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ESPN has made a big 10 year investment in the AAC. Mike Aresco said that part of the new contract included much better promotion of the league. ESPN treated the Smu game like it was a legit college game. Conf USA continues to struggle with its media deal. As long as ESPN has no interest in CUsa no school in the league will get any national traction.

ECU fan here. Have not posted since Marc became the DL coach for the Mean Green. I know Marc and am a coach. He came to my school to recruit some of our kids when we has at ECU. IMO you have hired one of the best DL coaches on the market. Have no idea why it took Marc this long to get back to FBS football. Marc was in my estimation the best defensive coach ECU has had in a decade. Marc is smart ( chemistry major) and a straight shooter. He has excellent knowledge of the game and took some very average dline talent and made them all better to a man. North Texas got a steal with Yellock. Very impressed with your head coach as he recognizes coaching talent. Good luck next season. I will be rooting for Marc and North Texas.

Hey guys, hope this helps with a vision for your program going forward. ONe thing that has helped ECU is the belief that Chancellor must buy into the vision of the sports program as being the best it can be. From a systems standpoint, the poor leadership of your AD for all these years really points to a lack of oversight and management by previous School Presidents. In University settings if the President wants something, he/she gets it. Your AD was allowed to be ineffective because the top leadership either did not care or did not know any better. Either way, as the Chinese proverb states, "The fish rots from the head down." Would love to see you guys start making the other P5 schools in your area a little nervous. Sounds like North Texas has been fighting with one hand tied behind its back for over a decade. Cheers.

Great write up. As an ECU fan i follow North Texas occasionally, started when Mean Green joined CUSA. Some thoughts. 1. It took ECU 3 years to see the type of results we were expecting from the Spread Offense when Lincoln Riley came to ECU. 2.It also took us about 3 years to go from an even to odd front and feel good about our personnel. You are going to need to recruit a big body for nose and speedy lbs who are play makers to make a 3 man front work well. In a 3 set the lbs make most of the plays, the line just usually clogs the gaps 3. Your going to need one good back,one good Wr and one good qb to make the spread work. 3 good players will change your fortunes in this offense. 4. Seth needs time to recruit and sell his vision.Still believe he was a great hire for uou guys. Good luck going forward guys. It will turn,Seth is to good for it not to do so.

There is a reason Ark State did not get invited to CUSA, right? The numbers you provide are easily given to interpretation Willing to bet no school or few achools in the AAC veiw Ark State as a peer school.

But what has Ark Stae done to even get into the AAC? Why would tbose schools see Ark State someone they want to be peers with? Imo,this looks like your AD promoting himself and Ark State rushing to be seen as a player on sports when they have done very little. Its part of the circus that has become college sports.

Yikes. I did not hear any visioning from her. She sound a bit timid and deflated. Not impressed to be honest.

I think Seth is going to make North Texas a place where players want to play.

An excellent and sober analysis of the current state of college sports,especially football. I am an ECU fan and believe that we are holding on for dear life in the AAC. In reality the MWC and the AAC represent as you stated, the last bit of hope, small as it is, at remaining somewhat relevant in college football. If the AAC were to fold, ECU would need to join a regional conference and resign itself to playing a different brand of football than it is now. CUSA, SunBelt and MAC need each other. The MWC and AAC need each other. This is a fight to death and unfortunately most of us will see our beloved football teams playing a levels that we never dreamed possible. We really are now looking at worst case scenarios. Wish it was not so, but I believe it is. Cheer. An excellent and sober analysis of the current state of college sports,especially football. I am an ECU fan and believe that we are holding on for dear life in the AAC. In reality the MWC and the AAC represent as you stated, the last bit of hope, small as it is, at remaining somewhat relevant in college football. If the AAC were to fold, ECU would need to join a regional conference and resign itself to playing a different brand of football than it is now. CUSA, SunBelt and MAC need each other. The MWC and AAC need each other. This is a fight to death and unfortunately most of us will see our beloved football teams playing a levels that we never dreamed possible. We really are now looking at worst case scenarios. Wish it was not so, but I believe it is. Cheer.

When Coach Ruffin and Lincoln Riley brought the Air Raid/Spread to ECU it took a full 3 years for us to see the results we were hoping for when the system was introduced. Everything about NOrth Texas will have to be oriented towards this type of Offense. This includes finding the right type of players to play OL, WR, RB and Qb. There are body types and speed guys that Littrell is going to need to recruit to make this system work. Be patient as I believe LIttrell knows what he is doing. The Ol for example will need tall guys that pass block first, run block second. Wr's will need to be speed guys who are good at YAC. WR's are given lots of freedom in this offense so he will need to recruit smart guys as well. RB's need to be able to run stretch plays, dart plays, and counter plays. The offense wil require to Littrell to rebuild the bones of the Offense. This includes players and mindset.

Really impressed with Littrell. Kids are going to want to play for him as well. As an outsider (ECU fan) I can say you guys got a very good one. He is bringing his version of the spread which will allow players to play without a huge playbpoker to learn. UNT is going to be fun to watch. Enjoy him while you can.

Harry, good post and spot on imo. As an outsider I see North Texas as a true gem that has yet to be cultivated properly. This could really be an up and coming program with the right person in place. The key as in everything is to find t h e right leadership for the job. Priority number 1 has to be recruiting. You need a good evaluator of talent and a coach who understands he has to sell NOrth Texas as a place to come in and shape the program right away. More than anything else the new guy and his staff will have to b e willing to spend a crazy amount of time in local high schools and find kids that can be developed into good football players. Imo,the new coach needs to love recruiting and hire a staff that does as well. Priority 2 has to be shifting to an offense that has the potential to score points in a hurry. No more pro style sets for NT. I think your new coach has to sell the program to recruits and fans alike as a fast and entertaining brand of football. Priority 3, sell,sell and sell some more the UNT program as one that is worth playing for and one worth supporting. Sell the UNT brand as one that will fight to the last whistle, player and fan to win. The best college football coaches imo are great recruiters,hire good people and can sell the brand and narrative of the school to all constituents. Wish you guys well in your search.

AAC took many of the schools from C-USA that had won the conference either in football or basketball. Most of those schools already had experienced success on a steady and consistent basis. Whether or not the AAC stays at this current level,they do have a collection of schools that are used to winning. In fairness to the board, I am an ECU fan who has been posting here for a couple of years (hopefully you have found me to be respectful, when you guys joined CUSA I actually started following and rooting for you) I think the most powerful asset for the league has been the partnership with Espn. In truth,we were very lucky they signed on to giving the league the exposure they did. Not sure where CUSA is with their new contract negotiations, I certainly think this league needs some type of deal with them. Would not be surprised if there is one. Good luck against Marshall.

ECU fan here. I joined this board when North Texas was invited to Conf USA. I have posted just a few times here. First,sorry about your season. I really thought North Texas had turned the corner with the bowl game two years ago. For what it's worth, I think NOrth Texas has all the necessary ingredients to be successful on a regular basis in football. Big school, location, recruiting, facilities and a strong core group of fans. Knowing that I risk sounding like the guy who knows it all (especially being a fan of another team) here are a couple of thoughts from an outsider. 1. Winning really does begin with a full and complete commitment from the top. ECU has been fortunate to have had leadership from the Chancellor position since the late 60's. Without the top brass support the football program is destined to fail. 2. I don't think North Texas has really found its niche yet. Every school needs something to hang their hat on. From my perspective North Texas has all the key ingredients to be successful but struggles with brand articulation. I see North Texas in a very different position than the UTEP's of the world. I just do not think you guys have had a leader who has put the great assists that U NT has together yet. It seems to me UNT approaches football with one hand tied behind its back. 3. Run the Air Raid,or something close to it. This system atracts good athletes and allows the team to compete against better recruiting teams almost overnight. In truth, I am not sure what the North Texas offensive identity is and it will be hard to get recruits without a wide open game. You have to have something to sell to recruits that the can be seen and understood.. 4.Find the right Head Coach. Easier said than done of course. As an outsider though, I have to really question the person who has made the last few hires for you guys. The Head Coach is everything to a College Football team. I know nothing about your AD. I do know this however, if he is the person who has made the last few hires, he needs help from an outside consulting source with the next hire. IMO North Texas is very fertile ground for an up and coming OC who recognizes that UNT already has everything it needs to be a winning program. 5. Last but not least, keep demanding accountability from your school leaders. The only thing that forces these guys to change is the threat of lost revenue from supporters and alumni. Letters will not cut it guys, only the withholding of money will. In short, as an outsider I see no reason why UNT should not be able to put a strong product on the field more times than not. You have great facilities, a strong core of supporters, a big school and you are in the heart of great recruiting. To me it boils down to leadership. I do not believe think UNT is destined to fail. Put the right people in place and you will see your program bloom.

Here is one bloggers look at the current state of North Texas Football: North Texas Faces Uncertain Future on the Gridiron, Again http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/