen

http://www.cityofden...x.aspx?page=945 The city is only on the hook for the convention center not the Hotel/Restaurant or land. The goal is a proposal that is self funded by a combination sources including hotel/motel taxes, convention center rentals, etc. UNT will lease the land for the project. The O'Reilly Family (O'Reilly Autoparts) will finance the hotel and restaurant. People need to get the facts. They hope to begin construction in January 2013, and complete by summer 2014. This facility will result in increase in hotel/motel and sales tax. Unfortunately, there was no break out the convention center cost. One has to assume that the12 story luxury hotel and restaurant would be the lion cost of the 85 million. This post has been promoted to an article

Right now is all speculation. I think we need to see the details and proposed plan that was produced by negotiations between all parties. These types of projects are often funded by a variety of sources. I am sure bonds will be a part of the funding. The general fund by definition cannot and will not be used. We do expect that UNT will contribute the land for the project. The developer and other investors will contribute also to funding of project. It is unclear exactly how much of the 85 million total cost will be funded by city. Of course negotiations were conducted in private. How else can a proposed plan be developed. Be assured the public will have an opportunity to have input.

Excellent point! OLB is position that requires a player to read and react. Should be interesting to watch his performance during is senior year in high school. He seems to have the raw talent.

How does this happen? He had to know what the NCAA requirements were to transfer?

No, I didn't nor did I want to.

The article is pointless unless the term mid-major is defined. If mid-major could be defined as anything such as teams with green colored uniforms, mascots whose names start with a vowel or the worst 20 teams in college basketball. Obviously, the author does believe that theses are not the top ten centers or forwards in all of college basketball, only the top ten in the subset "mid-major" This not a question semantics, it is the entire premise of this article. 10 Mid-Major forwards and centers to watch in 2012-13

Mid-major is a pejorative term. The NCAA does NOT use the terms "major" and "mid-major" to differentiate between Division I athletics conferences. There is no minor league in college basketball. Since the author does define what constitutes a "mid-major" the article is completely pointless.

Notre Dame is a possibility for the Big East. Since Notre Dame is already a non-football member. If NBC is seeking the television rights to thew Big East and has the television rights to Notre Dame through 2015.

http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/5/31/3055532/big-east-tv-contract-notre-dame-football-nbc

If Air Force joins the Big East, MWC would certainly be interested in UTEP. If the BCS adopts a playoff structure that favors conference champions, large independents may be seeking a conference home. Notre Dame is another possibility. NBC has been disappointed with the TV ratings Notre Dame games and NBC has been actively courting the Big East.

If ESPN lose the bulk of the Big East games to NBC, the ESPN will have major gaps in its programming, this could be an opportunity for the C-USA. If ESPN does retain the bulk of the BIG East, then NBC maybe knocking on the C-USA door.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-05-24/sports/31826862_1_big-east-football-coaches-league-schedules-spring-meetings Looks like any expansion would occur in the West.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/855046/highlights/7391383 Very impressive athlete.

A merger will stabilize the current conferences and create the first truly national conference with members in five time zones and television viewership from coast to coast. Remember most television networks are national and/or have regional networks throughout the country. By merging the conferences would have a better chance of improving television contracts. It is quite simple, they would control a larger section of the supply when demand is increasing. Also, they would have greater leverage in negotiating bowl, merchandising, promotional and OOC scheduling contracts. MWC/C-USA may have to merge in response to the money grabs by the Big 4 conferences. Right now, the MWC and C-USA often times find themselves competing against each other! Where else could a company buy promotional or advertisement space in 24 major markets in five time zones throughout the country? Where else could Fox or Comcast find one supplier of programming for almost every region they operate in? Where else could a national network find programming for that matches the markets of it's affiliates? No where but the MWC/CUSA, not the Big 12, Big 10, SEC...

I would just include the top 8 conference champions, period. The conference championship will act has the first round of the playoffs. If you did not win your conference you are eliminated. By allowing the top 8 conference champions would level the playing field. If a C-USA or MWC champion has a chance at national title, the schools in these conferences would be able to compete with other conferences in terms of recruiting and media. If the independents wish to be included, they need to join a conference. It is important to remember that rankings are not an absolute measurement. If team wins their regular season conference championship, they are representative of the best that conference has to offer. Obviously, the top ranked team will be included by selecting the top 8 conference champions. Which means in the first round the lowest ranked conference champion will play against the number 1 team in the country perhaps the SEC champion. If that team prevails, and defeats the next highest ranked team in the second round perhaps the BIG 12 champion. And finally in the championship game defeats the remaining conference champion perhaps the PAC 12 champion...can anyone argue that such a team is not deserving of a national championship? Does it even matter what other teams were not included?

Maybe we to put the website address on the helmet www.UNT.edu

http://mghelmets.com/north-texas-mean-green.html I vote for the 1953 throwback helmet.

What is interesting is this ranking is indicating what we already know....the level of competition is much higher in the SBC than most people realize.

77 with a bullet

Certainly, a media contract that generates only $4 million a year would not make since for a school like SMU to make the move to the BE. The cost of the move will cost and lost revenues will total over $3 million a year (see below). If the additional costs of joining the new conference exceed a $1 million dollars a year, SMU will have a real problem. Travel expenses will be significantly higher in the new conference. SMU attendance in some sports is likely to fall because with the exception Houston all of there conference competitors are not in the same geographic region. SMU has felt it necessary to pay Big Conference Salaries to renew it's football head coach salary and hire a new basketball coach. The football coach's salary is reported to be $2 million a year and the basketball coach is expected to be even higher. The reason last year's contract was rejected was the non-football schools were not happy with their share of the revenue, if the total revenues decline in the new contract, expect the non-football schools to demand at bigger slice of the pie or to bolt from the conference. If as expected the C-USA is able to negotiate a much more lucrative TV contract, some former C-USA may wished they did not jump to so quickly. They are each contractually obligated to pay their annual share of television revenue under Conference USA's dual contracts with Fox Sports Network and CBS Sports for five years and an additional one-time $500,000 fee. http://articles.orla...ton-banowsky-co C-USA alone will realize $6.63 million apiece from Memphis, UCF, SMU and Houston when they leave to join the Big East after the 2013 basketball season, according to C-USA assistant commissioner for public affairs Courtney Morrison-Archer. http://www.herald-di...erger-for-C-USA 2 million entrance fee. Total cost $9.183 million over a five year period or $1.8366 a year The current C-USA media contact CUSA 5 years, $35 million, CBS College Sports (through 2016) 5 years, $35 million, Fox (through 2016) Annual: $14 million* Average Annual per School: $1.17 million http://collegesports...-by-conference/ http://www.sportsbus...ights-Fees.aspx So just to cover the cost of joining BE and loss revenues from the CUSA a team must realize increase in revenue of ($1.17 + $1.8366) = $3.00666** * Some reports that C-USA contract is worth as a much as $16 million a year. or $1.33 million per school. ** I did not include basketball tournament revenue and other sources for the BE or the C-USA. It is difficult to accurately forecast these amounts because they are determined by unknown factors as number tournament invitations and team performance. However, it is save to assume that these revenues were not significantly higher for the BE than the C-USA. http://www.cbssports...of-its-lifetime 4 to 8.66 million value of new contract. C-USA should be able vastly improve media contract. C-USA has added a combination of established and emerging programs. Four of the five schools bring a market size ranked among the top 36 in the country and totaling over two million more TV households than the league held this past year. Now that ODU as committed that wll bring an additional 718,750 households, totally close to three million more TV households. Five of the six schools are in the fastest growing media markets. Four of the six schools are media markets without direct competition from other major Universities or Pro teams. After realignment the C-USA increase the number of large media markets in markets and dramatically increase the number of television households. The C-USA has position itself for better long-term growth than any other conference. None of the other conferences have any room for growth, they have already saturated their markets. C-USA was clever enough to expand within it's hold geographical foot print, yet add new large media markets like San Antonio, Charlotte, Miami, and Norfolk and secure itself in the DFW market. The C-USA is located in the fastest geographical region of the country. According to the US Census Bureau, from 2000 to 2010, regional growth was much faster for the South and West (14.3 and 13.8 percent, respectively) than for the Midwest (3.9 percent) and Northeast (3.2 percent). While expanding, the C-USA avoided media markets dominated by the SEC or the ACC. After realignment, the C-USA loss Memphis and Orlando to the Big East. Although major media markets, the both of these markets were highly competitive. The Tennessee market is relatively small and is being dominated by the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt both of the SEC. Similarly the Florida market is dominated by the ACC and the SEC. The C-USA can offered television networks a conference that includes large rapidly growing media markets with a huge number of television households, in the fastest growing region in the country without offering little or no direct competition to the network's existing contracts with any of other large conferences including the SEC, the ACC, The B1G,or the BIG 12.

I agree this plan would create a permit underclass of 60. The top 64 would the monopoly in recruiting and in money. Every one the 124 team should have chance at national title every year period.

Easy six, Hard seven.

I don't think Idaho or NMSU are viable as independents. It was sad the way Benson led these schools on. What happen to Mr. Benson's grand plan for 12 member football conference? I wonder if got his knuckles rapped?. The WAC will become a non-football conference to survive.